Worst towns in NJ (Phillipsburg, Verona: sex offenders, train, low income housing)

[Ghost Fantic]

Hay,I live in Morris county and i hate newark
Hopatcong
bloom feild because they are crime areas and also they scare me and in bloom feild my moms bofriend abused me for 2 years and also i kinda miss that house because it was haunted

[JimmyLane]

Originally Posted by meameame12

najaca, there are many other places many other people are very fond of. just b/c u like it here does not mean we need nor have to. where have you lived besides here?

the OP for this thread has a valid point. not all areas of NJ are created equal, and many people, such as myself, are tired to contributing to a tax base which does not serve directly our families. This is one of the unspoken laws of cities.

also how do you know tht NJ has the best educational system? public or private? where is your proof? post it if you have it, cause i find that hard to believe due to the proliferation of Abbott schools in this state. last i checked trenton, camden, newark, essex, paterson, passaic, clifton, etc., etc., have wonderful educational systems. In fact i did a study on Newark back in the day, and it was proven that the longer kids stayed there, the more dumb they became. I think the politically correct term was, "the less they learned."



also, north-east NJ is the most desired area to live in all of NJ, for those who want the action. BUT who can afford it? The prices for a PIZZA slice are jacked thru the roof. Im in Passaic and even the prices HERE are really high. One slice costs 1.50, and Im in an UEZ and shop downtown. Passaic charges .25 cents less.

The poor area where I reside currently has homes going for 350k+, and believe me, I am not in a family friendly area. We like most other residents have heavy locks on our doors, dont walk out at night, and keep our wits.

Passaic is not that bad if you avoid pockets, but it aint that good either. Just go under Passaic crime blotter to see how our wonderful residents act. Anything south of main ave., and you hit some serious projects. Check out our wonderful gangs here, if you have time.

regarding other areas, i have been a nj resident all of my life, and moved down to Tx, and lived in Chicago for 4 years, and loved both places. But i came back last year, and realized, how much of a mistake that was. Im in way over my head. the RENT IN PASSAIC FOR A 3 BEDROOM APARTMENT THAT IS CRAP IS 2000 PER MONTH.

regarding this topic posted, it is in our best interests to keep fellow potential residents aware of the reality of different cities and suburbs, and i think this is an excellent topic that deserves mention.

mea, it's refreshing to read ideas from somebody like yourself with the insight and honesty not to whitewash the smelly facts of NJ life. i'm a NJ teacher and i say let's stop propagating the myth that NJ schools are the "best."

i have decided to leave this state for the reasons you discussed and will be out of here next month.

[JimmyLane]

duplicate. sorry.

[cyntmac]

"Refreshing"
Please......LOL...........

[tbone65]

As a native to NJ who has lived in and visited many areas outside of the state, let me say that you should be thankful for all of the great things that the state provides. NJ is full of history, topographical interest and beauty and culture.
Having lived in TX and NC, I can tell you that these places lack character. Texas, in particular, is a flat wasteland. You better like to eat out and shop because there is nothing else. What is even funnier are Texans bloated impressions of their state.
NC is more beautiful than TX but lacks culture. Driving out of the main towns of NC is like a trip through a bad movie. Extremely rural and poor is the best way to describe the towns. Not a great place to raise your kids.
One more thing to mention is that in NJ, people are not continually jamming their religion down your throat. It is an incredible turn off. In TX, your mailbox is full of fliers for huckster preachers soliciting you to their congregation.

Yes, I have met some good people in these places, but I have in NJ as well.

Bottom line is that NJ is a fantastic place to live.

[downtown living]

Phillipsburg is looking up with alot of community revitalization work going on right at the "Free" Bridge that connects Phillispburg and Easton. My husband and I have bought a building and have completely renovated it into 6 really
nice apartments with skylights, balconies and great views. Now we are hoping to create a "downtown" community. It is taking patience but one by one we are renting the apartments. We hope to renovate another building for riverfront condos with a historic flair. Also, we want to put in a bed and breakfast as there is lots to do in Phillipsburg, (steam engine train ride, restaurants, Easton's state theatre, Crayola Factory) but few quaint places to stay near the river views. Wish us luck! We are also open to any comments and suggestions. Many thanks for this opportunity.

[jerseycity79]

From my personal experience, Camden is by far the worst city in NJ. By far. Besides right near the aquarium, there are no good sections of Camden. Parkside might be considered the best neighborhood there, (Near Camden High School) but even that is horrible. Drive to downtown Camden after 11pm or 12am...Near the Cooper Medical Center and the Rutgers Camden Campus. It is absolutely vacant. No one ventures out there!

Newark, in my opinion is second. The Ironbound section is fine for the most part.

Trenton, Atlantic City, Paterson, Elizabeth, Union City, Passiac, Asbury Park, East Orange, Irvington, and Jersey City-

But, I must note: We are generalizing here, too. Cities are typically broken up into neighborhoods, while some are bad, others are fine.

Union City, downtown typically has more crime (closer to the JC border, and I must add that I have never felt unsafe in Union City...Walk along Summit or Bergenline...Some great places to eat.) but it's not so bad uptown.

Jersey City, downtown/Newport is fine. The Heights has crime, but is not really dangerous (depends block to block).

My experiences working in the projects in Paterson, East Orange, and Irvington were not good. However, I am not basing my perception on these cities by what I have seen in the projects. Though, the crime stats basically reaffirm what I saw.

Look at Philadelphia...(I know it's not in NJ) How many people go to Philly, walk around and feel safe for the most part? But, talk to someone from West Philly or North Philly(think Temple)...Two neighborhoods which I think might rival Camden with being the most dangerous in the area. Philadelphia's murder rate is one of the highest in the nation, higher than Newark's I believe. Even Center City Philly you have to be careful with at night. My point is, that every city has good and bad sections...Some are more comfortable in certain areas based on what they are use to. I would never move to most of Newark, but would consider the Ironbound. I wouldn't move to Camden if you paid me a million dollars (though I was dumb enough to teach in the worst neighborhood in that city). I have lived in Philly, Jersey City, and Hoboken. Look how wonderful Hoboken is, right? Well, take a trip down to Jackson St., between 3rd - 6th. I bet not too many would feel safe there. Now, I'm not comparing Newark to Hoboken...Hoboken is obviously safer. But, we should take a step back and realize that not every neighborhood in these cities is "bad" and I guess this definition of "bad" really depends on what you're use to and comfortable with. (Note: I wouldn't feel comfortable raising kids in any of these cities, even Hoboken. But, that's my opinion. I'm sure I will get many who disagree with me on this.)

[pinebarrenmom]

I was looking further south than ocean county
and the taxes are WORSE
I see someone said Deptford is bad....
then I played looking over the Delaware River in PA
and taxes aren't much better, so why bother...
guess I'll stay where I am and DREAM of a better
way of life....
so where do we go to get out of NJ?
all the deviants I see leaving are going to states
I've thought about....
maybe if we just sit it out...the state will empty out
hahahah
i'm from Clifton NJ
lived in many towns and counties on my way down
to ocean county
getting antsy to pack and find something better
but can't find anything

[JerseyG]

Originally Posted by misspascal

MAYBE IN THE LATE 80'S AND 90'S WITH THE DRUGS AND MURDERS, BUT I MUST SAY THAT NEW BRUNSWICK HAS CLEANED ITSELF UP QUITE A BIT. THE DOWNTOWN AREA HAS GREATLY IMPROVED. MAINLY BECAUSE A LOT OF RICH PEOPLE ARE SPENDING A LOT OF MONEY TO SEND THIER CHILDREN TO RUTGERS. BUT THERE HAVE BEEN MANY REPORTED RAPES IN OFF CAMPUS HOUSING. YOU KNOW WHAT...EVERYWHERE YOU GO YOU GET THE GOOD AND THE BAD...BUT I'D RATHER TAKE A LATE NIGHT WALK IN NEW BRUNSWICK RATHER THAN NEWARK ANY DAY

The revitalization of downtown New Brunswick didn't have anything to do with "rich" parents sending their kids to RU.....it was a long-overdue effort at cleaning up the filth (think J&J/politics). Unfortunately more filth just took its place. NB is a city...with gangs and everything else thats bad. To be honest with you, I think it was safer back in the late 80's and early 90's than it is now. The line that an RU student wouldn't cross 15-20 years ago is still there...it's just moved closer to campus. Kids want to live on campus for that reason. If you go to campus housing online there are tons of available off campus apts...wasn't always like that.

I don't think New Brunswick can compare to Newark or Camden but I wouldn't take that walk off the College Ave campus.

[JerZ]

Originally Posted by pinebarrenmom

so where do we go to get out of NJ?

I've seen a lot of people who relocate farther south along the eastern seaboard. NC seems to be the latest thing. But would you believe my best friend (she's still on the east coast) is thinking of Delaware??? I don't know what they're looking into as far as employment, etc. though...I can ask the next time I speak to her. Oh, and my oldest son is thinking of Maryland. But...yeah...a lot of people tend to just go a little south.

I seem to be the only reject who wants to go BACK to NJ! LOL. Realistically I probably couldn't...I LOVE NJ but I can't deny that it's expensive. But...I myself would consider some of those south-of-NJ eastern seaboard states.