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Astoria, East Elmhurst and parts of Jackson Heights in Queens.
Chava61,
I had checked race distribution statistics 2009 (this site) for East Elmhurst and Jackson Heights and had few blacks lived there. I was concern I want to fit in not stand out. What do you think?
Thank you for link. Didn't know that a bus transfer works on trains as well.
Is this unique to Queens because I didnt work for me when I was in Brooklyn only on other buses.
Harrison is a decayed, rundown city that's being brought back bit by bit. There are some new apartments and condos there near the PATH station, and a lot more people are now using Harrison as their commuting point (it amazes me how many people get on the PATH train at that stop lately--I think there's a new parking garage.). It's worth looking into. The OP's rent range is kind of low for most of NJ, but she might be able to find something there.
Mightyqueen801,
I thought Queens and NJ were better options because of my price range (800 -1500) but it seems you are saying not. Why is that and what do think of commute time?
I had checked race distribution statistics 2009 (this site) for East Elmhurst and Jackson Heights and had few blacks lived there. I was concern I want to fit in not stand out. What do you think?
I am black, female and live in JH. The neighborhoods around here (E.Elmhurst, Elmhurst, Corona) are very diverse. You won't stand out based on your physical appearance. However, it is very common for Spanish to be spoken. I love it here. The commute is very convenient to several different destinations.
I am black, female and live in JH. The neighborhoods around here (E.Elmhurst, Elmhurst, Corona) are very diverse. You won't stand out based on your physical appearance. However, it is very common for Spanish to be spoken. I love it here. The commute is very convenient to several different destinations.
I thought Queens and NJ were better options because of my price range (800 -1500) but it seems you are saying not. Why is that and what do think of commute time?
Well, NJ is expensive. We've had New Yorkers come on the Jersey forum thinking they can get a suburban apartment in NJ for $800--there seems to be some misconception among some New Yorkers that NJ is this bucolic, inexpensive place to live. It's the most densely populated state in the nation, and about a quarter million of its residents commute to Manhattan every day, so competition is stiff for safe areas with a short commute. Until recently, my own commute was almost two hours, and then my office moved to Jersey City, cutting down my trip by 25 minutes. I am a little further than most, however, because I chose to move somewhere nice geographically, not far from the ocean.
On the higher end of your range you can definitely get a good one-bedroom apartment. However, your commute might be a bit longer than you wanted--not anything like mine, but maybe 45 minutes. One suggestion would be the town of Rutherford, NJ. It's the last stop (except for Secaucus Transfer Station and Hoboken Terminal) on the Bergen County train line. Decent town with a small downtown, apartment complexes and multi-family houses. Not as expensive as most of Bergen County. Lyndhurst is a similar choice on the end of the Main Line.
The problem with the shorter commutes is that you are either going to pay high rents for the premium of living in a safe neighborhood with a short commute, or you are going to live in an unsafe neighborhood with a cheap rent and a short commute. Jersey City, for example, has exactly those choices. You can probably get an $800 apartment and hear gunfire at night, or you can get a $2500 - $3000 apartment and live in a safe, quiet area with a view of Manhattan. Not much in between.
Well, NJ is expensive. We've had New Yorkers come on the Jersey forum thinking they can get a suburban apartment in NJ for $800--there seems to be some misconception among some New Yorkers that NJ is this bucolic, inexpensive place to live. It's the most densely populated state in the nation, and about a quarter million of its residents commute to Manhattan every day, so competition is stiff for safe areas with a short commute. Until recently, my own commute was almost two hours, and then my office moved to Jersey City, cutting down my trip by 25 minutes. I am a little further than most, however, because I chose to move somewhere nice geographically, not far from the ocean.
On the higher end of your range you can definitely get a good one-bedroom apartment. However, your commute might be a bit longer than you wanted--not anything like mine, but maybe 45 minutes. One suggestion would be the town of Rutherford, NJ. It's the last stop (except for Secaucus Transfer Station and Hoboken Terminal) on the Bergen County train line. Decent town with a small downtown, apartment complexes and multi-family houses. Not as expensive as most of Bergen County. Lyndhurst is a similar choice on the end of the Main Line.
The problem with the shorter commutes is that you are either going to pay high rents for the premium of living in a safe neighborhood with a short commute, or you are going to live in an unsafe neighborhood with a cheap rent and a short commute. Jersey City, for example, has exactly those choices. You can probably get an $800 apartment and hear gunfire at night, or you can get a $2500 - $3000 apartment and live in a safe, quiet area with a view of Manhattan. Not much in between.
Mightyqueen801,
Wow! This is a real eye opener I guess I would concentrate on Brooklyn and Queens. When you look on the websites online for rentals in NJ you find apartments from 800 to 1300 for 1 BR so thats why I was considering NJ, only goes to show it best to see in person. Thanks to this site a person can connect with others living there.
Thanks for info. Do you know anyone who used INSURENT as a guarantor for rent? Trying to verified that this is not a scam.
"You can probably get an $800 apartment and hear gunfire at night"
You can even get a whole house to rent for like $700 in Newark if you don't mind (on top of automatic gunfire) a crack house next door, crack hoes and leash free pit bulls lurking at night, police sirens for reading lights and sounds of car chases crashing near or into your home. On the other hand, you might be able to find a similar bargain in South Suicide Queens or East NY or Brownsville.
Last edited by OleSchoolFool; 02-07-2012 at 09:18 AM..
The problem with the shorter commutes is that you are either going to pay high rents for the premium of living in a safe neighborhood with a short commute, or you are going to live in an unsafe neighborhood with a cheap rent and a short commute. Jersey City, for example, has exactly those choices. You can probably get an $800 apartment and hear gunfire at night, or you can get a $2500 - $3000 apartment and live in a safe, quiet area with a view of Manhattan. Not much in between.
I am black, female and live in JH. The neighborhoods around here (E.Elmhurst, Elmhurst, Corona) are very diverse. You won't stand out based on your physical appearance. However, it is very common for Spanish to be spoken. I love it here. The commute is very convenient to several different destinations.
Yeah, there are quite a few Dominicans in Corona, but there are quite few African American folks in East Elmhurst in the area I mentioned earlier. Mapping the 2010 U.S. Census - NYTimes.com
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Harrison is a decayed, rundown city that's being brought back bit by bit. There are some new apartments and condos there near the PATH station, and a lot more people are now using Harrison as their commuting point (it amazes me how many people get on the PATH train at that stop lately--I think there's a new parking garage.). It's worth looking into. The OP's rent range is kind of low for most of NJ, but she might be able to find something there.
