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My family just bought one of the biggest homes in the upsala community. As new yorkers, our purchase price ( which was in the mid 500k ) is very reasonable based on the amount of home. Most may say this is a very daring purchase... well... based on this tread.... i however, see it as exciting and amazing.
This purchase is one that i mulled over for the past 1 1/2. I am very informed with the development and have knocked on doors to ask my neighbors how they felt about the community.
The reason why im writing is to say that i believe one mistake we (people of color) do is watch situations pass us by while thinking about the present conditions and not looking forward to the future.
True the bloods and crips could possibly be a problem... but crime is down magnificently in east orange
Yes the schools might not be the best but that doesnt mean they wouldnt improve as time goes on.
Im from harlem... and watched as my father was laughed at by purchasing a brownstone on an abandon block about 15 years ago... i think he paid 200k during that time... the house is now worth 2.7 million
focus.
community is what creates the movement of positive enviornments, schools, children, relationships.
i have taken the time to look at the developments in a 5 year range in east orange and i have to tell you.... plans are being made that im very impressed about... they are aggressive with the progress... as well as orange which is in the mist of a PR blitz at present.
I was told Newark use to be a place of choice, and that montclair went thru its city like improvement developments as well.
I have to also state... my children use to attend the montclair public school system ( two in middle school and the baby in elementary ) and it was HORRIFIC... the standard of children that attend the schooling there were sexually charged, no morals, and very disrespectful ( did think i was going to say that huh) being apart of all school functions and getting to know alot of the children personally i have to assess that the parents are just not paying attention to what their children are doing. I was told by the principle that i should take my sons out of the montclair school system because they were too attractive ( i SWEAR) and that if they stay at the school the probability of some little girl screaming rape because my son wasnt paying attention to them is high
I SWEAR that is what was told to me by the principal....
school is teamed up with parents and community to raise all children.. rich or poor neighborhoods you will always find a child in need... that will interact with your children....
If i moved the house to montclair i would be spending 1 million easy....
I say .. go for it... we did... we are young and excited on our purchase... we can see the potential on the community... The house is grand for the price... .
it just makes sense... to make it a black white issue is silly.... the school across the street has some of the most amazing features in a school i have witnessed... well.. for a high school...
bloods and crips... please... what are they going to do... blow our head off while walking down the block?
my friend said the police activity is so serious in that area... the police do not allow children to stand outside of the school after school period...
im writing too much but i just want to say... it is a smart purchase... i never had a problem in shop rite or in pathmark ( which is in montclair.. 5 min away)
im 5 feet and have never been disrespected the millions of times i was in the area... and i love the yard and lot purchase, i love the house its self, i love the community ... and i will be an active member in the development of the community that i live in...
I have lived in many places including Harlem and currently reside in Maplewood.
I saw a beautiful home in Orange and although I have always been an advocate of location and resale, there is something to be said for living in a community where you feel welcome. When I lived in Harlem I knew all of my neighbors and those neighbors looked out for one another.
Sometimes, things are not as bad as some people make them out to be and some moves are not for everyone.
I'm a little confused about "The Woodlands at Upsala". Is it a private gated community (with access only available to residents and their guests) with guards and checkpoints? Or is it park-like property that's open to the public? I've seen the pictures and the homes look beautiful, especially for the price. I think the developers should've built a small elementary school on the premises for the children that are going to live there. I think EO has the most potential out of all the urban communites in that area. Good luck to all of you who want to make a difference in your community!
Nope you heard it right, no gated community here.
Your comments are funny though, I got a chuckle.
EO does have a lot of potential, only because I don't think it can get any worse, there is no other direction to go but get better, or stay flatlined!
We are a couple with no kids (the first maybe next year), who both work in NYC. We are renting in Glen Ridge right now and want to purchase in the area.
We have seen the 'Woodlands at Upsala', a nice development in East Orange. The houses are well constructed and the price is much more affordable than Glen Ridge or Montclair.
Since we won't need to worry about school for another 4 year's (by when we plan to move) are there any thoughts on the whether or not it makes sense to buy a new 3 bedroom townhouse for $359k in East Orange?
Thanks.
Yikes!!!! $359K in East Orange, let alone a townhouse in East Orange don’t sound like a bargain by any stretch of the imagination.
YIXI I would not call a townhouse in East Orange for $359K a good investment, especially in a declining market or for that matter a thriving market! I would worry about the resale value in 3-4 years when you planned to move again.
Do you think it would even appraise for that value, new or not? Actually scratch that, it might if it were in the towns best interest, hmmm....
I'm a realtor and used to work at an office in West Orange and driving through East Orange at night on my way home was not pleasant, so much so they make the lights flash yellow so you won't have to stop at one just to avoid a possible criminal activity. Before they made those lights flash, I remember getting spooked when a bum or crack head or all the above started banging on my window begging for money.
Strictly as a personal opinion: East Orange is not the pretty picture the newspapers and residents are painting on this site, bad schools & high crime just to name a few reasons. Don't take my word for it, visit the place and take a stroll through the neighborhood if you dare.
I would not want to bring my there to live if I didn't have to. Just a guess but I'd worry about having graffiti on my garage door or car daily.
It probably would have been a better idea if they had made a gated community out of it, like West Orange's Llewellyn park. But who knows what the future may bring, I can be totally wrong and East Orange can go from one of the worst cities in the state to one of the best because of this small building project, who knows for sure?
There are manybetter places I can think to move to in NJ for the money and just take a Mid-Town Direct train to the city.
Well, I see what you're saying, but I still think that the brand new school across the screet is pretty nice. They also have the Whitney Houston school and the Jackson academy within blocks and although you hear about a few bumps and bruises, they seem to be on top of the crimes within the schools. (at least in this area. Once you cross main street going southbound - well that's the part of East Orange that needs a lot more help.
It's outside of school hours that you have to worry about.
Well, I see what you're saying, but I still think that the brand new school across the screet is pretty nice. They also have the Whitney Houston school and the Jackson academy within blocks and although you hear about a few bumps and bruises, they seem to be on top of the crimes within the schools. (at least in this area. Once you cross main street going southbound - well that's the part of East Orange that needs a lot more help.
Quote:
Originally Posted by girl-973-908-732
It's outside of school hours that you have to worry about.
Bumps and Bruises?
Geeze... I don't know about you, but I'd like to send my kids to school knowing they are in a somewhat safe environment and hoping when they go there "to learn" the school will be a good one where they will not only pass minimum state requirements but actually walk away with a little useful knowledge and perhaps some motivation to do something with their lives other than learning to fight, do or deal drugs or worry about gangs! But hey what do I know, that's just what I'd want for my kids, maybe you’re looking for something a little different for yours but that's your decision. Many parents unfortunately consider school to be "Free Day Care" where they can dump their kids for the day.
Have you ever heard the saying, you can dip a volkwagon in gold but in the end, its still a volkswagon?
Attaching a name to a school from famous persons both of which stated have their own "issues" to say the least is inconsequential to me. I prefer to see SAT and PSAT scores and percentage rates of graduates and of them how many go on to attend college or even better Ivy League schools.
But my priorities may be off, what the hell do I know anyway?
Geeze... I don't know about you, but I'd like to send my kids to school knowing they are in a somewhat safe environment and hoping when they go there "to learn" the school will be a good one where they will not only pass minimum state requirements but actually walk away with a little useful knowledge and perhaps some motivation to do something with their lives other than learning to fight, do or deal drugs or worry about gangs! But hey what do I know, that's just what I'd want for my kids, maybe you’re looking for something a little different for yours but that's your decision. Many parents unfortunately consider school to be "Free Day Care" where they can dump their kids for the day.
Have you ever heard the saying, you can dip a volkwagon in gold but in the end, its still a volkswagon?
Attaching a name to a school from famous persons both of which stated have their own "issues" to say the least is inconsequential to me. I prefer to see SAT and PSAT scores and percentage rates of graduates and of them how many go on to attend college or even better Ivy League schools.
But my priorities may be off, what the hell do I know anyway?
When you are not informed then you tend to just write out of pure ignorance at times... so says the Ivy leaguer raised in the crack era in harlem
Are you aware of the Gang Rape held by at least 17 kids in montclair high that CUT school to go have sex in their parents home....
Again... being in an area that Needs some help doesnt equate to bad SAT scores.... but hey ... what do i know... i just took my children out of Montclair school system... the funny thing is... you have gangs... or fake gangs which is what i love to call them.... or you go to prep... and mostly affluent areas... and have to deal with your child and drugs.... Lets be clear....if you are "well informed" children now-a-days have alot to deal with.... NO MATTER WHAT SCHOOL THEY ATTEND....
whether it is a bomb... or a shooting.... or a gang... every area has its madness.... period...
and this is coming from a woman who experienced the issues at public school.... private school... and boarding school....
so Victor... i disagree with what you believe to be good vs bad education due to classism BEING that i have lived it through the quest of education now via my children.... it all... no matter what.... starts from home....
mind you... lets just say the children in East orange have a lack of parents and home training ( lets say that out of pure ignorance)
then i have to couple that with the parents in Montclair that work so much and dont have the time to raise their children.... just spoil them with things to make up for the fact that they arent home.....
that is reality.... your children will adapt to what you prepare them for....
... as for the new school in East orange... there are millions of dollars pumped into that school to prepare the children for a grade A education....
new school.... new area.... new life.... sounds great to me....
My Husband and I recently puchased a beautiful home at the former college campus. I am going the be frank by saying that anyone who has had negative things to say about the community is a Non- Ethnic person. This section of East Orange is beautiful and quiet and there is no place in the tri-state area that is offering you an entire community of newly constructed homes starting at $479,000.
We just had a baby and are aware that we are going to have to send our child to private school, however we are getting a home that is move in ready. I grew up in Orange and have never been a victim of crime.
If you are a person of color, why would you want to walk out of your house everyday and have Non-Ethnic people look at you with disgust becuase you have moved into "THEIR" community? I want to live without the stress of ignorant New Jersey racists next door to me. No matter what, at the end of the day you are the one who has to be happy with your own life. If you don't care about trying to impress other NEW JERSEYANS with your address then the Woodlands of Upsala is for you. Your NEW home is going to be better than anything that most of the individuals who responded to your question will ever own!
I take exception to your use of the term "non-ethnic person". FYI, everyone has ethnicity. Irish-American, Italian-American, those are ethnicities. I think you're saying alot about your own prejudices by measuring ethnicity in terms of being non-white.
Furthermore, don't kid yourself, East Orange leaves alot to be desired. The initial segregation that took place in the 70's under a different mentality. Race relations are better now. Yet in EO the black middle class has stampeded out of town. They've gone to Bloomfield, South & West Orange, to Edison, or even left NJ altogether to NC and Georgia.
You mention Orange, well let me tell you, I have a friend who's Colombian who used to live there. He did not feel safe, and moved to Jersey City Heights were he says he feels safer.
I am not dogging EO. My grandparents, Irish-Americans (what you would call "non-ethnic") lived in EO and are buried at Rosedale Cemetery. I definitely have a sentimental connection to the city. EO has lots of potential and has lots of wonderful architecture that can't be found in some of the sterile outer suburbs. Mayor Bowser seems to be a good leader. And the fomer police director (Cordero?) did a good job, I hope the city continues with his initiatives.
Let's move beyond the petty racial greivances and concentrate on what matters.
Does non-ethnic include everyone of European origin?
I saw that too. It's amazing how some people define ethnicity as distance from being white. I'm Irish-American. I know a heck of a lot about my ethnicity and where my ancestors came from.
The last time I checked the person or persons that buys a home live in the home first before going outside into the community. East Orange has always been a city on the move and offer change for all lifesyles, rich, poor, young, old, and just like adjacent cities like Montclair, Bloomfiled, Glenridge, they all have troubled spots AKA Guetto's. A new home is a new home, and without the real concerns of a school system from the interested party whom seek good advice about Woodland at Upsala, it is the best place to live in the City of East Orange, you are so close to everything, NYC, GS Parkway, 280, the 88 bus to NYC, Bloomfiled, Montclair and Brick Church TRain Station, whom all offers NJ Transit Park and Ride. You will be located within 1 mile of Watsessing Park, where you can enjoy the rich landscape of one of the best parks in New Jersey or you can enjoy shopping at the Stop and Shop in Bloomfield or the Pathmark, or even if you want to enjoy fresh produce they have a wonderful farmers market in the nearby Bloomfield Center. You see all your amenities are nearby and if all fails you can go to the Lovely Montclair, but be careful there too. They have a Guetto as well a huge one but the city is one of the most loved, so you see I have given you real choices and advice which is to Move to East Orange and get the most out of your money, you are so centrally located to whats good that it dont even matter what East Orange Does'nt have because you are within a short distance to getting all that you want and need.
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Orange???
No Gated Community Hear!
