I lived in Hoboken, downtown JC, and now Journal Square and I can say that JSQ is totally fine. It’s cheaper, significantly more diverse than downtown, and has path and bus options. Is it as gentrified as downtown — definitely not which may make a little less safer but you should fine as long as you are aware of your surroundings. I grew up in NJ so i know all the neighborhoods very well and I say your best bet around here is JSQ, the heights, Harrison, or the communipaw area of JC by liberty state park if you want to be generally close to the city with things to do. Otherwise check out Hackensack, Union City, or Weehawken in my opinion.

The heights is probably one of my favorite areas of JC - it’s residential, walkable, has frequent nyc bus access, stores nearby, and is generally one of the more untouched parts of the area. It’s starting to gentrify a bit now but skews more to multi families and Bayonne box type redevelopments. Age range can vary but it skews more to mid 30s and above.

Harrison is cool but a lil further west closer to newark where gentrification has begun over the last few years. The newark area gets a bad rep but it’s really not that bad, people don’t even know there’s areas with mansions etc. Anyway in Harrison a lot of buildings are basically brand new and it’s close to the Portuguese section of newark which has bomb food. It’s also cheaper than jc and still has a path train to nyc. Age range varies but there’s a younger crowd there with all the new development.

Hackensack is further north, has been going through gentrification for the past 3-4 years now and has a ton of new buildings albeit not too cheap. They have bus access to nyc and is close to route 4 and 17 which have a bunch of malls, restaurants, etc. Age range here varies as it’s a residential/suburb-like area. You’d likely want a car here though.

Union City, is just north of the heights. It’s cheaper than JC, has bus access, tends to skew more Latinx, and has restaurants but not much to do at night. Age range tends to be more so families and older folks but you can definitely find something affordable here, you’ll just have to take Uber at night.

JSQ as mentioned is a melting pot. Some condos, some high rise rentals (w/ many more coming), multi families, single families etc. Has great access to nyc (bus or train), very diverse, not the best supermarkets or gyms, is walkable and is close to all the downtown “fun.” It’s safe, but as you can see from this thread it’s relative. I’ve met people who generally view areas as “safe” based on the people who live there rather than actually having lived there. Imo I haven’t had any issue but I’m an early 30s male of color who grew up in diverse north jersey towns so I feel fine. Age range varies here since it’s so big, but with all the new buildings I’d say it’s getting younger — maybe mid 20s and above.

Downtown JC is very walkable, has the path, many things to do nightlife wise and restaurant wise, not the best parking, likes to consider themselves diverse but it’s mostly white, generally one of the safest parts of JC but also the most expensive. Gentrification is over here so it’s basically tapped out it’s potential. Age range is generally mid 20s to 40s but skews right in the middle imo.

Communipaw is close to liberty state park, has only light rail access (which you can take and switch to the path), is in the midst of gentrification, is walkable although you may not want to walk too far due to safety, but has become much younger with the new buildings in the area. It’s definitely not a bad place to start as it’s prolly one of the cheaper areas closest to downtown JC.

Hoboken is 1sq mile, extremely walkable, has the best bus and path options, tighter living quarters, horrible parking and flooding, not diverse, but very safe and has a bunch of restaurants and early 20s nightlife. You could get lucky with a roommate situation over there and start there.

Hopefully this helps! Any questions just lemme know!