If diversity matters then JC is a better pick than Hoboken, especially if you're counting economic diversity among your diversity metrics. I also think the restaurants in JC are much better than the ones in Hoboken. Hoboken is safer, JC is neighborhood by neighborhood. Can't speak to what dating looks like for queer women in either city.

Hoboken tends to be a little more like, affluent, 30’s-ish couples/families with strollers at brunch vibes with some early 20’s fratty bro-ish stuff mixed in. JC is definitely more diverse overall.

Thank you so much!! In terms of safety- what are the best neighborhoods to be in?

Hoboken is a more preppy, fratty, younger 20s crowd. For the interests you described, I think you would like JC more

I feel like those two demographics would definitely not be my vibe... thank you for your comment

Nightlife/social life in downtown JC is nonexistent. Hoboken is definitely better for single people

Anywhere east of the 78 loop (so downtown JC) is quite safe. The Heights is pretty safe for the most part. Journal Square statisically isn't too bad but it still gives me a rundown/dodgy feel. Bergen-Lafeyette is gentrifying rn so its block by block.

I would recommend downtown JC just due to accessebility to what you're looking for + safety + access to NYC.

Thank you definitely gonna look downtown then, really appreciate your input!

Trying to stay far far away from fratty preppy vibes lol

Hoboken is a fake college town vibe. Stick to JC.

It's tough to choose. Are you bringing a car? If so Jersey City is going to be the better bet because it's cheaper to park there. I got a deal at one point for $180 downtown (normally it's around $250 but much more in Hoboken). If I had to do it again I might choose Hoboken but I'm not 100% sure.

For me Hoboken is a more happening scene. Washington Street in Hoboken is like a mile long strip of bars and restaurants. It's a very active social scene there and people are mostly in your age group. Downtown Jersey City is very nice and some areas like Paulus Hook and Hamilton Park are beautiful, reminiscent of Brooklyn Heights with tree lined Brownstones. Downtown Jersey City also has a lot of decent restaurants and some cool bars, but compared to Hoboken I would describe it as almost sleepy. I've seen bars call last call at 11. The other thing with JC is there is a lot more variance in quality of neighborhoods. Hoboken is generally uniformly nice but JC can go real hood real fast. You can find deals in places like Journal Square but those neighborhoods haven't arrived yet.

The nice thing with JC is accessibility to New York. To get to Manhattan is five minutes on the PATH train. That's true of Hoboken as well but the problem with Hoboken is the PATH station is on the extreme south side of town so depending you could be doing a lot of walking. JC has multiple PATH stops. Also the areas along the river downtown like Newport and Paulus Hook and Exchange Place are safe and quiet with spectacular views of lower Manhattan. The ferries are right there too.

The one thing to be aware of with both JC and Hoboken is that unless you take the Pulaski Skyway, which can be a horrific traffic nightmare, every road in and out is a toll road and the tolls arent cheap. I go to the gym in Florham Park which is near Madison (both are beautiful, picturesque, upscale towns just watch the cops because they ticket like crazy out there) and I can get out that way via the Pulaski Skyway avoiding tolls in around 25 minutes with no traffic from downtown JC. Hoboken would add a few minutes to that depending on traffic. Also driving in snow is something to have to consider. It hasn't snowed yet this year but your job is kinda in the mountains (foothills really) so when it does snow you're gonna really be dealing with tough driving conditions.

The other thing to note is that if you spend time in Manhattan as I'm sure you will ferries from NJ are generally more expensive going to Manhattan. $8 one way. Also while the PATH uses the same MetroCard as the NYC subway it's a different system so you have to pay separately (I use Smart pass for the PATH and Google pay via OMNY ap for the subway and just use my phone to swipe me through the turnstiles in the city). Also Uber drivers aren't really supposed to operate in two states at a time so sometimes you get some push back Ubering back from the city. In JC the PATH train always runs and is almost always clean and safe but Hoboken hours can be a crap shoot especially on weekends. The Port authority is not kind to Hoboken for some reason with PATH hours. Also don't drive into Manhattan. The Holland Tunnel toll is like $15. If there's any disadvantages to NJ it's all the damn expensive tolls everywhere.

You might also consider just up the road from Hoboken in Edgewater or Weehawken which are super nice with great views and generally safe and quiet. The light rail runs through to take you to the PATH or the Weehawken ferry can take you to Manhattan (ferries are the cheat codes - awesome way to get into town).

From a price standpoint neither Hoboken or JC is cheap but both are cheaper than Manhattan and Brooklyn. Of the two Hoboken is more expensive overall, it's just a hip, trendy place. Parking can get near NYC prices ($500 a month because of limited availability). You'll get better deals in JC, but it's slightly less happening overall. But honestly who cares? You're a ten minute ride from the West Village and you can party your heart out in the city as much as you want. The World Trade Center is literally two minutes from Exchange Place in Jersey City and from there you can catch almost all the Manhattan subways anywhere you want to go.

The only downside to being single in NJ (and I think this is less a factor for women than men) is that the NJ stigma is real with people in New York. No one is coming to hang in Jersey City and probably not that often in Hoboken. Most people in Manhattan couldn't even tell you where the PATH train stations were in town even though there's like three on Sixth Avenue. I can't tell you the number of Tinder profiles that say "I don't come to New Jersey," even though it's faster to get there than to Brooklyn or Queens, quieter, often safer, and your place will be 10x nicer than anyone you know in the city (probably with a washer and dryer in your apartment) people still will not come to NJ unless they're from there. Again I think men are more willing to venture to Jersey but with women, as a guy I can tell you telling a woman I live in JC is akin to saying I live in St Louis. I've had to accept that either I'm the one always going into the city or if I find someone it will be in Hoboken or JC or somewhere on this side.

the NJ stigma is helpful in figuring out who's worth your time tho

True dat

Hoboken is always there if ya want it, Hoboken has amazing food too.

Grove St path area

😏

Florham park is 40 min from JC, not 25

Not really. I'm literally out there every night. I'd say 30 on average, but again I'm going at times when there's no traffic. Morning rush hour would be a different story.

When I moved to Jersey, I moved to Hoboken. One year later I moved to Jersey City and I've been here for 17 years.

Jersey City five stars, highly recommend.

This is a very accurate statement.

Without a car, you’re going to be spending a LOT of time commuting via public transit. And that’s assuming your job is right next to the Madison train station.

What now?

Yeah OP, I would urge you to consider how often you will need to go to the office and the impact that commute will have on your quality of life. You're looking at more than an hour each way, maybe a lot more than an hour depending on where you/your office are in relation to the station on each end.

I luckily am only in office 3 days a week and I kind of wanted the experience and ease of going into NYC while I'm still in my twenties so that's why I chose to be more east but sure the commute will suck

I would strongly urge you to reconsider a car. That commute 3x a week is going to drain you. You will have at least one transfer, maybe more depending on where you live. Most luxury buildings have garages. If you’re dead set on JC or Hoboken, buy a used car and drive to work. If you’re open to other areas, Morristown is a very cute town with a train station that goes directly to Madison. Montclair is also not too far.

Make sure you look into the logistics of that commute.

I’ve never done this trip personally, but based on a quick check on Google Maps it looks like you need to transfer at least twice to get to the Madison train station from JC. Imagine getting off a train and having to wait possibly 10-15 minutes for the next one. Then imagine doing that four times during a roundtrip.

I personally prefer JC over Hoboken, but Hoboken has better public transit connectivity to the suburbs. If you live near the Hoboken train terminal, you could potentially have a one-seat ride to Madison.

Most of the Newport neighborhood in Jersey City is walking distance to the Hoboken terminal, but Newport doesn’t really fit the vibe you seem to be looking for.

I was going to say Hoboken at first, but Hispanic and bi? Don't go to Hoboken, that's not your scene and you won't be as welcome as you will in JC. In JC you can be single, married, any ethnicity, an alien from Mars....and you'll be accepted and find your crowd, I promise.

Morristown. JC or Hoboken commute to Madison is a nightmare during rush hour (even if it’s reverse).

If you’re going to be commuting 3 days a week on public transport map it out - you might get better direct trains from Manhattan and I’d say consider just moving there. The improvement to your dating life and overall quality of life as a 20s women would be worth the extra expense/smaller apartment and possibly slightly longer commute. This is from a 30s something married women who spent her 20s in Manhattan and can’t imagine living in JC in my single 20s. Live your best 20s life and live it in Manhattan.

I’m recommending Hoboken but purely bc you mention working in Madison, NJ and you won’t have a car. How are you getting to the office from the train station? Scratch out Hoboken if you end up getting a car though. In my 20s it felt like Hoboken is where the frat boys graduate to and from the comments it seems like that hasn’t changed. However the commute to Madison will be slightly better from Hoboken than from JC, and that’s if you live close to the NJ transit station. The NJ transit is next to the Path so you can easily get to JC or NYC via the Path for $2.75. Personally I would sacrifice the neighborhood for a slightly better daily commute. If you’re also considering Manhattan keep in mind there is an additional 3-4% city tax on your income.

Yes, 100% Downtown JC is what you’re looking at (Jersey City is really big and the neighborhoods are all quite different). Downtown is the most expensive, but the most urban/NYC-like and fits your budget for a luxury 1br.

All of your advice is thoughtfully written and spot on except I would not recommend Edgewater or Weehawken. It’s TOO quiet up there. It feels like a suburb with high rises!

This is so accurate.

Ok so hear me out. I’m not originally from Jersey or the Northeast. My native Jersey friends were hyping up Morristown for a long time. I finally went and I was like “this is it?” It was cool but I can’t imagine living there moving from out of state. It felt like just a suburb with a contained Main Street that has some lively bars.

Hispanic, lesbian, and single in JC! Based on what you mentioned, I'd recommend Jersey City for you, specifically downtown JC, but I'd like to reiterate what others are saying about checking the NJ Transit commute to Madison. If you decide to commute to your job using NJ Transit rail, you're gonna want to be close to Hoboken Terminal.

The commute to madison is annoying, try looking at morristown, much better

If you’re commuting from Hudson County by car to Madison, be prepared to spend 1.5-2 hours per day sitting in traffic (easily more on bad days). Whatever JC or Hoboken have to offer, you’re not going to benefit from it on weekdays. If it were me, I’d rather sit in the car on weekends with less traffic. Also, keep in mind Morristown has a train to NYC.

Yeah, I guess that’s fair. A rough commute is ROUGH. I just don’t think it’s what OP is really looking for, and I like the adage of “live where you want to wake up on Saturday morning.”

[deleted]

Jersey City. Get a car. I recently moved here and Hoboken is 10 minutes away.

That is a horrendous commute with or without a car. I’m sorry. I speak from experience.

This a million times over.

I never heard that adage, and I didn’t grow up in NJ. If I were 26, single, and childless, I’d have no interest in working in Madison. Given the parameters, JC and Hoboken make no sense.

LOL. Yea if you didn't have the Manhattan skyline right in front of you you'd feel like you were deep in central NJ or somewhere.

As a separate note, it's a little harder to commute out of Hoboken than Jersey City. From JC, it takes me about 45 minutes to get to my gig in Florham Park, which is right next to Madison. I've left from Hoboken and had it take more than an hour.

This is accurate and it's important to separate uptown Hoboken (broadly: strollers and couples) and downtown/PATH adjacent Hoboken (broadly: bro-ish).

Having lived in both places, a lot of Hoboken's "fratty stuff" is actually from people in the suburbs driving in and bro-ing out. It was weird how many outsiders would come in on Thrs/Fri/Sat nights to the same ~5 bars. I don't know why they wouldn't keep going to NYC, but I guess they wanted the scene they got in Hoboken. This definitely happens in Downtown JC as well but not nearly as big of an influx.

For the OP, regarding JC - there's an excellent sticky that addresses a lot of what you're looking for (and plenty of warnings about looking for $3k rent in a new/high rise/luxury). I'm not sure if Downtown JC is in your budget, but if it is, I find Hamilton Park/Harsimus Cove/Van Vorst to be more low key and friendly, Newport to be more transient (out of town transplants who turn over more often/are just looking for clean apts with good commutes and little community), Paulus Hook like Newport but with slightly different cachet. In all of these places you will find lots of families, especially with young kids, it is mostly white and English speaking but far from homogeneous, and as LGBT friendly as anywhere in NYC, even if the LGBT population isn't as high as say, Chelsea. In those ways, it feels very much like Manhattan or inner Brooklyn even if the demographics are a bit different (these comparisons may or may not help you as someone from CA).

One other comment: you might need to reevaluate not having a car. I'm a huge no-car advocate, love public transit, and I think you can live wonderfully in Hoboken or JC without one. But commuting to Madison on public transit is... harder. Driving (reverse commute) to Madison is reliably ~40 min during rush hours unless there's some big accident (happens about once a month). Your commute on the train is likely better from Hoboken than JC as there's a NJT terminal there, but oddly might be easier from NY Penn Station. Downtown JC might be more like 90 min and something truly insane like PATH to Hoboken transfer to NJT to transfer at Secaucus to Madison.

Newark Broad Street might actually get you the commute you want on the train (frequent service, 30 min to Madison) but I have no idea about the neighborhood.

You definitely want JC. Maybe it’s just personal experience but something weird or bad always manages to happen to me when I end up in Hoboken. As others have said, it’s pretty fratty and straight there.

I’d say look at a cheaper apartment and consider getting a car. I commute a little bit further than Madison for 3 days a week and despite all my qualms with cars, it is far faster than the 2 hours 15 minutes each way that I’d need to do if I stuck with PATH+NJT. Plus it comes in handy when going outside the NYC transit footprint. Alternate side parking is not really a pain in the ass when you have to move it 3 days a week anyway. It ends up being more than what transit would cost me per month but I did the 2-hour-each-way transit commute in Chicago and I don’t think I’d go back…

I’d recommend near Grove St or Journal Square cuz those neighborhoods are the two that have PATH stops with both midtown and downtown service to/from them 24/7.

Doubling down on this one. Edgewater and Weehawken for a single person looking for a social scene is...a mistake.

Yeah it's ~25 min from Greenville to get off the highway with no traffic. It's ~35 min from Downtown. Traffic definitely can add up. I used to do Florham Park to Hoboken and I'd budget 50 min and regularly use it all - not even during commuting hours.

Just ranting here, but how broken are we that in a transit rich community, a simple commute like yours is either ~45 min in a car or 2h15m across two separate systems and probably 3 transfers?

It's probably cheaper to have the car, when you consider how expensive an NJT monthly and a PATH monthly would be.

This isn't really true. Commuting in a car out of Hudson County isn't nearly as bad as commuting in. There's a ton of local traffic but once you get to the true reverse commute on 78, for instance, it's pretty easy. The way back in can be a bit worse, but is only really bad in December with more people headed into NYC after work.

Oh it drives me totally insane. The car works out to being more expensive for sure though in my case.

$438/mo for NJT Rail (which includes unlimited bus access) and $110.25/mo for unlimited PATH. So $548.25/mo for transit.

My car is $528/mo. Insurance is $113/mo. Gas based on my last fill-up is $66/mo. Then there’s yearly maintenance costs. It’s a Honda so it doesn’t need much but let’s say $300/year so $25/mo. That’s a total of $732/mo.

The car ends up being $183.75/mo more than transit. I’d love to take the train and not have to focus on driving but the time lost in between is just too much for me. With the car, I can make it back to JC in time to go to events going on here or in NYC. Getting back after 7pm makes that harder.

The car is $528/mo lease? Or is that the payment to own?

Thanks for the detailed numbers. I love seeing the comparison.

It’s to own. I didn’t have much credit history before it so that’s why my payment is higher. Still a perfectly plausible situation for lots of people.

Yeah absolutely plausible - and frankly still a cheaper car payment than many. One thing to remember is in a few years, you'll have the car paid off and hopefully still functioning (or could trade it in). So technically, you are building a small amount of equity with your current payments. It probably works out to about even vs. transit, if you assume you'll have a $10K car at the end of 5 years of payments.

[deleted]

Hoboken is just an extension of downtown JC if u ask me. I’d still say JC as it offers more options.

I used to do a similar commute it's really not that bad with a car. Take 280 you're there in 45 minutes.

Working in Madison, you should absolutely live in Morristown. It was where my first apartment after college was and it's a good mix of college town/young professionals/young families. It has a great food scene, tons of bars and nightlife and is close to parks and hiking. I honestly liked it better then both JC and Hoboken, but it's about an hour train ride from the city. Its only about 10-15 minutes from Madison though (Hoboken/JC are going to be about 45 from Madison with traffic).

Have you considered Brooklyn? I love JC but I think that you may really like BK

JC is great. If you’re close to a train station, you can easily commute to Madison / Morristown area. I went to college in Madison, and while Morristown is really nice I don’t think it’s the best place to move if you don’t have anyone already there or have an S/O.

Jersey City is a good move. As is Hoboken. Hoboken definitely has some negative aspects, but it isn’t all that. Either one will be good. I think you’ll have better luck meeting people in Hoboken. It’s a younger, more outgoing crowd. JC is kind of a commuter city, people are in and out, and Hoboken is is more of a small town vibes kinda place.

Everyone commutes, don’t let these comments scare you. JC is amazing and sounds like exactly what you’re looking for

I would suggest finding newer luxury buildings in JC that are offering concessions. Apartments.com did the trick for me.

I was new to the area and did that to get a lay of the land, if you will, and it’s served me perfectly with fitting the bill for everything you’re looking for.

Agree to above. Have been in JC for a decade now and absolutely love it here. Couple of additional points:

1. If you plan to take NJ transit, then anywhere close to a path station in JC is same as living next to Hoboken path. Most trains go through Newark where you can change the path that you might take from grove. Plus most of the luxury buildings are around exchange, grove, or jsq path station in JC.

2. For the lifestyle that you’re looking for, if you choose NJ, then JC is the great choice over Hoboken. Hoboken does have some good food spots but it’s just a couple of miles walk or a short train/ Uber/ Lyft ride away.

I agree with some people. Jersey City 100%. But if the commute is better for you from Manhattan, live in Manhattan. It's an experience you need and it'll be easier to socialize and date. Personally, I don't want to live in Manhattan. But I spent my younger years there. 😏

Hoboken's only a square mile, and JC is roughly the size of St. Louis. So rather than trying to make an apples-to-apples comparison, think of Hoboken as Jersey City's most overpriced, parking-deprived, overrun-with-bros neighborhood, and ask the real question, which is, which JC neighborhood do you want to live in.

Personally, I think if you're going for LUXURY, you're overpaying, but anything close to the Hudson River (ie. downtown) is going to be what you're looking for, and anywhere downtown is going to be close to transit.

As for bars/nightlife/meeting people, Grove St. is really the center of things (and also a subway station). No nature trails to speak of, but lots of bike lanes, and believe it or not there are a few good nature spots in Jersey City — the back half of Lincoln Park on the west side is a nature preserve that sits on the Hackensack River (now with much less pollution!), and Caven Point in Liberty State Park is a gem — a little hidden-away beach with a view of the Statue of Liberty and lower Manhattan, although it's closed in the summer because it's also a fragile migratory bird habitat.

Then Broboken is not the place for you!

also if you ever need an alternate to the Pulaski take the trucking route, it's a little less traffic heavy, just as free, and if it does get backed up you can hop off onto local roads.

I’d prefer to live in JC too, barring that commute, but in Hoboken, she can get directly on the NJ transit train and skip the Path leg.

When I lived alone I lived in JC and it was wonderful. Great food, good bars and close to the city. I’m now in Hoboken for two years and it’s super cozy. It’s hard to pick which one but funny enough I met some people recently in JC and they’re ALL in the biotech field. They were cool and I think that’s a sign to go for JC lol.

In my opinion, it might be good to post a query similar to this in r/Newark, if you haven't already, and to stay at an AirBnB in the Jersey City Heights, if possible.

My feeling is that downtown Jersey City was the cool part of Jersey City a few years ago, but that the Jersey City Heights and the area around the Journal Square PATH station are now younger and more interesting, because the rents there are lower.

One example: The farmers market in the Heights is simply much better than the farmers markets downtown.

Downtown Jersey City has nice coffee places, but Cafe Peanut, near Journal Square, has enough room to have live music on Sundays.

Along the same lines: It just seems as if the most fun parts of Newark must be a lot more interesting than Jersey City, because Newark has three real universities and is so much cheaper than Jersey City.

Move to NYC proper. You’ll feel very disconnected here.

If you work in Madison, live in Morristown.

It fits all your criteria and has transit to Madison.

I live in Jersey city and work in Florham park. Also moved from the west coast like 2 months ago. Florham Park is 5 mins drive from Madison. The reason I live here is because I’m young(23M) and wanted to live close to opportunities to socialize. Commute is absolutely horrible. Takes me 2 hrs one way as I don’t have a car and have to take the train. For me I have to take 20 mins train to Hoboken then 1 hr train to Madison and 5 min shuttle to my work. The waiting and changing of trains and shuttles make the commute 2 hrs. I recommend that you live walking distance to Hoboken terminal as from there you can get to work in about little over 1 hr.

Some people from work live in Morristown, Madison, and Chatham those are very beautiful towns and safe but are better suited for families. Some of the younger folks from work live in Harrison. It is relatively safe but you would definitely need a car if you live there. Avoid Newark at all costs.

Feel free to dm me if you chat about the commute .

Public transit is a difficult problem to solve. There are buses and trains run by NJ transit but usually not 24 hours. Depending on where you have to be on daily basis, the commute could be very time consuming.

Have you considered staying near Madison area? Parking costs and rents probably much lower there so having a car allows you to go when you choose and is probably safer.

If you are late to work because you had to transfer 3 times and there were problems - and there will be problems - youre going to be a lot more fucked than being late to a fun night in the city.

On top of that, you will not want to go out after a 2 hour commute on a weekday.

Living in Morristown, there are buses and trains into the city.

Okay this comment REALLY made me consider looking in Manhattan plus I didn't know that the commute was so horrendous from JC to Madison...and looks like Penn Station to Madison is much more of a straight shot. I'm now looking for roommates for a lesser price in NYC close to the station because I figure if I'm going to move all the way there mind as well broaden my opportuntieis while I'm young so thank you lol

Given your age and the need to be near the NJ Transit station, I'd say Hoboken is the easy pick. And JC is a 10-min Uber.

During peek covid a 22 year old got in my face and said look at the hero wearing a mask as I was strolling through hoboken.....pretty much sums up the vibe of hoboken.

Loved in both, and have been settled right on the border of both for half a decade now and love it. The luxury buildings have shuttles to Hoboken Station for easy train commutes throughout jersey, plus close to all Hob/JC restaurants, very short Uber or nice walk away

I love JC. I am 30. Spent a couple of years in manahattan in my early twenties and it was so much fun. The only reason to choose jc over manhattan for people moving here (other than cost) is that the city can be overwhelming if you never have lived in a large city before its pretty extreme. But if that doesn't bother you, you definitely won't regret living in Manhattan for a few years....just don't move to Brooklyn or queens JC is better option

Single woman in her 20s - Hoboken. That's where I met my husband at age 27, then we got married and bought in JC 😆. The single life in Hoboken is much, much, much better than JC. Or, if you're considering NYC, then do NYC. But not JC. JC is for later 🙂.

I am in similar situation as yours, 27 yo single guy moved here from Bay Area in January. I have visited both DTJC and Hoboken and found Hoboken to have much better vibes then DtJc. Dtjc usually has less going on compared to Hoboken and doesn’t have a cozy feel that Hoboken has. Though you can choose either but stay close to path, commute from path to downtown Manhattan, west village, Greenwich village and even Times Square is under 30 minutes and I have had no issues with it whatsoever. I also decided against Manhattan because city tax is really high and what I get for my money is much better in Hoboken/dtjc then in NYC (not necessarily cheaper though). And if dating and social life is priority then Hoboken should be preferred as it has lot of gym studios, classes and sports league that you can join to meet folks of similar age group. Dtjc also have those but demographics is mostly married couples

Also don’t make a decision until you have checked out neighborhoods as your perception of things could be different to folks here. Initially I was told that Manhattan/Brooklyn should be my first choice but I didn’t like east village, midtown, lic and Brooklyn downtown. Neighborhoods that I liked were Williamsburg, west village and Greenwich village but was priced out of those.

Ues, bushwick were also good but commute was better with NJ path so I ruled those out.