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I think JS would be a better location mainly because of the transportation options. There is not much now in the way of nice restaurants and interesting stores but in a few years there will be. No matter where you move to as a renter you will eventually be priced out of that neighborhood.

I would consider the Liberty State Park Lighrail station b4 the Heights.. Its one stop to Jersey ave. and when I am hanging in this part of town I can walk dtjc in 15 min. Good Luck!

I'm looking to rent. I love an urban scene. Being able to walk to everything I need is a plus. I gave up my car when I first moved to JC so public transportation is very important. I like that JS is just one PATH stop away from DT so I don't have to change my routine all that much. Then again, sometimes change is good! Being able to take the elevator to Hoboken might make up for the lack of PATH access. I can walk in the nicer weather or take the light rail.

I think that a lot of people are unaware that the Congress St. elevator puts one in Hoboken immediately.
In fact, when the doors open, you are literally on the lite rail platform.

I think that the best thing to do is to investigate all transportation options available in the Heights.

I've worked in NYC downtown and uptown and never had the problems with time that I hear people
refer to. I am beginning to think that people just don't know what the options are and are giving
advice based on that lack of knowledge.

I have a few questions for you first:
- are you renting or considering buying?
- are you looking for an artsier, urban "scene" when you go out?
- are you comfortable with a 20 to 30 minute walk to the PATH train every day?

I live in the Heights, work by City Hall in Manhattan, and my social life is in Manhattan. The lack of easy access to PATH is a real drawback, which I urge you to consider. Getting to work is 1 hour minimum, most of the wasted time because of bus delays to the PATH and/or the bus sitting in traffic. Saturday I was meeting a friend in Chelsea and it took me 1 hour and 15 minutes, because the 87 bus was 1/2 hour late (they run every 30 minutes to Hoboken on weekends).

Hoboken, in my experience, has a much more suburban vibe than DTJC, and I'll go into Manhattan instead any day. There is only 1 bus to DTJC, the 86 which runs along Palisade Avenue to Newport Mall via Grove Street. It's usually on time, but stops running at 9:20pm, so getting to DTJC from the Heights is really limited. Some people take the jitneys, I can't stand them.

Finally, while rents are decent in the Heights, the area is over-saturated with undeveloped condominiums, and many condos are rented out - I bought my 'mini loft' in 2008, and it has never recovered it's value.

Personally, I would love to see new faces - especially people from DTJC who expect to see some real city amenities in the Heights - new restaurants, etc., but IMO the lack of mass transit options really, really kills the Heights.

I guess that everyone's experience is very unique and you'll find a lot of opinions either way.

I lived in both areas - and I really liked (it even surprised me) Journal Square. Little India and the attached Philippine shopping district are great for fresh produce; I could walk to Journal Square for anything else I needed; and the PATH train was a seven minute walk from my home.

While I had several bad experiences in the Heights in terms of safety (there were gangs, drugs, break-ins, prostitution, car damage - and a murder one block from my home), I had zero in Journal Square. I just felt safer there. When I moved in to the Heights in 2000, my realtor gushed it was "up and coming." It never happened when I was there.

Journal Square is finally being developed so I would think it would be a good time to invest there. Just make sure you buy something with parking included!

i say the Heights near the elevator/ Congress is a better bet. Hoboken is very near!

Hi,

I'm getting priced out of downtown so am considering a move to a small studio in either Journal Square or the Heights. Any tips/opinions? I work in Manhattan near Union Square so my first instinct was JS, but there's not much to do near there. I love going out to restaurants, bars, coffee shops etc. I'm also into fitness and Blink just opened up. The Heights is still pretty quiet, but if I move near the elevator, I can take advantage of all the shops/restaurants/bars in Hoboken. Plus, you can't beat the views for running.