My dad, Newark born and raised, would agree with you. Newark (like Detroit) was a liveable place until the '67 riots. It had the second busiest shopping district (by dollars spent) in the country, with its theatre district the usual jumping off point for Broadway across the river.
I’m no stranger to NJ...my first ex wife was from Cape May...beautiful piece of country. In the fall of both 2007 and 2008, I was sent up to work in and around NYC for a couple of months, and while I didn’t think much of Newark, I set up shop in a hotel in Piscataway, and liked the area...well...as much as one can like NJ, I supppose ;-)