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In my search for a new place to call home I stumbled on Jersey City and on paper it sounds like is should be a great place to live (certainly more interesting than one of NYC's lesser five boroughs). Although, not only had I never heard it mentioned before I started my search I also haven't seen it compared to many other places on here.
From what I understand:
- It's a good size at roughly 250,000 people.
- Diverse.
- Next door to Hoboken & a short train ride to NYC without having the high-speed lifestyle of that city.
- Great river views.
So on and so on.
Meanwhile another city I found (Providence, RI) has a similar set up with Boston & Newport being close and people rave about it.
Personally I'd be tempted to check it out if I thought the COL was within my price range.
In my search for a new place to call home I stumbled on Jersey City and on paper it sounds like is should be a great place to live (certainly more interesting than one of NYC's lesser five boroughs). Although, not only had I never heard it mentioned before I started my search I also haven't seen it compared to many other places on here.
From what I understand:
- It's a good size at roughly 250,000 people.
- Diverse.
- Next door to Hoboken & a short train ride to NYC without having the high-speed lifestyle of that city.
- Great river views.
So on and so on.
Meanwhile another city I found (Providence, RI) has a similar set up with Boston & Newport being close and people rave about it.
Personally I'd be tempted to check it out if I thought the COL was within my price range.
So what's the deal?
Until fairly recently, Jersey City was almost a complete urban blight, a rundown, crime-ridden city from which anyone who could had fled a generation ago.
Then along came the developers who saw waterfront and views of Manhattan and knocked down old warehouses and built high-rise apartments and condominiums.
So now you have a city that has a very expensive waterfront area and an interior that is mostly urban blight, rundown and crime-ridden. Some areas are much worse than others, with gunfire being a common sound in a few neighborhoods. There are also sections that hold a significant Asian Indian population. Other areas are expected to be redeveloped and gentrified in the near future. There are pros and cons to living there, depending upon your situation and your lifestyle. There are those magnificent views (I work in Jersey City and the view still strikes me from time to time). If you have kids, you may have to look into private schools. There is easy public transportation to the city, and even though the best areas come with a pricetag, that pricetag is still lower than the ones across the creek. Jersey City itself doesn't have a whole lot to offer--there are some nice restaurants, a few decent bars, but it's biggest pro is access to Manhattan.
But...I love Providence and would definitely advise you to take that under consideration! And Jersey City doesn't have Waterfire!
Providence is cool, but its "set up" isn't all that similar. Jersey City is a mile from Manhattan, and a relatively quick ride on PATH, which runs 24/7. You can be sitting in your apartment in JC and decide "I want to go to Manhattan," and 15 minutes later you're there.
Providence is much farther from Boston than JC is from New York. You'll take the MBTA commuter rail, which will take the better part of an hour to make the trip, and trains only run once an hour oftentimes. So sitting in your apartment and deciding to go to Boston, you'll want to look at the train timetables and you'll have to plan the trip.
Downtown JC is a great neighborhood, great restaurants, good arts scene, diverse. Rents have gotten very high recently, however. I suspect Providence might be quite a bit cheaper. Providence has good restaurants and arts as well.
There seem to be a lot of facets to this such as job, family, finances, etc, that we aren't even touching. Why compare Providence and Jersey City? If you favor JC over Providence for quick access to the major city, it would probably be appropriate to compare it to cities surrounding Boston like Waltham, Quincy, or Somerville.
There seem to be a lot of facets to this such as job, family, finances, etc, that we aren't even touching. Why compare Providence and Jersey City? If you favor JC over Providence for quick access to the major city, it would probably be appropriate to compare it to cities surrounding Boston like Waltham, Quincy, or Somerville.
I wasn't really comparing them beyond both of them having a train connection to larger cities. One area seemed to think this was great while another remained silent on the issue. Just struck me as odd.
I just see Providence as a cool place in its own right and didn't really consider the angle of it being accessible to Boston because I don't see Boston as any sort of big city equivalent to New York.
My niece lives in New Bedford, and a few years ago my sister and I went up to participate in a fund-raising walk for a disease that runs in my family, which took place in Boston. As we approached Boston with my sister, niece, and her friends in the car, I said, "Oh, what a cute little city this is!" Her friends seemed a little confused and maybe insulted, but I wasn't trying to put the place down. I liked it there. But, it's not anything like Manhattan, nothing at all.
My niece lives in New Bedford, and a few years ago my sister and I went up to participate in a fund-raising walk for a disease that runs in my family, which took place in Boston. As we approached Boston with my sister, niece, and her friends in the car, I said, "Oh, what a cute little city this is!" Her friends seemed a little confused and maybe insulted, but I wasn't trying to put the place down. I liked it there. But, it's not anything like Manhattan, nothing at all.
I agree, Boston is a much smaller city than most people think. I guess by New England standards it is considered "big". And compared to Boston, Providence is like a small town. I have friends that used to live there and the city really isn't all that great. The downtown area is basically 2 streets with a few restaurants and a big mall. Their "skyline" is basically 1 or 2 mid-rise buildings. Rhode Island has been cited as having the worst economy in the US, so Providence wouldn't exactly be anywhere near the top of my list when looking for places to live.
compared to Boston, Providence is like a small town. I have friends that used to live there and the city really isn't all that great. The downtown area is basically 2 streets with a few restaurants and a big mall. Their "skyline" is basically 1 or 2 mid-rise buildings. Rhode Island has been cited as having the worst economy in the US, so Providence wouldn't exactly be anywhere near the top of my list when looking for places to live.
If somebody is looking for municipal corruption, however, it might be at the top of their list!
"Buddy" Cianci, a twice-convicted felon, was also twice elected as their mayor.
However, he is not the only crook in their local politics.
I know that this may come as a surprise to NJ-averse people who think that our state is the only one with rampant corruption, but on a per capita basis, Rhode Island in general--and Providence in particular-- probably have beaten us pretty well in the corruption department.
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