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Brudesandwich t1_izq4qrn wrote

Consolidation would solve so many of our problems in NJ but many residents, especially older ones, will always vote against it. Most common I've heard is because their town will lost its identity (but they always just say close to NYC) or having a smaller municipality is more properly governed and yet we are constantly one of the states with the most mismanagement.

There is absolutely no reason for majority of these small ass places to exist other than to allow for corruption. Nothing won't happen unless the residents start pushing for it and make it a priority

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Army_of_blood t1_izsiq88 wrote

99% of small towns in NJ already have no identity. Just a generic McDonalds mid-Atlantic small town. In Essex County, sure, Montclair and Glen Ridge have an identity. Wood-Ridge and Teterboro in Bergen? Not so much.

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Hij802 OP t1_izuzfp1 wrote

The only suburbs I think that actually have an identity are generally those that are historic or are college towns, meaning they existed prior to the boroughitis of the early 20th century. Ones that generally have a unique small downtown/Main Street. Freehold, Morristown, Cape May, Princeton, Montclair, etc. Cities, even small ones like New Brunswick, all tend to have an identity too.

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Hij802 OP t1_izqm17w wrote

I always find that argument funny because it’s not coming from people in cities like Newark, Atlantic City, New Brunswick, etc who actually have their own unique identities, no it’s coming from generic cookie cutter suburbanites from places like Summit or Middletown.

Luckily some towns are merging. Princeton was nearly a decade ago but Pine Valley and Pine Hill just merged this year, although Pine Valley was a golf course town.

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