Why Do People Leave NYC For Hoboken? YouTuber Explains It All

HOBOKEN, NJ — During the pandemic, more than 1,000 people moved to Hoboken from New York City, according to a news story last November. Why did people find the mile-square city so enticing? Just ask self-described "ex-sportscaster turned travel vlogger" Jon Barr, whose video, "Why New Yorkers are LEAVING Manhattan for New Jersey! (Is Hoboken WORTH IT?)" has drawn 35,000 views since March 2021.

"We are so close to Manhattan, I feel like I can reach out and touch it," gushes Barr in the video. "We're going to discuss this phenomenon of a lot of people leaving Manhattan and moving to New Jersey; why they're doing it."

While some may prefer to keep the reasons for the phenomenon a secret, Mike Kotler of eXp Realty gives Barr a tour of a tiny and then a huge apartment, explaining, "You have this beautiful view; you're not going to get that anywhere else. You also have the proximity to that view, to that city. "

He notes that a person can commute from Hoboken to the West Village in 7 minutes by PATH train or 12 minutes by ferry — quicker than from Queens.

The pair first tour a studio apartment with 500 square feet of space for $1,600, and it's close to the train station. It's also got hardwood floors, a fireplace mantel, and a sizeable kitchen. One of the closets even has a desk tucked in for remote working.

"This is more like a one-bedroom by Manhattan standards," says Barr, noting the separate kitchen. "Even as you go to the window, it's like I'm in Brooklyn."

He adds, "$1,600 in Manhattan, this apartment would last one hour."

The pair venture north to the Tea Building, a former Lipton Tea factory with spacious units and waterfront views. "Eli Manning used to be here...two-minute walk to the ferry," notes Kotler.

The two-bedroom, two-bath unit runs for $4,750.

"I don't know what it's worth to wake up to the Empire State Building," Barr says, "but this could be a dream for some people."

A commenter below the video opines that things have changed a lot: "Hoboken used to be an ABSOLUTE ARMPIT in the mid 1970’s when I used to go into work with my Dad in NYC as a kid... looks very nice now."

Watch the video here.

But Summit's A Bigger City For Buying

While people from New York City may be renting and buying in Hoboken and Jersey City, a report this week from Property Shark said that the towns and cities with the biggest jump in home sales during the pandemic have been Summit, NJ, and a few towns in Ocean County, NJ. Find out more about that here: Summit Ranked Among Most Popular Places To Buy When Leaving NYC

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