Newark / Rutgers / Manhattan Commute (Jersey City, Kearny: fit in, apartment, transfer to)

[Zach B.]

At the end of August, my girlfriend and I will be moving to New Jersey so that she can attend graduate school at the University of Rutgers (Newark Campus). Being from the Midwest (Illinois), we only hear of Newark "Horror" stories. We're hoping that we can find a decently priced apartment in Newark so that she's near campus. I'll have a job when we move, but it's in lower Manhattan and I don't currently have a license. So, there are a few hurtles we're not sure how to get through yet.

At this point, I know next to nothing about the commute into New York other than it's about 5 miles east. I hear that the commute is nothing but trouble and the same can be said about Newark. Is there anyone who can address these concerns of ours and provide some guidance?

Safe place to live in Newark (Rutgers Campus)? Places to avoid?

Commute into Newark without a car/license? Any nearby train?

Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks

[edit]
It looks like I'll need to utilize PATH somehow. I've located a couple stations near Rutgers' campus in Newark, but I'm still not sure how I'll get to Manhattan (whether or not I'll have to transfer trains or transfer to a bus). I'll need to arrive somewhere near 111 8th St. in lower Manhattan which is close to the 9th Street PATH location). Is it feasible to travel from Newark Penn Station or Newark Broad Street to get to the 9th Street PATH location?

[kort677]

Originally Posted by Zach B.

Safe place to live in Newark (Rutgers Campus)?

there are no safe places in the city

Originally Posted by Zach B.

Places to avoid?

all, once you are off campus you are in an urban wasteland

Originally Posted by Zach B.

Commute into Newark without a car/license? Any nearby train?

from NYC you can take the PATH train to newark and then there's a Newark City Subway that you can take to get close to the campus,

try www.njtransit.com for maps and schedules,

[66nexus]

Originally Posted by kort677

there are no safe places in the city


all, once you are off campus you are in an urban wasteland


from NYC you can take the PATH train to newark and then there's a Newark City Subway that you can take to get close to the campus,

try www.njtransit.com for maps and schedules,

Untrue. There are safe places you just need to know where you're going and not end up in one of the unsafe places. Ask campus police about places to stay away from. I've been to parties on campus and in some spots it is a generally large student presence. Just play it smart...and safe.

[66nexus]

2 University Center off of Central ave is decently priced (the neighborhood up the street ain't too nice though) 1180 is nicer and closer to Newark Penn but is much more expensive. After dusk, there are few stores open and you would usually have to go to the Ironbound area. In all honestly, it is better to have a car in Jersey lol. We're not as public trans friendly as our NY counterparts. But with a car do know that parking is a NIGHTMARE lol.

[lammius]

My advice would be to live in Jersey City or Hoboken. It's between Newark and New York. JC and Hob have some very nice, safe, young, hipster neighborhoods that would be a good "Intro to NJ living 101" for you guys. You can live there without a car. You can commute to Manhattan via the PATH subway (take the 33rd Street Line to get to 9th Street Station in NYC), and your gf can get to Newark via westbound PATH trains and Newark City Subway. And actually JC would be easier for the GF, because you have to use two PATH trains to get from Hoboken to Newark.

If you decide to live in Newark, just be aware that you have to be very careful where you choose to live. While many NJ cities have "come back" in recent years, Newark has not. There are areas near the University that are safe as well as the Ironbound area east of Newark Penn Station. The Ironbound is a Portuguese and Brazilian neighborhood. Great food! You won't find many ads on Craigslist, you've gotta hunt to find things there.


If you guys are from rural Illinois, a clean, safe neighborhood in Jersey City or Hoboken would be ideal. I wouldn't recommend being urban pioneers in a hard knock area if it's unfamiliar to you. If you're from Chicago, then maybe you can be a bit more adventurous and take on the challenges of more "up and coming but not there yet" areas.

What is your budget? That would help narrow the search.

[mead]

JC and Hoboken are expensive. Grad students generally don't have that much money. Zach B., what is your budget for an apartment?

If you want cheap & safe I suggest you look into the surrounding towns of Harrison, Kearny, North Arlington, Lyndhurst, Rutherford, and perhaps Belleville (although Belleville has been going downhill in the past decade and feels less safe than it used to).

There is only one neighborhood in Newark that I could even contemplate reccomending for someone to live, and that is Ironbound. This however is a large Portuguese/Brazilian neighborhood and if you don't speak Portuguese you will not fit in here. The rest of Newark is sketchy at best.

[Zach B.]

Thank you for the responses.

lammius,
I especially appreciate your thorough reply. We're not from rural Illinois, but we're not from Chicago either. Basically, we're used to a good measure of saftey, and, speaking for myself, not used to unending urban sprawl. Having said that, Newark's homicide rate per capita is very daunting and as much as I'd love to sport some kevlar, we're trying to play it safe.

As for our budget, ideally, we wouldn't want to spend much over $800 for an apartment, depending on what's available. If this is a ridiculous expectation, then I suppose we'll have to account for that someway. Jersey City sounds like a viable option, but do you know how long the commute is from JC to Penn Station in Newark? I want to make sure she's as close to school as she can be, within reason (as far as safety is concerned). For me, the commute from JC to Manhattan seems like no problem as I'll work near the 9th St. Station.

66nexus,
What do you mean by expensive? Any more details on pricing in the areas that you mentioned? My gf would like to be as near to campus as possible and she's mentioned that there are some different regions of Newark (similar to Ironbound) that aren't as deeply set in the city, but still might accommodate both of us. Keep in mind, I'll be biking it to the bus/railway station, and I'm not much for marathons.

I have heard about the Ironbound area and I'll have to look into that more, but for now I suppose I'm just curious to see if $800/m is feasible for a decent area in Jersey City - Or - if anyone else has any comments/advice about by initial post.

Any bits you can throw my way will be appreciated.

[Zach B.]

Mead,

I was writing up a response before I noticed yours. Thanks! These options are something I'll want to check out because I'm guessing that Jersey City, as you've alluded to, will be out of bounds considering our meager means. Can you offer any information about public transit options that are available? (I'm trying to maintain connectivity into lower Manhattan)

Also, after looking at the map, it appears that Harrison is the closest to campus. I'm trying to gauge their individual distances from campus and trying to figure out if these locations would be feasible to keep my girlfriend's commute below 30 minutes. Do you have any idea of how long it would take to commute to Rutgers from any of the smaller towns you have mentioned?

I appreciate the suggestions. If you can comment further, please do so.

Anyone else have information about some of these towns that have been mentioned?

[66nexus]

1180 Raymond Boulevard (downtown luxury high-rise)Studios about $1395/month
One bed $1490/month
Two bed $2215/month
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/26/re...c4eb87&ei=5070

University Center (damn near on top of the Rutgers campus) I believe is much cheaper (approx. $695/month to about $899/month) but farther away from the train station.

If you could afford it, I'd opt for Jersey City. You said it may be out of your budget, so I'll say this: If 4ft nothin Rutgers girls can handle University Hts, I'm more than sure you can handle this place lol...but go with what suits you the best. Since you or yours will be schooling there you should check out the area and see how you receive it. You might like it...or detest it, or you may like it but your girl won't (and vice/versa). Definitely check it out though. I do agree with lammius, just be aware of where you choose.

[lammius]

In Jersey City it'll be difficult, but still possible, to find a studio for 800-900 in a not-too-bad area. Again, you'll have to hunt for it. To answer your commute question, it's about 10 minutes between Journal Square in JC to Newark Penn and then probably 5 minutes on the Newark City Subway. Add walk time on either side of the trip and a few mins at Newark Penn for the transfer.

Harrison is a nice working class town, very industrial in parts. You can get a 1-BR place there for about 800-900. It has a PATH station, so you can take the World Trade PATH to Journal Square and switch to a 33rd Street PATH train. Your gf can take PATH in the opposite direction for about 500 feet to Newark Penn and then switch to the City Subway. I'm sure there are buses between Harrison and the Rutgers area of Newark too so she won't have to transfer/waste time(check njtransit.com). You could probably bike across the river to Newark also. It's very close.

Because "safety" is highly subjective, and because it's very hit or miss in this area we're talking about, I'd recommend that you guys take a trip over here before making housing arrangements, if possible. You can walk or ride around and see what areas you like and which make you feel uncomfortable.