West Side Avenue from Communipaw Avenue down to Lincoln Park and the Hackensack River: a main street of Vietnamese, Haitian, Cuban and Italian kitchens, the largest park in the county at the end of it, a light-rail station, and the Bayfront redevelopment starting on Route 440. The West Side is where Jersey City still sells a house with a driveway near a park.
The West Side is the part of Jersey City that still has a front porch: West Side Avenue, a 273-acre county park with a fountain, the old NJCU campus, and a light rail station at the end of the line. I show homes here but I do not live here, so I built this day from the places locals rate highest, and I am walking it myself. Every place is real. The map is real. Scroll, and I'll walk you through it. Tap any stop for the full story.
The neighborhood coffee shop, a ten-minute walk down West Side Avenue from the park, open seven days from seven. Take the cup back up to the fountain or sit in the window.
A family-run breakfast counter a block up the avenue from the library, in a storefront the neighbors still call the old Chock full o'Nuts. Pancakes, eggs, a bacon-egg-and-cheese done right.
The end of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail's West Side branch, on an embankment at Claremont Avenue with an 800-space park-and-ride across the street. The reason this side of town works without a car.
From here it is a walk to the West Side Avenue light rail station at Claremont Avenue, about 15 minutes on foot down West Side Avenue from the park; trains run toward Newport and Tonnelle Avenue, with a change at Liberty State Park or Jersey Avenue for Exchange Place and Hoboken.
The Italian deli that moved into the Miss America Diner when the diner closed in 2025, so the 1940s diner car on West Side Avenue still serves lunch. Fresh mozzarella pulled daily, hot specials, a sandwich to carry to the park.
A barbershop on the south stretch of the avenue, below the light rail station, that books by phone and takes its time. The errand hour.
The Jersey City library's branch on the avenue, a few blocks from the park, and the free rainy-afternoon hour with small children: toddler story time, puppet shows, a spooky-story contest in October.
A no-frills Vietnamese room on the avenue with a 4.5 rating across hundreds of reviews: bun bo hue, duck and bamboo noodle soup, grilled pork over rice noodles. The early dinner.
A BYOB Cuban and Latin American bistro across the avenue from the old diner, open evenings Wednesday to Sunday. Bring the bottle; the room does the rest.
The dressed-up dinner on the avenue: Haitian and Caribbean cooking from Chef Benel, named for the mother who taught him at nine. Open until midnight Friday and Saturday.
A wood-cabin bar a couple of doors from Bettie's with the burger people cross the city for, cash only, open late. The nightcap, and the reason to skip the fancy dessert.
Nine public holes on the Hackensack side of the park, fescue and dunes under the Pulaski Skyway with the Manhattan skyline behind the greens. Saturday morning, walk it.
Across the footbridge over Route 1/9 Truck, the park turns into marsh: trails through the wetlands, the lake, and the Hackensack River at the far edge. The quietest hour in Jersey City.
Sundays ten to two by the fountain, run by the neighborhood's own volunteers since 2014. Produce, honey, baked goods, and half the block standing around talking.
And back to the circle for the fountain with its 150 lights on. That is the closing argument for this side of town.
Honest footnotes. None of these places pays me or knows I wrote this. I built this West Side day from the places locals rate highest and I am walking it myself — tell me what I missed. Hours change; check before you go.
West Side Avenue from Communipaw Avenue down to Lincoln Park and the Hackensack River: a main street of Vietnamese, Haitian, Cuban and Italian kitchens, the largest park in the county at the end of it, a light-rail station, and the Bayfront redevelopment starting on Route 440. The West Side is where Jersey City still sells a house with a driveway near a park.
The West Side is the western slope of Jersey City, from Communipaw Avenue south to Lincoln Park and west to the Hackensack River and Route 440. West Side Avenue is the spine: a working main street of small restaurants, a branch library, barbershops and delis, with two- and three-family houses and small apartment buildings on the streets either side and the old university campus at the southern end.
Lincoln Park is the reason people stay. It is the largest park in Hudson County, with the fountain circle at West Side and Belmont, ball fields, a running loop, a public golf course on the western section, and marsh trails along the river. The Sunday farmers market sets up by the fountain. Bayfront, the redevelopment of the former Honeywell site on Route 440, is the biggest new housing project in the city and will change the western edge over the next decade.
The commute is the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail from West Side Avenue station, at the south end of the avenue, north to Exchange Place and Hoboken. Buses on West Side Avenue and Communipaw run to Journal Square for the PATH, and Route 440 and the Turnpike extension are right there for drivers.
For buyers this is house territory at prices well below Downtown and Journal Square: two-families with driveways, some detached houses near the park, and older condominiums along the avenue. Investors like the light rail and the rents; families like the park and the yard. I walk the avenue block by block with buyers, because it changes character every few hundred feet.
Best for: families and two-family buyers who want a driveway, a yard and a park, and anyone betting on Bayfront. Harder for: buyers who need a short walk to the PATH or a polished dining strip.
The walk above is a real day in West Side — coffee, the commute, the park, dinner. Answer four questions and it reorders itself around your morning, or open the route map and follow it yourself.
27,073 people live in West Side, where the median age is 33.7 and the average individual income is $33,409.
Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.
There is plenty to do around West Side — shopping, dining, parks and nightlife. The three scores below rate how easy it is to get around without a car.
Walk Score®, Transit Score® and Bike Score® provided by Walk Score.
The places within walking distance — where to eat, shop, train and get a haircut. Tap a row to find it on the map.
| Name | Category | Distance |
|---|
Places and addresses from OpenStreetMap contributors. Distances are straight-line from the centre of West Side. Hours change — check before you go.
Data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Daycare through high school, in or next to West Side. A starting point for comparison — visit before you decide, and call me about catchment lines, which move.
| Name | Type | Grades | Students |
|---|
Public and charter schools from the NCES Common Core of Data; daycare and pre-school locations from OpenStreetMap contributors.
Before you go
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