East Orange, NJ - is it a nice area? (Newark: middle-class, apartment complex)
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You're happy to hear about the doom and gloom of black folks, yeah I know your type. Probably secretly watches black girl/boy websites, when blondie is asleep.
Actually, I'd like to clarify something about diversity. Even if a neighborhood is predominantly black, it can still be diverse--as is the case for a largely white neighborhood as well. A neighborhood that encompasses substantial numbers of immigrants from Poland, Italy, Germany, Ukraine, and Russia, and Israel would be considered diverse. The same could be said for a neighborhood, such as East Orange, that encompasses immigrants from Haiti, Guinea, Mali, Senegal, and other West African countries, Jamaica, Trinidad, and other caribbean nations, as well as African Americans. So, yes, East Orange is predominantly black, but it is also diverse. There is also a substantial number of Latinos, a few whites (including my husband and me), and a few Asians in the neighborhood.
I live in the area bordering Orange and Orange Park. My husband and I moved here from NYC in flight from ridiculous rents, where we also lived in a predominantly black--but also diverse--neighborhood--bedford stuyvesant.
While I am too new to thoroughly gauge EO, it is of course a challenged area. Nonetheless, we find that the area has also has many advantages--proximity to NYC; nice shopping, dining, and the other amenities in nearby more well-to-do neighborhoods in north Jersey (Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, farmer's markets; access to ethnic groceries like the Indian neighborhood of Parsippany); a nice public library and park; and easy access to nature preserves and other points of interest in northern NJ; good caribbean food, etc...
I can't speak yet for the overall safety of the area, though I certainly feel secure in my nice apartment complex, and my husband and I take frequent walks in Orange Park and feel comfortable. The park is full of kids and teenagers, children and adults playing soccer and basketball, fishing in the pond--a typical suburban scene, certainly not threatening in the early evening hours. there are also lovely areas to walk and explore, like nearby Seven Oaks in Orange.
My neighbors in the building are primarily blue-collar and white-collar professionals and retirees--here too I find diversity of another kind--economic diversity. I find my neighbors friendly, respectful, and quiet.
Overall, I would say that I find the neighborhood much more diverse -- economically and culturally -- than most of the posts about EO on this site would suggest. We find much to enjoy about living in this area and do not regret our move here from NYC.
If you can handle living in an urban area with a moderate crime rate, then East Orange could be for you. East Orange borders Newark. (Is East Orange General Hospital - my brother was born there - still open or was it closed down like Irvington General several years ago?)
There are some renovated condo buildings there with security cameras, but the autos get vandalized and stolen from the private parking lot any way (around Munn Ave.) Go there to visit first - go on a Saturday when people are home, then on a weekday when they would be at work (I recommend this for any area in NJ before you invest your money in it).
I was born in Newark, grew up in Hillside. My father worked in Irvington and I had family who lived in East Orange. So, I'm familiar with life on the outer ring of Newark, and have seen the change in the area over the past 50 years.
The last of my relatives left the area 15 years ago, but, I still go out to the old neighborhood a couple of times a year.
All these areas were safe and economically vibrant in the 1960s, started to fade in the 1970s, and probably bottomed out about ten years ago. There are some positive trends happening in the area, but the downward drag is still pretty severe.
I was in East Orange earlier this year, in the business district. It was like a ghost town.
I did not feel unsafe, but, the vibe was rather depressing.
East Orange is a mixed bag, and can truly be the best bang for your buck, depending on where you live. Someone mentioned high crime / high black, as if the two correlate in this town, when in fact they don't. I would rate the number of assaults and rapes on par with towns of adjacent counties (Bergen, Union and Hudson) where the demographic is quite different. It is not diverse in the broader ethnic scope that some may be referring to, but it is age and economically diverse, and has a diversity of people within the African diaspora realm (Caribbean, African and American) So if you're afraid of these folks just based on their ethnicity alone, you're not going to feel safe regardless of the crime rate.
Don't get me wrong, I would steer clear of some areas with clusters of apartment towers (such as Munn), as I would in any other city that isn't waterfront. If you really want to gague it, drive through various parts and observe the upkeep of the property (trimmed hedges or overgrown bushes?). It's not the most pristine town overall, but how many towns near NYC are? However there are sections, much like some sections of boroughs in NYC, where it is pristine. It is on average a working class city, that is quite economically diverse, as another poster mentioned.
As an aside, this whole black demo = high crime, is absurd. Clearly folks saying this haven't spent much, or any, time living in or visiting a predominantly anglo trailer park south of the mason dixon, or a latino barrio in the southwest, or a slum in the mostly caucasian Eastern Bloc of Europe for that matter, where it can be as bloody and crime ridden as it gets. Jeeze! Stop sounding so friggin idiotic and expand your narrow mind you gosh damn dingle berries. Get off your asses and travel for once!
For the record my family background is quite diverse politically and socially, and quite American nationally, and has been for many generations, so I'm certainly not being partial to any race.
Another side note, you bloody cryptiacs: stop doing all this rivalry nonsense and making a bad name for entire races of people, same goes for you mafiosonimos. This is in part why people have to come on these forums and ask is it safe to live here or there?
Last edited by Sign Check Here; 01-11-2011 at 02:39 AM..
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The rule of thumb is if you're in a high-crime (poor) area and you stick out like a soar thumb (as any white person would in EO) you're asking for it. Blend in, and you're more likely to fly under the radar. Stand out, and those of any race who want to do you harm, will. If you're a white guy wearing a brightly-colored button-down shirt and khaki pants while parking your Saab 9-3 outside your apartment in the ghetto... geez, come on. Let's be honest about how that situation will turn out.
And yes, to appease all you PC folks with your panties in a bunch, I'm sure the reverse would be true in many places.
Oh no Gambler, your last line is more than appeasement, it's a reality that you didn't want to address in your comment. By your logic, you're "asking for it" as a black person if you decide to take a stroll down Koon Klub Road in Carroll County wearing "urban" attire? Wait, that's not logic, that's stupidity. Get your act together and broaden your narrow mind. Your rationale, for lack of a better description, is the same as that used during the Jim Crow era. Let's try to keep history from repeating itself. You should be ashamed for condoning violence toward any innocent person, especially on the basis of race.
But wait, you have been so institutionalized with your own pejudicial thoughts and discriminatory beliefs, that you think what you're saying is a-ok, right? Wrong. You're the reason why percieved "ghettos" can't have a decent supermarket that isn't filled with food days away from expiring, because no one wants to deliver to the slums of shaolin. You are the reason why some children who grow up in these neighborhoods have a juvenile record unnecessarily. You are the reason that the generations before you who owned homes there have to take a massive loss if they move because their property values have plummeted. Your thinking is *part* of the reason that communities remain segregated even in a post-civil rights era. It's a two way street, and neither direction should be so laden with ignorance.
The rule of thumb is if you're in a high-crime (poor) area and you stick out like a soar thumb (as any white person would in EO) you're asking for it. Blend in, and you're more likely to fly under the radar. Stand out, and those of any race who want to do you harm, will. If you're a white guy wearing a brightly-colored button-down shirt and khaki pants while parking your Saab 9-3 outside your apartment in the ghetto... geez, come on. Let's be honest about how that situation will turn out.
And yes, to appease all you PC folks with your panties in a bunch, I'm sure the reverse would be true in many places.
if im in an area like that and people start noticing me, i will bust out some break dancing moves and it usually helps me gain acceptance.
Oh no Gambler, your last line is more than appeasement, it's a reality that you didn't want to address in your comment. By your logic, you're "asking for it" as a black person if you decide to take a stroll down Koon Klub Road in Carroll County wearing "urban" attire? Wait, that's not logic, that's stupidity. Get your act together and broaden your narrow mind. Your rationale, for lack of a better description, is the same as that used during the Jim Crow era. Let's try to keep history from repeating itself. You should be ashamed for condoning violence toward any innocent person, especially on the basis of race.
But wait, you have been so institutionalized with your own pejudicial thoughts and discriminatory beliefs, that you think what you're saying is a-ok, right? Wrong. You're the reason why percieved "ghettos" can't have a decent supermarket that isn't filled with food days away from expiring, because no one wants to deliver to the slums of shaolin. You are the reason why some children who grow up in these neighborhoods have a juvenile record unnecessarily. You are the reason that the generations before you who owned homes there have to take a massive loss if they move because their property values have plummeted. Your thinking is *part* of the reason that communities remain segregated even in a post-civil rights era. It's a two way street, and neither direction should be so laden with ignorance.
i cant believe gambler is responsible for all that!! and i thought he was such a nice guy!
funny how he is responsible for all these people with criminal records, preventing supermarkets from opening up in certain areas, etc. and not the people living in those areas or the people who actually have the criminal records.
Oh no Gambler, your last line is more than appeasement, it's a reality that you didn't want to address in your comment. By your logic, you're "asking for it" as a black person if you decide to take a stroll down Koon Klub Road in Carroll County wearing "urban" attire? Wait, that's not logic, that's stupidity. Get your act together and broaden your narrow mind. Your rationale, for lack of a better description, is the same as that used during the Jim Crow era. Let's try to keep history from repeating itself. You should be ashamed for condoning violence toward any innocent person, especially on the basis of race.
But wait, you have been so institutionalized with your own pejudicial thoughts and discriminatory beliefs, that you think what you're saying is a-ok, right? Wrong. You're the reason why percieved "ghettos" can't have a decent supermarket that isn't filled with food days away from expiring, because no one wants to deliver to the slums of shaolin. You are the reason why some children who grow up in these neighborhoods have a juvenile record unnecessarily. You are the reason that the generations before you who owned homes there have to take a massive loss if they move because their property values have plummeted. Your thinking is *part* of the reason that communities remain segregated even in a post-civil rights era. It's a two way street, and neither direction should be so laden with ignorance.
Cool. I thought I was just some dude from Jersey posting on an Internet forum. Nice to know I secretly control the socioeconomic condition of America from my 13-inch MacBook.
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