03-10-2006, 04:11 AM
WELCOME TO SEXY CITY
Survey ranks it 11th in the nation for sensational singles scene; NYC is 18th
Thursday, February 10, 2005
By Molly Bloom
Journal staff writer
Forget New York. Jersey City is the town that puts the "city" in "Sex in the City," according to a recent survey by Sperling's Best Places, a company that rates cities in various categories.
Jersey City is one of the best American cities for singles, ranked 11th, seven places ahead of New York City, according to the Sperling survey.
In the survey, which was commissioned by the AXE deodorant company, the best place to have a "good time" is Austin, Tex., which has the nation's highest percentage of 18-to 24-year-olds with money to burn on dates and drinks.
Sperling's "America's Best and Worst Cities for Dating" survey used 24 criteria to come up with its list of 80 cities, including population density, percentage of singles, frequency of hooking up, number of dating venues such as coffee shops and bars, and number of intimate
apparel stores and flowers and jewelry bought as gifts, the company said.
"It seems that Downtown Jersey City has a pretty close-knit group of people," said Michael Buzon, a bartender at L.I.T.M., a Downtown bar. "Every city's got beautiful people and every city's got ugly people. I've seen more brush-offs than I've seen people go home together."
Hoboken, with its high concentration of young, single professionals, didn't make the top 80, which surprised its mayor, David Roberts.
"From what I can observe, I don't think it can get much better than Hoboken for singles," said Roberts, who urged The Jersey Journal to note that he has been "happily married" for 20 years. "When I walk down the street, from the look of things, they're all having a good time."
Jersey City was the only city in the state to make the survey's top 80.
Several customers interviewed yesterday at Dorrian's, a bar in the Newport section of Jersey City, seemed surprised by the ranking.
"I was shocked," said Joe Plessner, who was having a drink there after work last night.
Another patron, Sandy, who asked that her last name not be used, has been in town from Chicago for work for the past week.
"I've seen plenty of cute guys, but I've been tied down with work so I haven't met any of them," she said, adding diplomatically, "I think there are great people everywhere."
Though Jersey City's relatively high ranking as a singles Mecca may surprise some, demographic conditions in Hudson County are ripe for success.
With the county's high population density - 13,046.6 people per square mile - and high percentage of singles - 56 percent of county residents over 15 are unmarried or separated, compared to 47 percent nationally, according to the 2000 Census - its relatively high ranking makes more sense.
"I'm glad folks are having fun and finding good company here in Jersey City," said Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy in a written statement.
"This city has a lot to offer with its diverse community, great waterfront development and scenery, and its proximity to New York City. There are definitely a lot of attractive things to find and look forward to here in Jersey City."
His press secretary, Maria Pignataro, an attractive, 30-something brunette, wasn't so sure.
"That survey's crazy," she said. "Listen, I'm single, and I don't meet anyone here."
Survey ranks it 11th in the nation for sensational singles scene; NYC is 18th
Thursday, February 10, 2005
By Molly Bloom
Journal staff writer
Forget New York. Jersey City is the town that puts the "city" in "Sex in the City," according to a recent survey by Sperling's Best Places, a company that rates cities in various categories.
Jersey City is one of the best American cities for singles, ranked 11th, seven places ahead of New York City, according to the Sperling survey.
In the survey, which was commissioned by the AXE deodorant company, the best place to have a "good time" is Austin, Tex., which has the nation's highest percentage of 18-to 24-year-olds with money to burn on dates and drinks.
Sperling's "America's Best and Worst Cities for Dating" survey used 24 criteria to come up with its list of 80 cities, including population density, percentage of singles, frequency of hooking up, number of dating venues such as coffee shops and bars, and number of intimate
apparel stores and flowers and jewelry bought as gifts, the company said.
"It seems that Downtown Jersey City has a pretty close-knit group of people," said Michael Buzon, a bartender at L.I.T.M., a Downtown bar. "Every city's got beautiful people and every city's got ugly people. I've seen more brush-offs than I've seen people go home together."
Hoboken, with its high concentration of young, single professionals, didn't make the top 80, which surprised its mayor, David Roberts.
"From what I can observe, I don't think it can get much better than Hoboken for singles," said Roberts, who urged The Jersey Journal to note that he has been "happily married" for 20 years. "When I walk down the street, from the look of things, they're all having a good time."
Jersey City was the only city in the state to make the survey's top 80.
Several customers interviewed yesterday at Dorrian's, a bar in the Newport section of Jersey City, seemed surprised by the ranking.
"I was shocked," said Joe Plessner, who was having a drink there after work last night.
Another patron, Sandy, who asked that her last name not be used, has been in town from Chicago for work for the past week.
"I've seen plenty of cute guys, but I've been tied down with work so I haven't met any of them," she said, adding diplomatically, "I think there are great people everywhere."
Though Jersey City's relatively high ranking as a singles Mecca may surprise some, demographic conditions in Hudson County are ripe for success.
With the county's high population density - 13,046.6 people per square mile - and high percentage of singles - 56 percent of county residents over 15 are unmarried or separated, compared to 47 percent nationally, according to the 2000 Census - its relatively high ranking makes more sense.
"I'm glad folks are having fun and finding good company here in Jersey City," said Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy in a written statement.
"This city has a lot to offer with its diverse community, great waterfront development and scenery, and its proximity to New York City. There are definitely a lot of attractive things to find and look forward to here in Jersey City."
His press secretary, Maria Pignataro, an attractive, 30-something brunette, wasn't so sure.
"That survey's crazy," she said. "Listen, I'm single, and I don't meet anyone here."
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