Oh! Look, Dear, Jersey City Is Inhabitable!
As a newly-married person trying to figure out where I’m going to —ugh— “nest” permanently, I often find myself arguing with my husband about the kind of town we’d choose. This might not be unusual —newlyweds bickering? No!— it was rather unexpected for us. We had spent the last several years living in NYC and were in-synch about the kind of area we wanted to live: ethnically- and culturally-diverse; considerable nightlife (the kind where you’re grateful there are people out on the street at 3AM as you walk home); good public transportation; restaurants; a general liveliness and “neighborhoodness” without the persnickety, pesky neighbors — basically, a city.
I’m a suburb-born, Brooklyn-bred gal, and he’s a Third World-city-born, NYC-bred guy so, of course, we agree on… nothing.
Initially, we both had wanted to buy in NYC (Brooklyn, Queens, or the Bronx), but after you’ve spent 10 years living over such people as a violent-sex-crazed couple (even their dogs would howl out of concern), a “clothes-designer for strippers”, and sundry drug dealers, arsonists and snide-snippy-scowling elderly, you appreciate the extra padding between neighbors a house with a yard can provide. And since I’d rather shoot myself in a treasured artery than live in Staten or Long Island, never mind Upstate, Jersey here we are! But where in this diverse state of garden?
Imagine my horror when my husband told me his ideal neighborhood is none other than the small, homogeneous, movie-theater-less hometown I spent years trying to escape. And where would I like to be?
Well, my first desire was to live in the towns where my parents were raised: Harrison or Jersey City. I know, your first thought is, “Um… why?” Well, in terms of JC, my own experiences are limited but I like that it has light-rail service and there are a number of commuting options to NYC. I like that it has both a city and neighborhood feel, and the idea that I might live near where my grandparents fell in love, or where my mother grew up, was really appealing. I can’t say I really “know” Jersey City’s best attributes. I don’t. I just figured, if I’m going to live in NJ, then I’m going to live in a location where I don’t feel like a Stepford Wife.
My husband, however, decided that JC was just too ugly and undesirable — after seeing just a few sections. Granted, from what we’ve seen, it’s pretty lifeless and depressing, or has a steel & water/corporate feeling (Newport, hello), so I guess I can’t blame him.
And then, in my recent Internet wanderings, I saw how Jersey City is a Model of the “Urban Future” and Where to Live If You’re Cool. Who knew living in JC could almost be called earth- and reputation-friendly? (That is assuming, of course, you feel comfortable living over “once-polluted industrial sites”.)
“Least-sprawling” almost sounds warm and inviting, dontcha think?
Sure, upward urban sprawl does raise both concern and questions of potential. Yes, building skyward means possibly more grass, but it doesn’t solve known challenges of over-population such as pollution, crowded streets and sidewalks (have you tried driving a car down certain parts of Newark Ave?) and gentrification. It also adds fuel to the ever-burning debate over eminent domain. Just look at Harrison, where things like parking lots (yeah, who needs those in Jersey?) are being gobbled up to make way for things like soccer stadiums and “river view” condos (again, I say, river view???).
But I digress. Where’s a young couple looking for a home with a little nightlife and good transportation to NYC expected to live?* And why is my husband - who usually breaks out in hives at the sight of white picket fences - suddenly itching for suburbia?
*(Weehawken floods. And, please, don’t say Hoboken.)
So, how about you? Where do, or would, you live?
— by Donna M.
Donna is both a Jersey native and recent transplant from NYC. She is executive editor and a co-founder of GoOutJersey.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed!
April 23rd, 2007 at 3:29 pm
…and for those looking to find out a little more about what goes on in JC, I suggest exploring these arts organizations and local businesses:
http://www.arthouseproductions.org
http://www.jcfridays.com
http://www.fifty8.com
http://www.residuegallery.com
http://www.rocksoupstudios.com
http://www.janamtea.com
http://www.proartsjerseycity.org
http://www.hudsoncountynj.org/dept/tourism/default.asp
http://www.litm.com
http://www.thewaterbughotel.com
http://www.cyphermovement.com
there’s plenty more where that came from! lots of great stuff going on in JC.
April 23rd, 2007 at 6:34 pm
Apparently JC also has the second best drivers in the US, after Des Moines, IA
http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070407/LIFE/704070373/1006
Not sure if I believe that but hey, at least it wasn’t a negative story.
To add to AHP’s list of things in Jersey City
http://loewsjersey.org/
http://www.jcreservoir.org/
If you are still craving a bit more of suburbia but don’t want Friday Night to consist of rooting for the local HS football team, check out the towns by the rail lines… or by colleges. South Orange/Maplewood and Montclair have a nice hopping atmosphere at night and decent school systems for when the time of “wearing shirts that glow in blacklighting and taking advantage of the bartender giving out free shots of jäger” has ended.
April 24th, 2007 at 8:58 pm
I plan on checking out all those websites that are listed…… and there’s just something about growing up in JC that never leaves you ~~ not like any place else I see that others grew up in ~~ everybody takes care of you there ….. or at least, they did when I was growing up. People really cared about each other.
May 10th, 2007 at 4:04 pm
Heyy, my fiancee and I are getting married in Sept. We’re having the sameeee dilemma. However I’m a brooklyn born, suburban raised guy, and she’s a suburban raised, queens living girl. She works in morristown, I run a business in south plainfield. Ideally, we want a place that 1) is like you, culturally diverse and just a lot going on. We’re not a 30 something couple with 2 kids, a honda, and a dog. And we’re not living on social security, griping about how nice Jersey City used to be (j/k ‘mom’!). We want to have the luxury of walking outside, checking out a show, eating at a nice restaurant, art galleries, but no necessarily so yuppy-ish.
With that said, we have a few places in mind but commuting time in between is what kills us.
Our choices are (dare I say it) - 1) Hoboken, 2) Morristown, 3) New Brunswick, and 4) Bridgewater.
#1 - Pro - It’s close to the city and has a lot of what we’re looking for. And hey, it’s next to JC too. Con - it’s a pain drive for both of us. Is it worth the pain?
#2 - Pro - Morristown is where she works & it has a lot of nice bars, nice restaurants, things to do. But it’s a pretty far drive for me, 45 minutes, and unfortunately because of the nature of my work, I’m with clients all day long. So I drive to work, and then go meet with clients from there. I hate driving so the thought of driving 45minutes to work makes me naseous. But for her, maybe I’ll suck it up.
#3 - Same as #2 but her drive would be bad, actually probably worse than mine because she’d be going north. But New Brunswick is up and coming. There’s a lot of really nice high rises, which I really like. She’s all about the townhouses… next thing you know we’ll have a dog and 2 kids too. Jeez… but yeah, NB has young professional bars, nice restaurants, a great theatre district. Yes, it is a college town, and there are college kids around, but if you know where to go, it’s pretty lively and can be a lot of fun even for newly weds, at least I think so.
#4 - Bridgewater. Pro - It’s a 20-25 min commute for both of us so we’re comprising. There are nice restaurants, a nice mall, blah blah. Cons - It’s not like we can walk out of our house and take a walk to somewhere fun. Everything’s a short drive away. It’s not known for it’s art, theatre, or culture in general. It’s know for it’s high pricey neighborhoods and nice mall. So while that’s good, it’s not the ideal location.
What’s a man to do??? And woman?
Hahaha sorry - I didn’t answer your question but maybe my question had enough information to help you too?!?!?! And when you decide what you chose, let me know!