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I've been scouting this forum for information, and would REALLY appreciate some honest insight about the specific question I'm asking. I do not want someone's opinion who live in another town and think Linden is unsafe, or crime-ridden. I have personally always found Linden to be suburban-urban, with hardworking people, and that is why I am considering buying a house there. I found a house near Bower Street, Linden, and am trying to find out if it's a safe neighborhood to buy in. I define "safe" as no gun violence, drugs, or carjacking. I currently live in Iselin, and I understand Linden is not Iselin, but I am okay with being a diligent homeowner as long as the neighborhood is nice and I do not have to worry about violent crimes. I do not have kids, so I do not care about the school system and am looking to buy a house with my sister so she and I can live with our mom. I mean it would be nice to know I can walk around my neighborhood at night, and that my mail won't get stolen if I'm not home, but it's not a deal breaker if that is not the case, lol. I actually put an offer on a house, so I'm trying to get some information on the neighborhood before moving onto next steps. Any assistance in helping me make an informed decision will be appreciated!!!
Edit: I called up Linden town hall and was transferred to the police department, and told by the officer I spoke with that they would not recommend the area, and would rate is 7 or 8 out of 10 in terms of being a dangerous area in Linden. I dont know if people are saying this because they have a problem with diversity or because these neighborhoods are actually dangerous.
Last edited by adultinganddrowning; 05-24-2019 at 04:05 PM..
Why are you moving?
Live with family, trying to buy my own place
Where will you be working?
Downtown Newark
Will you buy or rent?
Buy
What is your budget ?
$300k
What kind of place are you looking for?
3bd/1bath
Will anyone (spouse, children, pets) be moving with you?
Mom and sister
Do you need/want good public schools?
No.
Briefly describe the kind of neighborhood you'd like to live in:
Safe, quiet, walkable or short commute to train station.
List three things that are important to you in order of importance.(examples: nightlife, outdoor activities, rural/urban, safety, downtown area, charming, new construction, proximity to XYZ, family oriented, easy parking, short commute, etc)
Safety, short commute to train station and/or Newark, family oriented
I too am curious to see what the responses will be. I always assumed Linden was a dump because of what you see from the train as it passes through, but that's not necessarily a good measure of an entire city. I also recall some years ago an African-American woman who was trying to find good daycare mentioning that it was much easier for the "rich white people who live in Linden", so that threw me a bit.
Edit: I called up Linden town hall and was transferred to the police department, and told by the officer I spoke with that they would not recommend the area, and would rate is 7 or 8 out of 10 in terms of being a dangerous area in Linden. I dont know if people are saying this because they have a problem with diversity or because these neighborhoods are actually dangerous.
If the local police department is telling you that is not a good area then shouldn't that be enough reason not to buy there? You would rather solicit the opinions of strangers on the internet?
I have friends that used to live in Linden so I'm somewhat familiar with the area. In general, the closer you get to Elizabeth the worse it gets. The farther west you go towards the Parkway the better it gets. My friends lived right near downtown a few blocks from the train station and I never felt unsafe there, even at night.
Well, let's look at some actual data, instead of "a 7 or 8 out of 10": //www.city-data.com/city/Linden...#mapOSM?mapOSM[zl]=12&mapOSM[c1]=40.624794006347656&mapOSM[c2]=-74.24550247192383&mapOSM[s]=sql49&mapOSM[fs]=false
According to similar sites, Linden's crime rate is above NJ's but it's still below the nation as a whole. Property crime is about average with the nation. Frankly, I think any dangerous connotation is more because it's surrounded by Roselle, Carteret, Rahway, and Cranford who all have much lower crime numbers, but Linden is still statistically safer than Elizabeth.
300K is a pretty big ask these days for a 3BR in any of those towns however, but there's no way anyone can guarantee "no gun violence, drugs, or carjacking," as those are part of living in or near large cities. For example, there were 45 car thefts in Linden last year but Westfield had 28. For the record, Iselin is ranked about two and a half times safer than Linden, so use that as your guide.
I used to live in Linden in 2006-2007. I lived on E Elizabeth Ave about 2 or 3 blocks from the train station. I rented in that area as a single female. I had no problems. I never had a car break-in or any problems. My commute to Newark (Ironbound area) going up 1&9 took me about 20 minutes.
I still have friends who live there (Brazilian immigrants) and they like it there. Yes, I'd live there again.
Go on crimemaps.com or similar sites and look at crime around the specific neighborhood you're interested in buying.
Its been several years since I was in linden, but I worked there a year or two repairing railroad track.I remember the strip on st george ave being sketchy, alot of industrial area mixed with clubs,strip joints etc .Alot of drug addicts and drunks , derilict people hanging out around there, not a great area but it could be different now.On the other hand you go further into Linden and the neighborhoods looked pretty nice so I guess it depends on what your looking for.
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