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I'm 22, Irish/Italian and grew up in Williamsburg. I own my house that my grandparents bought after they got married and passed to my parents and now my parents divorced and my mom lives in FL and my dad is moving to NC, the house is mine. I don't want to live here anymore because the neighborhood has changed so much while I was away at college I feel like an outsider because I'm not a hipster and I was born in NYC. I am having the home converted into 3 whole floor apartments, and me holding on to one (because I don't wanna give up ALL of the home I grew up in) and selling the other two as condos which I can probably get more than &700k for each one.
I was planning on using the money from the sale to purchase a home outright in a more traditional, middle class, less trendy neighborhood in BK or Queens where I would fit in better. But those neighborhoods are usually far from the city and a crappy a commute to my job at a car dealership on 11th avenue close to the Javits Center in Hells Kitchen/West Midtown.
Even though the city has a rep for being expensive, I see a couple of attached homes or duplexes in Hoboken that i can afford either by paying all cash or mostly cash with a small mortgage (under $60k) on the remainder.
I have not been in years, but my moms dad grew up there. It seems like it is nicer and safer than other Hudson County towns, which seem to skew poor or recent immigrant in my experience in West New York and Union City.
What kind of people live in Hoboken? Hipsters? Young professionals? Mostly natives? I see it's like 2/3 white with the biggest minority is Hispanic and 5% black. However the school system demographics are around half Hispanic. So I am assuming that the white population is a lot of transplants, yes?
I'm looking for more working class style neighborhood. Not very yuppie or transplant and lots of long term locals, people with a similar accent to me (lol), blue collar types but still in an urban environment, Is Hoboken a good fit?
I was also looking at Yonkers in Westchester so you can get an idea of what I'm looking for. However I've decided it is not a good idea to purchase there because it is going the opposite direction of NYC areas and declining and the bad areas are expanding into the middle class areas with a lot of people priced out of Harlem, Bed Stuy etc.
I know of course that Hoboken - being closer to Manhattan than most of Brooklyn and Queens - has seen gentrification. But how much? Has it retained any blue collar feel?
If not, where do you suggest I look? North Jersey offers me a good commute because I work far on the west side (and I drive to work - no train needed) but I am open anywhere that offers me what I am looking for. Although I have more buying power right now than the average blue collar or working class individual, my actual income as well as my outlook/upbringing is very much working class and I feel much more comfortable around those types of folks. I also like some sort of urban surroundings because that's what I am used too. It seems that as time goes by, an area that is urban or semi-urban and is not a yuppie area or an immigrant enclave/hood area is getting rarer and rarer..hopefully you can point me in the right way. Thanks.
What kind of people live in Hoboken? Hipsters? Young professionals? Mostly natives? I see it's like 2/3 white with the biggest minority is Hispanic and 5% black. However the school system demographics are around half Hispanic. So I am assuming that the white population is a lot of transplants, yes? Hoboken is filled with many young white adults / young families that work in the city who live a upper class lifestyle. Barely any hipsters that maybe you would see in williamsburg exist in hoboken. I would say hoboken is more like 5/6 white.Not sure about the school systems.
I'm looking for more working class style neighborhood. Not very yuppie or transplant and lots of long term locals, people with a similar accent to me (lol), blue collar types but still in an urban environment, Is Hoboken a good fit? I rarely meet people who moved to hoboken and not love it. I think it's a good fit but Hoboken isn't blue collar anymore. Its actually quite opposite of blue collar now. Maybe 25 years ago, but not now. Its a lot of working professionals with good jobs. Downtown hoboken is a lot younger than the rest of hoboken, with a lot of mid 20 year olds running around at night. There's a fairly big night scene in hoboken with lots of bars/clubs/ and a ton of restaurants.
I know of course that Hoboken - being closer to Manhattan than most of Brooklyn and Queens - has seen gentrification. But how much? Has it retained any blue collar feel? The blue collar feel in Hoboken is completely gone, when the weather is nice come to hoboken for a saturday day/night. You will see for yourself how its completely changed. For that blue collar/urban feel with a easy NYC west side commute, I would say some parts of Jersey City or Harrison.
What kind of people live in Hoboken? Hipsters? Young professionals? Mostly natives? I see it's like 2/3 white with the biggest minority is Hispanic and 5% black. However the school system demographics are around half Hispanic. So I am assuming that the white population is a lot of transplants, yes? Hoboken is filled with many young white adults / young families that work in the city who live a upper class lifestyle. Barely any hipsters that maybe you would see in williamsburg exist in hoboken. I would say hoboken is more like 5/6 white.Not sure about the school systems.
I'm looking for more working class style neighborhood. Not very yuppie or transplant and lots of long term locals, people with a similar accent to me (lol), blue collar types but still in an urban environment, Is Hoboken a good fit? I rarely meet people who moved to hoboken and not love it. I think it's a good fit but Hoboken isn't blue collar anymore. Its actually quite opposite of blue collar now. Maybe 25 years ago, but not now. Its a lot of working professionals with good jobs. Downtown hoboken is a lot younger than the rest of hoboken, with a lot of mid 20 year olds running around at night. There's a fairly big night scene in hoboken with lots of bars/clubs/ and a ton of restaurants.
I know of course that Hoboken - being closer to Manhattan than most of Brooklyn and Queens - has seen gentrification. But how much? Has it retained any blue collar feel? The blue collar feel in Hoboken is completely gone, when the weather is nice come to hoboken for a saturday day/night. You will see for yourself how its completely changed. For that blue collar/urban feel with a easy NYC west side commute, I would say some parts of Jersey City or Harrison.
Thanks for your answer, I really appreciate it. I'm really quite sad now cause just hearing that I think I'm going to have to pass on Hudson County. From my experience JC's working class population are more recent arrivals and Harrison is mostly Spanish. I'm moving mostly cause I wanna find a neighborhood where I can fit in..from your description it doesn't sound like Hoboken is it at all although I'm sure it's very nice. I've got a feeling I'm going to have to sacrifice on the commute and go out to Monmouth or Ocean County like Tom's River where every other New Yorker went.
i don't think you'll find a working class neighborhood in hoboken now. it used to be working class italian, but now primarily young urban professionals, with $$$$$. hipsters as well crawling the bar scene. there might be small enclaves of italian working class but that will probably change sooner or later like the rest of the city. it's been manhattanized
I'm 22, Irish/Italian and grew up in Williamsburg. I own my house that my grandparents bought after they got married and passed to my parents and now my parents divorced and my mom lives in FL and my dad is moving to NC, the house is mine. I don't want to live here anymore because the neighborhood has changed so much while I was away at college I feel like an outsider because I'm not a hipster and I was born in NYC. I am having the home converted into 3 whole floor apartments, and me holding on to one (because I don't wanna give up ALL of the home I grew up in) and selling the other two as condos which I can probably get more than &700k for each one.
I was planning on using the money from the sale to purchase a home outright in a more traditional, middle class, less trendy neighborhood in BK or Queens where I would fit in better. But those neighborhoods are usually far from the city and a crappy a commute to my job at a car dealership on 11th avenue close to the Javits Center in Hells Kitchen/West Midtown.
Even though the city has a rep for being expensive, I see a couple of attached homes or duplexes in Hoboken that i can afford either by paying all cash or mostly cash with a small mortgage (under $60k) on the remainder.
I have not been in years, but my moms dad grew up there. It seems like it is nicer and safer than other Hudson County towns, which seem to skew poor or recent immigrant in my experience in West New York and Union City.
What kind of people live in Hoboken? Hipsters? Young professionals? Mostly natives? I see it's like 2/3 white with the biggest minority is Hispanic and 5% black. However the school system demographics are around half Hispanic. So I am assuming that the white population is a lot of transplants, yes?
I'm looking for more working class style neighborhood. Not very yuppie or transplant and lots of long term locals, people with a similar accent to me (lol), blue collar types but still in an urban environment, Is Hoboken a good fit?
I was also looking at Yonkers in Westchester so you can get an idea of what I'm looking for. However I've decided it is not a good idea to purchase there because it is going the opposite direction of NYC areas and declining and the bad areas are expanding into the middle class areas with a lot of people priced out of Harlem, Bed Stuy etc.
I know of course that Hoboken - being closer to Manhattan than most of Brooklyn and Queens - has seen gentrification. But how much? Has it retained any blue collar feel?
If not, where do you suggest I look? North Jersey offers me a good commute because I work far on the west side (and I drive to work - no train needed) but I am open anywhere that offers me what I am looking for. Although I have more buying power right now than the average blue collar or working class individual, my actual income as well as my outlook/upbringing is very much working class and I feel much more comfortable around those types of folks. I also like some sort of urban surroundings because that's what I am used too. It seems that as time goes by, an area that is urban or semi-urban and is not a yuppie area or an immigrant enclave/hood area is getting rarer and rarer..hopefully you can point me in the right way. Thanks.
DO NOT SELL YOUR HOUSE! I say again! DO NOT SELL YOUR HOUSE! Rent that place out. That's piles of income right there. Hoboken floods. Its not worth living there unless you are going to college. The only thing that's good about it is the mozzerella and the views of NYC. If you want Irish/italian, move to staten island. You will not find working class irish/italian anymore. THey have all assimilated. Move on from this. Get over it. Its not the 50s anymore. Attachment causes suffering. Women prostitute themselves to live in NYC. Be greatful for what you have and that you still have bladder control.
DO NOT SELL YOUR HOUSE! I say again! DO NOT SELL YOUR HOUSE! Rent that place out. That's piles of income right there. Hoboken floods. Its not worth living there unless you are going to college. The only thing that's good about it is the mozzerella and the views of NYC. If you want Irish/italian, move to staten island. You will not find working class irish/italian anymore. THey have all assimilated. Move on from this. Get over it. Its not the 50s anymore. Attachment causes suffering. Women prostitute themselves to live in NYC. Be greatful for what you have and that you still have bladder control.
I know we are assimilated I don't want little Italy I just want working class in general. It seems like anywhere that can be considered urban and working class is a ghetto where no one speaks English. I just want someone where everyone is not a young professional. I don't wanna rent I don't want to be a landlord to hipsters. You seem like a really rude person. I'm not looking for anything crazy I just can't stand to live in a place where no one is actually from here and wears a suit and tie.
I know we are assimilated I don't want little Italy I just want working class in general. It seems like anywhere that can be considered urban and working class is a ghetto where no one speaks English. I just want someone where everyone is not a young professional. I don't wanna rent I don't want to be a landlord to hipsters. You seem like a really rude person. I'm not looking for anything crazy I just can't stand to live in a place where no one is actually from here and wears a suit and tie.
It really sounds like Bayonne is exactly what you're looking for, a relatively working class/middle class city with lots of Italian, Polish, and Irish descendants. There are also a lot of Egyptians and Puerto Ricans here along with some Filipinos. It's a safe area, there are some working professionals but very few hipsters. It isn't all that transient either, but it is a bit further from NYC than most of Hudson County. I just don't think anywhere else in NJ fits the bill quite as well.
If you don't mind staying in NYC there are parts of the Northeast Bronx that fit the bill as well. Think Pelham Bay, Pelham Gardens, Throggs Neck, Morris Park, etc...
You might want to look in Westchester County, White Plains specifically comes to mind. City life complete with good nightlife scene with a large 20's and 30's crowd, and a good mix of transplants AND Italian/Irish. Pretty easy commute to Manhattan.
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