Are there friendly towns/cities in New Jersey (Hoboken, Raritan: safe neighborhood, schools)

[Mightyqueen801]

Originally Posted by NJ Brazen_3133

Dont listen to these other posters. They are perfect examples of the kinds of people you will run into. In your face, blunt, way too serious.

I grew up in Northern NJ, and it is either snobby rich entitled kids, racist, insular and introverted people. Sure there are nice people scattered about, but they are hard to find, and are outnumbered by the people I describe.

Now I hear south NJ is much different. More laid back, and friendlier. It must be the Pennsylvania influence, or the Baltimore, being closer to the south.

I grew up in northern New Jersey also, fifth generation in my Bergen County town. We certainly were not rich or snobby, though I did/do know a few racists who were related to me.

There are plenty of nice people. It's the same as anywhere else.

Less laid back? Yes. It's the NY metro area. Laid back doesn't equal "nice", though.

[Mightyqueen801]

Originally Posted by Gerania

Whoa. My sister lived in Seattle in the '70s and '80s. There were plenty of nice people, and just as many snotty nosed fools. It all depends upon where you live and your station in life.

Exactly. It depends upon the individual. Smearing a state of NINE MILLION PEOPLE and assigning a characteristic of "nasty" to them is just ignorant.

[CaptainNJ]

the nice people can be found in camden and irvington. happy home hunting!

[jaymoney]

Interestingly enough, a search of "friendliest towns" returns a #1 rating from Forbes and NextDoor as... Sammamish, Washington, so you might want to take those rankings with a grain of salt if PNW isn't your top choice either.

[CaptainNJ]

my town is so unfriendly that i have started wearing a protective cup to local events because of all the nut shots i have been receiving.

[Gerania]

Originally Posted by Mightyqueen801

Exactly. It depends upon the individual. Smearing a state of NINE MILLION PEOPLE and assigning a characteristic of "nasty" to them is just ignorant.

I can't believe anyone takes those lists seriously.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_Komi7wnAw

[DefiantNJ]

Originally Posted by katesroses

Hi there. I hail from Washington state but we are considering a move to New Jersey, where my father's family is from. My husband is a teacher and I have found with researching that they pay their teachers really well in the state. My concern is friendliness - from what I have heard, NJ is not home to very nice people. WA is home to the passive aggressive kind of unfriendliness, and I really want to live somewhere where people say hi to each other on the sidewalk (and not look away). Does anybody know of any pockets of Jersey where people are nice? Anywhere? Or should I just move to Georgia or something? Thanks!

In NJ, people look you in the face and curse. Please move to Georgia where there are no people on the streets and no sidewalks...

[Atsushi]

Nice, kind and friendly are three very different qualities. When people ask if someone is nice, I always ask for clarification.

Personally I consider myself nice and kind, but I'm definitely not friendly.

[Retriever]

Perhaps the OP is really seeking the Southern Style of...friendliness.
You know--the version of "friendliness" where they say "Bless your heart" to your face, and then defame you once your back is turned.

[G1..]

Originally Posted by katesroses

Yikes, I really didn't mean to cause strife, I thought I was asking a pretty basic question. I've been to New Jersey many times, and my experience has always been fine. My aunt is the one who tells me that people aren't super friendly there because it often does have that vibe of NY - fast and people don't really take the time to ask about others. I really meant no offense to NJ.

And Jackal1, my husband and I are smart - I have an engineering degree and he has his Master's in teaching. We aren't ignorant, we are just trying to clarify the general impression that the state is not friendly. Which IS the general impression of what I have read online. Which is why I was trying to educate myself and ask the question - are there areas of New Jersey where people ARE nice to their neighbors, smile, etc? You shouldn't take offense to that - it is a cultural question. Here in the PNW, people often don't make eye contact because we tend to be super passive aggressive. It's just a cultural thing.

Thank you to the people that answered my question, your responses are super helpful and I really appreciate it!

Well you can't be to smart ,not asking a question in the way you did. If you have been here before as you stated it makes the way you phrased your question even worse,good luck in Georgia.