Perth Amboy, NJ - Cyburbia Forums

Curious Cat · 2006-03-31, 08:31 PM

Perth Amboy, NJ is a 4.7 square mile city and has as of 2000 had a population of 47,303. The median income of Perth Amboy is $37,608. The ethnic/racial makeup of Perth Amboy is 70% Hispanic, 19% White, and 10% Black.

History
.
Perth Amboy was founded by English merchants, Scottish dissenters, and French protestants. They wanted to transform it to a hub of East Jersey. New Jersey merchants traded here for a while but they chose New York instead. The wealthy came and lived here however they left due to hostilities. Perth Amboy was also the alternate capital of New Jersey from 1730 to 1790. Perth Amboy became sleepy but then the ceramic industries came.

By 1890, immigration and industrialization transformed Perth Amboy. Factories like Guggenheim and Sons and Copper Works Smelting Company fueled a thriving downtown. There were tightly knit and insular ethnic neighborhoods like Budapest, Dublin, and Chickentown. Immigrants from Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Italy, Russia, and Austria came filling up the jobs in those factories. A few remnants of these earlier immigrants still exist in Perth Amboy today. Perth Amboy was also a resort town from the 1800’s to the mid 20th century. The factories however polluted the waters and the beaches remain contaminated.

Today, Perth Amboy’s immigrants are primarily Hispanic. Hispanics are particularly Puerto Rican, Dominican, and Mexican. Unfortunately, these immigrants coincided with a time when the factories were being demolished and plants were being closed. Competition from the malls also forced the big chain stores out of Perth Amboy’s downtown. Today Perth Amboy is part of the rust belt.

Neighborhoods

Perth Amboy features a beautiful and historic waterfront. It has a yacht club, marina, Victorians, museums, a park and a promenade. Points of interest include the Proprietary House, the Kearny Cottage, and St. Peter’s Episcopal Church.

Downtown Perth Amboy is an Urban Enterprise Zone, a distressed commercial area where the sales tax is cut to 3% instead of the statewide 6%.
It mainly caters to poor or working class Hispanics especially with 99 cent stores and supermarkets. The largest department store is Bargain Man and the only major chain store is Foot Locker. There are planted trees, redbrick sidewalks, and Victorian-style streetlights, benches, and garbage cans.
It is still a sad reflection of its former self. The tallest skyscraper is 10 stories tall.

Harbortown is a newly built housing development and the most diverse neighborhood in Perth Amboy. This townhouse complex has Section 8 recipients, residents who make over $100,000, and members of the middle class. It is also ethnically diverse with many Blacks, Asians, and Whites.

Amboy Avenue is a neighborhood which is also referred to as the “Hospital section” or the “High School” section. Maurer is the neighborhood north of Rt. 440 and is heavily industrial. Amboy Avenue and Maurer are both quasi suburban and working to middle class.

Spa Springs and Chickentown lie west of Rt. 35. These neighborhoods are more suburban in appearance. Spa Springs is the richest neighborhood in Perth Amboy.
The population in these neighborhoods are older and Whiter. These neighborhoods also have a more stable middle class.

The rest of the city (Hall Avenue, State Street, the Southwestern section of the city, Western half of Waterfront) is composed of working class Hispanic immigrant neighborhoods. These neighborhoods are older, more crowded, and sometimes more dirty.The homes are usually small, one or two family houses.
The homes in the Western half of the Waterfront are over 100 years old. The Southwestern section of the Perth Amboy is home to many Dominican and Mexican immigrants while Hall Avenue remains the traditional Puerto Rican neighborhood.

NDL · 2006-04-01, 03:03 PM

Thanks for the history and pic of Perth Amboy...Hope to see more pics soon

JNA · 2006-04-01, 03:15 PM

Have any pictures of the Perth Amboy Dry Dock Co. ?

DetroitPlanner · 2006-04-02, 06:41 PM

Pretty cool reminds me a lot of Hamtramck (A city within Detroit), though the minority populations are skewed toward middle eastern and pakastani cultures.

passdoubt · 2006-04-03, 12:34 AM

Is any progress being made on cleaning up the beach? I've heard that Perth Amboy was the northermost bathing beachfront on the Jersey Shore before it became too polluted. I think Sandy Hook is the closest one with clean water.

jmello · 2006-04-03, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by passdoubt

I think Sandy Hook is the closest one with clean water.

"Clean water" being a relative term in NJ.

passdoubt · 2006-04-03, 02:45 PM

Actually, Sandy Hook is one of the 30 beaches certified by the Clean Beaches Council. Beaches in New Jersey are monitored for EPA compliance at least once a week, which is one of the most stringent testing programs in the country. The National Resources Defence Council releases a yearly list of the municipalities and counties with the worst beach testing. This year's were:

Michigan: Van Buren County.

North Carolina: Atlantic Beach.

California: Los Angeles County, Los Angeles County Flood Control District, City of Alhambra, City of Arcadia, City of Artesia, City of Baldwin Park, City of Bell Gardens, City of Bellflower, City of Beverly Hills, City of Carson, City of Cerritos, City of Claremont, City of Commerce, City of Covina, City of Diamond Bar, City of Downey, City of Gardena, City of Hawaiian Gardens, City of Industry, City of Irwindale, City of La Mirada, City of Lakewood, City of Lawndale, City of Monrovia, City of Montebello, City of Monterey Park, City of Norwalk, City of Paramount, City of Pico Rivera , City of Pomona, City of Rancho Palos Verdes, City of Rosemead, City of San Gabriel, City of Santa Clarita, City of Santa Fe Springs, City of Sierra Madre, City of Signal Hill, City of South Gate, City of South Pasadena, City of Temple City, City of Torrance, City of Vernon, City of Walnut, City of West Covina, City of Westlake Village, and City of Whittier.

New Jersey's been trying to clean up its beaches for years and years, unlike a lot of other states where rapid coastal development is a relatively new thing. A portion of Imperial Beach near San Diego is the "most polluted beach" in the country where swimming is actually allowed some days.

jmello · 2006-04-03, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by passdoubt

Actually, Sandy Hook is one of the 30 beaches[/url] certified by the Clean Beaches Council.

The only NJ beach I see on the list is Stone Harbor, which is almost in Cape May.

http://www.cleanbeaches.org/bluewave/bwcbeach.cfm

passdoubt · 2006-04-03, 09:22 PM

Ah, you're right. I think the article I was reading was referencing the certified beaches in the year 2000!

Charliesch · 2006-04-06, 01:41 PM

When most people think of Perth Amboy, they think of the ugly and stinky stretch of the NJ Turnpike outside of town.

Big Green Scott · 2006-04-06, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Charliesch

When most people think of Perth Amboy, they think of the ugly and stinky stretch of the NJ Turnpike outside of town.

When most people think of ANY part of New Jersey, they think of the ugly and stinky stretch of the NJ Turnpike outside of town... if you ever wanna piss a person from Jersey off just say "Oh you live in NJ...What Exit?"

jresta · 2006-04-13, 12:29 PM

There's a lot of new development going on in Perth Amboy over towards Staten Island. You can see a lot of it on the train, which you forgot to mention, it's just 30 minutes to NYC on the train . . . and don't they have a ferry now?

The turnpike legacy is such a joke. Years ago when i was working in Charleston, SC I had to drive my boss up I-26 from downtown to the airport. He asked me where i was from. I told him - "New Jersey." He said "ohh i drove through there once on the way to New York. What an awful place . . . full of smokestacks and refineries."

"Kind of like here?" I said, pointing to smokestacks, refineries, and shipping boxes stacked a hundred feet high.

I pushed further, "wait, aren't you from Chicago? You've never driven south of the city on I-90?"

It's kind of like immigrants of other minority groups saying disparaging things about black people to feel more white and/or middle-class (even african immigrants love to bust on african-americans) and to feel less insecure about the place they came from.

People who move to the big city from Iowa or Oklahoma suddenly feel it's their birthright to rag on NJ now that they're finally out of the place that was so great they had to move 2,000 miles to get away from. Not that they really know anything about the place - ohh, they've seen the Sopranos. It just helps them feel less insecure about the awful place they came from.

jresta · 2006-04-13, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Big Green Scott

When most people think of ANY part of New Jersey, they think of the ugly and stinky stretch of the NJ Turnpike outside of town... if you ever wanna piss a person from Jersey off just say "Oh you live in NJ...What Exit?"

That joke was probably funny 50 years ago when PA & NJ were the only states to have limited access highways spanning their length.

people ask me that from time to time and i always tell them 105. First they laugh because they think i actually answered them, then they look confused, and if they've ever been there they say
"wait, it doesn't go up that high,"
"what doesn't go up that high?"
"the turnpike"
"i didn't live anywhere near the turnpike"

mendelman · 2006-04-13, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jresta

There's a lot of new development going on in Perth Amboy over towards Staten Island. You can see a lot of it on the train, which you forgot to mention, it's just 30 minutes to NYC on the train . . . and don't they have a ferry now?

The turnpike legacy is such a joke. Years ago when i was working in Charleston, SC I had to drive my boss up I-26 from downtown to the airport. He asked me where i was from. I told him - "New Jersey." He said "ohh i drove through there once on the way to New York. What an awful place . . . full of smokestacks and refineries."

"Kind of like here?" I said, pointing to smokestacks, refineries, and shipping boxes stacked a hundred feet high.

I pushed further, "wait, aren't you from Chicago? You've never driven south of the city on I-90?"

It's kind of like immigrants of other minority groups saying disparaging things about black people to feel more white and/or middle-class (even african immigrants love to bust on african-americans) and to feel less insecure about the place they came from.

People who move to the big city from Iowa or Oklahoma suddenly feel it's their birthright to rag on NJ now that they're finally out of the place that was so great they had to move 2,000 miles to get away from. Not that they really know anything about the place - ohh, they've seen the Sopranos. It just helps them feel less insecure about the awful place they came from.

Be that as it may, NJ still stinks.

My one and only experience with NJ was driving through on my way to Philadelphia from Connecticut. I am interested in visiting the southern Atlantic coast of NJ, though.

DetroitPlanner · 2006-04-13, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mendelman

Be that as it may, NJ still stinks.

My one and only experience with NJ was driving through on my way to Philadelphia from Connecticut. I am interested in visiting the southern Atlantic coast of NJ, though.

I've been down there, we don't have that sort of development in the Great Lakes. From the takiness of AC to the retro wildwoods to the well worn but still popular cape may it is something to be seen.

ZachariahDaMan · 2006-04-16, 12:18 PM

Interesting info, I look forward to seeing more pictures.

2006-03-31, 08:31 PM	#1
Curious Cat Member Registered: Feb 2005 Location: New Jersey Posts: 11	Perth Amboy, NJ Perth Amboy, NJ is a 4.7 square mile city and has as of 2000 had a population of 47,303. The median income of Perth Amboy is $37,608. The ethnic/racial makeup of Perth Amboy is 70% Hispanic, 19% White, and 10% Black. History . Perth Amboy was founded by English merchants, Scottish dissenters, and French protestants. They wanted to transform it to a hub of East Jersey. New Jersey merchants traded here for a while but they chose New York instead. The wealthy came and lived here however they left due to hostilities. Perth Amboy was also the alternate capital of New Jersey from 1730 to 1790. Perth Amboy became sleepy but then the ceramic industries came. By 1890, immigration and industrialization transformed Perth Amboy. Factories like Guggenheim and Sons and Copper Works Smelting Company fueled a thriving downtown. There were tightly knit and insular ethnic neighborhoods like Budapest, Dublin, and Chickentown. Immigrants from Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Italy, Russia, and Austria came filling up the jobs in those factories. A few remnants of these earlier immigrants still exist in Perth Amboy today. Perth Amboy was also a resort town from the 1800’s to the mid 20th century. The factories however polluted the waters and the beaches remain contaminated. Today, Perth Amboy’s immigrants are primarily Hispanic. Hispanics are particularly Puerto Rican, Dominican, and Mexican. Unfortunately, these immigrants coincided with a time when the factories were being demolished and plants were being closed. Competition from the malls also forced the big chain stores out of Perth Amboy’s downtown. Today Perth Amboy is part of the rust belt. Neighborhoods Perth Amboy features a beautiful and historic waterfront. It has a yacht club, marina, Victorians, museums, a park and a promenade. Points of interest include the Proprietary House, the Kearny Cottage, and St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. Downtown Perth Amboy is an Urban Enterprise Zone, a distressed commercial area where the sales tax is cut to 3% instead of the statewide 6%. It mainly caters to poor or working class Hispanics especially with 99 cent stores and supermarkets. The largest department store is Bargain Man and the only major chain store is Foot Locker. There are planted trees, redbrick sidewalks, and Victorian-style streetlights, benches, and garbage cans. It is still a sad reflection of its former self. The tallest skyscraper is 10 stories tall. Harbortown is a newly built housing development and the most diverse neighborhood in Perth Amboy. This townhouse complex has Section 8 recipients, residents who make over $100,000, and members of the middle class. It is also ethnically diverse with many Blacks, Asians, and Whites. Amboy Avenue is a neighborhood which is also referred to as the “Hospital section” or the “High School” section. Maurer is the neighborhood north of Rt. 440 and is heavily industrial. Amboy Avenue and Maurer are both quasi suburban and working to middle class. Spa Springs and Chickentown lie west of Rt. 35. These neighborhoods are more suburban in appearance. Spa Springs is the richest neighborhood in Perth Amboy. The population in these neighborhoods are older and Whiter. These neighborhoods also have a more stable middle class. The rest of the city (Hall Avenue, State Street, the Southwestern section of the city, Western half of Waterfront) is composed of working class Hispanic immigrant neighborhoods. These neighborhoods are older, more crowded, and sometimes more dirty.The homes are usually small, one or two family houses. The homes in the Western half of the Waterfront are over 100 years old. The Southwestern section of the Perth Amboy is home to many Dominican and Mexican immigrants while Hall Avenue remains the traditional Puerto Rican neighborhood.

2006-04-02, 06:41 PM	#4
DetroitPlanner Cyburbian Registered: Mar 2004 Location: Where the weak are killed and eaten. Posts: 3,555	Pretty cool reminds me a lot of Hamtramck (A city within Detroit), though the minority populations are skewed toward middle eastern and pakastani cultures. __________________ Its time for change.

2006-04-06, 01:41 PM	#10
Charliesch Cyburbian Registered: Aug 2005 Location: PA Posts: 43	Most people think of the Turnpike When most people think of Perth Amboy, they think of the ugly and stinky stretch of the NJ Turnpike outside of town.

2006-04-13, 12:29 PM	#12
jresta Cyburbian Registered: Apr 2003 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 1,454	There's a lot of new development going on in Perth Amboy over towards Staten Island. You can see a lot of it on the train, which you forgot to mention, it's just 30 minutes to NYC on the train . . . and don't they have a ferry now? The turnpike legacy is such a joke. Years ago when i was working in Charleston, SC I had to drive my boss up I-26 from downtown to the airport. He asked me where i was from. I told him - "New Jersey." He said "ohh i drove through there once on the way to New York. What an awful place . . . full of smokestacks and refineries." "Kind of like here?" I said, pointing to smokestacks, refineries, and shipping boxes stacked a hundred feet high. I pushed further, "wait, aren't you from Chicago? You've never driven south of the city on I-90?" It's kind of like immigrants of other minority groups saying disparaging things about black people to feel more white and/or middle-class (even african immigrants love to bust on african-americans) and to feel less insecure about the place they came from. People who move to the big city from Iowa or Oklahoma suddenly feel it's their birthright to rag on NJ now that they're finally out of the place that was so great they had to move 2,000 miles to get away from. Not that they really know anything about the place - ohh, they've seen the Sopranos. It just helps them feel less insecure about the awful place they came from. __________________ Some writers have so confounded society with government, as to leave little or no distinction between them; whereas they are not only different, but have different origins ... Society is in every state a blessing, but Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one. — Thomas Paine, Common Sense

2006-04-01, 03:03 PM	#2
NDL Member Registered: Feb 2005 Location: Staten Island Posts: 24	Thanks for the history and pic of Perth Amboy...Hope to see more pics soon

2006-04-03, 12:34 AM	#5
passdoubt Registered: Dec 2003 Location: East Coast Posts: 408	Is any progress being made on cleaning up the beach? I've heard that Perth Amboy was the northermost bathing beachfront on the Jersey Shore before it became too polluted. I think Sandy Hook is the closest one with clean water.

2006-04-03, 02:45 PM	#7
passdoubt Registered: Dec 2003 Location: East Coast Posts: 408	Actually, Sandy Hook is one of the 30 beaches certified by the Clean Beaches Council. Beaches in New Jersey are monitored for EPA compliance at least once a week, which is one of the most stringent testing programs in the country. The National Resources Defence Council releases a yearly list of the municipalities and counties with the worst beach testing. This year's were: Michigan: Van Buren County. North Carolina: Atlantic Beach. California: Los Angeles County, Los Angeles County Flood Control District, City of Alhambra, City of Arcadia, City of Artesia, City of Baldwin Park, City of Bell Gardens, City of Bellflower, City of Beverly Hills, City of Carson, City of Cerritos, City of Claremont, City of Commerce, City of Covina, City of Diamond Bar, City of Downey, City of Gardena, City of Hawaiian Gardens, City of Industry, City of Irwindale, City of La Mirada, City of Lakewood, City of Lawndale, City of Monrovia, City of Montebello, City of Monterey Park, City of Norwalk, City of Paramount, City of Pico Rivera , City of Pomona, City of Rancho Palos Verdes, City of Rosemead, City of San Gabriel, City of Santa Clarita, City of Santa Fe Springs, City of Sierra Madre, City of Signal Hill, City of South Gate, City of South Pasadena, City of Temple City, City of Torrance, City of Vernon, City of Walnut, City of West Covina, City of Westlake Village, and City of Whittier. New Jersey's been trying to clean up its beaches for years and years, unlike a lot of other states where rapid coastal development is a relatively new thing. A portion of Imperial Beach near San Diego is the "most polluted beach" in the country where swimming is actually allowed some days.

2006-04-03, 09:22 PM	#9
passdoubt Registered: Dec 2003 Location: East Coast Posts: 408	Ah, you're right. I think the article I was reading was referencing the certified beaches in the year 2000!

2006-04-16, 12:18 PM	#16
ZachariahDaMan Cyburbian Registered: Apr 2006 Location: Canton, Michigan Posts: 29	Interesting info, I look forward to seeing more pictures.