Moving to Jersey City, town house with garden (Hoboken, Secaucus: apartment, rentals)

[Vanderkruk]

Hi everyone. . .I just landed a job in Newport Jersey City, and I'm moving to the area from Syracuse while my girlfriend comes over from Europe. We are searching for a town house or a small house in a quite and save area but close to the office in Newport.

We have targeted four potential places to live: Newport, West Bergen, Hoboken and Harrison.
Can anyone tell me anything about these areas? Are these good places to live? How is the crime? And the diversity?

Thanks for any help people can give me.

[cyntmac]

How is diversity?

Those areas are in urban NJ.
People don't generally use a term like that in regard to those types of areas.
There are people from all backgrounds and ethnicities in that area.
Are you looking for a specific population?

[Vanderkruk]

Thanks for your reaction. We are not looking for a specific population. We are looking for diversity in surrounding (urban area's, park's, etc..). As we are both from Europe we do not know the area at all. Can you give us some info about those area's?

[cyntmac]

Overall very urban with the all the pluses and minuses of U.S. urban living. Neighborhoods vary in regards to crime. The lower income neighborhoods almost always have more crime. Parks and outdoor options? You are probably going to be dissapointed if you are used to Europe.

If you like urban-check out Jersey City or Hoboken. Purchasing a townhome is very expensive in many areas. If you are smart you will rent for at least a year until you find an area you are comfortable enough to buy in. If you are in NY state you need to spend some time in the area. Syracuse is a very different type of area.

How much are you willing to spend? West Bergen and Harrison are more affordable and work better for a working class person.

[EANJ]

Originally Posted by Vanderkruk

Hi everyone. . .I just landed a job in Newport Jersey City, and I'm moving to the area from Syracuse while my girlfriend comes over from Europe. We are searching for a town house or a small house in a quite and save area but close to the office in Newport.

We have targeted four potential places to live: Newport, West Bergen, Hoboken and Harrison.
Can anyone tell me anything about these areas? Are these good places to live? How is the crime? And the diversity?

Thanks for any help people can give me.

I can't tell you intimate details about the areas, but I will say this - they are at different points on the spectrum. Newport is the highest-end of the group. High end high-rises, condo's, rentals, etc. A lot of shopping restaurants, and more close by. There is a lot of diversity there. A friend lives in on the buildings and I spend some time there -- young people, a melting pot, nice.

Hoboken is nice as well. Some new nice buildings, brownstones, etc. but a bit more everyday'ish, pedestrian, party-town, etc. There's always a lot going on in Hoboken.

Personally, I wouldn't look at Harrison or the West Bergen section of Jersey City.

Being that you are working in Newport, you probably don't want to leave there. However, if you'd consider it, and you are looking "high-end" -- check out some of the newer development/complexes in Edgewater. I don't know if there is enough reason to look/move there as opposed to Edgewater. Another friend of mine works in Newport but didn't want to live there (no matter how high-end the building was). He landed in Edgewater -- a beautiful place, right on the water. There is a lot of construction going on in Edgewater (and south along the water -- Wehawkin, etc.).

Good luck.

[Vanderkruk]

CYNTMAC and EANJ, Thanks for helping us further. We both have a reasonable job but we have no idea in which kind of range we have to think if we consider to rent a small house or town house in these areas. Can you recommend other living areas close to Newport (to avoid traffic jams; nice "quite" and good living area) beside Edgewater?

[cyntmac]

If you are car dependent- I can't advise anything because when I lived there I did not drive. None of those areas are decent when it comes to traffic or parking. In many of those areas people don't have garages and parking in those streets is a nightmare. The towns around JC/Hoboken are a little quieter but not really what I think of as quiet. You would have to kind of spend a little time there to know. Some blocks might be quieter than others but you have to check that out for yourself really.

[cyntmac]

If you don't want to rent an apartment and prefer renting a house you would go to the surrounding areas. They would be quieter and less urban. You would use your car more though.

Places like Jersey City Heights have houses for rent with garages and I think they are reasonably priced. Some blocks are quiet but some are definitely not. You would still have more of an urban feel there. Ft Lee and Edgewater have tons of traffic. You will not find everything you are looking for in an urban town in NJ.

[metro1026]

Secaucus is a nice option. It's more suburban, easy to find parking, borders JC, moderate rent prices, low crime...

[CafeLatte]

I know the area well. If you are working in Newport area, you can rent an apt in a high rises at Newport. BUT if you want townhouse with a patch of grass, check out Society Hill complex in Jersey City. It is on the other side of Jersey city, but there is a light rail (like modern cable car) by Society Hill and drops you right off at Newprot. Society Hill is a gated community, complex is safe, and has a quiet suburban feel in the middle of a very urban city.