Newark's Rejuvenation

A decade ago, anyone who talked about selling Mississauga Ontario homes in order to move to the city of Newark New Jersey would have been thought of as slightly insane. The city was well known as crime ridden and dangerous, with little economic hope to brighten the prospects of its citizens. The city was the brunt of many gallows humor-type jokes on late night television and popular sitcoms, and just wasn't the type of place anyone would want to move to.

The naming of Newark as the Most Dangerous City in the United States may have woken the city fathers and law enforcement up to just how bad things had become in the city, because since 1996 Newark has seen a marked drive towards turning its reputation around. Before that, even people from downtown Toronto condos would have thought twice about living there. Today the city still suffers from its share of problems, but many of the underlying issues have been dealt with and as a result the city is a much safer place.

Those underlying issues were not quick fixes, either. Public schools were in need of everything from major construction work to minor valve repair, hundreds of buildings lay vacant and falling apart, the economy was in tatters. Most of all, many of the people in Newark felt unable to climb out of the economic hole the city was in, and as a result had turned to lives of crime.

The first step in the rejuvenation of the city was rebuilding its image in the public imagination. This renaissance was to take place in the downtown area, and at first concentrated on areas that attracted a lot of public attention. The New Jersey Performing Arts Center was opened in 1997, and brought a whole new level of interest to the area. Equipped with state of the art engineering, including Allis Chalmers pump parts, the Center is known for its excellent acoustics and has attracted a wide variety of artists and fans. In fact, it is estimated that over one and a half million people who may never have visited Newark have come to the city due to the events at the NJPAC.

A brand new area was also built to house the New Jersey Devils, and serious efforts made to make the riverfront in the downtown cleaner and more accessible to the public continue. The city has been rechristened Renaissance City by many, and the efforts have started to spill over into residential areas as well. The Central Ward, in particular, has seen rejuvenation efforts in the form of new homes as well as many home renovations, bathrooms and new kitchens providing an updated look for older shells.

The neighborhood around Lincoln Park in Newark's downtown has also seen extensive rejuvenation efforts over the past few years. The development of this area includes green housing plans, which will be the envy of any owner of Toronto real estate, proof that even the most densely populated cities can still go green.

The efforts of the citizens of Newark to give their city a facelift and a different image have definitely paid off. The continued plans to better the city can only result in a more enhanced reputation throughout the continent.