The Great American Reach Around - The Northeast & The UK

Paterson, New Jersey

Paterson is a city representative of the unseen half of New Jersey. Alive with its own industry and culture, it may interact with New York City, but it does not owe its entire existence to Manhattan.

Like much of the Northeast, Paterson is positively encrusted with historic buildings and monuments. The once-bustling downtown area has been largely vacated in favor of strip malls and big-box retailers in suburban Paterson, but the buildings are nice to look at if you can ignore the giant signs for dollar stores and nail salons.

Economic depression resulting from globalization of industry in the 1970s and 1980s is a common theme in these articles. Paterson has certainly suffered its share, but I'm pretty optimistic it will recover.

A spate of new construction and the gentrification of areas that had fallen into disrepair are indications that Paterson may be fighting its way back to the head of the class. The ethnic diversity of the city that is the source of a fair amount of strife has also created a vibrant selection of restaurants, stores, and ethnic shops. The People's Park neighborhood is rich with South American flair and the south side of Paterson has a large middle eastern immigrant community.

In many ways Paterson is a reflection of the good and the bad of the Northeast. Its crime and poverty are contrasted against diversity, tolerance, culture, a rich history, and a beautiful environment. It is a middle class city that is finding its way back to prosperity.

And it doesn't smell like Jersey City.