Worst towns in NJ (Newark, Jersey City: best town, lawyers, transfer)

[RUBIES77]

Originally Posted by Debaroo

So go North..head to Vermont, Upstate NY. etc

VERMONT? Beautiful state, but I hear is getting lots of pedophiles. The O'Really/Fox News program was going after a judge there that was letting them all go scot free.

[RUBIES77]

Originally Posted by pirate girl

Too many pages to read but having grown up in South Jersey I do have an opinion to share.

Yes, the cities mentioned repeatedly (Newark, Camden, Trenton, JC, AC) are all awful, that's pretty much to be expected and I can't imagine many people would be interested in relocating to any of them.

Opinions of smaller towns are probably more helpful and relevant to many readers here. And I have to say that the small town of Hammonton (about 30 mins west of AC) is my least favorite town. It's a backward, strange little town with a strong italian/mafioso feel. Weird, weird, weird.

ARE YOU IMPLYING THAT the Italians have left Lodi, and moved there?

[RUBIES77]

Originally Posted by JennyOnTheMove

Wow. Well, Paramus, for one. Imagine trying to drive 3 miles, and it takes you 25 minutes. Yeah. Try to go to work, and come home afterwards. Leave Mahwah at 5 PM and arrive in Paramus at 5:45. All of Bergen County. It just SUCKS so bad. I drive from Glen Rock to Elmwood Park at 5 PM and it takes me 50 minutes.

I have had it with the freaking furniture stores on Route 17. Let's see. We have about 30 of them by now. Giant Ikea, Crate and Barrell, Raymour & Flanigan, Bob's, Maurice Villency, Jennifer Convertibles, Bruce the Bed King, Signature Leather- not to mention the Tile Stores, the Kitchen Stores like Kuche Kuchina and Poggen Pohl, The Home Improvement Stores like Home Depot, Tool Town, Behnke Lumber, Paramus Lighting- I just can't take any more. And all they do is just keep on putting up these stores. Why? Because people in Paramus need them? No. Because it attracts business from all the other towns, and then that makes the highways UNDRIVABLE.

I hate Paramus. Hate it. Hate.

But Bergen County in general is just awful. I keep hearing how bad Newark is, and Jersey City, but to me, Bergen is the worst, because it is pretentious and irritating, and sickens me on a daily basis.

Many residents of Bergen County are 3rd and 4th generation. Many have "moved up" from Passaic, Hudson or Essex counties, with their deep Jersey accents and their attitudes as if they have finally received the key to heaven. It's PARAMUS, for pete's sake, its not the holy land.

They build these ridiculous houses that are just, plain RIDICULOUS, ubiquitous McMansions, and their travertine, and marble and lame landscaping atrocities.

Every minute we have a new mall popping up, with new, and more ridiculously consumptive stores like Hermes and Louis Vuitton everywhere you look.

Kids in the schools wear $120 jeans in the 6th grade. They all have cell phones, laptops, and expensive clothing and ipods. Their parents spoil them, and buy them cars which they don't have to work for. It's funny because in neighboring Ridgewood, which is really a wealthier town than Paramus, the kids are NOT as spoiled as they are in Paramus. Why? Because the parents in Paramus are low class, not from money, not educated, just blue collar, making money like animals, to buy things for their kids.

Take a look at a local soccer game, and you'll die laughing at these women. They are atrocious. Not at all classy like the Ridgewood Moms. Anyway, I'm straying from my point, but please - anyone looking to move here- just don't do it.

The house prices and the taxes in Bergen County are sooooooo high, and OVER priced, that it is nearly impossible for anyone to live here that isn't terribly wealthy.

Rents for a 2 bedroom apartment in any DECENT town runs about $1600 - $2000. And that's IF you can find one. Houses start at $350k and the average is well over $600k. Taxes on a 1950's 3 BR Cape in Ridgewood are nearly 10k a year.

Just look at 201 magazine and you will see how snotty, snobby and self absorbed Bergen county residents are.

And let me just say this last thing. Bergen County is one of the RICHEST counties in the WHOLE COUNTRY! And guess what? The Bergen County Animal Shelter is one of the WORST in the Nation. What a shame, and what a telling story. Don't move here. Save yourselves.

A lot of those residents are New York Transplants with lots of money.

[stevemorse]

This question is funny, worst by crime, zoning, or just plain ugly. Well I went for Ugly, after living near Plattsbugh, 30 miles to Champlain, 25 miles to Altoona, 35 miles to Lion Mountain all in NY I can tell you rural Sussex County is Ugly and to me the worst looking area. I hate flat farm land, I am tired ofthe smell of cow ****, and I am starting to hate hillbillies more and more each day. So to me I dont like Sussex, Vernon area for that reason.

[DessertRat]

Originally Posted by stevemorse

This question is funny, worst by crime, zoning, or just plain ugly. Well I went for Ugly, after living near Plattsbugh, 30 miles to Champlain, 25 miles to Altoona, 35 miles to Lion Mountain all in NY I can tell you rural Sussex County is Ugly and to me the worst looking area. I hate flat farm land, I am tired ofthe smell of cow ****, and I am starting to hate hillbillies more and more each day. So to me I dont like Sussex, Vernon area for that reason.

Judging based on crime isn't very interesting, imo, because we either (1) Look up official crime stats per capita, and there's little argument about them as such, or (2) Base them on personal anecdotes (or worse, personal "feelings" about a place) which are not going to be very good guides for how much crime per capita there actually is.

For (1) we actually can get into some interesting discussions about it via an analysis of very kinds of potential bias in the stats, such as what kinds of crimes we're talking about, whether they're occurring to strangers or among acquaintances, whether there's some reason more crimes might be reported in one area rather than another (or represented in the stats, etc.), but those kinds of discussions are unlikely to occur on a bulletin board like this, partially because to do them right, they require actual research and analysis.

Oh, and re your post, I absolutely love rural Sussex--that's my favorite area of the state. It's also not very flat in most areas. A lot of it looks like a stereotypical Grant Wood painting.

[stevemorse]

Well I am biased right now, after living in the woods, mountains and farm lands for a few months. However, Its not the hills that get me, I know Sussex Cty has rolling hills and small mountains but I just dislike farm fields. Sorry, I think Sussex is ugly. I cant really put my finger on why, maybe its me .

[cyntmac]

Farm fields are ugly now?

[Obrero]

Originally Posted by stevemorse

Well I am biased right now, after living in the woods, mountains and farm lands for a few months. However, Its not the hills that get me, I know Sussex Cty has rolling hills and small mountains but I just dislike farm fields. Sorry, I think Sussex is ugly. I cant really put my finger on why, maybe its me .

You are strange. You hate Sussex county because it's ugly but you are moving to Jefferson. Jefferson may as well be in Sussex county it's so close to the border and so similar.

[stevemorse]

I do not see a similarity at all. I am up high on a big rocky hill. Morris County and my area is very rocky. I bought a house in Stonehedge development, needs landscaping, but no way reminds me off sussex by vernon near 94. I dont see it, sorry. Maybe there are parts of Sussex that are like Jefferson or vice versa but I have not see it yet. I see a ridge, woods,but no farms in the development that I bought the house. Its near sussex county but I just dont see it. As far as farm fields, cyntmac, I do not want to be reminded of this mess and husbands depression. It reminds me of Plattsburgh so I at this time in my life do not wish to see them. Mountain ok, farms no good. Had enough trouble this year. By the way, cyntmac just read some of your posts and the post where you said I think I am gonna heave, your funny!!!!

[stevemorse]

Look maybe I am crazy, Sussex county reminds me of up here in this part of NY state. The part of Jefferson I bought I have not seen farm fields within a few miles. Maybe they are close by, I could be wrong, but I am not looking at cows in Jefferson in Stonehedge. Look, I am open minded it seems, maybe one day I will love farms just a bad year this year mentally. At least I have the guts to say my life sucked this year. I can admit when I am wrong. Thanks for your input UKOK. Maybe I need to re think and drive around more. Thanks Marilyn