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Is Jersey City a good place for me to grow as a chef and have a good family life? I will be searching to buy a home with my sister for a maximum amount of $450,000.
About Me and what I am looking for:
I live in one of the worse parts of Kansas City Missouri. I'm a 22 year old male and my sister is 24 years old. We are seeking a city that we can grow our culinary arts skills and go to college taking business courses. We also want to live in a city with good schools, diversity, good entertainment, family friendly, good foods and cooking job openings. Most of everything I just listed, Kansas City Missouri is lacking in.
If you have any information about Jersey City including warnings, please tell me below.
Is Jersey City a good place for me to grow as a chef and have a good family life? I will be searching to buy a home with my sister for a maximum amount of $450,000.
About Me and what I am looking for:
I live in one of the worse parts of Kansas City Missouri. I'm a 22 year old male and my sister is 24 years old. We are seeking a city that we can grow our culinary arts skills and go to college taking business courses. We also want to live in a city with good schools, diversity, good entertainment, family friendly, good foods and cooking job openings. Most of everything I just listed, Kansas City Missouri is lacking in.
If you have any information about Jersey City including warnings, please tell me below.
Good schools? NO. But at 22 and 24, do either of you have children?
Diversity? Yes. JC is one of the most diverse cities in the US
Entertainment? Some. Nice parks, some festivals and live music events, etc. But countless options next door in NYC.
Family Friendly? I don't know what this means.
Good Food? Decent food in JC, again, countless options next door in NYC.
Cooking job openings? Probably, always new restaurants opening in JC.
Lots of culinary schools in NYC, and Hudson County College in JC has a culinary school.
Jersey City, like any city, has good areas and bad. Downtown is generally considered the best area, and it's the most expensive.
Good schools? NO. But at 22 and 24, do either of you have children?
Diversity? Yes. JC is one of the most diverse cities in the US
Entertainment? Some. Nice parks, some festivals and live music events, etc. But countless options next door in NYC.
Family Friendly? I don't know what this means.
Good Food? Decent food in JC, again, countless options next door in NYC.
Cooking job openings? Probably, always new restaurants opening in JC.
Lots of culinary schools in NYC, and Hudson County College in JC has a culinary school.
Jersey City, like any city, has good areas and bad. Downtown is generally considered the best area, and it's the most expensive.
I don't have children, but since I am look to move there, I still want to put that under consideration if I ever meet someone and marry them. Plus my sister is thinking about adopting in a few years or so. When I put family friendly, I mean it in things to do and safety. It's sad to hear that Jersey City's schools aren't good. Over here in Kansas City, most of all the school districts lost their accreditation. The one's that still have it are in a verge of losing it.
Once you have children, you'll have the option to send them to private school or move to a suburban town with good schools. New Jersey suburban towns have some of the best public schools in the nation. But assuming it'll be a couple or few years before you get married, then some time before having a first child, and 4-5 years before that child needs to be in a good school somewhere, this is something you'll need to worry about 8-10 years from now.
In the mean time, JC could be a great place for young people to enjoy living, meet new people, etc.
If you live in Jersey City than you are very close to Manhattan. There are a zilliion restaurants in Manhattan & the commute on the PATH train or bus from JC to Manhattan is very, very quick & inexpensive.
Jersey city has lots of different sections. make sure you know a good amount about the area you are buying into before you do. None of the public schools in Jersey city, or Hoboken or surrounding towns are any good. From the right location in Jersey City you can be in NYC in 5 minutes.
Area around Grove Street, Liberty Harbor North, Paulus Hook are probably near where you want to look. More expensive but you want to avoid the avoidable areas. Jersey City isn't as "nice" as Hoboken yet but give it a bunch more years and it'll get there.
Downtown is great, but expect to pay up for proximity to NYC....
However, it's mostly condo & apartment living. There are many houses, but they're expensive....
There are some decent areas on the west side of the city near the Newark Bay, as far as JFK Boulevard, that are cheaper. Best to stay west of the boulevard. Beyond that many once nice neighborhoods are blighted with high crime...(a la Ocean Ave (below)/MLK Blvd)
Google Earth street view is great for assessing an area. It really tells you what areas the homes and buildings are maintained, and the general quality of life. Good luck.
if you live in jersey city than you are very close to manhattan. There are a zilliion restaurants in manhattan & the commute on the path train or bus from jc to manhattan is very, very quick & inexpensive.
Are you looking to buy a house or a condo apartment? How many bedrooms?
I would suggest renting for awhile & getting to know the area. Probably not a great idea to move to an area that you are unfamiliar with & buy immediately.
Are you looking to buy a house or a condo apartment? How many bedrooms?
I would suggest renting for awhile & getting to know the area. Probably not a great idea to move to an area that you are unfamiliar with & buy immediately.
Agree with this; rent first. There are a ton of rentals in Jersey City, and it's a great way to get to know the area.
Generally, the areas downtown (east of I-78) are the nice areas of Jersey City. Some parts of downtown, especially the glassier towers, are quite expensive, but other parts of downtown (Hamilton Park area) are more affordable. There are other decently safe parts of Jersey City, especially up by Journal Square, but they're more run-down even if quite safe.
School system is irrelevant to you. Even if you do get married three or four years from now and have kids, that's at least six to seven years from now when your kids would be first entering school. If that happens, you can move to a different town with better schools, or figure out alternative arrangements. It's far too far in advance to be thinking about school districts.
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