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Montclair is not going downhill fast. It's a beautiful diverse town with a lot of civic pride. I know there are several very active online Montclair communities--one is called the water heater (I think) and there is another one that you can join only if you already live in town.
If you like Montclair, you'll also like Maplewood and South Orange. Very similar and also in Essex County.
Umm, I went to grad school at Seton Hall and I remember quite well getting an email from the school several times a month about students getting beaten up, robbed, pistol whipped, etc. South Orange has some nice homes, but it is way too close to Newark and East Orange for my taste. When you pick out communities like Montclair, South Orange, and Maplewood, I think I know what you're getting at...liberal does not equal safe. If these communities had some guts perhaps they would be able to stand up to the thugs taking over their communities. I left Bloomfield because of this garbage, so I know the area VERY well and know the problems that are going on. Years and years of political corruption, insane taxes, high housing costs, terrible schools, and citizens like you turning a blind eye is the reason people like me have moved to Pennsylvania. When someone you love gets mugged, be happy that at least they got mugged in a tolerant and diverse area.
You moved to PA, you're happy, you don't understand why people want to live in communities like Maplewood, South Orange, and Montclair, fine. But to come online and say they're going downhill is just silly. People like you have been saying stuff like that for 20 years now and the communities have only become more desirable.
You moved to PA, you're happy, you don't understand why people want to live in communities like Maplewood, South Orange, and Montclair, fine. But to come online and say they're going downhill is just silly. People like you have been saying stuff like that for 20 years now and the communities have only become more desirable.
But I backed up my claims with facts. I went to school at Seton Hall and know that the thugs from East Orange and Newark go there and wait for east targets, walking alone at night. Would you walk alone through South Orange at night? There is no way I would.
I lived in the Brookdale section of Bloomfield and I see a ton of similarities with what happened there and what's happening now in Montclair, as far as extremely high housing costs, way high taxes, rising crime, bad schools, etc. Montclair is still far better overall than Bloomfield, but it is nowhere near what it once was. After Montclair don't be surprised to see the same thing happen in West Orange. Belleville has been long for a while now. These things are happening where you want to face the facts or not. I didn't leave NJ by choice...these things forced me out.
But I backed up my claims with facts. I went to school at Seton Hall and know that the thugs from East Orange and Newark go there and wait for east targets, walking alone at night. Would you walk alone through South Orange at night? There is no way I would.
I lived in the Brookdale section of Bloomfield and I see a ton of similarities with what happened there and what's happening now in Montclair, as far as extremely high housing costs, way high taxes, rising crime, bad schools, etc. Montclair is still far better overall than Bloomfield, but it is nowhere near what it once was. After Montclair don't be surprised to see the same thing happen in West Orange. Belleville has been long for a while now. These things are happening where you want to face the facts or not. I didn't leave NJ by choice...these things forced me out.
Crime rate in South Orange is on the high side, but it looks like you're wrong on the trend -- crime rates dropped in Montclair, Bloomfield and South Orange between 2001 and 2006:
I've shown homes in Glen Ridge and Montclair and the taxes are way over the top. Bergen County taxes by comparison are a bargain. Ridgewood does tend to be higher, but the neighborhoods are more attractive and the downtown area is a complete peach (did I just type that?). Well, it's absolutely adorable with great shops and loaded with charm. The Green is a beautiful place to read the paper or just sit and people watch.
But I backed up my claims with facts. I went to school at Seton Hall and know that the thugs from East Orange and Newark go there and wait for east targets, walking alone at night. Would you walk alone through South Orange at night? There is no way I would.
I lived in the Brookdale section of Bloomfield and I see a ton of similarities with what happened there and what's happening now in Montclair, as far as extremely high housing costs, way high taxes, rising crime, bad schools, etc. Montclair is still far better overall than Bloomfield, but it is nowhere near what it once was. After Montclair don't be surprised to see the same thing happen in West Orange. Belleville has been long for a while now. These things are happening where you want to face the facts or not. I didn't leave NJ by choice...these things forced me out.
I walked through Maplewood alone and with my kids at night when I lived there, no problem. If these towns were as crime-ridden as you claim, why on earth do so many well educated people who could afford to live in many different towns choose to live there?
And what do you mean "Montclair is nowhere near what it once was?" What time period are you imagining? Pre-1967, or whenever the riots in Newark were?
In 1995, we relocated from Chicago to NJ and had it down to Montclair, Glen Ridge and Ridgewood.
We chose Montclair because it was urban-suburban. African-Americans, with substantial financial resources, live in harmony with their neighbors, throughout Montclair. We ended up in a classic tudor in the Estate Section (SW) portion of Montclair, probably one of the most architecturally significant communities, in the U.S.
Our daughter attended public school through grade 5 and then we relocated out.
There is tremendous culture, talent, energy, commitment to the community, shopping/dining and easy access to the city. There is also poverty, fear and tension as is the case in most urban areas.
Montclair has an edge to it, that's unlike anything I have experienced, anywhere else. It can energize you or wear you out. Depends on you.
But I backed up my claims with facts. I went to school at Seton Hall and know that the thugs from East Orange and Newark go there and wait for east targets, walking alone at night. Would you walk alone through South Orange at night? There is no way I would.
I lived in the Brookdale section of Bloomfield and I see a ton of similarities with what happened there and what's happening now in Montclair, as far as extremely high housing costs, way high taxes, rising crime, bad schools, etc. Montclair is still far better overall than Bloomfield, but it is nowhere near what it once was. After Montclair don't be surprised to see the same thing happen in West Orange. Belleville has been long for a while now. These things are happening where you want to face the facts or not. I didn't leave NJ by choice...these things forced me out.
Left a few months ago. I lived near Brookdale and didn't have any kids in the school system, so I was ok with things longer than most people. After a while, you just wonder if it's worth all the cost. For half the price of living in Jersey I realized I could live in a better place in PA. Sure, I miss the parks, going into the city, going shopping in Paramus, and how close Bloomfield is to RT.3 and the GSP. There is a lot more to do there, but I just felt that the cost wasn't worth what I was getting. The one thing I don't miss is hearing 4 cop cars flying down Broad St. at 4am.
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