tag

fair lawn, nj

1. The people are too competitive.
2. The people are too aggressive
3. The people are too materialistic.
4. The towns spend too much money.
4. The schools hog all the expense of the town.
5. The parents have very poor parenting skills.
6. There are too many different cultures and you can't relate to anyone.

Diana

Montclair, NJ

1. Raymond's/Nauna's
2. Montclair Farmer's market
3. interesting people/activities
4. close to Manhattan but far enough away
5. close to lots of woods to go walking

1. gang members sprayed graffiti on the wall of my building and on my car recently; it was the Montclair police who told me it was gangs who did it.
2. aggressive drivers always on my tail
3. alot of crime
4. i am single and it's hard to be single in this town filled with families
5. housing way too expensive

MariJeanne Carino

Montclair, New Jersey

It's very hard to think of just 5 so here are my top 5...
1. Old houses with character
2. A diverse population and a lot of great people
3. Urban-suburban vibe
3. Proximity (to NYC, mountains, shore, airports)
4. Streets you can walk, run or bike on (and we do!)

1. Gas-guzzling SUVs
2. Above-the-law drivers who talk on their cell phones
3. High property taxes
4. Local politics
5. Competitive parenting

Pete Mock

Bloomfield, NJ

Half suburban/half urban
Nice neighbors
Good teachers
Close to everything (NYC/shore/country)
Good restaurants and diners (yay diners!)

Corrupt local (& county & state government
Disfunctional local government
Taxes
Traffic
Bad drivers

veronica

montclair, nj

great schools
beautiful, tree-lined streets
local bookstores
great neighbors/community
best family-owned restaurants

property taxes
need better police patrols
town budget squabbles
pools/parks need upgrades
power grid needs upgrade

Mark

Summit, NJ

* Great commute to job in NYC.
* Diverse community.
* Peaceful suburban environment.
* Real estate is holding its value and our home is thus a sound investment.

Each of the above positives has assumed a negative trajectory in the last year:

* NJ Transit service levels declining with each passing month: service delays are now more frequent than weekly.
* The population of undocumented immigrants (mostly from Costa Rica) has increased to the point where Summit has experienced a significant erosion in the ranking of Summit's public schools, from Top Ten to 25th-ish.
* We are sandwiched between two of NJ's largest and most dangerous urban centers -Newark and Elizabeth- and residents from those two communities are now taking public transportation to Summit and a) publicly congregating in large, threatening groups, and b) committing crimes (eg, our first murder, first gang presence, takeover of local drug trade from high school students by professionals)
* Summit has become so densely populated that we now experience town-wide traffic gridlock three times each day: during the morning rush/school run, when school gets out, evening rush. It used to take 5 minutes to drive across town; it can now take 30.
* Property values are declining for the first time since the Great Recession; also, homes are on the market significantly longer before being sold.

helene

montclair

old homes
wonderful gardens
good people
good cultural events
easy commute to NYC
progressive thinkers

TAXES!!!!
dysfunctional township leadership
not as diverse as it try's to be!
empathy among teens
Schools - could be better

Donald

Hamilton (Mercer Co.)

Good stores
Good bars
Good restaurants
Good park (Veterans Park
Moderate taxes

Not great bus service
Congestion