As part of the New York City Metropolitan Area, Paterson promises to be a popular province. Only a half an hour from the most famed city in the world, the New Jersey town offers bountiful business, schooling and recreational opportunties to residents of all ages in the region.
Though a bit congested, with more than 145,000 locals living within less than 9 square miles, the community congregates close together, taking advantage of being so near to their neighbors. Residents are often relatives, being been born and raised together in tight knit familes.
But you don't have to be homegrown to have a happy household in Paterson. New residents often relocate to the region for once in a lifetime jobs in New York City or to school at any one of North Jersey's top universities. Take a moment to read though this guide and see if Paterson could be the place for you.
Paterson Climate
With warm summers, July averaging 87 degrees, and cold winters, January averaging 22 degrees, locals in the Garden State see allot of sun and snow in a year. The average amount of sunny days residents bask in is 210 and the typical amount of days they find shelter from the storm is 121, with up to 50-inches of rain a year.
With up to 30-inches of a snow a year, residents relax by the fire place if they are not outside shoveling their driveways. As for the fall and spring seasons, Paterson temperatures begin to drop and rise respectively, with cooler temperatures coming in during September, October and November and warmer climate during March, April and May.
Paterson Neighborhoods
The Great Falls Historic District is the most popular place to live in the province due to its vicinity to the Passaic River. With a recent revitalization, remodeling old industrial buildings into retail venues and residential properties, Patterson is reinventing itself.
Other notable neighborhoods in Paterson are Manor Section, Eastside Park, Lakeview, Sandy Hill and Stoney Road, which is home to Lou Costello Pool and the Levine Reservoir. Riverside, located on the Passaic River, is one of the biggest neighborhoods in the New Jersey town. A working-class region, with easy access to New York City, is ethnically diverse and built up with both commercial and residential properties.
Once the most major shopping center for North Jersey, Downtown Paterson is also a trendy territory, built up with retail, business and entertainment spots. Paterson City Hall and the Passaic County Courthouse Annex also sit in the city center, with local government and legislation ruling the region.
As an Urban Enterprise Zone, a precinct that promotes economic growth and development, downtown has big plans for the future with the City Center Project. The plan is to turn a wide-spread parking space into businesses that will promote retail and entertainment, inevitably creating more jobs for locals who live downtown.
Registering Your Car
If you ship your automobile to the Garden State to save you time and your car mileage, you will have 60 days, to get a new license and registration. With a valid out of state license, you will be waived from taking a written and driving test. You will need the following identification and address verification to get a New Jersey license.
Identifications needed include, but are not limited to, a birth certificate, marriage certificate, U.S. passport, ATM card, credit card bill less than 90 days old, Social Security card, bank statement, bill issued in the past 90 days or a checking or a savings account statement from a bank or credit union issued within 60 days of the date you apply for the license.
As for a obtaining a New Jersey registration and license plates, you must also provide adequate information. The paperwork needed and process in which you apply will vary depending on whether you have a clean title without a lien, a title with a lien or a leased vehicle. To find out the exact requirements you need, visit the New Jersey Division of Motor Vehicles title and registration page. Both license and registration costs will differ depending on the services provided.
Paterson Schools
Paterson Public Schools serve approximately 31,000 students in more than three dozen schools. Classified as a District Factor Group, an organized sector based on socioeconomic traits, the system has more than 29 elementary schools, three elementary academies and over a dozen high schools. Three alternative schools, Great Falls Academy, PACE and Silk City Academy, are also available in the area for students with specials needs.
Paterson also provides dozens of private schools for youth interested in religious and specialized training and include, but are not limited to, the True Vine Fellowship Ministry, Great Commission Christian Academy and Madison Avenue Baptist Academy.
After high school, area students most often attend the Passaic County Community College for their two-year associate's degree. For four-year bachelor's degrees, students have several choices of some of New Jersey's finest post-secondary schools. Between Rutgers, Seton Hall, Montclair State, William Paterson and New York University, only 14 miles from Paterson, young adults have the pick of the liter when it comes to colleges. Just remember finding good schools and recreation for your child, not matter how old they are, is of the utmost importance.
Paterson Employment
Getting a job in government is popular in Paterson since it is the single largest employer in the province, with the Roe Federal Building and Paterson City Hall downtown. If administration is not your thing then there are plenty of other career choices in the metropolis located only 30 miles from New York City. With a 16.3 percent unemployment rate in town, many residents travel through the Holland Tunnel each day, crossing from New Jersey to New York for work.
With job training programs like the Greater Paterson Opportunities Industrialization Center, Inc., locals are encouraged to find work in town as the government assists them with both childcare and transportation and other helpful services. There is also a career center in Paterson, Passaic County Workforce Development Center, that offers training in interviewing and computer skills.
If you are business owner looking to relocate to the region, the government also offers incentives like tax-free commercial property purchases and tariff-free business renovations. Business owners who hire labor from specific employee pools are also offered corporate tax credits. And if that isn't enough business breaks, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority also encourages commerce growth through a wide array of incentives. There are many reasons to relocate your business to the region, so take time and think about whether you would like to hang your open for business sign in Paterson.
Living Costs in the City
The median family income is $39,914 and the median family home price is $120,000, according to CNN Money. When you compare that with the 27 percent greater cost of living than the national average and the 16.3 unemployment rate, Paterson does not seem like a popular place to live as far as finances go. However, you must consider that the average wages in North Jersey are higher than any other area in the state due to its close proximity to New York City.
With that in mind, many make a very good living in Paterson and are able to afford necessities like housing, transportation, food and healthcare without being strapped for cash. But again, you must make some money to reside in the region that has one-bedroom apartments beginning at $1,200 and two-bedroom units priced over $2,100. Make sure you really research rentals since the cost of renting a one-bedroom apartment will vary greatly in the area.
Paterson Moving Resources
Moving and storage companies are ready and willing to help you with your move to Paterson, whether you’re moving from out of state or from another county in New Jersey. Make sure you get estimates from multiple moving services before you commit to hiring any (at least three estimates). Check back to our guides for tips on how to choose your moving service wisely with important questions to ask, differentiating between types of estimates, and mistakes to avoid. Visit the following pages at Movers.com to get quotes for the following services:
Paterson Transportation
As part of the New York Metropolitan Area, public transportation is a popular way to travel in Paterson. The New Jersey Transit Main Line, located in the city center, is the nation's largest public transportation system consisting of bus, light rail and rail service. Serving New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia, locals can commute or play in neighboring states by simply catching a ride through the agency. Some of the most traveled bus routes are 161 and 190, which provide transportation to Midtown Manhattan's popular Port Authority Terminal.
When riding their own cars, residents ride State Routes 4, 19 and 20 and Interstate 80. The Garden State Parkway, locally known as the GSP, also serves Paterson, taking locals in and out of the town on the highly traveled road. With three major airports nearby, Newark Liberty International Airport, LaGuardia Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport, locals fly all around the world from the landing strips that are each only 25-30 miles away.
Culture & Contemporary Life
What else is there to say? New York City is only 30 minutes away. Paterson's prime location to the most celebrated city in the world inevitably offers locals a chance to do whatever they are in the mood for. Between Broadway, the New York Yankees and some of the finest restaurants in the world, theatre, sports and dining are always on locals to do lists. Not to mention Madison Square Garden, where the biggest celebrities of all time perform.
But you don't have to leave the area to enjoy yourself. The Great Falls of the Passaic, Lambert Castle and Paterson Museum are all places locals love to hang out. When they are in the mood to spend money, all residents have to do is step outside their door and into the dozens of retail stores in Paterson or, of course, take a bus into New York City. For a fun, free time, locals can travel to anyone of the state parks that are less than an hour from town. Though New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the nation, let's not forget it is called the Garden State for its luscious landscapes located right outside cities like Paterson. And don't forget the Jersey Shore that is only a little more than an hour away. Beaches and boardwalks from Atlantic City to Seaside Heights make for some of the most memorable summers.
Paterson Relocation Tips
- When hiring a moving company, be aware of the types of moving estimates available so you are provided with the specific services you want. There is nothing worse than finding out you received less even though you spent more.
- Be prepared for culture shock when moving to Paterson. As one of New Jersey's most populated provinces, 145,000 people within 8 square miles, you will find yourself in a very congested and fast-paced territory that takes some time to get used to, especially if you are relocating from the West Coast or the Midwest.
- If you have been offered a job in New York City and are considering living in nearby Paterson, ask yourself 20 important questions about job relocation. Though it may seem like the dream job, that may not be the case when all things are considered.