Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'll tell you why: it's too dangerous and the schools are low-quality and unsafe.
I considered living in Camden and Trenton, but I couldn't get past those two realities.
Hoboken still has a relatively high crime rate and is an Abbot District.
I'm not black nor live in an inner-city area, so I can't judge...but from what I've heard/observed/had my black, Trenton-resident friends and peers, the black community in Trenton and many cities has almost "given up," which is a damn shame IMO.
Hoboken still has a relatively high crime rate and is an Abbot District.
I'm not black nor live in an inner-city area, so I can't judge...but from what I've heard/observed/had my black, Trenton-resident friends and peers, the black community in Trenton and many cities has almost "given up," which is a damn shame IMO.
Let's be honest for a second. The vicious cycle of unwed young mothers, "baby daddys" (a ridiculous term, because daddys stick around or at least show up from time to time) and lack of interest in school has doomed these neighborhoods. You can't point fingers when you don't seriously look inward. The aftermath to all these shootings? Candlelight marches, of course. It's almost too predictable.
It is to some extent. I know a few people who lived there, but they ultimately had to move because crime was too bad. Mill Hill just is not a big enough area to make a difference, maybe.
I haven't been through Trenton in many, many years. Last time was to the old courthouse for jury duty.
It's a shame. I have a lot of good memories of Trenton. I used to walk on the weekends to downtown (didn't have a nickle for the bus lol) and spend the day going to the stores (Dunham's and others), grabbing a sandwich at one of the Greek restaurants or the ...darn, cannot remember the name, but it was a variety store with a lunch counter, AHA, I think it was Kresgie's, doing all sorts of things. My siblings and I would walk to Cadwallader Park (5 mile walk, no wonder we were so skinny!) and spend all day there. I knew that place like the back of my hand. Looking at the deer, feeling so sorry for the poor bear they had in that small 'den'. Once I tried to figure out a way to let it loose! There were two movie theatre's close to my house so when we had the quarter we'd go walk to the movies.
Well, that was a long time ago...last time I was at the park I didn't feel particularly safe. I guess that was around the early '70s..I was an adult by then.
Trenton needs some investment, maybe opening stores and creating job opportunities for the residents. I understand that it's almost totally dead on the weekends, when the state workers are not there.
It is to some extent. I know a few people who lived there, but they ultimately had to move because crime was too bad. Mill Hill just is not a big enough area to make a difference, maybe.
I haven't been through Trenton in many, many years. Last time was to the old courthouse for jury duty.
It's a shame. I have a lot of good memories of Trenton. I used to walk on the weekends to downtown (didn't have a nickle for the bus lol) and spend the day going to the stores (Dunham's and others), grabbing a sandwich at one of the Greek restaurants or the ...darn, cannot remember the name, but it was a variety store with a lunch counter, AHA, I think it was Kresgie's, doing all sorts of things. My siblings and I would walk to Cadwallader Park (5 mile walk, no wonder we were so skinny!) and spend all day there. I knew that place like the back of my hand. Looking at the deer, feeling so sorry for the poor bear they had in that small 'den'. Once I tried to figure out a way to let it loose! There were two movie theatre's close to my house so when we had the quarter we'd go walk to the movies.
Well, that was a long time ago...last time I was at the park I didn't feel particularly safe. I guess that was around the early '70s..I was an adult by then.
Trenton needs some investment, maybe opening stores and creating job opportunities for the residents. I understand that it's almost totally dead on the weekends, when the state workers are not there.
Even though I've lived in NJ for all my life (and I'm 54), I never went to Trenton except for once earlier this year for an event at the Episcopal Cathedral. You could see by the architecture in the city that it was once a beautiful place, and I love that it's right on the river, but mostly it appeared just depressing and sad. The only people I saw were a few groups of young people just loitering on a couple of street corners (this was a Saturday afternoon.)
Even though I've lived in NJ for all my life (and I'm 54), I never went to Trenton except for once earlier this year for an event at the Episcopal Cathedral. You could see by the architecture in the city that it was once a beautiful place, and I love that it's right on the river, but mostly it appeared just depressing and sad. The only people I saw were a few groups of young people just loitering on a couple of street corners (this was a Saturday afternoon.)
Granted, that's one view of it on one day.
Mightyqueen, that's pretty much it, unfortunately. I say that even Mill Hill is not gentrified because it is just too close to bad neighborhoods, it is unsafe and there are no safe, high-quality schools anywhere nearby. Gentrification means middle and upper class people want to move in even if they have children. Not so anywhere in Trenton.
Mightyqueen, that's pretty much it, unfortunately. I say that even Mill Hill is not gentrified because it is just too close to bad neighborhoods, it is unsafe and there are no safe, high-quality schools anywhere nearby. Gentrification means middle and upper class people want to move in even if they have children. Not so anywhere in Trenton.
Hoboken, Jersey City, and some of the newly-gentrified parts of Brooklyn are all places where generally people with kids don't move in (there are some of course), but they're still gentrified. So I don't think you need that. You can also be right next to a bad neighborhood in some cases, though it helps if there's some sort of tangible barrier (like I-78 in JC).
Hoboken, Jersey City, and some of the newly-gentrified parts of Brooklyn are all places where generally people with kids don't move in (there are some of course), but they're still gentrified. So I don't think you need that. You can also be right next to a bad neighborhood in some cases, though it helps if there's some sort of tangible barrier (like I-78 in JC).
Those areas you mentioned gentrified because NYC keeps getting more expensive (foreign investment money buying, old money, traders, etc.). Since people are priced out, they move further out of the core (Brooklyn, JC, Hoboken, etc.). This doesn't happen elsewhere in NJ or in South Jersey. Camden has the same problem as Trenton. People who want city life in South Jersey move to Philadelphia. You won't get the spillover effect because people aren't priced out of Philadelphia.
Even when you look at "better" neighborhoods in places like Camden, you can buy a rowhouse in the Cooper Hospital area for $130K (this is a working-class Hispanic neighborhood) or you can buy a similar rowhouse in Collingswood for $150K. Collingswood has usable schools, no/rare shootings, murders, etc. It's no contest from a quality of life perspective - kids or no kids. Economically speaking, there is little benefit to be had by moving to any of NJ's war zone cities outside of the North NJ market.
While I agree that higher risk carries with it higher reward (A $30K rowhouse in Trenton that is now worth $150K is more profitable than a $150K rowhouse now worth $200K), in the meantime it's still a lot of risk to take (not just monetarily but in terms of quality of life) for a highly illiquid asset (house). Even with the increased suburban property taxes, I'd save the risk-taking for the stock market and buy housing in a place worth living, personally.
You won't get the spillover effect because people aren't priced out of Philadelphia.
Sure, the gentrification is happening within Philadelphia. It took decades of being "up and coming" but Northern Liberties is finally gentrified. Still not much of a place for kids, which was my point -- you don't need families with children to be "gentrified".
I don't really see much pressure for gentrification in Trenton, though; as you say, nobody's priced out of Philadelphia (and it's a bit far to boot), and there's nothing in Trenton aside from the state government.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
