1. Newarkers Are Loud And Proud About Their City
Newark—and New Jersey in general—gets a lot of bad press for God knows what reason. This is something pretty much all Newarkers resent with a passion!
Newarkers are pretty much amazing people with an amazing city. And Newarkers are some of the loudest, proudest New Jerseyans around. They’ve made it their life mission in life to convince the world that Newark is the best place to live. And if you don’t want to believe it, that’s your problem!
2. You Always Know Where You Stand With A Newarker
When a Newarker likes you, they treat you like gold. They’ll offer complete strangers tours of the city. If they find out someone’s a newcomer, they’ll buy them a beer and give them a list of great places to hang out. If someone messes with you, a Newarker will have your back like no one ever has before. Overall, Newarkers have a ton of heart.
That being said: if you get on a Newarkers bad side, there’s absolutely no coming back from it.
3. True Newarkers All Hold A Grudge Against The Nets—And Brooklyn
Remember that beautiful, fleeting moment when the Nets started playing at the Prudential Center in Newark and Newarkers were sure they’d stay in Newark forever and ever? Yeah, no. That didn’t last.
The Nets, used to be a New Jersey team but then evil Brooklyn “stole the team” right out from under Newark. I mean, let’s be real, Newarkers already held a grudge against Brooklyn—and against most New Yorkers in general— for looking down on New Jersey. But when they took the Nets, that was the last straw.
4. Folks In Newark Are Giant Deli Snobs
Newarkers know their delis. There are a ton of amazing delis in Newark that are far better than anything you could find in NYC. Newark delis represent so many different cultures, with Italian and Portuguese definitely dominating the Newark deli scene.
Everyone know’s Hobby’s, a famous deli that any true Newarker will tell you is the best deli in the world: it is home of the operation salami drop, after all.
5. People Here Know Compared To Newark Pizza, Everything Else Is Soggy Cardboard
Let’s be real: Newark has the best pizza. Any Newarker will tell you that New York and Chicago have nothing on Newark when it comes to pizza.
The pizza slices are as big as your face, but that doesn’t matter because a real Newarker can eat the whole pie in one sitting. Best places to get pizza are Dickie Dee’s or Robert’s.
6. Folks In Newark Ride Or Die For The Jersey Devils
The fandom around the Devils is by far one of the strongest fan-followings on the East Coast when it comes to professional sports—people will face paint, buy Devils paraphernalia up the wazoo, and shout all day about how ridiculous it is that anyone in Jersey would ever even consider rooting for the Philadelphia Flyers. What can we say?
Newarkers have a lot of pride—and their sports teams are no exception.
7. Newarkers Have Seen Every Single Episode Of “The Sopranos”
The Italian-American influence in Newark is obvious to pretty much everyone and anyone. So when the hit television series, “The Sopranos,” began filming in the Newark area, it was pretty much absorbed into a Newarker’s identity.
You’ll meet many a Newarker who likes to brag about that time they were an extra on “The Sopranos” or that time they met James Gandolfini in a bar or that time they used their neighborhood for a set.
Basically, Newarkers feel a sense of ownership over the show. No, Newarkers are not all part of the mob—but they sure as heck like bragging about the show!
8. Newarkers Are Experts In The Awesomeness Of Portuguese Food
A large percentage of Newark’s population is Portuguese. In the Ironbound neighborhood the population of Portuguese people is roughly 40 percent. So, the culture (and food) of Newark is heavily influenced by Portuguese culture.
A neighborhood favorite is Teixeira Bakery, which is known for having the best pasteis de natas, which are delicious, Portuguese custard pies. You can’t leave Newark without trying one—the city is obsessed.
9. Everyone In Newark Has Accepted That Driving To Work Is No Walk In The Park
Newarkers try to have a positive attitude about their morning commute. They’ll tell you: “We’re used to it” or, “it’s just the way it is!” or “It’s OK that it takes 40 minutes to drive 5 blocks…”
But really? Really, Newarkers? It’s really OK to have to deal with jughandles, getting the finger every five minutes?
Yeah, no. About 37 percent of Newark’s population has a commute of 30 minutes or more to get to work…and the majority of that time is spent sitting in bumper to bumper traffic with everyone yelling in Italian or Portuguese and banging their heads on their steering wheels.
10. To Newarkers, There's No Alternative To The Alt Bar Scene
The highest rated bars in Newark are the alternative bars—the ones that have wacky theme parties, play alternative music, and bring in the strangest crowds.
Hell’s Kitchen Lounge and QXT are just two of the most popular alt bars in Newark. Hell’s Kitchen’s famous glow burlesque show or QXT’s “Halloween in July Event” are just some of the crazy, fun events that Newarkers love to enjoy.
What can we say? If there’s one thing Newarkers are known for, it’s being unique!
