If you haven’t been there in a while, its true. Newark is coming back and in a big way.
Overshadowed by all of the hype and development on New Jersey’s greatest piece of real estate, the Gold Coast, is a steadily rising star: Newark. And in the last few years, its amazing how many times I have heard the statement, “Newark ain’t what it used to be.” And, when put into a recent historical context and filtered for our New Jersey “upbeat” outlooks on things, that statement is actually quite a compliment.
And for very good reason. Newark has come a long way in the last ten years and there are a lot of public and private advocates in the state who truly believe that there is so much more that is around the corner. The national buzz and the local initiative around Newark is doing wonders for the city and the state.
The upcoming developments like the new dorms at NJIT, Rutgers, and UMDNJ; the brand new Science High School in the Central Ward; the proposed arena for the Devils (hate it or love it, it will still impact the city); the enormous waterfront development project along the Passaic River, the light rail link connecting Broad Street and Penn Stations; etc. etc. are making a tremendous impact on the city and state.
Putting politics aside, all of these development projects are so vital to bringing back the vibrancy of Newark’s streets and bringing the spotlight back onto New Jersey’s largest city. The decay and neglect Newark has suffered for the past 20 years is enough for any metropolis to say, “No mas.”
It is very exciting that Newark, its day-time professionals, and its full-time inhabitants finally get to begin EXPERIENCING this renaissance its government sector has been talking about for years.
As a graduate of a Rutgers-Newark, a former employee of the city, a current resident, a blossoming business owner, and a strong advocate of Newark, mark my words, “Believe it or not, Newark’s hot.”
But don’t just wait and see what happens, go check it out for yourself! If you haven’t visited the NJPAC to see a show, or driven to the Ironbound to have a great meal, caught a Newark Bear’s baseball game, or visited the farmer’s market in downtown, make a date on the calendar and take the whole family!
For more information about living, working or playing in Newark, our favorite site is GoNewark.com.
