It's a common sentiment among those in Independence Harbor. They share an affinity for the Hudson but little else with earlier generations of Edgewater residents who worked at the hulking factories that once defined a gritty waterfront, or the shad fishermen celebrated by New Yorker writer Joseph Mitchell. The new arrivals occupying gated communities arising seemingly overnight along River Road are largely young, professional couples fleeing high rents and cramped apartments or older couples who have traded the empty nest for low-maintenance flats near the city. Many who work in Manhattan commute via the ferry from Weehawken, bypassing bridge and tunnel traffic. Yet even those who praise the views and amenities of condominium life say there can also be drawbacks.
Parents complain there are few children for their sons and daughters to play with.
And with turnover common, the complexes lack the sense of stability and community found in the older, less-polished parts of town. You don't walk the streets of Edgewater. It's more like a place to come home to. Yet when they emerge from the cavernous garage folded into the center of their complex, it is difficult for Independence Harbor residents to miss the signs of change surrounding them. Crews have just broken ground on an assisted-living center next door.