Dear Editor:
Jersey City is the embodiment of a “Tale of Two Cities.”
Jersey City is a contrast between the “best of times” for Downtown and “the worst of times” for the southern part of the municipality. Yet, when one thinks about it, like most urban areas, Jersey City always has been a “Tale of Two Cities.”
During the 1960s, Downtown had an unflattering and unsavory reputation. People would claim that Downtown had a neighborhood bar on every street corner. Others stated that “Downtowners” only read a newspaper to find out what “the number” was. At that time, Downtown was the industrial part of the city. Huge trucks rumbled through the roadways; serpentine rail lines criss-crossed Downtown. Throughout the 1960’s and into the early part of the 1970’s, Downtown was plagued by crime, pollution, and inner-city decay. Interestingly, many residents from Downtown – specifically, those who wished to remain in Jersey City – moved to the “greener pastures” of Greenville (or the Heights) to escape the urban blight (and plight) which had, at that time, become synonymous with Downtown.
In the 1970s, Mayor Tommy Smith pointed out the “eye-sores” that existed within Jersey City. That introduced a period of gentrification; and, through the arduous efforts of Mayor McCann, as well as the leveraging of investment opportunities, Downtown shed its blue-collar identity. Ultimately, Downtown emerged as a white-collar center of – and for – finance and commerce.
Greenville, on the other hand, is no longer the “urban oasis” that it had been in the early part of the “60’s.” Crime and deterioration are prevalent within Greenville. There have been some recent signs of investment within that beleaguered part of the city. But, suffice it to say, Greenville requires additional investment in its infrastructure; as well as a unified, determined group of civic-minded people, to become (once again) a vibrant community.
Albert J. Cupo
