Re: Moving to JC
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Just can't stay away
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That said, there is a pocket of medium-high activity centering on Central Avenue, from Franklin to Washington Park. Check out the 'Jersey Journal' Crime series: http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/mapping_out_crime/ As other folks have said, it pays to keep your street smarts about you and be cautious late at night, and avoid 'hot spots' like Mountain Road and Paterson Plank Road. The Light Rail to Congress Street is a good option, and while it is a 15 minute walk home, there generally are enough regular folks taking it even late at night - Ogden Avenue, while pretty deserted is a beautiful street and I feel comfortable there. If I am coming home from really late from Manhattan (after the 87 bus and Light Rail stop running), I try to take the 10/99S from the Port Authority - it runs hourly up to midnight, and there are busses over night every couple of hours. Central Avenue is pretty well lit, and there is always someone getting off the bus with you. Best of luck, JCBound! If you want to chat 1-on-1, feel free to e-mail me.
Posted on: 2009/2/11 17:46
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Re: 'SCARED TO COME TO MANHATTAN' - feels like a flashback to the 1980s
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Just can't stay away
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Not discounting JC or ethnic neighborhoods in Bronx, Queens, or Brooklyn but outside of Harlem, the Heights and Chinatown, the ethnic neighborhoods in manhattan have all but disappeared. It seems ethnicity continues to be pushed from manhattan to the other boroughs. More and more, working class people will only be able to visit manhattan while it continues to morph into a playground only for the wealthy. As a former (20 years) Manhattanite - I can say from experience this is too true. And sad - while you can still experience diverse neighborhoods outside of Manhattan, a diverse mix of ethnicities, life situations & experiences, etc. historically have contributed to making cities great and drew an exciting mix of people to them. Manhattan - one of the most storied cities in the world - is dimished now that that immigrant strivers, artists, young gay people, etc., are being pushed out by yuppies and trust-a-farians who watched one too many episodes of 'Friends'.
Posted on: 2009/1/27 16:35
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Re: A Case Study in What's wrong with JC Real Estate:
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Just can't stay away
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I am not an RE expert either, but am adding my thoughts in response to SLyng's original question - starting with another question: are you looking mainly to buy a HOME, or mainly an investment? It seems most of the posts are from people looking at property primarily as an investment.
Quote: Am i crazy or are things still not very cheap? Maybe on a relative basis (relative to 2yrs ago) they are cheap, but are they cheap on a stand-alone basis? SLyng, no you are not crazy! Manhattan - and it's satellite neighborhoods, such as Williamsburg, downtown JC - are overpriced by most historic valuation models, as this Goldman Sachs real estate report summarizes: "New York apartment prices are very high relative to the observable fundamentals. Using three alternative yardsticks?price/rent, price/income, and affordability?we find that prices would need to decline by 35%-44% to return to the valuation levels seen in the 1995-1999 period, before the start of the recent boom.? ?Under the (admittedly unrealistic) assumption that prices decline by the same percentage in each market segment, this type of drop would imply that a 1-bedroom condo whose price currently averages roughly $800,000 would decline to $480,000; a 2-bedroom condo would decline from $1.7 million to $1 million; and a 3-bedroom condo would decline from $3 million to $1.8 million.? "It is instructive to consider the potential implications of a return of relative Manhattan incomes toward the national norm prevailing before the Wall Street boom of the past two decades, either because of pay cuts in the financial industry or because of a possible out-migration of affluent individuals. From 1969 to 1986, Manhattan per-capita income averaged 2 times the national average, with no clear trend. Over the next two decades, however, it grew to 3 times the national average. If incomes fell back to the pre-1986 level of 2 times the national average?and if national per capita income remained unchanged?prices would need to fall as much as 58% to return to the 1995-1999 price/income ratio.? If you do take the plunge, look in the Heights - there are several, established condo conversions of historic factories and schools, with really nice spaces. I bought a condo in a former bakery in the Heights in August, at what seemed a fair price ($270/SF) for the space, and an established, nicely managed building. No pool, garage, gym, etc., but taxes are lower than new conversions. While doubtless I am looking at a "loss" on paper over the next few years, I am confident my efforts will pay off in the long run (I am 47, and have been living in and around NYC for 20 years - I love my new place and easily see myself being here until I retire).
Posted on: 2009/1/27 15:41
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Re: NJT Busses - Nearly (a) Joke (on) Transit?
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Just can't stay away
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Thanks for the heads-up - I'll definately get JCM 2050 my testimony - today I had to get in to Penn Station for 7:00 AM, to go with my ski club to Windham. At 6:10 AM stationed at Palisade and Franklin for the 6:12 bus. No? How about the 6:24 bus? OK, maybe the 6:32... At work now, trying not to look out the window at how clear and sunny it is...
Posted on: 2009/1/21 18:34
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Re: NJT Busses - Nearly (a) Joke (on) Transit?
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I'm at Sherman and Franklin - too bad, as the 87 stops practically at my corner on the way from Hoboken. The 2nd Street Light Rail is a 10 minute walk, although I have been warned about Mountain Road. 9th Street is 15 min. I don't mind the walk during the day, but the streets are SO empty at night (OK, I lived in Manhattan before and this takes getting used to).
Posted on: 2009/1/16 22:16
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NJT Busses - Nearly (a) Joke (on) Transit?
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Just can't stay away
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I read with interest the posts on the new PATH trains - especially the enthusiastic endorsement by PATH and State officials. Good mass transit is indeed crucial to exciting, growing, and liveable urban areas, and I for one am looking forward to an improved PATH. Which brings me to New Jersey Transit and its busses...
I live in the Heights, and usually take the 87 bus to and from the PATH (although having discovered the Light Rail is "only" a 10 to 15 minute walk, I am hoping to avoid the bus). In my experience the service on the 87 (regularly waiting 20 minutes for busses scheduled to run every 6-10 minutes), as well as the Red & Tan 99/10S (which seems to come whenever the driver is in the mood, regardless of the posted schedule), is ERRATIC AND UNRELIABLE! Anyone else have experiences to share on NJT bus service in JC? Suggestions for what to do, who to write to, etc., to get some improvements?
Posted on: 2009/1/15 18:09
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Community groups in the Heights?
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Just can't stay away
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I read about a number of community groups, block associations, etc. in Jersey City Heights on the Central Avenue BID's website. I might want to get involved in my neighborhood, particularly because everything happening with the economy has people talking about the uptick in crime, hard times for our less well-off neighbors, etc.
Is anyone involved with these groups? Can you recommend any, or share your experience? I live on Sherman Avenue.
Posted on: 2009/1/12 16:41
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Re: From drug haven to Heights heaven, residents in Jersey City neighborhood say
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What can concerned residents in the Heights - both long time and new arrivals like myself - do at a time like this? With the economy tanking, and everbody afraid of a new spike in crime, it seems like now is the time to take stock of the situation, and energize people to get involved.
Posted on: 2009/1/12 16:35
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Re: 2 Greenville shootings leave victims badly hurt
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Thank you Greenvillechick and Kiwiluv!
I was a crime victim soon after moving to my last apartment on the Upper West Side in Manhattan, and trust me - it stayed with me for years, so I am not your classic "liberal" (we all know the old joke about conservatives being liberals who got mugged). But JC_Man et al, really now. Have some compassion! Those two guys may have had something coming to them, but to be paralyzed for life is way more suffering than anyone deserves. If we can't believe in redemption or second chances, what is left?
Posted on: 2009/1/9 22:39
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Re: Property taxes/maintenance fees for condos/townhouses in JC?
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Just can't stay away
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I recently bought a small loft condominium in a converted factory in the Heights. I looked at a number of places, both re-sale and new construction. I learned from my broker that the yearly property taxes on new developments are 1.6% of the sales price, and generally the taxes on older conversions is less. For instance, the taxes on my place (which was a bargain at under $175,000) are $1,500 a year - this on a 1988 condo conversion.
Previous posters are right, tho' - there doesn't seem to be a rhyme or reason! I looked at a 1BR on Palisade Avenue that was about the same price, and the taxes were under $400 a year! This was because the building owned billboard space which earned the condo association income. As a new arrival, I can say Jersey City has a lot of diversity and character - charm, even, if you look hard enough!
Posted on: 2009/1/7 21:58
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Good Philippine restaurants?
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I live in the Heights, and pass a lot of restaurants with Philippine food on my way to Journal Square. Can anyone recommend one? My Filipino friends in NYC want to go, and I would love to impress them! Thanks.
Posted on: 2008/12/23 22:43
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Safe to walk late at night from 2nd St Light Rail?
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Hi all! I moved to JC Heights (Sherman & Franklin) 4 months ago, and often take the Light Rail, especially since it runs later after the buses from Hoboken or JSQ have stopped running.
Visting a friend the other night, he said there was some gang/drug dealing activity in the vicinity and I should avoid this, although I haven't noticed anything. Does anyone have any advice/experiences to share? Thanks!
Posted on: 2008/12/17 18:11
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