Ep. 066 - The PATH to the 201: Jersey City with Patrick Mason
Exploring the Allure of Jersey City with Longtime Resident Patrick Mason
In this episode of Skip Town All Stars, hosts James and Denise sit down with their longtime friend Patrick Mason to discuss life in Jersey City, New Jersey. Patrick attended Youngstown State University with James in Ohio, and later moved to the New York City area where he has lived for over 25 years.
After briefly working at a small TV station in Georgia, Patrick returned to Ohio and landed a job at a CBS affiliate in Youngstown. However, after the station was sold he decided to look for opportunities elsewhere. In 1998, at age 25, Patrick made the move to northern New Jersey to work at News 12 New Jersey. He opted to live in the charming town of Hoboken, just across the river from Manhattan.
Why Hoboken? Patrick fell in love with the small town charm and picturesque historic brownstones. He made close friends at neighborhood bars and music venues like the iconic Maxwell’s, which famously hosted secret shows by bands like Nirvana and Beck in the 90s. However, as Hoboken became increasingly gentrified in the 2000s, Patrick yearned for a little more grit and edge.
So in 2009 he relocated to downtown Jersey City, which was just starting to emerge as a hot neighborhood at the time. James and Denise ask what drew Patrick to Jersey City after over a decade in Hoboken. He explains that an enclave of artists had set up shop in Jersey City, creating a cool, offbeat vibe similar to Hoboken in the 90s. Plus, Jersey City offered more space at lower rents, at least at that time.
The hosts also get Patrick's take on how events like 9/11 impacted the Jersey City area. He notes that many New Yorkers moved across the river in search of more space, lower rents, and access to Manhattan without directly living there. This influx fueled massive new development, which has made parts of Jersey City some of the most expensive areas in the U.S. today. Rents in downtown Jersey City now rival and even exceed parts of Manhattan.
Patrick has continued working in TV news production, including a stint at Good Morning America which garnered him two Emmy awards. He’s currently a Managing Editor at WPIX 11 in New York. He still enjoys city living, but keeps a car to have easy access to grocery stores and for trips back to Ohio to visit family. While Patrick has an up-close view of the downsides of city life like limited parking and the summer heat, he remains a longtime fan of the vibrant culture and energy of the NYC metro area.
Other highlights of the episode include:
· Patrick's experience living in Jersey City on 9/11 and how the tragedy impacted the area
· How the diversity of Jersey City contributes to an incredible food scene
· Patrick's take on whether Jersey City can still be considered a suburb and how it differs from living in Manhattan
· The lack of sprawling grocery stores and suburban conveniences in NYC metro neighborhoods
· Patrick's love of the arts and music scene throughout the Jersey City/Hoboken/NYC area over the past few decades
· The importance Patrick places on staying connected with friends and family back in Ohio
This episode offers a personal perspective on Jersey City's evolution from a guest who witnessed the changes firsthand over 25+ years. Patrick's deep connections to the area make him the perfect guide for this journey back in time and look at present-day life across the river from NYC.
10 Hudson County, NJ Statistics
Population of Hudson County is 676,061 as of 2020 census data.
Jersey City is the most populous city in Hudson County with 288,032 residents.
28.4% of county residents are foreign born.
Median household income is $64,704.
As of 2021, home prices average $545,000 in Hudson County.
Kearny has the most industrial acreage of any municipality in the county.
Liberty State Park in Jersey City covers 1,212 acres along the Hudson River.
There are 4,365 registered businesses in Hudson County.
90.2% of the adult population graduated high school.
Hudson County has 13 miles of waterfront along the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay.
10 Broadcast News Industry Statistics
In 2021, only 34% of U.S. adults said they had "a great deal" or "quite a lot" of trust in mass media like TV news. (Pew Research Center)
The typical salary for a news anchor is $44,570 per year. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Employment of news analysts, reporters and journalists is projected to decline by 8% from 2020 to 2030 as media continues moving online. (BLS)
In 2020 the TV news audience was aged 56+ on average. (Pew Research)
Many news watchers feel worn out by coverage according to a 2019 Knight Foundation study.
In 2020, nearly half of U.S. adults got news from TV often or sometimes. (Pew Research)
Local TV news employs 27,400 broadcasters in the U.S. (BLS)
The typical education needed for a news anchor job is a bachelor's degree.
In 2021 the market was dominated by 7 large corporations that control most local news outlets. (Brookings)
News anchor was voted one of the worst jobs in America by CareerCast in 2017.