Partially founded by Alexander Hamilton and partially planned by Pierre L'Enfant...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know Paterson pretty well after spending 4-5 years working a few miles away in Wayne. The good is that it has a population density and a downtown foot traffic that most cities would die for. As you've nicely illustrated, it also has plenty of interesting old buildings. On the down side, it's as poor as hell, with some awful neighborhoods and I can't think of ever seeing a single piece of renovation/ restoration around downtown. I'd hate to think what state most of those buildings are in.

That downtown is only 14 miles from Manhattan.  You can see that the people who make the storefront awnings in NYC are selling to people in this town too. 

I played junior college football with two guys from Paterson that were fall back recruits for D-1 schools that didn't make grades. One of the guys was the toughest dude you would ever meet, super talented, etc. but unfortunately didn't make it academic wise. But dang you just knew he came from the streets, tough area

Paterson, visually, reminds me of an Appalachian town stuck near Manhattan.  Ethnically and culturally, it's far from Appalachia.

If I had to guess when this photo set was taken, I'd be tempted to say 1998. This town looks frozen in time or something.

I will say the guys from our team that were from Paterson and Hackensak and Trenton were really appreciative of everything the college had to offer, and they did work hard, and were nice guys.  The funniest thing about those guys was their bond with eachother and their most used phrase... "Word is bond bro!"

I love Paterson for its grit and activity. It's like Newport, Kentucky on steroids.

Nice photos.  My wife is from Paterson, so I'm glad to see its decline has been arrested. There are still some very well kept residential areas.

If I had to guess when this photo set was taken, I'd be tempted to say 1998. This town looks frozen in time or something.

 

I agree. The Radioshack helps

Is that a beauty shop, a fried chicken place, or both?

I played junior college football with two guys from Paterson that were fall back recruits for D-1 schools that didn't make grades. One of the guys was the toughest dude you would ever meet, super talented, etc. but unfortunately didn't make it academic wise. But dang you just knew he came from the streets, tough area

 

My friends family lived in Patterson. His dad often told the story of how he was attacked by some guy in broad daylight and ended up biting the guys ear off.

 

The Shore area of NJ is filled with "up north" refugees that fled places like Patterson, Newark, Jersey City, East Orange, etc. etc.

I once worked in a restaurant in Columbus with a young woman from Paterson, Joanne "Buggie" Buglione. I wonder what happened to her.

I played junior college football with two guys from Paterson that were fall back recruits for D-1 schools that didn't make grades. One of the guys was the toughest dude you would ever meet, super talented, etc. but unfortunately didn't make it academic wise. But dang you just knew he came from the streets, tough area

 

My friends family lived in Patterson. His dad often told the story of how he was attacked by some guy in broad daylight and ended up biting the guys ear off.

 

The Shore area of NJ is filled with "up north" refugees that fled places like Patterson, Newark, Jersey City, East Orange, etc. etc.

 

Yeah I will never forget those Jersey guys.  They were skinny but they hit harder than anyone I ever went against, they had this toughness about them, almost like a Mike Tyson attitude.  Iowa has a guy from Newark on the team now and he is probably their most talented running back, didn't really have any offers besides Temple and Iowa, skinny guy but tough as nails and really good.  A lot of good football players out of those New York area NJ kids, which is different than New York City itself where they have a lot of really good basketball but not so much football.

 

 

Meanwhile, far away in another part of town

Rubin Carter and a couple of friends are drivin' around

Number one contender for the middleweight crown

Had no idea what kinda sh*t was about to go down

When a cop pulled him over to the side of the road

Just like the time before and the time before that

In Paterson that's just the way things go

If you're black you might as well not show up on the street

Unless you want to draw the heat

 

There sure are a lot of gorgeous old buildings in Patterson.

 

No new buildings pictured, but did notice the beautiful new street lights in all the shots (with a couple exceptions). Sure wish the CLE had downtown streets lights that all matched.

It all screams "Sopranos." Some of the TV show was filmed in Paterson, including the infamous waterfall scene in the first season.

I worked in Paterson for a few months. To me, it has the most potential of any NJ city. Like Newark, it's far enough from Manhattan to have a distinct culture and not just be an extension of NYC (like Jersey City or Hoboken), but unlike Newark most of its historic character is intact. And it has that park with the impressive waterfalls right in the city, amazing! Unfortunately, the regional transportation network does not favor its redevelopment. As Newark is starting to reap the benefits of many commuter rail lines going through two train stations to Manhattan (and other places), plus the 24-hour PATH train, Paterson remains a relative backwater.

 

NJ cities are in a perpetual struggle for the mindspace of local investors/developers and potential residents, as they lack being "the city" of a metro region, making it a completely different ballgame versus Ohio cities. People from bordering towns would never say they were from Paterson or Newark, whereas people from far-flung exurbs of Ohio's cities will claim their metro's city like there is no distinction. It would take a lot of luck for Paterson to transcend in this game. Still, it's a place rich with culture, diversity, history, and beauty of the natural and built environments.

 

Great photos! :clap:

That downtown is only 14 miles from Manhattan.  You can see that the people who make the storefront awnings in NYC are selling to people in this town too. 

 

While I guess understandable for a city like Paterson, I just don't get how zoning in NYC metro area allows for these awnings.  They simple devastate the street scape and cheapen the look of America's premier metro area.  They are ubiquitous even in pricy neighborhoods.  I don't know what I hate more in Manhattan, the awnings or all the scaffolding which implies a renovation project but in my mind are really there due to insurance liability issues (falling debris from buildings with no intention to actual fix the problem)

I like the awnings. They're colorful and keep the rain and hot sun off pedestrians and shoppers. The only downside I see is that they collect dirt and, when not maintained, look shabby after only a few years.

I suspect those "awnings" may be the only legal way for businesses to put up signage.

Ohio native Jim Jarmusch just made a movie set in Paterson:

http://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/jim-jarmuschs-paterson-and-the-myth-of-the-solitary-artist

Saw it over the weekend. It's a fun, insightful but subtle movie. Paterson the city was fantastically photogenic throughout. I honestly can't think of too many places that have that kind of density.