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I'm pretty sure he's going to be stationed at McGuire AFB or Fort Dix. Sorry for all the confusion, I'm just as confused myself but it's one of those two bases. Thank you for all the help.
Living in Northeastern NJ is different than living in the part of NJ where these bases are - although only about 90 minutes away things are a little more laid back. However, you still have easy access to NYC and Philadelphia.
People from NJ are well travelled. Take advantage of the great, central location. Plan to spend some time in the fall travelling to New England and Boston to see the leaves change. Get down to DC to see the Capital.
First, you'd be looking at what we North Jersey types would call South Jersey. I don't think you'll have much problem down there. People are more relaxed than up North and there's less competition for everything. Don't know how far away fom the base you want to be, but if you don't mind a 30/45 minute drive, Brick Township and Toms River are serviceable, have good schools and are right on the ocean. Brick, by the way, is the safest community in the country.
To answer your original question, I think the first guy nailed it on the head. I went to school in L.A. (I'm very familiar with San Diego, which is, no offense, my least favorite city in the country probably for the same reasons everyone else likes it so much: it's relentlessly sunny and painfully boring.) I've also lived in Seattle and Montreal and I always keep coming back to Jersey.
It's crowded, it's expensive, it's filled with pushy people (push back, it can be fun.) More people live here per square mile than any other state. Bergen County (where I'm from) is cosmopolitan and suburban at the same time and outside of rush hours, it takes me all of 20 minutes to drive to Midtown Manhattan. Many of our public schools are among the best in the country (because we pay through the nose for them.) We don't, however, seem to know how to manage big cities. You'll find the true New Jersey in well-kept little suburban towns. And I know this sounds funny to people from the rest of the country, but North Jersey often does feel like the center of the world. People here are exceptionally open-minded in a very close-minded way: accepting of anyone but not always aware that there's life beyond NJ/NY.
My sister came to visit me in Seattle one time and remarked on how pretty it was. When I asked if she'd ever consider moving she said "Maybe if there were a nuclear war and I couldn't live in New Jersey: I like it and I know where the stores are. Why would I ever leave?" My other sister's husband was offered a transfer to Los Angeles and she considered it seriously until she took out a map and saw where it was: "Oh, my God! It's not near anything! How long does it take to get to Europe?! Where do they go on vacation?" And thus two of NJ's hidden charms are revealed: the shopping in suburban North Jersey puts most 'big city' shopping to shame: there are boutiques in Bergen County that have three locations: London, New York and Paramus. And, off-season, you can get a $300 round trip ticket from Newark to London or Paris or the weekend. On occasion, we've gone to London just to see a play. It spoils you and it's not until you leave that you realize it's special. My five years in Montreal, all I did was lecture Canadians on how they'd be much happier if they just did things the way we did in NJ. I'm sure I was an awful bore but I was also right.
As to the poster who lives in Hudson County, all I can say is I'm sorry. Hudson County is crowded even by New Jersey standards and I tend to think of it as "New Jersey for the Experienced," meaning it tends to be a place filled with either new immigrants crowding in to 'make it' and move on or people who grew up elsewhere in NJ and need to be close to the city. What it's not is a place with a well-developed sense of community.
I can't speak to "where" you should live but I can try and answer the question posed by your post "What's it like to live in Northeastern NJ?"
First of all, welcome to a very complicated place! The joys of New Jersey are not always obvious, but they do exist. I am going to get all the bad news out of the way first, and then tell you why and how I have fallen in love with NJ.
One of the first things I had to get used to upon moving here was the distinct lack of beauty in our state. Sure, sure there are lots of pretty things but on the whole, our state is not particularly picturesque the way the West Coast can be. In large part, the problem is that NJ is set on a coastal plain, and when mountains to exist, they tend to be the lush green variety. There are no dramatic landscapes here and much of the architecture is dates relative to other, newer parts of our country. I can hear a collective "WHAT?" being uttered by the native NJers reading this so let me say unequivocally that this is not an ugly state, there are pretty parts, but people don't go around the country saying "Have you ever been to New Jersey? My God, now there is a beautiful area...." In a family of superstars, we are more of the plain but sturdily build academic sister.....
While we are getting the bad news out of the way, here are some other distinct negatives. This is a pricey area and your money does not stretch far with real estate or other amenities. People here are hard workers because they have to be---many more dual income families, people working past retirement etc--the dollar is harder to stretch here. People are also crankier and more frank than I can ever get used to..... We kavitch. We speak out loudly if things are not to our satisfaction and we are never afraid to tell someone how and why they are screwing up their lives. We do it because we care....and because we can.
OK, so what's the good.....
People here do care..... What can come across as impertinence to a newcomer really does stem from people who are actively living passionate lives full of opinions and emotions. We will tell you that you drive like an ass, but we'll good naturally forget about it the next day when we invite you over for pizza.
This really does feel like the center of the world; not just New Jersey, mind you, but really NYC. I have lived everywhere and I never feel as connected to the mainstream media and culture the way I do when I live here. You have EVERYTHING here that sets the tone culturally for the rest of the country.
We have great amenities. I never appreciated good schools, responsive emergency personnel and solid hospitals until I found myself lacking those things in some of the prettier, newer cities we lived in.../ Believe me, when you go to the ER, it's a treat knowing you are being treated by top notch professionals....and that is what you find here for sure. While education is tanking all over this country, I stand by firmly and proudly behind NJ public schools. I don't think people here even understand how good the schools are until they move away. No--we don't offer new-age, touchy feeley charter schools ala California--but we don't have to because our schools produce what the California schools are trying to fix via these schools. Our kids grow up with greater access to opportunities, jobs, and with an amazing world view.
NY, NY, NY...... nothing like it.
Pizza and bagels....again,nothing like it. People talking with their hands and all kinds of ethnicities--look no further than NJ for the melting pot. The shore with all its customs and traditions....
The four seasons and all the good things they bring: apple picking in the fall, skiing in nearby PA or Vermont in the winter, spring plantings and our glorious beautiful summers.... Just when I get sick of one season, there is a whole other one of equal length to change things up.....
I started out telling you that our state is not a beauty queen, but here is the part that is deceiving---we have all the same stuff those other shiny cities have: the trails, the beaches, the rivers, woods etc.... NJ as a WHOLE is not particularly pretty, but gorgeous pockets exist everywhere.
Anyway---that's more than I meant to write. Good luck.
All this I took for granted when I lived in NJ. I miss it so much, and can't wait to return. NJ ROCKS!
My husband is being restationed near Newark from San Diego next summer. I'm born and raised in SoCal and I've never been to the East Coast so I would love opinions on what it's like to live there. It's just the two of us, no kids yet. I'd like to live outside of the city, about 45 minutes or less away from Newark. Any recommendations on a safe place to live that has a lot to do outdoors in that general area? Thanks in advance!
i'd look in Sparta maybe (might be too far) or Morris County. I live right near Newark and we have a couple great parks/reservations for outdoors stuff. Morris County has great parks and trails. Budget is going to be a key factor, but since you're coming from SD, the costs probably aren't that different.
We moved here from San Diego in 2008. Honestly, we hate it and are counting down the days until we move back west. I have no problems with the weather or the food, but the people are aggressive, too aggressive for us. We've had a hard time making friends, which is probably the most important thing you can do to make yourself happy in a place like this. You may have a different experience since your husband will have a built in network through his work, and you can plug into that as well.
You should also be find a nice community to live in in southern Jersey. We are in Hudson County which is one of the most densely populated counties in the country. We have very little opportunity to enjoy nature, which is another pain point for us. Hopefully you'll have a better experience than we are. Best of luck with your move.
i somewhat get your drift. i disliked hudson county because of what you say you hate. have you considered other parts? I moved out of Hoboken and now I live in a city with a population around 50,000 but the streets are quiet, families are nice and neighborly, and there's a community feeling. I go to South Mountain Reservation all of the time to enjoy nature. Come on out and join us sometime, we're always looking for new friends!
There are so many beautiful places in New Jersey to enjoy nature within a short trip from Hudson County--you couldn't take day trips or long weekends to check any of them out?
living in Hudson County feels like a prison sometimes. Depending on what town, it's such a hassle to leave town that you end up not going anywhere. Traffic is horrendous. At least the light rail made it a bit easier to get around the county. but commuting on NJ Transit out of Hudson County is almost impossible due to the schedules. It's very frustrating and makes you just hate your life.
Diverse, near NYC, a lot of things going on, generally the best place to be.
I need to stop reading these posts. I'm homesick. The summer can't come soon enough for me to start actively shopping for a new place.
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