ESSEX COUNTY vs. BERGEN COUNTY (Newark, East Orange: best towns, neighborhoods, schools)

[STrapani1105]

Which one is better and why?

Some basic facts in comparison of the two counties:

Bergen county is the most populous county in New Jersey

Bergen is #1 for Italian-American population

Essex is #2

Bergen has a pretty clear divide between affluent towns in the north, and very blue collar towns in the southern part of the county.

Essex sees a similar divide but to the extreme. With Essex Fells being one of the wealthiest towns in New Jersey, but Newark being one of the poorest towns in New Jersey (if not the poorest) West/East essex

Many similarities and differences exist b/w these two counties. I am much more familiar with Essex than I am with Bergen. I have other threads on here and most of the towns that are discussed aer in Bergen and Essex counties. Now let's have a discussion and different people's viewpoints, both residents and people who have visited in both counties. Personally in Bergen, I like the town of Lyndhurst a lot. I'm not really crazy about anywhere else. As far as Essex goes I like just about anywhere in that county. Let's see what u all hav 2 say...

[zhelder]

I live in Bergen County and work in Essex County. Essex County has some really nice towns (and some really rough ones too), but I greatly prefer Bergen County.

As rough as Bergen County traffic and navigating can get, it's not nearly as bad as Essex County's. I also think that the schools overall are better in Bergen County, and services are better. Roads tend to be plowed better in Bergen County after snowstorms. The libraries and parks are nicer also.

Bergen County has a few tough towns, but nothing approaching the daily mayhem in towns like Irvington or East Orange.

Essex County has some areas where some really nice towns are right next to some really lousy ones (Maplewood/Irvington, West Orange/Orange). As a result, you may occasionally find yourself in a nice town like West Orange in Essex County, and still find yourself being begged for money or a ride by some kook who found their way into the town from one of the rougher areas (it's happened to me).

Bergen County has a different setup. Really nice towns tend to be clustered together, or in some cases, they may border middle-of-the-road towns, which in turn may border some tougher towns. In fact, I can't think of any areas in Bergen County where a really nice town borders a lousy town. As a result, the loonies from the tough towns usually have a tougher time menacing the residents of the nicer towns.

Western Essex County is nice, with some great towns, but I still think Bergen County's best towns are even nicer.

So that's my take. Gimme Bergen County any day.

[Newarkbomb]

I grew up in Essex county in Newark and now live in Lodi, NJ (bergen co)... ehhh, Bergen can get a little too much for me once it gets north of Hackensack, i like Bergen County from Hackensack and down.

For Essex, Most of the county is bad. Real bad. And the good towns in Essex aren't that great really when it comes to a matter of stuff to do in a town.

Bergen County is the winner

[stevemorse]

lived in Northern Bergen County, grew up in Paramus, lived in Ridgewood, Midland Park and Hillsdale. I find Bergen one sided. Especially Northern Bergen County. I find no nature, no real land, people who are all the same. I also find it becoming very Jewish and diverse. I find the keep up with the jones mentality there plus too many cops and little politcal scams. Honestly I hate Bergen COunty. I am so tired of getting behind someone driving on Prozac. I would go with Essex County anyday and I would have never thought that but Bergen is becoming the next NYC. If you like selfish me first attitute then move to Bergen. Now Lyndurst I do not know so maybe thats different.
There is no quality of life in Bergen County. Unless your from NYC , those people love Bergen COunty. Anything old they rip down to put up some ugly new thing. There is no good food, maybe a hand full but for what you would expect, nada. Bergen County is A GREAT PLACE TO VISIT, BUT I WOULD NOT WANT TO LIVE THERE!

[NJ Chutzpah]

NYers like Bergen County really?

How is it becoming the next NYC

the NYers are always complaining about how NYC, particularly Manhattan, is turning into the next Northern Bergen or LI North Shore

not all the towns north of Rte 4 are bad like fairlawn, waldwick, westwood, riveredge, bergenfield, new milford, and dumont

A lot of upper eastsiders, and upper westsiders did move to northern bergen during the white flight era, but just about every suburb is made up of people from the city

[seque5tra]

Originally Posted by stevemorse

lived in Northern Bergen County, grew up in Paramus, lived in Ridgewood, Midland Park and Hillsdale. I find Bergen one sided. Especially Northern Bergen County. I find no nature, no real land, people who are all the same. I also find it becoming very Jewish and diverse.

You seem to have a real problem with Jews and diversity. Why is that?

[pbergen]

disagree about bergen having no good food. i actually think it's one of the best counties for food in the entire state, between the ethnic options like korean, japanese, indian, polish, chinese, turkish, colombian, guatemalan, and of course tons of italian plus longtime local favorites like pizza, bagels, hot dogs, and burgers (white manna or the iron horse, anyone?). there are also many nice bistros and high-end spots scattered across the county.

essex has plenty of great eats, too - portuguese, spanish, brazilian, and other latin eats in newark, classic old-school italian joints all over, trendy spots in montclair, high-end dining in the upper crust towns, and so forth.

i'd give bergen the edge, food-wise, only because i'm partial to the various asian ethnic cuisines and bergen is the best place in the state for japanese and korean food. but both counties have plenty of great places to eat.

[pbergen]

Originally Posted by stevemorse

I find no nature, no real land, people who are all the same.

what about the various county/state parks and reservations in mahwah such as ramapo mountain state forest? lots of people enjoy enjoy hiking and skiing around there and taking in the great views. there's also palisades interstate park, which runs along the cliffs and hudson river from fort lee through englewood cliffs, tenafly, and alpine into ny state. people hike, fish, canoe, and have picnics there. also in alpine is the alpine boy scout camp, which is a nice respite from all the development in that town. personally, i think the palisades cliffs running through bergen and hudson counties is one of the coolest natural features in the entire state - great views of nyc and a little bit of peace amongst all of the suburban development.

essex county, of course, has eagle rock reservation on the west orange/montclair border and south mountain reservation on the millburn/maplewood/south orange/west orange boundary. like the palisades in bergen, these parks were the result of a conscious effort by county leaders to preserve open land in essex.

let's face it - both counties are inner-ring suburbs of nyc, so dense suburban and urban development is to be expected; there's no way it wasn't going to happen sooner or later. as far as i'm concerned, both are great places to live with tons of stuff to do, but then again i'm very nyc-centric. if you don't work in nyc and don't care for the city's many offerings, then you're better off somewhere further out with more land like western morris, somerset, hunterdon, sussex, or warren counties, where there is a lot more farmland, woods, and rolling hills. without a doubt those places are very pleasant and more relaxed, but they're not my cup of tea because i don't like the distance from nyc, the homogeneous populations (with a handful of exceptions), the relative lack of walkable neighborhoods (again, with some exceptions), and the lack of things to do. to me, those areas are boring as hell, but that's just personal preference - no more, no less. i'd rather live in close proximity to all of the sports stadiums/arenas, shopping, jobs, museums/galleries/jazz clubs, bars/clubs, and other cultural and entertainment options in northeast jersey and nyc.

[AnesthesiaMD]

Having lived in Essex my whole life, with plenty of friends in Bergen, I think its six of one, half dozen of another. Who really pays attention to county lines anyway? My gym is in Morris county, and I sometimes eat in all the other surrounding counties. What really makes a difference is what town you pick, not what county you pick. You can find a town that fits your needs in either county.

[Nauticadon]

Originally Posted by zhelder

I live in Bergen County and work in Essex County. Essex County has some really nice towns (and some really rough ones too), but I greatly prefer Bergen County.

As rough as Bergen County traffic and navigating can get, it's not nearly as bad as Essex County's. I also think that the schools overall are better in Bergen County, and services are better. Roads tend to be plowed better in Bergen County after snowstorms. The libraries and parks are nicer also.

Bergen County has a few tough towns, but nothing approaching the daily mayhem in towns like Irvington or East Orange.

Essex County has some areas where some really nice towns are right next to some really lousy ones (Maplewood/Irvington, West Orange/Orange). As a result, you may occasionally find yourself in a nice town like West Orange in Essex County, and still find yourself being begged for money or a ride by some kook who found their way into the town from one of the rougher areas (it's happened to me).

Bergen County has a different setup. Really nice towns tend to be clustered together, or in some cases, they may border middle-of-the-road towns, which in turn may border some tougher towns. In fact, I can't think of any areas in Bergen County where a really nice town borders a lousy town. As a result, the loonies from the tough towns usually have a tougher time menacing the residents of the nicer towns.

Western Essex County is nice, with some great towns, but I still think Bergen County's best towns are even nicer.

So that's my take. Gimme Bergen County any day.

And you know this to be a fact because you've lived in these towns or spend all of your free time there, right?