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exactly, you rent for a year in hoboken and then you will be able to avoid living in a dump because some jerk that doesnt like to see bad areas badmouthed tried to tell you newark is "bad but not that bad." what a ringing endorsement. also, jersey city isnt hoboken or anything close. as hoboken got more full of nyc commuters, JC started looking more attractive. but understand; it is the next level out not the first choice and its not worth settlng for JC before at least renting in hoboken for a year.
It's not about not liking to see Newark badmouthed. I never said it was a great city, in fact I admitted it was bad but what you are saying about the city is simply not accurate. Yeah, Newark has a high crime rate but that crime rate does not penetrate every corner of the city. There are safe areas. I had a great grandmother who lived most of her life in Newark. She raised her family there.
When I was a little kid, my family would go visit my great grandmother before she died (of old age, she didn't get shot). This was back in the 90's when Newark was actually the #1 most dangerous city in the nation. Do you know what happened to us? Nothing. Nobody shot at us or robbed us or tried to sell us drugs. And by the way, I'm a white kid that grew up in one of the most wealthy places in the state so I do not look like I belong in Newark.
Newark hasn't been named the most dangerous city in the nation since 1996. Since that time, Newark's crime rate has dropped significantly. When you make comments about how Newark is all bad and there are no redeeming qualities to the city and no safe areas, you are simply telling a lie. I'm not arguing that Newark is all good. Newark is far from all good but it is also not even close to how dangerous you think it is.
The OP is moving here and just accepted a job in the city of Newark so let's not go telling lies and making the OP worry for nothing. Downtown is safe no matter what your biased perception of the city may be.
I think it is time for a summation and clarification:
HOBOKEN - this would fit your bill except to be close enough to the PATH by foot - from Stevens Institute of Tech south, you would need a roommate situation. Further out and away from the water, MAYBE you could get a studio (say way out toward Weehawken border).
NEWARK IRONBOUND - It is not unsafe and actually fairly safe with a lively restaurant and bar scene. The possible drawback - very strong Iberian/Potuguese/Brasilian flavor. People from NYC and New Jersey come to the Ironbound for Portuguese/Brasilian/Iberian food. But it is changing to offer greater diversity. Here is a website and NY Times article Ironbound Restaurants Featured in New York Times!
If you stick close to Ferry Street and say less than a mile away from Newark Penn, you could walk or take the bus to work and either room in a large apartment or get a studio. Of course the main disadvantage is it isn't as safe as Hoboken and there areas not far from there that are unsafe (as was said to the west and south - though some of these areas are improving, but generally the Clinton Hill, Weequahic, Fairmont, and most of Roseville are either somewhat unsafe to very unsafe - with a few safe islands here and there). I list a skate shop and he has done some outreach with those communities as the kids enjoy skateboarding. They may be able to give you a good lay of the land when you work in downtown Newark.
JERSEY CITY - Grove Street and Downtown would be next to Hoboken in providing what you want but the offerings will be more spread out. You will likely need to share - MAYBE you'll find a studio a little far from the PATH. Like Hoboken, it has a nice waterfront area with views of Manhattan.
Journal Square in the Bergen Hill area might offer a studio in your price range. Nice buildings but less nightlife than the options I have given
All of these areas are serviced by PATH or bus/light-rail so you could get to Newark and NYC easily. Trust me you will be hanging in NYC quite a bit with only Hoboken possibly competing with NYC for significant attention. Also, you may find you'll be hanging in places in Brooklyn and western Queens in addition to Manhattan. You'll hang in Newark for after-work stuff, or to attend a concert at a good price on the weekend or weekday.
WORKING IN DOWNTOWN NEWARK
Now as for your workplace, I know it well as I worked in the Ironbound and had friends live in downtown Newark. The safe areas will be from the Federal Building to Clay Street Bridge on Broad. From about the Prudential to the Clay Street Bridge the areas a little west and east of Broad are fine. Outside of this band (with the exception of the Ironbound) it starts to get sketchy. The areas that offer some amenities will be the Washington Park area where Rutgers Law School and Newark Museum is and the areas around the Prudential Arena which has top entertainment and sports events. Parts of downtown Newark do change on weekends, there is always a guy DJing his house music compilations for sale on Broad and Market, and you do see the kids dressed gangster along Market and Broad. But many shops on Broad will not be of much interest to you. A street you may like is Halsey Street between Brandford (just below Market) Market and Washington Park, it has several nice new restaurants and shops as well as few nice standyby's such as Hobby's, an old-school Jewish deli. Halsey Street which is just above Broad in that area is worth a trip at lunch or after work. Plus the area is coming up quickly with a little bit of a West Village flavor. Even when I was working in Newark and Halsey had far less to offer it always attracted a few entrepreneurs offering say a clothes shop ,old book store, or coffee place.
If you have any reservations about working in downtown Newark I offer some of these links to help you feel more comfortable:
This in addition to Subway, Starbucks, a few burger places on Broad Street. Now it isn't Hoboken or downtown JC, but Newark is finally developing an attractive downtown these days. So your timing is good. You still need some street smarts in the evening or at night but no need to be nervous about working in downtown Newark.
If you would like me to show you around more of the area, I would be glad to as I have family in a nice working class/middle class town near Newark.
Last edited by astroia 34567; 07-28-2013 at 04:33 PM..
You're the second person today to recommend Hoboken. I'll look into it. I'm done with roommates however. What does a decent 1 bedroom or studio go for?
my friend rents a studio for $1600/month. that's in the citadel building. it's gonna be tough to get there for much less.
search Ogden Ave in Jersey City Heights. It's a simple light rail elevator down into hoboken, or a cheap cab.
I would recommend Jersey City due to your budget, and plan on spending some money on cabs or hopping on the light rail to pub it up in Hoboken. Jersey City has some worthwhile pubs, but you're gonna want to hang out in Hoboken more often than not (or NYC).
my friend rents a studio for $1600/month. that's in the citadel building. it's gonna be tough to get there for much less.
search Ogden Ave in Jersey City Heights. It's a simple light rail elevator down into hoboken, or a cheap cab.
I would recommend Jersey City due to your budget, and plan on spending some money on cabs or hopping on the light rail to pub it up in Hoboken. Jersey City has some worthwhile pubs, but you're gonna want to hang out in Hoboken more often than not (or NYC).
If the OP picks downtown JC, he's golden because he will have very reasonable commute, quiet and calm of downtown JC, easy access to Hoboken and super easy access to Lower Manhattan. He just needs to find a roomy so he can swing the rent.
I think I'll stay in the Hoboken area and take the PATH train to work in Newark. Google tells me the office is a one minute walk from Penn Station. That makes for a quick and easy commute.
My employer subsidizes transit expenses. Is living along the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail or a bus line a good idea or should I just stick to walking distance from the PATH stations.
either is fine really. the light rail may be a slightly quicker commute, though I'm not sure. the PATH is fine though.
Thank you. I'm feeling really good about my situation now. Any specific neighborhoods in Hoboken, Jersey City, or along the lightrail line I should look into?
and i wouldn't rule out having a car and driving to newark. you'd have to weight the cost/benefit of living further from the PATH or Light Rail but paying around $200/month to park (or spending a lot of time looking for parking if Hoboken....JC is a bit easier to park on the street given the way they do permits).
exactly, you rent for a year in hoboken and then you will be able to avoid living in a dump because some jerk that doesnt like to see bad areas badmouthed tried to tell you newark is "bad but not that bad." what a ringing endorsement. also, jersey city isnt hoboken or anything close. as hoboken got more full of nyc commuters, JC started looking more attractive. but understand; it is the next level out not the first choice and its not worth settlng for JC before at least renting in hoboken for a year.
JC has changed a lot in the past 10 years, but when I still lived in Hoboken it always struck me as where more young families might move, or people who wanted the proximity of Hoboken but not the noise/activity. It's quieter. But...that's changed a lot in the past 5 years as well as it's gotten more developed. Also - there is a TON of construction in JC right now, so lots of changes happening monthly.
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