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North Jersey is a big area... from Rural to Highly populated Urban. People seem to think the entire state is like Newark, Jersey City etc..
I had a old friend visit me for the first time and he couldn't believe I was living in NJ... he said it was more like living in "Dawson's Creek". I live near farms and stables... lol
There are Parts of New Jersey that are wonderful.. there are parts that are horrible... no different than other states.
I would argue the OP hasn't lived nor experienced the entire state...
Good point. A person I know through the Internet from long ago and who is now a FB friend referred to me living in an urban area. In response I took a picture of the deer in the field across the street from my front porch and posted it.
A person I know through the Internet from long ago and who is now a FB friend referred to me living in an urban area. In response I took a picture of the deer in the field across the street from my front porch and posted it.
The presence of deer is not necessarily a valid example of non-urban living... at this point.
Just a few days ago, there was an 8-point Buck in Bayonne, and sometime last year, there was a deer in Hoboken, and those towns are unquestionably urban. Here is a link to the recent Bayonne Buck sighting:
The presence of deer is not necessarily a valid example of non-urban living... at this point.
Just a few days ago, there was an 8-point Buck in Bayonne, and sometime last year, there was a deer in Hoboken, and those towns are unquestionably urban.
Deer? We've got at least one bear in West Orange. And Bayonne doesn't have any now, but at one time they had a Brahma bull.
Unless you're a millionaire living in one of those suuuper expensive towns and money just isn't an issue, north jersey is a horrible place to live.
I've lived in South Jersey in Burlington County, the middle of the state on the Bay in South Amboy, and in north jersey in Hoboken, Weehawken, worked in Carlstadt went to school in Hackensack..
Having experienced the whole state, I'm telling you North Jersey is just a horrid place to live. There's always traffic. Stores and parking no matter where you go are so crowded and frustrating. Seriously your costco on a tuesday afternoon is like our costco in south jersey on black Friday.
Everything is on top of each other, it's sooo overpriced.
You need to break free... the Bay area in South Amboy was okay, but south jersey is miles away better all around.
The presence of deer is not necessarily a valid example of non-urban living... at this point.
Just a few days ago, there was an 8-point Buck in Bayonne, and sometime last year, there was a deer in Hoboken, and those towns are unquestionably urban. Here is a link to the recent Bayonne Buck sighting:
Unless you're a millionaire living in one of those suuuper expensive towns and money just isn't an issue, north jersey is a horrible place to live.
I've lived in South Jersey in Burlington County, the middle of the state on the Bay in South Amboy, and in north jersey in Hoboken, Weehawken, worked in Carlstadt went to school in Hackensack..
Having experienced the whole state, I'm telling you North Jersey is just a horrid place to live. There's always traffic. Stores and parking no matter where you go are so crowded and frustrating. Seriously your costco on a tuesday afternoon is like our costco in south jersey on black Friday.
Everything is on top of each other, it's sooo overpriced.
You need to break free... the Bay area in South Amboy was okay, but south jersey is miles away better all around.
That is all, rant over...
I think it depends on your individual situation like-
1. Where exactly you live in North Jersey.. Somebody living in Fair Lawn would obviously have a much different experience than somebody living in Elizabeth
2. Where you have to commute to work.. If you don't have to pay an insane $19 toll plus multiple highway tolls each day then you will be happier.
3. What your shopping habits are.. An online shopper doesn't have to navigate the same traffic/parking/crowds/lines.
I live in Bergen County and i'm mostly content. My only major complaint at this time is the high cost of living such as housing costs and the insane tolls to NY. Luckily, i'm allowed to work from home most days so transportation is MUCH less of a problem than it was in the past.
I'm not a big shopper but if I do need something then i'll probably buy it off of Amazon so I rarely go out to the mall. I mostly go the supermarket during off-peak times so traffic and lines aren't usually a big problem.
My town isn't too crowded. If I were to describe it then i'd say it's a denser inner-ring suburb. I prefer these types of places since they have the walkability, amenities and public transit of city areas, but with the ambience, leafyness and calmness of suburbia.
Last edited by OceanDude; 10-31-2020 at 07:53 AM..
I moved to New Jersey from Pennsylvania in the nineties and lived in North Jersey at first.
I noticed right away that towns were set apart with poor people living in some towns and rich people living in others. (Now this was my impression, maybe not yours.)
As a young person at the time, I could live in a super expensive little tiny apartment on the edge of say, (Well, I won't say, but you can fill in the blank). And people on the street didn't talk to me.
Or I could live in a nice place in a poor town. People were very friendly but as a young professional, I missed talking to professionals
I realized it was based on the school system, and people are super interested in not having anyone in their schools whose parents don't share their professional values. And I know if all the kids have parents who don't have professional values, you get a failed high school.
But. Where I grew up in small town PA we had high income and low income people in the same town. (Also, we had kids from all walks attending the same high school).
We had kids whose parents were on public assistance, and we had kids whose parents were the town's doctors, and the wealthy local business owners. Kids did fine. Some in my class went to ivy league and became doctors, politicians and lawyers, some became ne'r-do-wells.
In the town, the big beautiful Victorian homes were on the end of the block, and in the middle of the block were the little bungalows. Outside town, some kids lived on beautiful farms, and some in trailers.
Now, you might see that as a bug, not a feature. (i.e. it doesn't sound good to you.) But it does work.
I moved to mid Jersey, and the town I found is much like the one I grew up in. On the end of my block are beautiful Victorians for professionals and business owners, in the middle are retirees and former factory workers, and everything in between. The block is so friendly, everyone talks to each other and invites each other to parties, the school is mid ranked, but I think has much to offer, with everything kids need (i.e. kids get excellent SAT scores, and it offers all the advanced placement courses.) Kids walk by my house, they looked relaxed and happy and they are so friendly! But, you might say--the schools aren't top ranked!
Some parents own businesses and are entrepreneurs, something you miss in a rich northern NJ town. (i.e., in high school, kids might talk to people who became wealthy not by attending Ivy League schools, but by opening a business). In other words, kids meet all kinds.
If I remember my high school experience, it was meeting all kinds of people that I really liked. I think meeting all kinds of people is good for kids, but again, my opinion only.
So, to each their own.
I don't know if anyone will read this long post. Bottom line, it's easier to meet all kinds of people if you live in small town PA or mid NJ but not in a super rich or poor town in NJ (unless you are actively meeting people outside your own town).
I think you're right that a mix of incomes makes for a better experience. That was the idea behind Disney's development called "Celebration". They built million dollar homes and $150,000 homes right next to each other, all with front porches, along with town squares to get people together as a community. I always thought it sounded like a nice place to live.
I agree, everyone has different preferences. When I was visiting and passing through Burlington, Gloucester, Salem, and Cumberland County, I felt like I was in the middle of nowhere. I felt very out of place and isolated. That part of Jersey although very affordable, isn't for everyone. The quality of people down there are much different compared to prestigious north Jersey suburbs. I'm glad that OP found the beauty of living down there but most people from up north can't adjust to those areas that easily.
I agree, everyone has different preferences. When I was visiting and passing through Burlington, Gloucester, Salem, and Cumberland County, I felt like I was in the middle of nowhere. I felt very out of place and isolated. That part of Jersey although very affordable, isn't for everyone. The quality of people down there are much different compared to prestigious north Jersey suburbs. I'm glad that OP found the beauty of living down there but most people from up north can't adjust to those areas that easily.
I love the middle of nowhere! I've driven there to escape noise generated by people. I used to drive to Chatsworth a few times a year to talk with Marilyn and support her business.
Unless you're a millionaire living in one of those suuuper expensive towns and money just isn't an issue, north jersey is a horrible place to live.
I've lived in South Jersey in Burlington County, the middle of the state on the Bay in South Amboy, and in north jersey in Hoboken, Weehawken, worked in Carlstadt went to school in Hackensack..
Having experienced the whole state, I'm telling you North Jersey is just a horrid place to live. There's always traffic. Stores and parking no matter where you go are so crowded and frustrating. Seriously your costco on a tuesday afternoon is like our costco in south jersey on black Friday.
Everything is on top of each other, it's sooo overpriced.
You need to break free... the Bay area in South Amboy was okay, but south jersey is miles away better all around.
That is all, rant over...
well, then write to your state officials to improve mass transit in the area!
stop complaining and do something about it!
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