Posted on 03/09/2006 6:48:25 AM PST by Huck
Who's laughing now?
New Jersey, the state that spawned a thousand wise-guy bumper stickers and became the butt of a million late-night jokes, is actually a nice place to live.
The research group Morgan Quitno crunched the numbers this year and yesterday ranked New Jersey the fifth-most-livable state.
As for its neighbors?
Pennsylvania finished 30th, New York 32d.
"The people we talk to say they wouldn't live anywhere else, and I have to go along with that," said Mark Moran, a Bloomfield resident and one of the editors of Weird New Jersey magazine. "Whether it grows on you or people just don't know any better, I don't know."
New Jersey has long had a tragically poor reputation, earned by corrupt politicians, homicidal mobsters (real and fictional), surreal traffic patterns (who invented the jughandle, anyway?), toxic waste, and big hair.
The state's image has been so bad that even then-acting Gov. Richard Codey took the time last year to rollick in some of the more humorous entries in his public slogan contest.
Among the favorites: "New Jersey: You got a problem with that?" and "New Jersey: Most of our elected officials have not been indicted."
Morgan Quitno, a Kansas-based publisher of statistical data, based its rankings on 44 factors, and New Jersey shined in many.
The state moved up from eighth place a year ago. New Hampshire was judged the most livable state for the third year in a row.
The study determined that New Jersey has excellent schools; an educated, wealthy population; and relatively low rates of crime and poverty.
"We don't claim to be finding the most exciting place or the best place to take a vacation," said Scott Morgan, president of Morgan Quitno. "It's just looking at very basic things. Other people can choose to look at other factors."
In other words, the things that make Jersey so Jersey didn't count against it. (Except for the toxic waste: Morgan found New Jersey had the most "hazardous waste sites on the National Priority List per 10,000 square miles.")
Moran also noted that if auto insurance and property tax rates had been considered, New Jersey's ranking would have sunk like a stone.
But in Morgan Quitno's world, livability is measured by factors such as student-teacher ratios and per-capita spending on the arts, and New Jersey excelled in both.
For Moran, there is no conflict in a state's combining livability with a tradition for the weird and absurd.
"You've got to take the good with the bad," he said. "The fact that it's such an odd and unique place... certainly makes it more livable for me."
Morgan visited the state last year and made a swing through Camden, the city his publishing company has famously labeled the most dangerous the last two years.
"We didn't advertise who we were," he said.
nmh = she
Always keep my eye out for Positive NEW JERSEY articles! I was impressed, but that snow will still keep me away!! ;>)
"The research group Morgan Quitno crunched the numbers.."
Actually the name of the fimr is Morons Quintet. Anybody can doctor data to present something in a postive light.
That's a shame. This ex-Jerseyan went to the state of Indiana for college, and I found the state and the people lovely. Absolutely the nicest, politest people I've ever met in my life were out in the midwest. Never did quite get used to calling "soda" "pop" though.
wow. that's surprising. i guess i'm prejudiced. when someone is extremely harsh and rude, I automatically assume they're male!
OK maybe I should have said Natchitouches or St. Francesville.
You reached right into my brain to come up with the one
answer that I feel nobody could argue with. That reminds
me more of Tom than Huck.
We call "Soda" or "pop" coke down South. Ohio has me now calling it pop.
Well that's what you get for going to college! :-P
The Easton, PA suburban area has been taken over by expensive housing developments in recent years. Then Route 33 to Route 78 was finished in PA, and there are more commuters, developments, and shopping centers in Bethlehem Twp. Trans-bridge Bus Lines runs many buses back and forth to NYC everyday. Commuters can get new houses here for $350,000 and they think that's dirt cheap.
I see what you mean. :-)
Crazy. I got a great house that I love in NW NJ for 175K.
Mark Twain
No Flip, my argument basically is that you are an outsider who seems to think that he can disparage my home with impunity.
Actually I agree with you about RINO's but you know what Flip, they aren't exclusive to New Jersey. Far too many "Conservative" politicians are willing to take filthy public lucre when they think they can get away with it. Some of the biggest beneficiaries of Federal largesse are our so called "red" states.
New Jersey has problems, like every other place. Does that mean we all surrender and run away ? Maybe that is your way of doing things but not mine. And yes, I would rather have a democrat who cares about NJ than republican who doesn't. At least you can reason with someone who cares about their home and maybe win them over to your side. A person who doesn't give a damn about NJ is only out for themselves, you'll never get anything positive out of them and they'll be the first ones to abandon ship when things get tough.
As for me leaving, I and my family have been here a heck of a lot longer than you ever will. So my cordial invitation to you to back your carpetbagger luggage and hit the road, still stands.
>>>Every Italian I met who came after WWII came via Kennedy or Newark airport. ;-)
I'm second generation from:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~calitri/Calitri/Ships.htm
The Transatlantic Passenger Lists of the Calitrani Immigrants
>>>There was always a trashy element among the Eye-ties, like every other ethnic group. Thanks to Hollywood, they came to be the stereotype.
That has to be it.
We have family members who left NJ two years ago and moved to northern PA because their taxes were outrageous.
"I'd rather die in Alabama than live in New Joisey."
I think most New Jerseyans would rather have you die in Alabama too.
Vermont #4??? The state whose largest city just elected another 'Communist' as Mayor? Home of Judge Cashman, Howard Dean, Patrick Leahy, Jim Jeffords, AND Bernie Sanders? Get real.
I guess it depends how much house you get. I'm not saying I don't want a property tax break. Hell, i don't even have kids. I'm paying for someone else's schools. But I don't lose sleep over it either, and it hasn't prevented me from doing what I want to do.
You have never met a vicious female?
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