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I don't understand why people say NJ is an Industrial wasteland? The refinery's and Industrial areas of NJ are restricted to near the Airport and Seaport in the North, and near philly in the south. They only account for 3-5% of the state. Newark isn't a dump anymore in 70% of it, crime is down development is pouring in( most small investments and businesses) South of Downtown ,Downtown , Ironbound , University Heights and north of I-280 are all great and improving parts of the city. We have alot great state parks and beaches. Our Transit Network is the largest in the Country. Jersey City & the NJ Gold Coast are great models for Urban renewal , it took 10 years built Jersey City built a skyline and integrated transit system. Sure Camden is bad still , but you can't use that as a cover to say every city in NJ is bad. The Meadowlands are often overlooked as an Industrial wasteland , but it is a protected network of Marshes and tidal flats, with trails for hiking and biking. We still have rural areas in the South & west , so we are not all Urban / Suburban. NJ is a very diverse state , even slightly more then neighboring NYC. Sure the taxes are high but thats only if you choose to live in the Suburbs if you live in the Urban areas its less. Our Schools are the best in the nation. Our beaches are a mix of quiet hidden ones and busy family style boardwalks ones. All you have to do is explore NJ more and you find all these NJ gems , sometimes all it takes is 0.5-2miles for the scenery to greatly change. It offends alot of US Passionate New Jerseyites when the same old ignorant myths and fear is said about our humble state.
Last edited by Viralmd; 02-22-2010 at 10:11 AM..
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I can remember when I watched "All In The Family" as a kid and young adult that whenever New Jersey was mentioned by someone, Archie would get a pained or angry look on his face and the ensuing comments that he'd make were less than flattering.
Because for many people who visit NJ, that's all they see- they land in Newark and either change planes or hop in a cab or on the train into NYC. Add in The Sopranos, which was a very popular series for many years- and didn't tend to show the nicer areas of NJ (other than Tony's house)- and you've got a lot of people with pre-conceived notions.
Yes, a lot of the people that talk crap about NJ have never really seen much of it. I took one of my friends from college that had never been to NJ here and his first response when we got here was "Oh, this isn't that dirty."
But the main thing that people who live in NJ don't like is how expensive it is, especially the taxes. Although for some reason despite not having to pump our own gas we have some of the cheapest gas in the country (in SJ at least).
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BobKovacs
Because for many people who visit NJ, that's all they see- they land in Newark and either change planes or hop in a cab or on the train into NYC. Add in The Sopranos, which was a very popular series for many years- and didn't tend to show the nicer areas of NJ (other than Tony's house)- and you've got a lot of people with pre-conceived notions.
That's exactly what I was going to say; if all of NJ that you see is out the window of a shuttle taking you from the airport to the city, you're not going to get the best impression of NJ. Add to that shows like The Sopranos, Real Housewives and Jersey Shore that reinforce the 'Guido' myth. Getting out beyond the part of the state that sits next to NYC will reveal a beautiful countryside dotted with countless beautiful and historic towns. Too bad more people haven't experienced this (or want to acknowledge it).
I don't understand why people say NJ is an Industrial wasteland? The refinery's and Industrial areas of NJ are restricted to near the Airport and Seaport in the North, and near philly in the south. They only account for 3-5% of the state. Newark isn't a dump anymore in 70% of it, crime is down development is pouring in( most small investments and businesses) South of Downtown ,Downtown , Ironbound , University Heights and north of I-280 are all great and improving parts of the city. We have alot great state parks and beaches. Our Transit Network is the largest in the Country. Jersey City & the NJ Gold Coast are great models for Urban renewal , it took 10 years built Jersey City built a skyline and integrated transit system. Sure Camden is bad still , but you can't use that as a cover to say every city in NJ is bad. The Meadowlands are often overlooked as an Industrial wasteland , but it is a protected network of Marshes and tidal flats, with trails for hiking and biking. We still have rural areas in the South & west , so we are not all Urban / Suburban. NJ is a very diverse state , even slightly more then neighboring NYC. Sure the taxes are high but thats only if you choose to live in the Suburbs if you live in the Urban areas its less. Our Schools are the best in the nation. Our beaches are a mix of quiet hidden ones and busy family style boardwalks ones. All you have to do is explore NJ more and you find all these NJ gems , sometimes all it takes is 0.5-2miles for the scenery to greatly change. It offends alot of US Passionate New Jerseyites when the same old ignorant myths and fear is said about our humble state.
~Corey
For what it's worth, I am originally from Connecticut. Currently I live in Kansas City and over the years I've had to endure stupid cracks from the morons that live out here about people from our part of the country. Been called everything from a New Yorker to a "little girl from back east". Recently some chump playing pharmacist in a local hospital said this region is superior to the East Coast. I just ignored it. Yep, the best school systems and universities are located in Kansas and Missouri. LOL. Most of these idiots could never cut it in any part of the Northeast because the standards in the work place are higher in the Northeast and they'd be competing against people with a better education. Example: I knew a 25 year old girl out here a few years ago that wanted to go to Rutgers but her grades from the University of Kansas, while decent, were not adequate to take a jump up to a Big East school.
I just let their stupid, ignorant comments slide and rarely say anything. I am not weak, or have a thin skin and I don't let what they say bother me all that much. I don't give a damn about what they think about me or the Northeast or New England. They can laugh all they want because I know which part of the country is better. Anyone that is overly concerned with his or her image outside of his or her own social circle is showing a sign of weakness that can be exploited upon by bullies.
I would not worry too much about what the rest of the country thinks about NJ. Just like any state, it has its good parts and bad.
I love showing off NJ to people who have never been here, and have their impression of the state only from the shows they see on TV or the jokes they hear. I purposely take the back roads when I pick out of state friends up at the Philly airport, and they are amazed at how much forest, farmland wildlife and open space there really is (at least in south Jersey). I once had a friend come from Texas, and on the drive down we passed deer, ducks, wild turkeys....he was so excited and kept saying "I should have brought my guns!", lol.
If your willing to tough it out in NJ and pay those high taxes and embrace all the great things and oppurtunities NJ offers, you'd be able to move pretty much anywhere in the nation when you retire.
Honestly, everyone complains about how NJ is so expensive and how other states have it made. NJ has some of the lowest poverty rates in the country, while all these "great" states such as NC, SC, GA, etc have some of the highest poverty rates... hmmm, this tells me that the only reason these states look so tempting is because you made it here in NJ. The natives of the southern states rough way more than us NJians. This is what the average ignoramus seems to be unaware of.
The bolded section above presumes that you've got money left to retire after you've paid the high property taxes all those years.
The other paragraph above makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.
You even have New Yorkers calling us dirty , which doesn't help. But to all those who don't bother traveling up NJ -21 into Newark and seeing the other side of the city are just ignorant, people who take Amtrak and NJT at least get to see the good and the bad parts of NJ. what we really need is an aggressive yet funny Tourism ad targeting tourists overseas, like in Europe and Asian.
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Anyone that is overly concerned with his or her image outside of his or her own social circle is showing a sign of weakness that can be exploited upon by bullies. 
