Community Corner

Washington Street Chosen as One of 10 Best in U.S.

The American Planning Association has decided what Hobokenites already know: Washington Street is among the best in the country.

It's time to start walking up and down Washington Street with a little bit more attitude. 

Hoboken's main commercial street has been selected by the American Planning Association to be one of 10 Great Streets for 2010, under the organization's Great Places in America program. 

According to the APA, Washington Street was chosen because of its "affordable housing options and the city's diligent efforts to preserve the street's historic character through design guidelines and adaptive reuse." 

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Stellar views of the Manhattan skyline were also taken into consideration, according to a press release. 

The APA also took the history and transformation of Washington into account when making the determination. The street was determined historic in 1981, according to the APA, and many of the original buildings were added to the National Register of Historic Places, including Yellow Flat, located between 12th and 13th Streets, which is the home of Hetty Green, the first woman to have a substantial influence on Wall Street.

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In 1988 Hoboken required affordable housing in the area, including 140 units of low- to middle-income housing along Washington Street, according to the APA. Today, Washington Street is known for its boutiques, restaurants and bars. 

"Washington Street is Hoboken's historic hub of community activity," said Mayor Dawn Zimmer in a press release. "Unique, independently-owned shops, outdoor cafés, world-class restaurants, and street fairs attract young professionals, families with strollers, joggers, and bicyclists who create a vibrant urban mix of activity and street life."

If you're looking for a place to go with streets just as good as Washington, these are the other nine places that were selected by the APA: Bank Street in Wallace, ID; Wydown Boulevard in Clayton, MO; Broadway Street in Red Lodge, MT; 5th Avenue in San Diego, CA; Middle Street in New Bern, NC; Massachusetts Street in Lawrence, KS; Washington Street in Middleburg, VA; Spring Street in Eureka Springs, AR; and Liberty Street in Franklin, PA.


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