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I do not think that it is the quantity of people in the city, but it is the quality of the city. There is no reason for anyone outside of the area to know of the cities. There is no draw. These are the 4 biggest cities in NJ:
Newark (long in decline, no reason to enter the city unless you work there or are going to a Devils game).
Jersey City (I dont think it is a bad city overall, but 90% of the appeal is proximity/ease of access to NYC). Paterson (crappy city full of poverty. Absolutely no reason for an outsider to go to the city)
Elizabeth (I live 15 miles away and have never been to the city. I really do not even know much about it and it is the 4th largest city in the state).
Newark is the same size as cities like Orlando, Buffalo, and Pittsburgh. But you would never know it.
1. So the Ironbound isn't worth going to Newark , thats the only place i can get my friends and family to go to....and they love it.... The BBP isn't a bad place to visit either.....
2. Paterson isn't as bad as people say it , is i guess cleaning up the city , and the historic district isn't enough for some people. theres also a growing Arab and Italian community....
3. Elizzy is pretty safe and nice , just like Paterson it is cleaning up and seems to have a growing pop....
I think you need to get out more and explore the state before bashing the cities like everybody else. The Problem with todays society is we beleave everything and everyone without double checking to see if its true... Were also lazy which means we don't seem to want to leave the house....
I think you need to get out more and explore the state before bashing the cities like everybody else. The Problem with todays society is we beleave everything and everyone without double checking to see if its true... Were also lazy which means we don't seem to want to leave the house....
This state's too sheltered. It has almost the same problem as Maryland: they think it's just a giant "suburb" and not a state.
The same can be said for two of the three cities I highlighted. Other than going to events or work, there's no reason to go to Buffalo or Pittsburgh.
BTW. The Devils aren't the only thing at the arena you know.
I have to disagree on this. I am from Pittsburgh and there is a lot more going on in Pittsburgh than there is in Newark. It is true that not a lot of people live within Pittsburgh's city limits, but it is the pulse of that entire area. Newark unfortunately is right in NYC's backyard and therefore doesn't constantly draw people too it. Pittsburgh on the other hand is the only major city in that area and arguably the best city in that region and is the center of entertainment. There are a lot of companies investing in Pittsburgh right now. Every time I go back to visit there is a whole bunch of new stuff in and around the city. It is really progressing fast, a lot faster than Newark.
Yea I doubt the folks in Livingston or Verona want anything to do with being a part of Newark. Maybe Belleville/Bloomfield could pass- Annexing EO/Irvington would definitely pass, but that would just make things worst. I don't see Newark getting worst in the future anyway, it's definitely going to get better- Though it's still going to the butt of jokes.
Hudson county however could easily annex itself into a city of nearly 650K.
All the tiny Municippilities itself across NJ can do a whole lot of annexing. Bergen County has 70 towns in 230 square miles, all those 1-3 square mile towns all have their own police force, schools, libraries, etc- Maybe the state could be a little more business frienly and less taxed burdened iif the state could start annexing all these towns and "share"--- It's really not possible anymore, but NJ's issue has always been endlessly squaring off tiny spaces of land and lableing it a town. Growing up in southern Bergen County, I'd go through 6 different downtown's in 6 different towns in 10 miles. NJ can easily be more city like than most American cities.
I think that about Hudson County all the time. There is no reason why it shouldn't just become a city. Downtown JC would be the city core and Hoboken would be the entertainment district. All these little cities and towns just allow for more corruption and wasted money on more city government positions.
Every time I go back to visit there is a whole bunch of new stuff in and around the city. It is really progressing fast, a lot faster than Newark.
Such as? And I'm not talking about employment; I'm talking about draws that would lure tourists there on a frequent basis(Inner Harbor area, Arch, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, etc.).
Such as? And I'm not talking about employment; I'm talking about draws that would lure tourists there on a frequent basis(Inner Harbor area, Arch, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, etc.).
There is a lot more tourist in Pittsburgh than you would think. Pittsburgh draws people in mainly for its beautiful views. It also has a very good nightlife, nothing like NYC, but better than that of Newark. People from out of town love the South Side(Crazy Bars with a lot of young adults/Clubs/Late night type restaurants. Kind of like Hoboken), Shadyside(Nightlife for more mature people, High end shopping during the day.), Station Square(a mix of the last two.), The Strip District(The biggest club scene at night on the northern streets, on the southern streets a market district during the day), Mt. Washington(Stunning views/Romantic date spot/Extremely high end restaurants/The inclines, Like Blvd. East with restaurants.), the North Shore(Stadiums/Bars/Resturants/Casino), and on a lesser scale Oakland(where most of the colleges/universities are). Also there is the Gateway Clipper Fleet which are steam boats that ride along the rivers. Some are for sight seeing, others are like clubs on the water, and some have formal dinners with dancing. Every time I go there there is a new arena, restaurant, or high end shopping plaza popping up somewhere. And that is all just inside of Pittsburgh Proper, there is a lot of other stuff just outside of city limits.
A well known city would definitely help Jersey's reputation. I go to Maryland and always get a hard time from my friends for being from NJ. When I counter that "Maryland's major city is Baltimore, what a joke," they say "Whatever, Jersey doesn't even have cities. At least everyone knows of B-more." And honestly, I have to agree with them. So yes, in my opinion, a major city would definitely help improve, if not radically change, NJ's image.
I do not think that it is the quantity of people in the city, but it is the quality of the city. There is no reason for anyone outside of the area to know of the cities. There is no draw. These are the 4 biggest cities in NJ:
Newark (long in decline, no reason to enter the city unless you work there or are going to a Devils game).
Jersey City (I dont think it is a bad city overall, but 90% of the appeal is proximity/ease of access to NYC).
Paterson (crappy city full of poverty. Absolutely no reason for an outsider to go to the city)
Elizabeth (I live 15 miles away and have never been to the city. I really do not even know much about it and it is the 4th largest city in the state).
Newark is the same size as cities like Orlando, Buffalo, and Pittsburgh. But you would never know it.
I think this has more to do w/ the behemoth of a city we live next to (NYC). North NJ isn't far from NYC and it's easy to get lost in the sauce especially since rail to Manhattan isn't a long ride at all.
NYC has gravity that's hard to ignore, but even in that I think cities as small as JC/Newark do pretty well. If Newark/JC took their assets to a state w/o a global city next door to it I think it would get a lot more recognition.
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