The City Of Jersey City, New Jersey

From an article dated Friday, September 1, 2006
by Claudia Perry
Star-Ledger Staff

The second largest city in New Jersey seems to have popped up on the hot spot map overnight. But as most of the 240,000 residents have known, Jersey City has been a hip destination for years - a big town in which varied traditions and ethnicities have blended to create a hybrid culture of art, food and commerce.

In fact, the “new” Jersey City is much the same as the old, a place where immigrants come - from as close as New York and as far away as Mumbai - to realize their own American dream.

You can’t cover this city’s nearly 15 square miles in a day. Its distinct neighborhoods and commercial hubs - usually around transit stations - have identities that are essential parts of this riverside city. Journal Square, which includes Little India, the Grove Street downtown area, Paulus Hook and the Newport waterfront are the districts to start.

The Grove Street area is the hub of downtown with visual arts, restaurants, nightlife and poetry within easy walking distance from the PATH station. It’s a hub that has many spokes that extend several blocks in all directions. On any given night along Brunswick Avenue, scenesters mill about at an opening at the Residue Gallery while next door at Another Man’s Treasure, shoppers look through vintage rock ‘n’ roll tees and vinyl records. You can amble over to pubs and brunch spots on Newark Avenue and around the brownstone-laden Hamilton and Van Vorst parks districts.

Paulus Hook is convenient to the ferries to and from Manhattan, and has eateries, arts and shopping throughout the mostly residential district. Turn down one street, and amidst the row houses, you’ll see the bright yellow umbrellas of Amelia’s Bistro, a spot popular with families and brunch devotees.

Journal Square is anchored by the Loew’s Jersey movie palace, which is also home to live music and art works. A short walk from the Jersey is Little India, where you can smell spices, hear bhangra beats and see and feel the colorful silks inside the sari stores. The high rises of the Newport waterfront almost constitute a separate city from the older neighborhoods.

By day, young professionals sporting suits sit outdoors, drinking that last latte before heading back to the grind. By night, the same walkways, parks and restaurants are filled with families with strollers and laid-back shoppers who sip bubble tea and search for anime at Kim’s Mediatronics. The Newport Mall is a social as well as commercial spot.

The visual arts were concentrated downtown at 111 First St., but the demise of that space sent artists to other areas. Studios can be found as far north as six blocks from the Union City border and as far south as the same distance from Bayonne. The Hudson-Bergen Light Rail has helped with this diaspora as neighborhoods like the Heights and West Side have welcomed creative expression in all forms, be it DJ nights at bars, photo exhibits or dance troupes.

There’s no way we could include everything in this guide, so we left out delis, bodegas, Italian restaurants, pizza joints, Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants and most Japanese restaurants. Every neighborhood has a favorite.

While views of the Manhattan skyline are a feature of Jersey City’s waterfront, the city has staked out an identity that’s influenced by, but not overwhelmed by, its internationally renowned neighbor.

The Statue of Liberty may be looking away from Jersey City, but the freedom to create a new life thrives here.

Jersey City lies on the west bank of the Hudson River across from Lower Manhattan in New York City, and is part of the New York metropolitan area. A commercial and industrial center, it is a port of entry and a manufacturing center. With 11 miles (17.7 km) of waterfront and significant rail connections, Jersey City is an important transportation terminus and distribution center. It has railroad shops, oil refineries, warehouses, and plants that manufacture a diverse assortment of products, including chemicals, petroleum, electronics, textiles, and cosmetics. Jersey City has benefited from its location near the island of Manhattan, as many of its companies are extensions of businesses headquartered there. Recent developments have included increased housing and shopping areas; some parts of the city, however, remain run-down after years of commercial inactivity.

Jersey City is one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse cities in the country, with an almost equal mix of non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic blacks, Asians, and Latinos. Of all cities in the United States, it has one of the largest Arab and Muslim populations and proportions, one of the largest Asian proportions, and one of the largest proportions of various Latino and Hispanic ethnicities outside the Southwest. It also has higher fractions of Jews, Italians, Cubans, Filipinos, Polish, Indians, and Irish than most cities in the nation.

Many formerly abandoned buildings are being renovated, and the light rail line from North Bergen through Hoboken extends through eastern Jersey City, with branches to the western reaches of the city and south to Bayonne. As the waterfront continues to grow, Jersey City's downtown neighborhoods are experiencing rapid gentrification as professionals working in Manhattan are beginning to move in. Many of Jersey City's neighborhoods, including the downtown area, Jersey City Heights, and West Bergen, have an impressive stock of historic houses in the Victorian style.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 54.7 km² (21.1 mi²). 38.6 km² (14.9 mi²) of it is land and 16.1 km² (6.2 mi²) of it is water. It has the smallest land area of the 100 largest cities in America. The total area is 29.37% water. Jersey City is bordered to the east by the Hudson River, to the north by Union City and Hoboken, to the west by Kearny and Newark, and to the south by Bayonne.

Given its proximity to Manhattan, Jersey City and Hudson County are sometimes referred to as New York City's sixth borough.

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