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Old 07-19-2013, 05:09 AM
 
10 posts, read 66,922 times
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Hi Guys.
Four of us are planing to live In New Jersey.
2 of us need to go to NYU Poly at brooklyn Metrotech center everyday and 2 of us to New Jersey Institute of Technology, Martin Luther King boulevard, Newark, NJ 07102.

So we were confused between Harrison, NJ and journal square in jersey city.
Planing to stay in a 2/3 bedroom / 2ba apartment or house.

I think the students going to NYU Poly need to catch 2 trains (PATH) irrespective of Harrison or Journal Square.

But students going to NJIT, need to catch a train to Newark Penn Station and then walk abt a mile or take a bus to NJIT from there, if they live in Journal Square.

If they live in Harrison, NJIT is again abt 1 mile from there. So they can walk or take a bus from harrison.

So this is the scenario.

Now could anyone please suggest which is a better place to stay in terms of the following parameters.

1. Safety
2. Nice Pleasant Place
3. Grocery stores access ( Indian)
4. Access to Restaurants (Indian, European, Italian,Chinese, etc)
5.Nice environment
6.Affordability (If the cost of living difference between the 2 places is high)

SO, based on all the above parameters, which is the best place for us to live ???
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Old 07-19-2013, 08:21 AM
 
Location: On the Rails in Northern NJ
12,380 posts, read 26,746,347 times
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Harrison fits your bill , its a very dense small town. About 1 SQ mile in size , walkable , has great public transportation. Theres a growing number of Asians in Harrison , but the town itself is mostly white and sliver of Black. Harrison is very safe , usually the only problems are after the Soccer games...its usually tied to alcohol. Its a Quiet town for the most part , it does have Railways and a Highway slicing through it...but those aren't all that noisy , they have sound walls. I don't know about Indian Grocery stores in Harrison , there are a few in Journal SQ... Harrison has a few Marketplaces and Neighboring Newark has Spanish and Brazilian Marketplaces. Harrison North of 280 is cheap , South of 280 is Expensive. Journal SQ is a mix in terms of rent , it used to be really cheap...now its all over the place. For a 2bedroom in Journal SQ it will cost about 1800$ and in Harrison your pushing 2000$. You could rent a house for about 3500 in Harrison...

From Harrison you take the PATH to Journal and switch to 33rd Street bound train and take that to 9th Street and then its a 5min walk to NYU. For Metrotech , you take the PATH to World Trade Center and walk over to Fulton Street where you switch to the C train and take that to Jay Street-Metro Tech. Both trips take about 50mins.
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Old 07-19-2013, 08:44 AM
 
Location: NJ
516 posts, read 999,028 times
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A few quick points:
- Harrison is walkable to Shoprite/Kmart/Modell's etc, but large supermarket shopping in Journal Square is not so good. On the other hand, JSQ has little India while Harrison doesn't have anything close to that.
- Nexis mentioned that Harrison has a large Asian population--I'd say it's predominantly Chinese. Many, many Chinese students studying at Rutgers/NJIT or young families commuting to NYC while saving up to move out to the train suburbs. JSQ is predominantly Indian. So for small grocery stores, you're comparing Chinese to Little India.

I would say the environment of Harrison is a bit nicer and cleaner than JSQ. Harrison is maybe $100-200 cheaper than JSQ (when comparing similar neighborhoods in term of walking distance to PATH and safety and housing stock). Split 4 ways, the difference is negligible.

If this is the first time in America for any of you, JSQ might be a better choice for the first year or so, just because you have the comfort of Little India in case you get homesick.
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Old 07-19-2013, 09:11 AM
 
10 posts, read 66,922 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nexis4Jersey View Post
Harrison fits your bill , its a very dense small town. About 1 SQ mile in size , walkable , has great public transportation. Theres a growing number of Asians in Harrison , but the town itself is mostly white and sliver of Black. Harrison is very safe , usually the only problems are after the Soccer games...its usually tied to alcohol. Its a Quiet town for the most part , it does have Railways and a Highway slicing through it...but those aren't all that noisy , they have sound walls. I don't know about Indian Grocery stores in Harrison , there are a few in Journal SQ... Harrison has a few Marketplaces and Neighboring Newark has Spanish and Brazilian Marketplaces. Harrison North of 280 is cheap , South of 280 is Expensive. Journal SQ is a mix in terms of rent , it used to be really cheap...now its all over the place. For a 2bedroom in Journal SQ it will cost about 1800$ and in Harrison your pushing 2000$. You could rent a house for about 3500 in Harrison...

From Harrison you take the PATH to Journal and switch to 33rd Street bound train and take that to 9th Street and then its a 5min walk to NYU. For Metrotech , you take the PATH to World Trade Center and walk over to Fulton Street where you switch to the C train and take that to Jay Street-Metro Tech. Both trips take about 50mins.
Thank you!!

But I have a deal in hand right now at academy street which is 2 blocks away from journal square. it is a 2bedroom/1.5 bath independent house with backyard. rent is 1400$ per month including utilities. Is this a good deal worth considering ??
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Old 07-19-2013, 09:29 AM
 
Location: On the Rails in Northern NJ
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bobdxcool View Post
Thank you!!

But I have a deal in hand right now at academy street which is 2 blocks away from journal square. it is a 2bedroom/1.5 bath independent house with backyard. rent is 1400$ per month including utilities. Is this a good deal worth considering ??
Id check it out , that street has some crime issues. Sounds to low for JSQ for a 2 bedroom.
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Old 07-19-2013, 09:31 AM
 
10 posts, read 66,922 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nexis4Jersey View Post
Id check it out , that street has some crime issues. Sounds to low for JSQ for a 2 bedroom.
Is it ???
Does academy street have crime issues???

The address is 243 academy street jersey city NJ

It is 2000 sqft overall!!

It is quite old. built in 1890.

Could u pls have a look on google street view, and see if u have any idea abt that street ???

I had heard that the closer to u live to journal square, the safer it is.
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Old 07-19-2013, 11:31 AM
 
Location: New Jersey
2,257 posts, read 5,163,381 times
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You should be fine on Academy St. It is no better or worse than the whole neighborhood around JSQ which has had its share of crime - car break-ins, mugging, etc.
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Old 07-19-2013, 01:50 PM
 
Location: NJ
516 posts, read 999,028 times
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Academy St is not the best street in the neighborhood, but that address looks like you'll be fine. It gets a bit worse closer to Summit and further east on that street.

I think the price sounds fair if the place is in decent condition.
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Old 07-19-2013, 02:12 PM
 
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My father had a business on Newark Ave above Kennedy and lived on Cottage Street nearby as a youth.

I have not heard of there being much crime in the area but it is higher than very affluent areas of JC - Newport and downtown. THe main problem I forsee is some of the housing is quite old - more likely you may have pests or require more repairs from the landlord. The pros are you will be near Little India on Newark Ave south of Kennedy which continues to grow - now it stretches onto Kennedy. Aside from Indian your choices start to diminish. Casa Dante is a very good , formal Italian restaunt and near there is an old fashioned family bakery that makes very good pastires - Monteleone's. The area to the north is called 5 corners - from what I recall very much restaurants catering to the people who work at the courthouse - the Jersey City old courthouse is georgeous and if you can see the interior go for it. Also there are two old theaters that offer tours if you like architecture.

I would say the areas a little further down from Kennedy Blvd heading to St Peters offer nicer area and some good tree-lined street but then you will have to walk farther to the train.

Not much nightlife but then again you can just take the PATH to Hoboken, Grove Steet in JC, Newport for more eating and shopping options. This area decades ago was a big entertainment center and then declined. Never got seriously bad but wasn't too attractive. Nowwith the growth of Little India and attraction of some younger people and families it has improved - but slowly over the past 20 years.

Harrison can be nicer - just that the old industrial section is disappearing fast with brand new condos that appear well-built and elevated (the area can have flooding if there are heavy rains for long periods or as with Hurricane Sandy flooding of several feet). The vibe is younger but as one poster wrote South Asians are moving into the area as many are in your situation. The big drawback will be lack nearby of Indian food and grocers and an entirely different restaurant palette as well as limited night life (though that is slowly changing). Your food choices a train or bus ride away very near Harrison are: Indian, Asian (Jersey City downtown and Grove/Hoboken), Scottish/Irish (Kearny), Central and South American (Kearny, Ironbound of Newark, Harrison), Portuguese (Kearny, Harrison, Ironbound of Newark), Iberian (Harrison, Ironbound Newark), American (all areas), Italian (all areas but the best you'll find further out in Lyndhurst and North Arlington).

Between Jersey City and Harrison I think access to parks is SLIGHTLY better in Harrison - Branch Brook Park in Newark is great and accessible by train ; Kearny has a pretty,relaxing park - West Hudson Park accessible by foot, bicycle or bus; Harrison is developing some waterfront walkways.

Also if in Harrison you aren't far from large supermarkets in Kearny and the Ironbound and a the Indian stores in Journal Square.

So, in sum, it depends what you want most, if you want to be within walking distance of a vibrant Indian community but you don't mind traveling for more dining and recreational options then Journal Square. If you don't mind traveling to get Indian food and restauarants, but travel less to get some amenities, then Harrison.

If you need more help,send me a pm and I would gladly show you these areas as I grew up near Harrison and worked as a kid in Journal Square and now live in Queens, NYC.
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Old 07-19-2013, 03:04 PM
 
10 posts, read 66,922 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MrsPiggleWiggle View Post
Academy St is not the best street in the neighborhood, but that address looks like you'll be fine. It gets a bit worse closer to Summit and further east on that street.

I think the price sounds fair if the place is in decent condition.
ok. if it is not very safe, which other neighborhood close to Journal square is more safer ??
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