Lyndhurst Comfortable for African-Americans? (Newark, Kearny: fit in, real estate, apartment)

[jerseygirl4life]

I have fallen in love with an apartment in Lyndhurst, NJ but I am African-American and I noticed that the community isn't very diverse. I'm concerned because there are still areas of Bergen County that are not welcoming to ethnic groups. I would love any feedback on the Lyndhurst community and school system. I am looking for a comfortable and diverse community where the neighbors are welcoming regardless of ethnicity.

[kort677]

Originally Posted by jerseygirl4life

I have fallen in love with an apartment in Lyndhurst, NJ but I am African-American and I noticed that the community isn't very diverse. I'm concerned because there are still areas of Bergen County that are not welcoming to ethnic groups. I would love any feedback on the Lyndhurst community and school system. I am looking for a comfortable and diverse community where the neighbors are welcoming regardless of ethnicity.

please take this in the spirit intended, my opinions are based on generalizations and those can be dangerous, that said, lyndhurst may not be the place for you, I don't have first hand knowledge but the area is blue color, lower middle class and these types of towns are not really known as being the most tolerant or welcoming.

More diverse places that you could consider would be montclair, maplewood, bloomfield, teaneck, tenafly, you could even consider parts of hackensack (not a favorite of mine)
All those places are lower middle class to upper class towns with homes at varying price points and are tolerant of diversity.

[bebitaperu]

jerseygirl4life!!!
lyndhurst is a very nice town and welcomes everyone...i live there for 5 years and i had my best time there no regrets at all ....
i am from Peru , i am a latina girl and never got a problem at all... good luck you will enjoy the peace and quiet enviroment
take care
BP

[mead]

Black people in that area of NJ live in Newark, especially in the central ward. If you don't like Newark and think it is too run-down/dangerous (which it is in many parts), then you can move to a more upscale neighborhood in Orange, South Orange, or Maplewood. You're definitely not going to fit in anywhere in Lyndhurst, which is a predominantly white blue-collar type of town.

Here is the racial breakdown of Lyndhurst:

White Non-Hispanic (83.4%)
Hispanic (9.0%)
Korean (2.1%)
Other race (2.0%)
Two or more races (2.0%)
Filipino (1.0%)
Chinese (0.9%)
Asian Indian (0.9%)
Black (0.6%)

Notice how there are more people belonging to random Asian groups (Koreans, Filipino's, Chinese, and Asian Indians) than there are Black people in Lyndhurst? This should tell you all you need to know about the town.

[kort677]

Originally Posted by mead

Yeah I wouldn't be surprised if you took a beating in Lyndhurst. Most of the people living in the area from Kearny up north to Nutley/Rutherford moved there in the first place because of all the "God damn moolies" moving into their neighborhoods back in North Newark during the 1960s/1970s. If your neighbors don't treat you like crap, then the local Police definitely will. I wouldn't be surprised if a decent number of them had relatives who used to hang out with Tony Imperiale back in the day.

Black people in that area of NJ live in Newark, especially in the central ward. If you don't like Newark and think it is too run-down/dangerous (which it is in many parts), then you can move to a more upscale neighborhood in Orange, South Orange, or Maplewood. You're definitely not going to fit in anywhere in Lyndhurst, which is a predominantly white blue-collar type of town.

Here is the racial breakdown of Lyndhurst:

White Non-Hispanic (83.4%)
Hispanic (9.0%)
Korean (2.1%)
Other race (2.0%)
Two or more races (2.0%)
Filipino (1.0%)
Chinese (0.9%)
Asian Indian (0.9%)
Black (0.6%)

Notice how there are more people belonging to random Asian groups (Koreans, Filipino's, Chinese, and Asian Indians) than there are Black people in Lyndhurst? This should tell you all you need to know about the town.

like I said a black person will not be welcomed warmly there,

[JENNGENE01]

I will have disagree with everyone on here who says that Lyndhurst is not welcoming to different ethnicities and that he should consider moving to newark or orange I think that is a very racial remark. I'm hispanic and involved the real estate business i have been to lyndhurst and It is a very welcoming town to all ethnicities. Lyndhurst has alot of commuters from New York that live there. The school system is ok not the best out there but better than Newark & Orange. Everyone here is making it seem that lyndhurst is like Ramsey, Oradell, New Milford. So just trust me you will be fine.

[mead]

Yeah you're just a realtor. The only thing you care about is getting people to closings and collecting your commission check.

The realty on the ground is quite different from what you're portraying though. I know quite a few people from Lyndhurst and the surrounding towns. When I've spoken to them in private they'll usually go on tirades about moolignan this, nigg* that. This isn't like just an isolated case, there are a lot of very pissed of white people, at least when it comes to race issues, living in the towns in this area. Just ask somebody in this area what they think of what has happened to Belleville over the past couple of decades and sit back for the next 30-60 minutes as they give you an earful of their take on non-white people. So don't try to portray this area as some type of kumbaya wonderland for black people.

If you want middle class African-American look towards towns like Orange, Maplewood, etc. You're not going to have to face issues of fitting in, in those towns.

[INeedAChange]

I know what you mean--I'm getting concerned that there's a couple posters here who have a hidden agenda.

Originally Posted by JENNGENE01

I will have disagree with everyone on here who says that Lyndhurst is not welcoming to different ethnicities and that he should consider moving to newark or orange I think that is a very racial remark. I'm hispanic and involved the real estate business i have been to lyndhurst and It is a very welcoming town to all ethnicities. Lyndhurst has alot of commuters from New York that live there. The school system is ok not the best out there but better than Newark & Orange. Everyone here is making it seem that lyndhurst is like Ramsey, Oradell, New Milford. So just trust me you will be fine.

[INeedAChange]

OP said she wanted a diverse area, why are you steering her to Newark.

Originally Posted by mead

Black people in that area of NJ live in Newark.

[mead]

OP also said she was African-American, and to be frank not many black people live in Lyndhurst.

Newark is actually MUCH more diverse than Lyndhurst.

Newark is about 50% Black, 30% Hispanic and 15% White. Compare that to Lyndhurst which is 83% White and .6% Black. Notice the difference?

However if you actually read what I wrote, I told the OP that if she wants an upscale African-American community she should look into towns like Orange, Maplewood, South Orange, etc.