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I love NJ but I wouldn't limit it to NJ . . . as that will be pretty limiting. You'll probably at least want to look at Brooklyn and Philly.
Well, i guess what i'm trying to say is, sure, give Hoboken a shot b/c it sounds like you're looking to rent anyway. Once you find a job you can worry about moving closer to it if you need to.
IMO, CD has a strong suburban orientation. Negative attitudes when it comes to cities just goes with the territory. If you live in a big city you already know the drill.
Also - FYI - only 25% of all households have school-aged children and that number is still declining. The quality of the school district, while important to property values, is only one piece of the puzzle and one that continues to wane in importance. The other 75% are probably more concerned with their property taxes than they are with what kind of education someone else's kids are getting.
You better run from NJ. Do you actually know what property taxes are going for in those nicer towns? Run away from Jersey. Try Delaware. It is close to Philly. I would do a little research into Jersey politics if I were you. Its hard to get out once you get in! Just look at the new bridge increases...which btw are going to keep increasing to 7 bucks. There are actually cool places in DE.
Good luck!
Carolyn
Quote:
Originally Posted by trover
I'm a twenty-something, soon to be professional school grad from the SF area in California. This isn't something people my age out here really aspire to, so call me crazy, but I'm contemplating moving to New Jersey.
Why: I really love the East Coast, particularly the Northeast. NYC, Philly, DC- I can't really pick one I like more than the other- I love them all. New Jersey seems perfectly located to just about everything. Also, it seems like a pretty solid blue state, and I'm a blue state kinda guy. And I grew-up in Chicago, so I can deal with cold winters.
Only problem is, I'm not sure where in New Jersey I'd be interested in living. Most of the major cities are roundly described on this and other forums as crime-ridden urban disaster areas. I've been to Camden, and I know that at least for that town it's no exaggeration. But I also like to live in a somewhat urban setting- dense housing, loots of bars, coffee houses and bookstores, diversity, LOTS of access to public transit. Above all I do not want to live in a "bedroom community" suburb with lots of single family homes on gigantic lots. I grew-up in a place like that and vowed never to return. I also don't plan on having children (can't stand them), so schools are not an issue.
Is there any place in New Jersey that fits my description, or is it either Suburban Wasteland or Urban Hell and nothing in between?
I agree - Hoboken is the place for you, if you can afford it. Now, I gotta comment on your "don't plan on having children - can't stand them" statement (can't help myself:-)) You're twenty-something....you might think you know what you want but wait until you're thirty-something...
Sorry Ira. I dont mean to insult you or anyone else. But the fact of the matter is Im now 50 and still cant stand them. I think I know what I want by now. And being tied down with rug rats is not one of them.
I do need to visit Hoboken though. I know it underwent changes but what I remember of it all I can think of is another Camden but this one a NY suberb. I cant wait to see the changes it underwent.
High crime?
New Jersey is one of the safer states in the country as a whole.
Pockets of intense, isolated crime? Sure. But I doubt he will be joining the Bloods, Crips, Latin Kings in Newark or selling heroin in Paterson.
Downtown or the waterfront in Jersey City is also an option you should look into.
desertsun41 , even at Hoboken's worst, it was never Camden.
why dont you just move to either NYC, Philly, or Beantown?
I've considered Philly. NYC I could see myself spending a lot of time in but never actually living there. A little too many people like myself want to live there too badly- would just be one more. With Boston you're getting back into Chicago-grade winters, and I'm not willing to go that far.
What got me going on NJ was my last trip east, when I rode the train from NYC to DC. Now, having been to the Jersey shore before, I knew that NJ wasn't an endless series of oil refineries. Still, it dawned on me looking out the window of the train that it just looked like more NY, PA & DE out there. It got me to wondering if NJ also had the same things I like in those places. So it's more curiosity than anything else.
New Jersey has a VERY CONSERVATIVE feel in some places like Ocean County and a good amount of coastal New Jersey alot of Southern New Jersey and extreme northern New Jersey. Some of these places are actually still republican strongholds.
Some areas are very industrial and ugly looking or feels too close to such undesirable areas such as the area from around Newark to Sayreville.
Atlantic City is a dump but it is a better kind of urban hell than Newark or Camden...
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Out of all of New Jersey I would say Hoboken is the best for you. Its just across the river from Greenwich village in Manhatten and the transit systems to Boston and Philly from NYC. However, I heard its expensive but Im sure some areas you can feel good enough deals or maybe you can afford the more expensive stuff.
Fair Lawn is also a nice town In Bergan County. Its has a New Jersey transit station. Some would say its borderline to suburban wasteland though or suburban wasteland already.
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What about Nyack NY? Not too far away from New Jersey
One of the problems with NJ is that you feel trapped there by traffic and long rides to recreation. So if you live in Hoboken, you'll probably spend ninety percent of your time there and in NYC.
I live in Boston now, and I regularly make trips to the Jersey shore. The worst part is hitting NJ, after driving four hours, and sitting in traffic for three more hours. Ugh.
One of the things I like about New England is that you're free to get in your car and explore pretty much wherever you want without being punished by hideous traffic.
But you're young and energetic, your curiosity might outweigh your frustration....
One of the problems with NJ is that you feel trapped there by traffic and long rides to recreation. So if you live in Hoboken, you'll probably spend ninety percent of your time there and in NYC.
I live in Boston now, and I regularly make trips to the Jersey shore. The worst part is hitting NJ, after driving four hours, and sitting in traffic for three more hours. Ugh.
One of the things I like about New England is that you're free to get in your car and explore pretty much wherever you want without being punished by hideous traffic.
But you're young and energetic, your curiosity might outweigh your frustration....
You live in Boston, and state the traffic is not hideous?
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you can't be serious
