In today's NY Times:

Quote:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/29/din ... fet-of-hudson-county.html

Quote:Well I don't know if I would go that far, but in Hudson County it makes sense. Kearny, Harrison, and East Newark could stay out there on their own, but the other Hudson cities should merge.

Some other places, like Morris County, have some pretty obvious problems as well.




edit: actually, Monmouth looks even worse

The NYTimes just did a nice article on MANA Contemporary:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/17/nyr ... html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&

It's being discussed around the corner, here:

http://jclist.com/modules/newbb/viewt ... c_id=29453&post_id=315199

I agree -- all of NJ should consolidate to something along the lines of County level -- rather than the current 565 municipalities

Quote:oh wow, didn't realize that! I guess I was using really outdated info. That would put us right around Milwaukee, Nashville, and Washington DC.

I think a consolidated city would not only give us more international recognition and lower taxes, but also more incentive to develop more light rail or subway lines, and lead to better development of tourist destinations. Really there's so much good that could come of it.

Quote:I have always wanted to see that happen. But if it did become one city the census has the estimate for 2012 at 652,302 which would be a very good sized city. I also believe Hudson County is the smallest County in the State by size.

As for the rest of the country not knowing we exist when ever I travel out of State I am actually surprised at how many people have heard of us. Many of the younger generations know us from their High School History books when they learn about Ellis Island, Black Tom Explosion, Holland Tunnel, First WTC bombing, Frank Hague, Underground Railroad etc. Then you have people that know us for things such as celebrities they know of, shows they watch or the few times we make National news. Jersey City is a name that people tend to remember good or bad. Unfortunately I've also had a good number of people mostly in the South tell me they thought it was a part of NYC, but if it makes any of you feel better the majority of them thought the whole state of NJ was part of NY lol.

In NYC most the people I come across seem to know about JC as well. In my experience it's more the NY transplants that tend to try to downplay us or pretend they never heard of us. The real New Yorkers don't look down on this city and actually think we are more similar to them then the rest of NJ. But you have to remember before gentrification the average JC resident didn't even care they are so close to NYC and never felt a need to prove themselves to New Yorkers. You would of been surprised at how many people in Downtown worked on this side of the river even though we have the Path. Some never even been to NY at all or could count one hand the amount of times they have.

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You want to change it? Write something for them:

http://gothamist.com/2013/01/18/gotha ... your_story_submissi_1.php

They post a call for submissions 2 to 3 times a week at least.

Have to say WSJ is doing a decent job of looking at this side of the river.

http://stream.wsj.com/story/latest-he ... s/SS-2-63399/SS-2-234294/


Artists Aim for the Heights in Jersey City
Sweeping Views of the Manhattan Skyline Are an Attraction


An arts district approved for a section of Jersey City?s Heights neighborhood could spur new development and bring more creative types to an area that is already home to many artists.

The Riverview Arts District in the eastern part of the Heights was designated back in the 1980s but never fully materialized. Zoning changes permitting live-work and studio spaces for artists were formally adopted by the city in February.

Artists have lived and worked in converted industrial buildings and other spaces in the neighborhood for many years. More recently, the neighborhood has drawn white-collar professionals and families priced out of other areas or looking for more space for their money. Brokers and residents say the creation of the arts district makes it still more desirable.

?We have a branding opportunity to promote the area for both commercial and residential use and make it more attractive, really create an identity for the Heights as a concentrated arts area,? said Becky Hoffman, president of the Riverview Neighborhood Association.

Another recently approved measure allows ground-level restaurants on a portion of Palisade Avenue, a key street in the neighborhood.

?It?s something to watch,? said Joshua Tedeschi, a sales associate with American Homes Realty. ?It means that there are going to be a lot of commercial conversions.?

Central Avenue, a main street for retail and restaurants, is dotted with inexpensive eateries, mostly Latin American, Italian and Chinese. Food favorites on the strip include Rumba?s Cafe, Andrea Salumeria and Goehrig?s Bakery.

The Trolley Car Bar & Grill, which opened on Palisade last year,

is one of a group of new businesses in the neighborhood. It has been a draw, offering food, four dozen types of beer and special events such as a recent pig roast. It was modeled after a ?typical Hoboken bar,? said its owner, Esteban Castro, 52 years old. Across the street is a new condo conversion, the Trolley House Lofts.

Newer stores in the neighborhood include Faded Royalty, an urban fashion boutique with a brightly painted exterior. Luca Gentile, 42, co-owner of bike shop Jersey Cycles, said the Heights reminds him of Brooklyn?s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood years ago.

?As more people discover the neighborhood, I see the change happening overnight,? he said.

Sean McClain, 37, the owner of Empire United Fencing, recently relocated his fencing club from Chelsea in Manhattan to the first level of a warehouse building on Palisade Avenue, where he pays one-third as much as he did in Chelsea. Upstairs in the same building last fall, a pop-up art gallery showcased work by local artists during the annual Jersey City Artists Studio Tour.

Galleries in the neighborhood are rare, but local artists said they hope the arts district will create new opportunities to show work. One site that has opened in recent years is the Distillery Gallery, at 7 Hutton St.

The neighborhood, at the northern end of Jersey City, is perched on the Palisade Cliffs overlooking Hoboken and the Hudson River. The section was once a separate city, Hudson City, which was folded into Jersey City by 1870.

Ogden Avenue, a sought-after residential street, is among the spots offering sweeping views of the Manhattan skyline. Another is nearby Riverview-Fisk Park, where residents are raising money to rebuild a gazebo destroyed in superstorm Sandy.

Yoga in the Heights offers a donation-based yoga class outdoors on Sundays at 11 a.m. in the park. A farmers? market fills the park on Sundays and the inaugural Riverview Jazz Festival is scheduled in the park for June 2.

At the neighborhood?s northern border is Washington Park, a county park split between Jersey City and Union City at Paterson Plank Road which offers basketball and tennis courts. At another park, Pershing Field, there are a skating rink and newly renovated public pool.

Reservoir No. 3, a retired city reservoir, is a swath of green space and water offering hiking and kayaking.

While there are several bus lines and independently operated jitneys, commuting to Manhattan and Jersey City?s Downtown can be onerous at times, especially at night.

A city project set to start soon is the 100 Steps, a stairway linking the Heights to Hoboken and the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail. Commuters can already access the Ninth Street-Congress Street Light Rail station by an elevator.

The housing stock in the Heights is a mix of one-, two- and three-family homes and low-rise condo and apartment buildings. Brokers said that inventory is low and that investors have been scooping up properties and paying in cash.

?There are a lot more foreign investors than there used to be, from Asia and the Middle East and Israel, buying all in cash,? said Marcia Langley, a sales associate with Liberty Realty.

But first-time homebuyers are still finding properties in the neighborhood as well.

Ayana April and James Sanders, both 27, moved to the Heights recently from Crown Heights, Brooklyn. The engaged couple bought a two-bedroom condo that offers a fairly easy commute to their jobs in Manhattan. ?We have more space and are paying way less than our rent,? Ms. April said.

Artists have added color to the neighborhood with public art installations and murals. A strip of decorated tiles on an overhang at the northern end of Riverview-Fisk Park has been in place for more than a decade.

Longtime resident Beverly Brown Ruggia, 52, organized the project with Heights artist Sandy Martiny, working with local children.

Ms. Brown Ruggia, who lived near SoHo years ago, said she has seen artists move into neighborhoods only to be ?chased away? by development. She doesn?t foresee that happening in the Heights because, for one thing, many artists already own their own homes.

?I hope that will make a difference here,? she said.

Write to Jennifer Weiss at jennifer.weiss@dowjones.com

Because of this compelling thread, I searched "Jersey City" on Gothamist and got this result:
http://gothamist.com/tags/jerseycity
Jersey City is a side freak show for them.

It's funny how the New York Times won't report it, but the San Francisco Chronicle did.

http://www.sfgate.com/business/bloomb ... s-Jersey-City-4519374.php

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013 ... s-jersey-city-mayor-healy

Quote:

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... ed_photo_of_jersey_c.html

Que Sera Sera -- but the times they are a changing..

I love how the MTA subway maps always have a white area on this side of the Hudson -- even though they show the PATH stations in Manhattan -- but with so many New Yorkers moving Downtown -- that will soon change too!

Click to enlarge.

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Do you have a link to this? I'd like to see this.

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No, this is good. National coverage is good for Jersey City and a spotlight on the city's politics would help. You can't eliminate malfeasance if no one cares.

The election got picked up by Rachel Maddow. Second clip pretty much sums up why it's good JC was not covered by the big papers because it's just embarrassing.

Government efficiency New Jersey style:
http://video.msnbc.msn.com/the-rachel-maddow-show/51899405

The story of a naked mayor:
http://video.msnbc.msn.com/the-rachel-maddow-show/51899485

"Please tell your editors to look across the Hudson River from lower Manhattan. All those towers? That's us." Bravo, Bogart! Let us know if you get a reply.

Isn't there even a big NYT distribution center or printing facility in Jersey City? Or am I mistaken?

Quote:

Jersey City's history is tied to New York. It's present is tied to New York and, it's future will be tied to New York. Our location next to one of the greatest cities in the world is why we are not like the other old industrial cities in the state. They are decaying. We are renewing. That is not something to be ashamed of.

It's not about "caring" about NYC. It's about the fact that JC is as integrated into the culture and economy of the NY metro area as Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx or Staten Island. We should demand that we are covered in newspapers that purport to cover the NY metro area. If the WSJ can do it, the Times can. While you may be willing to secede from NYC, I think most of us are not.

Quote: I would like to know more about these finds, please. Don't make me Google.

Quote:

Then this should apply to everyone in NJ and all the media outlets NJ has. Yet many here seem adamant on following every single thing that happens in NYC but in no way affects any part of NJ.

I don't understand why this is still an issue. The answer is simple: stop caring about NYC. Much of the reason why NYC is considered such a big market is because of NJ. Take out that factor and NYC will begin to lose billions. I only sympathize for those who have to work in Manhattan because their jobs cannot be found anywhere else in the region. Everybody else who complains about toll hikes and train hikes, etc I do not feel sorry for.

My priority is Jersey City. I have started my own personal "boycott" of NYC for reasons mentioned before. Great cities are created by the people and what they do in their respective cities and JC will never reach its potential if its full of people who's only focus is NYC.

Rachel Maddow acknowledged the JC mayoral election, she commented on the naked mayor photo and agreed it was time for a change.

Why would the NYT write about the Jersey City election? Its a different city, in a different state, with less than 3% of the NYC population. Jersey City is inconsequential.

...And where are our Weehawkin stories?!

To add to my earlier stats regarding NYT stories on Jersey City, in the past 3 months they written ~54 stories mentioning "Hoboken".

Oh, and Weehawkin? No stories
Lucky Bayonne? 11 stories

Quote:

Sorry, but that's just stupid. We're right on their doorstep, issues that affect us, affect them directly. At the very least, Fort Wayne doesn't host a tunnel vital to NYC's economic interests.

Nice letter Bogart!

As noted already, NYT cut a lot of its regional reporting a few years ago.

Part was budget, part is that they are trying to be a national/international paper.

And really, it's not like they would report on a mayoral election in Chula Vista, Fort Wayne or Buffalo, all cities around the same size as JC.

Quote:

+1 Well put!

I sent the following to the Public Editor at the Times:

Jersey City, New York City's largest neighbor and the second largest city in the state of New Jersey, held an important election yesterday. Independent Councilman Steven Fulop soundly defeated the two-term incumbent mayor even though the mayor had the support of the political establishment, Mayor Bloomberg, Newark Mayor Corey Booker and President Obama. His was a true grass-roots movement with hundreds of volunteers. His election is a major turning point in the history of Hudson County and has major implications statewide.

The incumbent mayor, Jerramiah Healy, turned the campaign into a battle for the soul of the city, expressly telling his mostly blue collar supporters that he was protecting them from "interlopers" from New York who were out to take over the city. He was referring to the residents of downtown Jersey City, many of whom commute to work in new York City by subway, and to Mr. Fulop who worked on Wall St. before joining the Marines and will be the city's first Jewish mayor.

The New York Times has not devoted a single paragraph to this election. I find that strange. Please tell your editors to look across the Hudson River from lower Manhattan. All those towers? That's us.