Is Paterson, NJ dangerous? (Newark, Camden: restaurant, move to, activity)

[findinghope]

Originally Posted by Newarkbomb

Paterson... HAH i think my molm only got mugged once in her life and it was on paterson

are you sure it wasnt ON newark?

[Patersonian]

Agree with your entire post, Emissary.

It's sad but true, our school system makes Paterson a tough sell for middle-class families with children... but the school system can't improve without children from middle-class families. You could put the best teachers, principals, administrators, superintendants, etc. in the school districts of Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, etc., and it wouldn't matter because there are too many children that go to these schools who are the product of parents who simply do not value education.

[TheEmissary]

Originally Posted by Patersonian

Agree with your entire post, Emissary.

It's sad but true, our school system makes Paterson a tough sell for middle-class families with children... but the school system can't improve without children from middle-class families. You could put the best teachers, principals, administrators, superintendants, etc. in the school districts of Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, etc., and it wouldn't matter because there are too many children that go to these schools who are the product of parents who simply do not value education.

It would have to be "very brave" young urban pioneers who would be willing to chance their children's futures on what is perceived to be a "failed school system". I know there are many dedicated educators in the Paterson school system who probably spend a part of their day thinking how much easier their lives would have been, if they had taken a job in a suburban school district. I went to PS# 27 and J.F.K. HS in the sixties and I think I got a very good education back then. I would be extremely leery of sending a kid to J.F.K HS these days! Most suburban parents would probably equate sending their kids to Paterson's High Schools, to sending them to Baghdad - except that Baghdad might be perceived as a "safer place". I doubt Ridgewood HS has 7 squad cars parked outside the school when it lets out. Once an educational system gets a "bad reputation", it becomes exceedingly difficult to overcome that stigma, and it taints public perceptions for a long time to come! People on this forum are constantly debating the various merits of the individual grammar and middle schools in their upper-middle class suburban towns. Sadly, you'll never see anything like this happen in reference to Paterson schools. I don't know what the answer is, to problems like this!

[neekah18]

Originally Posted by TheEmissary

June1 - I agree with a lot of your observations, but with a few caveats. The Totowa section of Paterson still looks nice, but for how long? Many of the new residents are adding illegal rooms to the houses in this area by dividing up a basement into bedrooms and renting them out - most likely to illegal immigrants. This is one of the reasons I moved away. My neighbors across the street did this, with the result that there were 4 or 5 extra cars on the street. They would park an old van in front of my house. When I was a kid there wouldn't be any cars parked on the street! Cars were neated parked in the driveway and the parking in front of your house would be reserved for friends who would only be there for a few hours. This gave the area a "well-kept and open look" that has since disappeared. If you call the housing authority about all of these illegal housing modifications, not much will be done. Years ago, they'd make people rip out all these basement and attic modifications, but now, nothing is done to remedy this. The housing inspectors must be living well in the suburbs on all the bribe money they are receiving!!!

I used to believe that Paterson might be "gentrified" in some way. Eastside Park, which is probably already in the throes of this to a large extent, will remain a nice place to live for gay couples who buy those huge houses and restore them to their former glory. But for a young middle-class couple, planning a family, given the quality of the schools, it would be a daunting prospect in almost any area of Paterson. Schools are such an important consideration for most people in deciding where to live. Paterson schools just don't make the grade for any middle-class person that might consider moving there. If you have to factor in the costs of private schooling, even with the lower real estate prices, it doesn't make very good economic sense. You'd be better off buying a house in Totowa Boro or West Paterson and paying more for the house to take advantage of the better school systems those towns offer.

Unless energy prices rise to the point, where the economics of city re-vitalization would force suburbanites to move to cities with good public transportation to areas of employment (NYC), Paterson as well as the rest of NJ's cities will just continue to be "holding pens" of New Jersey's poor.

I completely agree with you. My area used to be so neat and clean now if you walk 3 blocks away you will see trash thrown in front of houses, unkempt lawns, and it's just disgusting. My neighbors moved in across the street the last summer, all of sudden we have trash on the street where their "guests" will open their car door and drop garbage out of it. I once had to clean up chinese food littered in front of my house. 5 or 6 cars are now parked in front of my house about every saturday because they feel the need to blast salsa music in their garage all the while sitting on lounge chairs in the garage!!! When they first moved in they had the nerve to wash their clothes and hang them on the fence to dry!!! Our other neighbor who has since moved told them we don't do that here. It's disgusting and honestly I have never been afraid of Paterson (unless you count the Boulevard at night) but now it seems like people have begun to hang out in areas that they would have never hung out before, people are desperate so now every person who rides a bike past my house I take note of his face and am ready to attack in case he tries to jump me on my way to my car. I am getting married next year and I'm planning on moving away from here because I don't want to feel afraid as soon as step out of my door. Paterson has gone completely down hill and I just don't see it getting any better. If I see another Section 8 advertisement in an apartment for rent I am going to flip out. It's sad they are building beautiful condos downtown at a good price but you can't even walk downtown and feel safe!!! Not only that but when they get a load of the taxes in this town why anyone would want to move here is beyond me. I grew up here but by the time I got to highschool my mom moved to Prospect Park because the school system was in shambles and I no longer wanted to attend an overpriced highschool that didn't even have enough computers for the students!!! My friends and I used to be able to walk to each others house and walk downtown at night without feeling like we may be jumped, now I feel sad for the young people who just want to go for a walk and are being attacked by other bored young people. The teachers are afraid of the students and the parents!!! When did that happen?? It's sad to see the city I grew up in turn to such a dump. My mom would tell me stories about how beautiful the towers and CCP used to be when she grew up there. Her parents raised 10 children without any assistance and gave them a good life. Now it's like they don't even try to provide for the children they bring into this world. Someone please tell me does Paterson have a welcome mat that says "bring us your poor, deviant, and lazy"??? My mom is ready to put her house on the market since the homes in this area tend to sell pretty fast but what are the chances of getting the price the city has deemed this home to be worth??? Oh Paterson how I cry for you.

[TheEmissary]

neekah18 - The best advice I could offer you is to save your money, get married and move far away!

[Busch Boy]

Originally Posted by neekah18

I completely agree with you. My area used to be so neat and clean now if you walk 3 blocks away you will see trash thrown in front of houses, unkempt lawns, and it's just disgusting. My neighbors moved in across the street the last summer, all of sudden we have trash on the street where their "guests" will open their car door and drop garbage out of it. I once had to clean up chinese food littered in front of my house. 5 or 6 cars are now parked in front of my house about every saturday because they feel the need to blast salsa music in their garage all the while sitting on lounge chairs in the garage!!! When they first moved in they had the nerve to wash their clothes and hang them on the fence to dry!!! Our other neighbor who has since moved told them we don't do that here. It's disgusting and honestly I have never been afraid of Paterson (unless you count the Boulevard at night) but now it seems like people have begun to hang out in areas that they would have never hung out before, people are desperate so now every person who rides a bike past my house I take note of his face and am ready to attack in case he tries to jump me on my way to my car. I am getting married next year and I'm planning on moving away from here because I don't want to feel afraid as soon as step out of my door. Paterson has gone completely down hill and I just don't see it getting any better. If I see another Section 8 advertisement in an apartment for rent I am going to flip out. It's sad they are building beautiful condos downtown at a good price but you can't even walk downtown and feel safe!!! Not only that but when they get a load of the taxes in this town why anyone would want to move here is beyond me. I grew up here but by the time I got to highschool my mom moved to Prospect Park because the school system was in shambles and I no longer wanted to attend an overpriced highschool that didn't even have enough computers for the students!!! My friends and I used to be able to walk to each others house and walk downtown at night without feeling like we may be jumped, now I feel sad for the young people who just want to go for a walk and are being attacked by other bored young people. The teachers are afraid of the students and the parents!!! When did that happen?? It's sad to see the city I grew up in turn to such a dump. My mom would tell me stories about how beautiful the towers and CCP used to be when she grew up there. Her parents raised 10 children without any assistance and gave them a good life. Now it's like they don't even try to provide for the children they bring into this world. Someone please tell me does Paterson have a welcome mat that says "bring us your poor, deviant, and lazy"??? My mom is ready to put her house on the market since the homes in this area tend to sell pretty fast but what are the chances of getting the price the city has deemed this home to be worth??? Oh Paterson how I cry for you.

My parents have a home in one of Paterson's better sections too and its starting to change as well. We have people like you mentioned moving into our block too. The other day they had a party (with loud music) that lasted well into the early morning. This NEVER happened before in this area. And the sad part is when you call the cops they do NOTHING (IDK if you have gone through this too). My dad wants to sell.

[TheEmissary]

Originally Posted by Busch Boy

My parents have a home in one of Paterson's better sections too and its starting to change as well. We have people like you mentioned moving into our block too. The other day they had a party (with loud music) that lasted well into the early morning. This NEVER happened before in this area. And the sad part is when you call the cops they do NOTHING (IDK if you have gone through this too). My dad wants to sell.

I sold my house in May. If your parents want to go, I suggest giving them a push in that direction. They won't get the money for the house that they would have gotten two years ago, but the gittin' is better than the stayin'. Prices might drop if any changes to Abbott district funding ever occur. The average Paterson homeowner would have to pony up $30,000 in property taxes to completely cover education costs if Abbott money completely dried up. Most of the suburban taxpayers are understandably fed-up pouring endless state income tax dollars into a school system that has seen improvements that happen only slower than the pace of evolution. A 10 or 20% decrease in Abbott money would produce draconian increases to the Paterson tax rate. If this ever happens Paterson houses could be bought for pocket change! I suggest having a heart-to-heart talk with your parents about this in the very near future!

[neekah18]

Originally Posted by Busch Boy

My parents have a home in one of Paterson's better sections too and its starting to change as well. We have people like you mentioned moving into our block too. The other day they had a party (with loud music) that lasted well into the early morning. This NEVER happened before in this area. And the sad part is when you call the cops they do NOTHING (IDK if you have gone through this too). My dad wants to sell.

We haven't called the cops but this morning as I stepped outside to do my morning walking excercise, I see a Colt 45 can in my grass.

[SilkCity0416]

oops, my bad.

[Meyersd]

As long as you're packing heat on your hip, and one on your ancle, you're good to go.