Is Paterson, NJ dangerous? (Rockaway: lawyer, home, neighborhoods)

[Busch Boy]

Some of the comments here are kind of ridiculous. Paterson is NOT that bad. Like many people have said, Paterson has a lot of nice and safe parts (mostly the parts that border surrounding towns like Clifton, Totowa, Elmwood Park, etc.) There are areas (mostly in the center of the city) that are very run-down, but they're not extremely dangerous. Most of the crime in the bad parts is drug-related, so if your not a seller/user, you shouldn't have a problem at all! And if you think the city is affordable because of it's seedy parts/reputation, you're mistaken! Rent and taxes are very expensive there as well. The nice parts even more so because they have to make up (in taxes) what the ghetto part does not. The city is also trying to redevelop some of its parts. There are 2 housing projects in the city. One is being emptied out as we speak to make room for market-rate condos/townhouses/apts. The other complex (I've heard but am not sure about) will be next. I feel very sorry for the decent people who live in these places because they can't afford anything else. However, some of them (I think 20-25%) will get an apartment in the new place if they qualify (I heard the requirements are very strict to ensure criminals and other riff-raff don't get a place).


My friend (whose a Newark native) tells me what he has seen/experienced there and Paterson sounded like Beverly Hills in comparison, LOL.

[Patersonian]

Some of the comments I'm reading here are embarrassing. How many cities in America with 100,000+ in population don't have bad areas?

[findinghope]

i think most people who make these ridiculous comments have never actually spent any time in paterson. they just hear things from others and blow it way out of proportion.

[Busch Boy]

Originally Posted by findinghope

i think most people who make these ridiculous comments have never actually spent any time in paterson. they just hear things from others and blow it way out of proportion.

I completely agree!

[DessertRat]

Originally Posted by findinghope

i think most people who make these ridiculous comments have never actually spent any time in paterson. they just hear things from others and blow it way out of proportion.

That happens not just with Paterson here--I'm constantly battling it about Jersey City, too. For me, it's often parsed as having some hidden agenda for Jersey City ("Does he work for the chamber of commerce? Is he the mayor??") rather than arguing against ridiculous comments because I have a lot of personal experience here, as you all do with Paterson.

From what I can tell so far, some of it is hearsay, some of it is paranoia in response to media reports, some of it is personal victim experiences which are then projected onto everyone being definite future victims, some of it comes from a complete lack of analysis of reported crime statistics, and some of it comes from people who have jobs that put them into frequent contact with problems (police officers, social workers, psychologists or counselors dealing with "disturbed" patients, etc.) who are again projecting that onto an area at large.

[JERSEY MAN]

Originally Posted by Patersonian

Some of the comments I'm reading here are embarrassing. How many cities in America with 100,000+ in population don't have bad areas?

I can give you 2 in New Jersey that come off the top of my head/ Brick safest city in America, Toms River(Dover Township) in the top 10 safest. Just because a city has a population of 100,000 people it shouldn't be Oh well a lot of people live there so crime should be expected. I wouldn't agree with that scenario. A lot of different factors come in to play.

[findinghope]

there is a town here in NC, (cary), that was put on the safest list above 100k people.
so people had this mentality of we are in such a safe neighborhood lets keep our garage doors open all day. so when their bikes got stolen they couldnt believe it.. come on! no place is that safe. if its safe, great, but dont push it. we all still need to be smart, lock our doors, and have common sense.

[Alexia319]

It's kind of pointless to say that every large city has crime and bad areas. That's a given, but there really are significant differences in places - and these are worth discussing. Every place has its own very particular characteristics, identity, level of welcome/rejection of newcomers, etc. Nor can these things necessarily be judged on the basis of a visit or even numerous visits. A tourist or visitor doesn't have the least idea of what it's like to live in a place, and first impressions are frequently way off base. I say this as one who has lived in many places and had my initial impressions forcefully corrected in most of them - sometimes as a pleasant surprise, sometimes not.

It may be inane and obvious to say so, but anyone who's contemplating a big move should do more than just solicit other people's opinions. They should also tell something about themselves, so that people who advise them can get a better idea of how well they might fit in (or not) in a particular place. People on these forums are always saying how great or awful some place is, but "great" for a 20-something who is looking for rowdy nightlife translates to "awful" for an older person with a family looking for a quiet neighborhood.

[Patersonian]

Originally Posted by JERSEY MAN

I can give you 2 in New Jersey that come off the top of my head/ Brick safest city in America, Toms River(Dover Township) in the top 10 safest. Just because a city has a population of 100,000 people it shouldn't be Oh well a lot of people live there so crime should be expected. I wouldn't agree with that scenario. A lot of different factors come in to play.

There's no question that Brick and Toms River have little crime, but I know they do not have 100,000 residents (although Toms River is getting close). When I think of Brick and Toms River, I think suburbs, not city.

[DessertRat]

Originally Posted by JERSEY MAN

I can give you 2 in New Jersey that come off the top of my head/ Brick safest city in America, Toms River(Dover Township) in the top 10 safest. Just because a city has a population of 100,000 people it shouldn't be Oh well a lot of people live there so crime should be expected. I wouldn't agree with that scenario. A lot of different factors come in to play.

The population in both Brick and Toms River are supposedly under 100k, although admittedly, Toms River is just under:
Brick Township, New Jersey - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Toms River, New Jersey - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Additionally, just like anywhere else in the world, both have crime (and note the footnote that "Zero values may indicate the data was not available"). You should especially like this since you like crime statistics, Jersey Man:
Moderator cut: linking to competitors sites is not allowed

For Tom's River, I didn't quickly find recent stats, but here are a few articles about crimes there...
Murder: CNN - Teen gets life for murder recorded on tape - Feb. 28, 1997
Assault: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/21/nyregion/21toms.html
. . . I can find a bunch more if you like.


Here is also an article criticizing the "most dangerous/safest towns" study: Experts say 'most dangerous city' rankings twist numbers - CNN.com