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Jersey City: Reasons to fall in love with 'Chilltown'
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Jersey City is a forgotten oasis in the oft-overlooked, unfairly maligned state of New Jersey. According to the 2000 census, Newark is the largest city in New Jersey with a population of 272,530, and Jersey City is a close second with 240,055 residents, but who pays attention to number two? Priced out by the over-gentirification of trendy Hoboken, many artists have chosen Jersey City for their homes and studio spaces. But, Hoboken is the birthplace of Frank Sinatra and has a chic and cosmopolitan feel that Jersey City lacks. So, you might ask, why should anyone choose to live in Jersey City?
Homeyness. No, not homeliness. Except for Newport and possibly some areas around Grove Street, Jersey City is not shiny and new. There's not a Starbucks on every corner; you'll more likely find a Dunkin' Donuts, which is the working person's equivalent to the Seattle coffee leviathan. Jersey City is like a well-worn pair of slippers: familiar, cozy and inviting. You won't find skinny-jean clad hipsters here, except maybe some of the students around St. Peter's College or New Jersey City University. Instead, there's a thriving, hardworking and rather conservative community of immigrants from many geographies and varied social classes.
Diversity. One famed literary figure from Jersey City, Philip Roth's Alexander Portnoy, was the descendant of European Jewish immigrants. As Roth's novel, Portnoy's Complaint was set in the 1960's, Alexander Portnoy was an accurate portrayal of an important segment of Jersey City's immigrant community of that era. Today's immigrant and migrant communities largely consist of Latinos from Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, Arab immigrants from Egypt, Syria and other Middle Eastern countries, Koreans, Filipinos, Caribbean immigrants from Jamaica, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago as well as South Asian immigrants from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. These newcomers join a large African American community that has been present and growing since the days when Jersey City was a stop on the Underground Railroad.
The historic and continued ethnic diversity in Jersey City has been accompanied by religious diversity. There are innumerable Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox Christian congregations. Many synagogues remain as evidence of the once flourishing Jewish population. Across from the Old Bergen Dutch Reformed Church, which has a 340 year history, sits St. Aedan's Roman Catholic Church. Both of these churches are less than one city block away from St. George and St. Shenouda Orthodox Coptic Church, a place of worship for Egyptian Coptic families. Our Lady of Czestochowa Catholic Church in the Paulus Hook neighborhood was once home to a large Polish immigrant congregation and only eliminated its Polish mass in 2001. Al-Tawheed Islamic Center is one of many places of worship for Jersey City's burgeoning Muslim community.
Beautiful Parks. Jersey City's plethora of public parks - over 1,500 acres - contributes to its homey, family feel. Perhaps, the best known and largest park is Liberty State Park where residents and tourists can take a ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Liberty State Park is also the site of the Liberty Science Center. Lincoln Park in the West Side District was begun in 1907 and has approximately 273 acres. During the week, early morning joggers can be seen on the path encompassing the athletic fields and duck pond. On weekends, depending on the season, young people play soccer, cricket, baseball or football on the Park's athletic fields. There are also basketball and tennis courts. According to the official web page of the Jersey City Parks and Recreation Department, "Lincoln Park includes 11 baseball diamonds, 6 football fields, 18 tennis courts, a swimming pool, a quarter-mile track and other sports facilities, as well as a lake used for miniature yacht races and ice skating." Hamilton Park, located in the tony Hamilon Park Historic District near Jersey City's Grove Street, was named after the nation's first Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton. Some of the brownstones surrounding the Park have been sold for as much as $1 mn. Although Hamilton Park is smaller than Lincoln Park, it offers a gazebo, basketball and tennis courts as well as a playground.
Growing Arts Community. For nearly twenty years, Jersey City artists have been opening their studios to the general public. The tour started in 1990, and this October showcased the works of more than 600 Jersey City artists. The Jersey City Museum on Montgomery Street is a home to an impressive collection and is a tribute to the city's working class and immigrant origins.
These are but a few of the reasons to live in Jersey City, and it's worth visiting to find your own reason for loving 'Chilltown'.
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