The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-10-07
IMPROVING Old bergen
The New BouleVard's Great
Benefits to That
Vicinity.
PROPERTY VALUES ADVANCED.
Isolated Sections Brought Into Close
Communication with the City
"A Picturesque Driveway.
PROPERTY VALUES ADVANCED.

All improvements OF great and lasting
benefits move slow. IL is many years
since the question OF a grand magnificent
boulevard extending the entire length OF
the county from Bergen Point to the
Bergen County line was first preached.
Many were the efforts made to bring
about such a much needed improvement,
but. owing to various causes. nothing
ever came Of the movement until a few
years age when a number of public
spirited men took up the suhjsct with a
vim and resolution which ave accom-
pllshed beneficial results. Ths various
steps which were taken at Trenton and
in this county to make the road an &C.
complished fact are we'll known to the
citizens of this county and all ara graft
fed at this time to know that q large
portion OF the road is already built aud
the remainder IL being rapidly pushed
forward to completion.
with the exception of the paving and
a few flushing touches the Bergen Sec
ton of the road is now completed from
the end of the Bayonne section to the cut
Of the Pennsylvania Railroad. with the
exception OF the bridge across the cut Of
the Newark and New York Railroad. Gu
the north OF the Pennsylvania cut work
men are hard at work rapidly extending
the construction of the Boulevard north
ward. Even at this day the road is in a
fit condition for driving from Bergen
Point to the Pennsylvania cut aud every
pleasant afternoon it is comparatively
crowded with %equipages OF all descrlp.
tions, which shows how welcome the
road, even in Its present state OF incom-
pletion Is TO the residents OF the county.
s long without a first class driveway. r.
BERGEN SECTION BENEFITED.
Whatever the worst grumbler may
have to say of the utility OF the Boule-
yard and the actual benefits it will do
the county, there can be no doubt in the
mind of any reasonable man that the
Bel ~ section will immensely I'm
prove that quarter of Jersey City
and be Of great benefit to the property
owners OF that euttre section of the city
which lies between Bsrgsu aud West
Side avenues. and the two railroad cuts
on the north and south. This, of course,
is equally applicable to the section south
of the Newark and New York cut. and
north of the cut Of the Pennsylvania
Company. Every one who has watched
the growth Of Jersey City and the rapid
manner IN which it has spread. knows
that this section Is essentially u resi-.
dental quarter.
Railroads. factories, warehouses and
other business enterprises have been
gradually encroaching upon the best
residential portions of old Jersey City
and driving our citizens to seek
homes on the Heights. Sections
which a few years ago. were farms and
truck gardens traversed by lanes aud
narrow roads are now laid out into
blocks, crossed and recrossed by broad
streets and avenues. paved u severed
aud lighted by gas aud electricity. The
4 nld farrN hnr1cnd AFN nr1r
rounded by kitchen gardens and fields OF
g~rowinR,grain, nave given place to pala-
tial residence standing In the midst of
plots made beautiful by the landscape
gardeners art, n screened from
the view Of the street by large stately
shade trees. Picturesque cottages for the
men OF moderate incomes also abound In
this section, and nature aud modern in
genuity have conspired to make it a most
delightful section to live in.
ERRATIC STREET LINES.
Rapidly as this section has grown, it has
by no means advanced as it should.
Several causes have tended to retard its
progress. one of the most potent of which
has been It's inacceSIbility. The lack of
transportation facilities has had much to
do with that. but not everything by any
means Much of Its renotsness was
caused by the manner in which it was
laid out. No regular system seems to
tave been observed 10 running its streets,
and everyone acquainted with the local
ity Is of the opinion there IL no munich
pality In the county which has more
streets. ues aud places which begin
no whore and end nowhere han the Ber-
gen section of Jersey City. OLD resi-
dents say this was caused by the
descendants of the thrifty old settlers.
Whenever they saw the city approaching
their farms, with their eye on the legal
tender of the government. they would
run q small street about q block long
through the least productive part of their
farms and push up some houses on it.
When this was done they would find the
city rapidly drawing near them from aus
other and opposite direction, aud they
regard, mathemarically or otherwise, to
any other block they had laid out, and
thus, when the entire farm was cut up
into city lots, some pretty cratic survey
ing had to be done to keep q man from
finding his house in his neighbours back
yard.
Everyone who has had occasion to
walk from Bergen to West Side avenue
in this section has formed u soIrowful
acquaintance with those long weary
blocks which. according TO the mar,
are about two thousand feet long and to
the mind of the pedestrian w Thousand
miles. AS was natural, such long blocks
were difficult to reach. II a man lived In
the centre or beyond he had u weary
walk from the corner of the street when
he left the cars. to his home. Then
again the western ends, of some of
these streets were beginning to degener-
ate owing to their inaccessibility. Start
ing from Bergen avenue. broad, beauti-
full avenues built up with INTELLECTUALLY
beautiful mansions, they are be.
ginning to taper of grssni
with small, u%ninviting houses. This was
having a tendency to depreciate property
in that section of the city, which by Its
natural position is bound to become one
of the most beautiful aud desirable places
Of residence in the civ.
THE ROADS BENEFITS TO BERGEN.
The new Boulevard has remedied this
runs almost through the centre of this
two. Property, which was heretofore OF
ity, ia now held at prices beyond lis own
who was formerly a long distance
himself at or near the corner
the most beautiful avenue in the city.
ton facilities Of the district. the BGuls.
ward has in q great measure done away
with its inacesslbility. Formerly q man
blocks had to walk either from Bergen or
walk IN either instance: but now he can
4 lr. Fhn M ~ ~ q frnaf n n 4 fhr