Looking for safe Latino community in North NJ (Elizabeth, Clifton: neighborhoods, good schools)

[mattf]

latinmusic74


Agreed safety and good schools are the most important. If I can find a place with a decent population of latinos that will work.

[icibiu]

There's no enclaves of latinos in particularly good school districts.

North Bergen is pretty cr @ ppy

I would say try Hackensack or Englewood, they do not have the best schools but they are decent enough especially for a 5 yo since you are just renting. Maybe when it's time to buy your wife will put a little more weight on the ranking of the school district and not so much on making sure there are a lot of latinos in the area. At the end of the day latinos are EVERY where and no matter what town in NJ you move to you will not be the only ones.

I live in a very white town, when I need to get my Colombian on I hop in my car and drive some where. I can still get the products and foods I know and love but don't subject my child to a subpar education.

[mattf]

Thanks everybody. I think I will investigate Ridgefield Park, Bogota and Little Ferry. Does anyone know how the school's are in any of those towns?

[icibiu]

check out great schools.com and school digger.com for in depth reviews/rankings on school systems

[labcjo]

As an American born latino I promise you that you wlll feel out of place, or be too far away from Hispanic culture anywhere in Northern NJ.

[lfsr1544]

Originally Posted by labcjo

As an American born latino I promise you that you wlll feel out of place, or be too far away from Hispanic culture anywhere in Northern NJ.

I'm Colombian (wife is Canadian), live in Glen Rock and while I am very aware of my culture I truly don't feel I'm missing out by living in Northern NJ. If you feel out of place I would assume you're speaking of your own insecurity. First and foremost, everything is still relatively close if I really miss the latino folklore - Elizabeth, Hackensack and Roosevelt (Queens) come to mind for a bit of that exchange.
Raising a familiy with small children I feel you get what you want to get out of your neighborhood. I've lived in latino heavy neighborhoods and it's not all that rosy. So far I've met plenty of different nationalities in my neighborhood. I tend to be pretty open to trying new things and meeting new people so I don't feel out of place or as if I'm missing out on anything. Quality of life is extremely important and so I prioritize good schools, safety and proximity to various activities for the family. If I want to teach my kids strong values and to be happy...as that's the best example this Colombian can provide

[mattf]

Originally Posted by icibiu

check out great schools.com and school digger.com for in depth reviews/rankings on school systems

Thanks, those websites are informative.

[icibiu]

Originally Posted by labcjo

As an American born latino I promise you that you wlll feel out of place, or be too far away from Hispanic culture anywhere in Northern NJ.

As a Latin American who was actually born in Latin America I can assure you that I do not feel out of place in Northern New Jersey at all. Nor have I lost any sense of my culture since my culture is not defined by who lives next door to me.

I would say most people in northern new jersey do not care what color you are or what country you come from they care more about what class of person you are. I think your feeling out of place here has to do with your own insecurities more so than anything else.

[juca_cruz]

Originally Posted by latinmusic74

Why do you want to move to a place in NJ with a lot of Latinos. Move to a place with good schools and a safety to raise your family. A place with a lot of Latinos means bad school systems. Better move to a place with a decent population of Latinos.

Agree

[cerveza]

Originally Posted by mattf

Hello,

My wife moved from the Dominican Republic a year ago and she really would like to live in a area that has more latinos. She has a 5 yr old son so we re looking for a safe area with decent schools. Any suggestions? I know there are latinos in Union City and West NY but from what I am reading those areas are not the greatest and the schools are not good either.

Thanks,
Matt

Before you listen to any advice on this forum.... please realize that the definition of *safe* varies depending on who you ask.

Having grown up in the area here's my take on each town:

North Bergen:

Safety: uptown NB (70th st and above) is a safe area to live, Downtown NB (tonnelle ave, 12th st, etc.) not so much. Everything else is somewhere in between.

Schools: uptown schools are okay, downtown schools are probably bad. I went to the high school and it was OK.

bottom line: probably ok as long as you stay north of 70th st.

West New York:

Safety: you're pretty safe walking down almost any street, but your place might get broken into if you live in a bad neighborhood of WNY (which would be categorized as any area of buildings where you see people sitting on the stoops). During the time I lived there growing up our apartment got robbed 2 or 3 times. best areas are as follows: mostly everything EAST of park ave.

Schools: The schools and high school were pretty bad, not due to educational issues as many AP classes and education options are available, but more due to alot of absentee parents who let thier kids run amok which creates alot of bad influences. Although I heard this has changed as some latino guy took over the school system and made everything super strict (ie: mandatory uniforms, saturday detentions for troublemakers, etc.)

bottom line: live here only if you get a sweetheart deal and need a short commute to nyc and can afford to send your kid to private school.

Union City

Safety: same as west new york but a little bit grittier, best area would probably be the new buildings on park ave which if you drove through there looks like the area might be going through gentrification.

Schools: Growing up I always heard about the legendary fights happening at union hill high school. I wouldnt send my kids there.

bottom line: an okay place to live if you're single (although it's the worst of the three, it's considerably better than washinton heights or most of the bronx) but I dont think i'd wanna raise a family there given the other options close by.