Jersey Journal 1867 - 2025: A Blue-Collar City Gentrifies Beyond Local News

In pre-gentrified blue-collar Jersey City, New Jersey, the Jersey Journal served as the formal grapevine. 

Launched as the Evening Journal in 1867 it introduced new gossip and confirmed what was already being buzzed about. It was a must-read, especially for obituaries. My extended immigrant family planned their evenings around attending wakes for those who had passed over. The biggest fear was that your family's secrets would be exposed in the Jersey Journal. 

Before I left Jersey City in 1963 to attend a college in Pennsylvania on a scholarship my dream was to return to start out as a reporter on the Jersey Journal. Those were the days when you still could major in English, without being mocked.

But the 1960s had been the era of blind faith in higher education. Directly from college I went on to receive a free ride to study for my doctorate at an Ivy League. It wasn't until the mid 1970s that I tried journalism and it wasn't at the Jersey Journal. But I continued to keep up with my tribe through my old hometown newspaper. Along the way, my brother-in-law David Scott Ring became a publisher for the newspaper. Recently Ring passed away.

Now, what had been an institution in Hudson County has ended. Both in print and online. The Jersey Journal no longer exists. Along with that its sister publication the Star Ledger will only operate online. 

Perhaps gentrified Jersey City, with all its high paid knowledge workers focused on what goes on in their sectors not local news, doesn't need that kind of grapevine any more. That means the former ethos of Jersey City is gone. It used to be an inward-looking mid-sized city, living in the shadow of Manhattan. Taking the Path train into "the city" was a big deal. We talked about that one journey for months. 

Now Jersey City has become Wall Street Across the Hudson. Financial firms have created offices right there. The mayor since 2013 - Steven Fulup - had been a Wall Street guy. That was at Goldman Sachs. Many no longer even remember the Frank Hague political machine which ruled Hudson County with old-line control mechanisms.

It could be profitable for Big Law headquartered in New York such as Cravath, Skadden and Paul Weiss to develop major operations in Jersey City. That is, if they haven't already. There are lots of commercial business there as well as individual wealth. 

On professional anonymous networks such as Reddit Big Law and Fishbowl Big Law junior lawyers at those firms ask input if a commute from Jersey City to mid- or downtown Manhattan is doable. If law firms build a presence in Jersey City that commute wouldn't be necessary. Just roll out of bed and bicycle to the office. 

Low on hope about finding, holding, or moving on to better work?  Getting that back is the first step. Then you and I, as your career coach, move on to diagnosing what's in the way, trying out the solutions and creating the communications you need. Free consultation. No pressure. After that, fees custom-made for your budget. Please contact for an appointment Jane Genova (text/phone 203-468-8579, janegenova374@gmail.com). 


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