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Hello I am into urban planning and I have the following questions about Elizabeth, NJ. If you could answer them I would be very grateful. Thanks.
I understand that Elizabeth is the most successful Urban Enterprise Zone in New Jersey. It received more than 1.5 billion dollars because of all the commerce. My question is how did Elizabeth become so commercially successful? Is it because of its location? port?
How big is the gang problem there? If there is any.
What are the fads among Elizabeth youth?
What can you tell me about the city's government? (Besides that Chris Bollwage is the mayor)
Where's a popular hangout for Elizabeth residents?
The only thing I know about Elizabeth is that there is a huge IKEA there next to a huge Toys R Us. It used to be that the didn't charge ANY sales tax, now I think they charge 3%. And it is right across the bridge from Staten Island, shop shop!
I agree with Daaver- the main reason Elizabeth is such a big UEZ is the IKEA, Toys R Us, and the Jersey Gardens Mall. If you took those three out of the equation, there's very little left. Elizabeth has a downtown shopping area, but it's no different than the downtown areas of the other UEZ's around the state.
IMHO, Elizabeth is nothing to write home about- it borders Linden, Newark, and a few other so-so communities, and is generally a marginal area overall.
I don't htink i'd actively "choose" to live in Elizabeth, but the shopping I agree is great, especially that outlet mall on the other side of Ikea and Toys R US! I ca't even remember the name of the outlet mall, but it's FAB! they even have a great arcade and playplace for the kids there! Almost like a mini Chuck E cheeses, on the lower level!
well Elizabeth has lots of potential. one of the main reasons why Elizabeth commerce has boom is bc of the Jersey Gardens Mall and IKEA.. the reason why these businesses are doing so well is because the proximity to NYC, Staten Island and NJT.. the 113 bus from POrt Authority will take you to the mall... lots of ways to get there.. with this in mind it's no secret that Elizabeth has the seaport.. now Elizabeth is building a Ferry to NYC which will add another option of transportation to it's already functional train stations (2 stations) and many bus lines to NYC..
Elizabeth's infrastructure is being upgraded as well.. there is a new Police station in Downtown (Trumbul st), there are 5-6 new schools being constructed, and finally a light rail will connect all of elizabeth.. ELizabeth has grown and develop very rapidly.. there are many new businesses and the household income has increase from past 30+ to 60-70k+.. which means more consumers with money to spend.. the way of living has also improved, many new constructions are been bought by residents.. meaning they take care of their properties.. this is just some of the reasons.. there are many others.. u should visit the city's webpage and search for the Elizabeth Master plan doc.. it show all the current and future projects..
I don't htink i'd actively "choose" to live in Elizabeth, but the shopping I agree is great, especially that outlet mall on the other side of Ikea and Toys R US! I ca't even remember the name of the outlet mall, but it's FAB! they even have a great arcade and playplace for the kids there! Almost like a mini Chuck E cheeses, on the lower level!
i chose to live here.. my income is 80K+.. but convenience is what i look for.. it's not a money thing.. and belive me living in ELizabeth is sort of living in Manhattan.. but with more space.. oh and no Gucci, DG stores etc.. but i'm not much of a shopper ..
Hello I am into urban planning and I have the following questions about Elizabeth, NJ. If you could answer them I would be very grateful. Thanks.
I understand that Elizabeth is the most successful Urban Enterprise Zone in New Jersey. It received more than 1.5 billion dollars because of all the commerce. My question is how did Elizabeth become so commercially successful? Is it because of its location? port?
How big is the gang problem there? If there is any.
What are the fads among Elizabeth youth?
What can you tell me about the city's government? (Besides that Chris Bollwage is the mayor)
Where's a popular hangout for Elizabeth residents?
Is Elizabeth going downhill? If so how?
The gang problem is centrally located in the area bordering Trumball, Marshall,1&9 and Emma St. Althought the problem is almost nothing compared to Newark, it does exist , but its not like you see drive-bys, gang wars, or gangs on the street.
Fads? The ghetto fabulous lifestyle is VERY prevalent among the youth of NJ. But like many other cities, you encounter the goths, rockers, and punks.
A popular hang-out for a lot of residents are the great restaurants , El Salvadoreno, City Tavern, Kafe ( NY Style trendy-restaurant) and The Red Parrot Restuarant. There are a lot of clubs in Elizabeth, and a lot of residents frequent the downtown area with The Ritz Theatre as well as the Loews Theatre, Jersey Gardens.
The gang problem is centrally located in the area bordering Trumball, Marshall,1&9 and Emma St. Althought the problem is almost nothing compared to Newark, it does exist , but its not like you see drive-bys, gang wars, or gangs on the street.
Fads? The ghetto fabulous lifestyle is VERY prevalent among the youth of NJ. But like many other cities, you encounter the goths, rockers, and punks.
A popular hang-out for a lot of residents are the great restaurants , El Salvadoreno, City Tavern, Kafe ( NY Style trendy-restaurant) and The Red Parrot Restuarant. There are a lot of clubs in Elizabeth, and a lot of residents frequent the downtown area with The Ritz Theatre as well as the Loews Theatre, Jersey Gardens.
Where are the goths, rockers and punks! I only know 1 punk guy whom i was able to meet through a store, but that is it... i rarely ever see goths walking out, more like ghetto guys is what are found!
Where are the goths, rockers and punks! I only know 1 punk guy whom i was able to meet through a store, but that is it... i rarely ever see goths walking out, more like ghetto guys is what are found!
You need to go to the high School when it lets out. And I'm sure that in a population of 120,000 there is not only one punk guy. You just have to look. When the whole population of the school lets out, you'll come across many more. I just graduated from E-High 5 years ago and there was a good population of the alternate crowd in my school.
I was born and raised in E-town. We certainly have some gang problems. I went to EHS and there were often cops outside waiting for gang fights to break out. It was common knowledge that some students were in gangs. About 2 yrs ago there was a gang related shooting in midtown by the train station, where at least one person was killed. You learn where to stay away from (mainly E-Port, Jefferson Park). I can say that I've never been personally affected by any of this stuff, the most I've seen is the swarms of people walking together towards wherever it is they're fighting.
Fads: well, if you consider ghetto a fad. Though I think it's more of a lifestyle for parts of the city. Of course there are upper middle class kids in Elmora Hills who try to be "down." There's also the goth kids, and increasingly more rockers from South American countries. There's also the kids that try to act "rich" (in Elizabeth, the middle/upper-middle class). This extends to the young adults also.
There's this whole NY yuppie-wannabe vibe that I didn't really see before, not bad, just different
The government: There's a city council, with representatives from each ward (the wards can vary greatly in economic status and environment). There's some conflict between city hall and the BOE, mostly due to the BOE's questionable financial practices. There is some effort being put into improving the look and feel of the city, improving the economy, etc. some people don't agree with the direction, pointing fingers at the wealthier residents for supposedly disregarding the lower classes. It's a classic power struggle.
Hangouts: well, the food i think is our #1 thing. Restaurants on Elizabeth Ave, Elmora Ave, and Morris Ave. Jersey Gardens is also popular. There's some bars/lounges like Kafe, Red Parrot, Destino's. Warinanco Park on nice days. But also, people tend to go to neighboring towns like Union, Newark and Linden for a lot of stuff, and of course NYC.
"Is Elizabeth going downhill?":
Well, that depends on how you look at it. I personally think it's going uphill, but thats just my opinion. The city is moving towards a more urban environment. I see a lot of houses being knocked down to build 2 houses or 2-family houses. Some condo development, etc.. I will say that 5 years ago there were less decent places to eat and hang out, so that's moving in the right direction.
We do however have the gang problem, which can potentially get worse.
On the one hand, property values are going up, streets are a little cleaner, and there's more activity. On the other hand, my neighborhood is more expensive but (i think) less safe than it was 10 years ago. However, this may not reflect the rest of the city because this area has always been the more affluent, nicer part of town. So maybe in a more urban environment, it is only natural for the dynamic to change a bit.
I think the likelihood is gentrification, all things being considered. But we have to wait and see.
Last edited by JR86; 01-29-2007 at 07:37 PM..
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oh and no Gucci, DG stores etc.. but i'm not much of a shopper ..
I only know 1 punk guy whom i was able to meet through a store, but that is it... i rarely ever see goths walking out, more like ghetto guys is what are found!
