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There is a lot of new development there, but I do agree with Todd72173. I actually think Long Branch was safer 15-20 years ago than it is now. After cleaning up New Brunswick, that is where the bulk of its garbage has gone. First a lot of it went to South River, then SR kicked them out after their longtime residents started whining about crime being on the rise there. Now it's all in Long Branch. Only part of LB I felt safe in is the area right on the beach by the Windmill and the 711 there I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.
Wow, I could go for a Windmill burger right now.
That is the best part of Long Branch, IMO, although there are ritzier condo complexes along the water going farther north, like Pier Village and the area where they have the palm trees on the beach in summer. But what I was saying earlier--about West End--that's that whole area behind the 711 and Brighton Avenue, etc., extending inland all the way back to Norwood Avenue/Monmouth University. The houses and neighborhoods are very nice and the area is quiet and safe. Cedar Avenue is quiet and safe as are the streets off of it in both directions. At the end of Green Street, off of Cedar, is this nice little lake that they stock with fish--beautiful houses all around and very peaceful. I've walked there in the evenings. Other people are walking, biking, jogging, people are fishing, etc. It's the other, northern end of Long Branch that has most of the problems, especially around Joline Avenue.
I wouldn't move there if I had kids, but as a single person it would be a cool place to live. It has potential. There's a definite illegal alien drug/gang problem in the poor sections, but it's actually a town on the move in the right direction. I'd take a chance buying one of the condos on the ocean. A few of my friends from college live in those newer complexes and love it - beach right there, plenty of fun bars nearby, nice local music scene as well.
There's crime but it's nowhere near a Newark or Camden, and I don't think the crime really spills over into the nicer sections of town for the most part. Like I said, it's not a place where I'd want to raise kids (yet) but I wouldn't have an issue living there.
Long Branch is much better than it was 15-20 years ago. It is a very diverse town with big populations of Italian, Jewish, Black, Portuguese, Brazilian, Hispanic communities. The latter groups have been moving into and buying houses in the poorer sections of town for the past 20-30 years and they are hard working, aspiring people so have fixed and cleaned up most of the housing stock. During that time period, the resourceful mayor built three brand spanking new schools making maximum use of the Abbott district funds. The mayor is now embarking on an effort to build a new pier which will have ferry connection to NY, using the new federal infrastructure funds. Most of the blight has been cleaned up from the waterfront and million dollar condos and new beautiful shopping district has been built, albeit with the use of harsh eminent domain rules which kicked a lot of decent people out of their beach houses. Monmouth University in the adjacent town, since it has been promoted from college status ~10 years ago,is busting in its seams, expanding and providing another stabilizing and positive influence. LB has a very stable and in part very rich (developer Kushner has a waterfront mansion) tax base. Many of the nearby rich towns have negotiated with Long Branch to transfer their low income housing requirements, so most of the projects have been torn down and completely new housing have been built, improving the general condition and look of the poorer areas of town. One negative is the imminent closing of nearby Fort Monmouth, but this doesnt seem to have fazed people. Two brand new houses have just been built and quickly purchased on my street, in the more modest part of town, just like in other towns in the area. Still the economic downturn hit the hotel on the beachfront which might be declaring bankruptcy. All in all things are holding up pretty well in LB and it has a good attributes for handling the current national crisis and poised for future growth with its ambitious new immigrant population.
I too would be interested in finding out information particularly around the new condo building named Diamond Beach. I think it's across the street from 7 Presidents Park.
If its the blue and gray one, I pass it twice a day every day and think its the ugliest thing I have ever seen.
Aside from that its not in the best section of LB in terms of schools but anything along Ocean Ave is fairly safe. If you visit go to Amy's for lunch, its right next door.
Just about every thread about New Jersey that I read about you all have said that just about every town in New Jersey is run down. They say that New Jersey has 566 municipalities and everyone has said that just about all of them are run down and I know that this is part of you all's hatred for New Jersey.
When I first moved to NJ in 2008 I moved to Bath Avenue in Long Branch, a few blocks away from Ocean Avenue - about a 15 minute walk. It's a decent place to live in the summer...it was nice having the beach so close, even though after being in NJ for 4+ years I have moved Pier Village way down on the list of beaches I like.
It's a pretty depressing area in the winter time though. Seems like 98% of the population is made up of either Hispanics and older people that have lived there for their entire lives and never left the town.
I honestly wouldn't raise a family there and since I moved I don't even have a reason to hit up the town anymore. I wish when I lived there Asbury Park was as interesting as it's become recently because it's an easy 10-15 minute drive away. 4 years ago Asbury Park definitely wasn't as happening as it was this past summer. At least I didn't notice it.
Best things about Long Branch:
Windmill
Celtic Cottage
Nunzio's Pizza
Train Station (although it's sketchy and one long ass trip to NYC, usually close to 1:45).
Just about every thread about New Jersey that I read about you all have said that just about every town in New Jersey is run down. They say that New Jersey has 566 municipalities and everyone has said that just about all of them are run down and I know that this is part of you all's hatred for New Jersey.
To whom are you addressing this post and why did you scrounge up a two-year-old thread to post this in?
Who hates New Jersey and is saying that all 566 municipalities are run down? This is our home, but I'm not guessing by the "you all's" it's not yours.
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