Same thing with 78 separating Weequahic section from Newark?
OT: Working in Newark. Where do you live?
- Thread starter BrianLeonard23
- Start date
Are you from Newark Tico?
I believe you live in Bayonne now, but I'm curious.
Was Weequahic mostly Jewish, Vailsburg mostly Irish, North Ward mostly Italian, Central Ward a mix of Blacks, Whites, Puerto Ricans and the East Ward mostly Italian, Spanish and Portuguese ?
Late to this thread, but very familiar with much of it, having grown up in west/central Newark (West Side HS). And very familiar with the disintegration of that area. Here's is a major reason: certain realtors sent gangs of kids into Vailsburg and Weequahic areas, causing continual mayhem. This caused homeowners in these neighborhoods to seek living elsewhere, putting their homes on the market at low, quick-sale prices. Then realtors and speculators not only picked up the homes at fire-sale prices, but converted many of the homes into multiple-family dwellings. And it was quick (and almost lethal). Within a few years, Vailsburg and Weequahic neighborhoods were drastically changed.
Quick footnote: As a teen-ager, my first dates were most often coffee and cake at Kless Diner.
Quick footnote: As a teen-ager, my first dates were most often coffee and cake at Kless Diner.
I never had any issues with crime when I lived in Jersey City (though I did see a guy get punched at a red light once in a road rage incident—he made the mistake of rolling down his window to speak to the aggressor)
Correct, except Vailsburg was a mixture of Italian, Irish and Jewish. And Clinton Hill (my area) was a mixture of every culture mentioned above, except Portuguese.
JC has areas of high violent crime.
in my last job, I had jobs in every type of place, burbs, rural and inner city.
I found that during the day, it's pretty calm and peaceful pretty much everywhere, even in areas off Springfield Ave in Newark or Park Ave in Paterson. I met some really nice people that owned convenient stores and small eateries.
But, it's obvious that things change overnight in the statistically high crime areas of large cities such as JC, Newark, Paterson, etc.
Car theft was a huge problem in Newark in the early to mid-90's. When my boss saw that I had a manual transmission, he told me that that was a great way to prevent my car from being stolen. I was in the Gateway building attached to Newark Penn Station. We had an auditor come in to pick up a file on a Saturday morning. Parked his car in front of the building, locked it, ran upstairs to get the file, came back 5 minutes later, car gone. Another guy was working on Washington Street, parked his car in a guarded Pru outdoor lot. Middle of the week, 8AM, a guy walks up with a gun, puts it on the head of the attendant, picks out the car he wants (Honda Prelude), has the attendant give him the key, and off he went in work day traffic with police arriving.
Graduated with the owners daughter and yes kless’s was top notch. Also Don’s had two diners in town one across from the bus terminal and one on the west side Stuyvesant and Mill Rd. The. So called block busting was a prime aim of one Jordan Barris reality. The Newark Grove street side went fast. The west side of Irvington on the Union / Hillside border was more over time . And then over the next 2 decades Camptown suffered from political corruption on a high scale level. Thank You Sara Bost for leading Irvington into the sewer.
If you know Newark, from Hayes Circle (where Elizabeth and Clinton Aves meet) on the east, Clinton Avenue on the south, Springfield Avenue on the north and South 18th Street on the west. (Unofficial of course.)
I had a friend who was a busboy/waiter at Kless. When I brought a date there, he acted as my wingman. I would excuse myself to go to the restroom and he would come to our table and tell the girl how great I was, how lucky she was to be with me. And it helped. (Frankly speaking, I needed the help.)
Wasn't Don's Drive-In in So Orange? Up the mountain?
Here's what I was referring to:
Don's Burgers Fries & Fountain: Back from the deep (orange) freeze
The owner learned his secrets from Don Roth, the original owner of Don's Drive-In in Livingston
Late 90's had a friend who lived near Brooklyn Heights.
He used a monthly parking garage for his Bimmer.
He called the car a Break My Window because of how many times his radio was stolen.
He finally started tipping the lot attendants $100 a month to 'save' his car/radio/window replacements.
I always say that in the Vailsburg of my youth you were either Irish, Italian, Irish-Italian (me) and the minorities were the Poles and Ukrainians (there was a Ukrainian Church in Vailsburg)..
Let’s see starting with Weequahic 1960’s : Yes, No mostly Italian , Yes, Yes, Yes. After ‘67 cha cha cha changes.
Here's what I was referring to:
Don's Burgers Fries & Fountain: Back from the deep (orange) freeze
The owner learned his secrets from Don Roth, the original owner of Don's Drive-In in Livingstonwww.nj.com
Here's what I was referring to:
Don's Burgers Fries & Fountain: Back from the deep (orange) freeze
The owner learned his secrets from Don Roth, the original owner of Don's Drive-In in Livingston
There was a Don’s Diner at the foot of I believe Mt. Pleasant Avenue in Livingston yes went there as well since my aunt and uncle lived and owned a butcher shop in town.
Maybe he was 5? years too early in Bkn Hts?
I have the impression, perhaps incorrectly, that that has been an area of gentrification (whether good or bad) and maybe lower crime (or not) over the past 10-15 years? Could be totally wrong on that front or I may be confusing with other neighborhoods of the borough.
Lived across the street from Shabazz HS from 83 to 05. There was a big empty lot where the football stadium stands now where they had “demolition derbys” with stolen cars every Saturday night. Despite that and fistfights were still around before guns took over mid 2000s, it was quiet compared to Bergen, Clinton, Elizabeth Aves.
Don’t know about before mid 80s but the Clinton and Elizabeth area was far from mixed as there was probably 100 Puerto Ricans and Dominicans, at the most, out of the 900 students in my 4 years there. More Latinos was slowly moving into the area more and more before I moved elsewhere in 05.
North Ward was mixed with, Latinos, Blacks, and Italians on Bloomfield Ave area by Calandras. East Ward was mixed with Portuguese, Brazilian, and other Latinos from Central/South American.
Wasn't that named Tri-City Diner .
I seem to remember a diner called Tri City on Stuyvesant Ave right by Mill Rd close to the Irvington,Maplewood & Union line in early 1960s
By 1968 it became Don’s also ... if my memory is still correct was owned by the same people as the one on the corner of Nye Avenue and Maple Ave. .You would be correct too as it was tri city in the late 50’s -early 60’s. Dairy Queen next door to both diners and another Dairy Queen still at Corner of Bowden Ave. and Stuyvesant. Almost next to the Old Homsread.
280 drove the Italians away from orange. There’s still a tiny 3 block area Lincoln Ave (shrinks every year) that’s all old school Italians the play cards on sidewalks in front of coffee shops/restraints during day. Disappear at 5pm.
My parents lived on Lincoln Ave when i was born. Made the trip to Orange Memorial a short one.
280 goes off the Newark- Orange- East Orange ramp . If the GSP didn’t move them out why 280. Over 3/4 to a mile further south and west. Vailsburg center and park is on the west side of the GSP. What drove them away was Anthony Imperiale ‘s decline in power. The cities of East Orange and Orange are further away than that. All those areas had enclaves of Italians and it is hard to believe route 280 chased them out.
Springfield Ave . running from the Grove street intersection looks nothing like it did back in the 60 through mid 90’s. They knocked everything down in hopes of revitalizing this entry into downtown Newark. Well it is highly doubtful the Central ward and West wards will ever recapture the days where yo could walk the streets at night. That is not fake but factual. Can you imagine leaving your doors or windows open now still? Hell I think even in the best towns of suburbia that is a thing of the past.
Early 60s was the time-frame I was talking about.
Dairy Queen at Corner of Boyden Ave. and Stuyvesant I also remember
Pretty common knowledge that 280 was the beginning of the end check the timeline.
Or Google is your friend. “280 led to the ills of the city and the demise of the community. Cut orange in half. Thousands of homes and businesses demolished. Dozens of cross streets turned to dead ends. 280 took the local culture and identity away.
50 yrs later ppl still mourn the impact the bldg of 280 had. It took the head off of the community.
Also a lot of Irish down neck and north ward before the Italians. St. Peter’s parish was mostly Irish. Wife has family in St. Peter’s cemetery, mostly old predominantly Irish tombstones.
You can buy it if you want but all of Newark in the areas you speak of were going down before this project . Did it disrupt areas sure .Here’s another one . Union NJ route # 78 caused hundreds of fairly new homes to be sold for a loss and people forced out. Yet Union didn’t collapse . It is much different today but still ok . The fact is Newark did not die because of a highway project . It died because of political corruption, a inadequate school system , lack of a solid tax base after people and businesses moved out. The real sin was at the state level nobody gave a shat. Once a great city ... 45 years of neglect by politicians voted into power.
Who approved Route 280 and why did mayors and county politicians allow it?
So up Boyden Avenue near Menzel Rd. I’m guessing Hilton going toward Tuscan Rd and to Springfield avenue. I lived on Coolidge Street across from Stuyvesant Village .Did you go to Columbia or Parochial HS?
Parkway like you said was near orange but 280 blew rite through it.
if you know anyone from that that area they’d tell you 280 was the demise of orange which was a middle class mixed neighborhood where races got along well. You don’t have to buy it but it’s a fact.
btw Imperiale had nothing to do with orange he was all north ward.
