Welcoming New People

I received the following email message today, headed "Moving to NJ - interested in Newark".

I found your "Resurgence City" website (thank you for having such an informative website available) and I would like to ask you for some information/advice. I do not mean to be intrusive and I hope I am not being a nuisance. I recently accepted a job at Princeton University. I have now started the daunting task of trying to find a place to live. My wife and I would like to move to an area where there's a city-like atmosphere. A friend of mine who studied at Rutgers really talked up the Newark/Jersey City areas. I am completely unfamiliar with both cities as I have never visited NJ. I would like to ask you whether you can point me to neighborhoods in Newark where to find apartments (we are definitely not ready to buy); areas with easy access to public transportation and where you can go places just by walking a few blocks. I have been told that the "Ironbound" and "Down Neck" areas might have what I am looking for. I am open to any other suggestions though. Any information you can provide will be greatly appreciated.
Best regards,
Marcos

I replied:

THE IRONBOUND and "Down Neck" are the same place, different names. "Down Neck" is an older term, "The Ironbound" more common today. The Ironbound is a largely white area of eastern Newark, east of Newark Penn Station, and so called because it is surrounded by railroad lines (NJ has the highest concentration of historical rail lines in the Nation, as it has the highest concentration of people). A friend of mine has an apartment in the Ironbound, and enjoys it.
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Today, the Ironbound is noted for large numbers of businesses (stores, bakeries, restaurants) catering to the area's Portuguese and Brazilian community. But there are other groups as well, in what may be Newark's most ethnically diverse neighborhood. As I was driving my sister from Long Beach, California thru that area this past Sunday on the way to NYC, she commented on the area that it's "cute". It is not as "cute" as some brownstone neighborhoods in places like Hoboken, but it's not as crowded and expensive as Hoboken.
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Jersey City is a peculiar mix of overbuilt and jammed with people, and urban wasteland that is too dangerous for me to be comfortable in. I, however, am prejudiced in favor of Newark.
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Transportation to and from Princeton by train is very easy from Newark Penn Station, in that the main line passes thru both cities. Jersey City is NOT on the main line but IS on the PATH, and depending on how close you are to a bus in Newark or a PATH station in Jersey City, getting to Newark Penn Station from either might be comparable in time.
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Other neighborhoods of Newark than the Ironbound would not have quite the same urban feel and convenience, and it is better to have a car in neighborhoods like mine, Vailsburg, which puts all the conveniences of nearby malls, the Home Depot, etc., at hand.
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Newark should have some kind of government office to field queries like yours. I'll make inquiries of my own to see if there is such a thing. The Newark Public Library was very helpful to me when I was thinking of moving to Newark from NYC, and sent me a transit guide that helped me figure out how to get from place to place by public transportation: http://www.npl.org/.
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I see that your name is Marcos. If you speak Spanish, the North Ward might be congenial. If you speak Portuguese, the Ironbound would be better. If you are Filipino, either would do. There is not yet a large Filipino community in Newark.
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If I can be of more assistance, please let me know. Meanwhile, I'll ask around about other sources of information. Cheers.

So, does anyone know if Newark's city government or the Chamber of Commerce has some kind of office to supply information to people interested in moving to Newark? I suppose this should fall under a department of economic development or the department of the Chamber of Commerce concerned with bringing in people and investment, but any guidance that readers might give would be most appreciated.
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A woman in my office says the commute between Princeton and Newark is not easy, but I just did a station-to-station check at NJTransit and it appears to take about 65 minutes from Newark Penn Station to Princeton, even with a transfer at Princeton Junction. Tho I would not like to have to commute more than an hour each way, a lot of commuters don't regard that as bad at all, especially if they take the time on the train to read the paper, have their morning coffee and a pastry, and make plans for the day. If someone works as an instructor at an educational institution, s/he might use that time to mark papers or prepare the next day's coursework.
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Suggestions, anyone?