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.