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what are the pros and cons of living in a town close to nyc but that is actually in new jersey?
first of all, i'm not thinking of moving to manhattan. i'm thinking queens, maybe brooklyn. but outside of nyc, i'm looking at new jersey.
hoboken is the one i'm thinking about the most. supposedly only 15 mins to manhattan and i wouldn't have to pay the state and city taxes of nyc. is rent is cheaper there than in queens or brooklyn too?
so what would be the con really? just that i wouldn't be able to say i live in nyc? or is there more to it?
also, what other towns should i be thinking about in new jersey that are close to nyc besides hoboken?
thanks for any info
Just a correction here--even if you are living in NJ, if you are working in NY, you are paying New York state income tax.
The New Jersey Waterfront is a very nice place to live and it is a Hell of a lot closer to Manhattan's West Side than MOST of NYC. Food is cheaper, NYC tax is avoided (but like MQ said, you must pay NY State tax.) Sales tax in Jersey City is 3.5% as oppposed to the 9% tax in NYC...and NJ has no tax on clothes. Electricity costs 30% less.
It is duller than living in Manhattan but FAR safer than living in most, if not ALL, parts of NYC.
But you will quickly get sick of the endless trips on the PATH train that begins and ends EVERY NYC outing and work commute.
My friend has lived in Jersey city for many years and hates it. Says for the most part it's pretty dangerous all around, and says there's nothing to do.
Just a correction here--even if you are living in NJ, if you are working in NY, you are paying New York state income tax.
This.
Also, Hoboken may not be cheaper, but from my search, I found that you get more for your money. I have a 1600 sq. ft. apartment with 2 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms, and a garage parking spot walking distance to the PATH for just over $3K a month. At least when I searched, I couldn't find that in the city.
The commute is not bad either. Hoboken to the first NYC stop (Christopher Street) is 5 minutes. I work in UES and my commute, front door to desk, is 35 minutes.
ETA: Oh, and I love living here too... tons to do if you feel like staying local. Very close and convenient to the city. Can't complain.
1) cost of living is cheaper depending on what town you live in.
for example: if you rent an apartment in most places that are commutable by 24 hour bus service it'll be significantly cheaper than living in nyc, however if you rent anywhere that is commutable by path station then it'll either only just slightly cheaper if not the same. The trick is to balance it out by finding a place that isnt as walkable as say hoboken yet is walkable enough so that you wont necessarily need a car also you have to take transportation costs into account (you will need an njtransit bus pass + a metrocard).
Alot of times you will find that alot of places with similar commute times into midtown cost significantly less in nj than they do in nyc.
2) taxes are less
sales tax is only 7% and 3.5% in some areas (urban economic zones). Also there's no sales tax on clothes or supermarket food.
Also, since you live in nj you wont have to pay city income tax on top of state and federal.
cons:
1) new yorkers will think that you live on another planet.
I cant tell you how many times I've met people from nyc who seem to think that NJ is somewhere ridiculously far away. These are the same people who are usually shocked to find out that I could get from my home to midtown in about the same amount of time as they can except the rent is significantly cheaper.
2) It may slightly affect your single life
It doesnt happen often but, I've seen this happen to both myself and other people, It seems as if some women will completely lose interest in you and run away like you have the plague the minute you tell them you live in nj. Then again it probably has something to do with alot of people who live in nyc thinking that nj is like a million miles away or something.
My friend has lived in Jersey city for many years and hates it. Says for the most part it's pretty dangerous all around, and says there's nothing to do.
You can't just say "Jersey City is dangerous!" any more than you can say "New York City is dangerous!"
It depends upon where you are. They just moved our offices from the Flatiron district over to J.C. near the Exchange Place PATH station. Between that and Newport, it is certainly NOT dangerous--it's very upscale with lots of businesses, including Goldman Sachs, and expensive hi-rise condo and rental properties.
It is, however, very quiet--nice for walking since there is hardly any traffic and a little eerie after working in Manhattan because there are so few people walking on the sidewalks. If someone wants the excitement of a NYC neighborhood, they aren't going to get it in that part of J.C.
As Kefir King stated, if you want more than the few restaurants and bars in that neighborhood, and if you work in NY, you're going to be spending a lot of time back and forth on PATH. It's only three and half minutes to the WTC, but a longer trip to 33rd Street.
There's a great walkway along the river--the Hudson Waterfront Walkway, which will be 18.5 miles when completed (there are gaps) and will run from Bayonne to Fort Lee. The view is magnificent, of course. And the wind off the Hudson is just as strong on the Jersey side as it is in NY.
In the innermost, urban parts of NJ such as Hoboken and downtown Jersey City, you'll find a much easier and faster commute to Manhattan than in many if not most of Queens and Brooklyn.
Also, the housing in Hoboken and downtown Jersey City are almost exclusively brownstones/rowhouses and high rise skyscrapers - these areas are VERY urban, just as much so as any neighborhood in Brooklyn. Connectivity to Manhattan is spectacular - you have your option of subway, ferry, or bus.
In my opinion, there is no downside to living across the Hudson River from Manhattan versus living across the East River from Manhattan. In either case you have to take a subway to get in, but both the MTA and PATH subways run 24-7, and they both take MetroCards. Both Hoboken and downtown Jersey City are very safe for cities.
Hoboken is more lively than downtown JC. Hoboken tends to be more "yuppy" while downtown JC tends to be more "hipster/artsy", but of course these are generalizations.
Some NYers, specifically recent transplants from somewhere else, will have no idea what you're talking about when you say where you live. Some might even respond with snobbery. Unfortunately when many people hear "New Jersey" they think of either suburbs, or the freaky people they see on TV, who are actually NYers, but that's another story.
In the innermost, urban parts of NJ such as Hoboken and downtown Jersey City, you'll find a much easier and faster commute to Manhattan than in many if not most of Queens and Brooklyn.
Also, the housing in Hoboken and downtown Jersey City are almost exclusively brownstones/rowhouses and high rise skyscrapers - these areas are VERY urban, just as much so as any neighborhood in Brooklyn. Connectivity to Manhattan is spectacular - you have your option of subway, ferry, or bus.
In my opinion, there is no downside to living across the Hudson River from Manhattan versus living across the East River from Manhattan. In either case you have to take a subway to get in, but both the MTA and PATH subways run 24-7, and they both take MetroCards. Both Hoboken and downtown Jersey City are very safe for cities.
Hoboken is more lively than downtown JC. Hoboken tends to be more "yuppy" while downtown JC tends to be more "hipster/artsy", but of course these are generalizations.
Some NYers, specifically recent transplants from somewhere else, will have no idea what you're talking about when you say where you live. Some might even respond with snobbery. Unfortunately when many people hear "New Jersey" they think of either suburbs, or the freaky people they see on TV, who are actually NYers, but that's another story.
Ive actually been going Jersey recently because of a girl I met and yea downtown JC and Hoboken are pretty nice areas I like it.
New Jersey towns near NYC are very diverse in the sense that they vary in terms of demographics, character, transportation, things to do, etc. As someone very familiar with NJ I do not think that your question about NJ is really answerable.
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