Definition of Community-Identification and History
Jersey City is in the Hudson County of New Jersey State and it part of the New York metropolitan. It is the largest and the capital the City of Hudson County, and the second largest city in New Jersey. The history of the city runs back to the 17th century when it was inhabited by the Lenape people, an East Asian community that migrated to the Unites States. Jersey City acts as a transit center for manufacturing companies in New York due to the availability of the waterfront, and the population is highly mixed as a result of a grown downtown that connects with Manhattan. The population peaked in the 1930’s when the manufacturing sector was booming, but a steep decline followed that saw people move away from the city to other parts of America (Mcginn, 1981). The population dropped from the excess of 300,000 to less than 200,000, a trend that turned around in the 21st century, starting a moment of continuous growth. The railroad system underground tunnels influenced the growth of the manufacturing industries in New Jersey and New York.
Demographics
Jersey City has a population of 262,146 residents, according to the 2014 census results. The population consists of 48.9% men and 51.1% female, showing an almost equal distribution between the two genders. The positioning of the city near the Atlantic and the downtown Manhattan makes it a very diverse place compared to the larger area of the New Jersey state. The whites are the majority, but only form 37% of the population while blacks and Asians form 24% of the population each, with other ethnicities forming the rest of the population. The high level of immigration is shown by the fact that 40% of the people in New Jersey are foreign born, meaning that they migrated to the city from other parts of the world.
The positioning of the city as a transit point for slaves is shown by the high numbers of blacks and Hispanic people. Due to the differences in economic empowerment, and suspected historical disenfranchisements, Jersey City has one of the highest rates of the poverty level in the US, with a fifth of the population living in poverty. The portion of the population with Bachelor’s degree is below the national average at 41% despite the fact that 85% of the population clears high school. Compared to national statistics, the number of people without college diplomas and bachelor’s degree is very high, and it might be one of the main contributing factors to the level of poverty.
Close to three-quarters of the population in Jersey City lives in rented apartments while the rest of the population owns houses. The population is on a steady growth, and Jersey is expected to beat Newark and become the biggest city in New Jersey by the end of 2016 (Kaysen, 2016). The growth is fueled by a high rate of growth in the labor opportunities and affordable housing in downtown Manhattan. The high number of employment is confirmed by the low rate of unemployment despite low levels of education, as only 8.8% of the residents of Jersey City are unemployed according to national statistics in 2013.
Close to 40% of homes in Jersey City does not own a car or a private means of transport, a factor that contributes to the high level of public transport, where 47% of people go to work for the use of public transport. Almost nine in every ten people have a computer in their homes, and eight of them have an active broadband internet connection. The average income for households in Jersey City is $81, 246 while most of the people earn around $51,000 annually, showing a high level of inequalities. Overall, Jersey City has a very young population, with the mean age being 33 years. The whole population lives in 100,000 housing units while an estimated 11,000 housing units are vacant (Gov Data, 2014).
A fifth of the employee's residents of Jersey City are employed in the social sector; educational services, healthcare, and social assistance. Professionals in the areas of management administration and scientific research form 15% of the total employed population while the rest of the people are distributed in the other industries like finance, insurance and real estate (13%), retail trade (10%), transportation, warehousing and utilities (9%) and entertainment and recreation (9%). Less than 1% of the population works in the agricultural industry, a testament to the high level of urbanization in Jersey City.
Comparing Jersey City demographic data with the rest of the Unites States of America, key differences emerge. First, the composition of the population of Jersey City regarding diversity and distribution differs with the national numbers. In America, white people (alone) form 60% of the population while in Jersey City they are only 37% of the total population, showing that there is no one particular dominant ethnic community in Jersey City. The percentage of people with a high school diploma is 86% in the United States, closely comparable with the 85% in Jersey City while the national poverty level is 14% compared to Jersey’s 20%.
The differences between Jersey City and the rest of the United States reveal trends that are deeply elongated in the cultural dynamics of the United States. For instance, racial differences reveal major inequalities in the way the resources are distributed in the population. In addition to the nature of Jersey City as a point of entry for people coming from different parts of the world, its historical standing and positioning favor its multiethnic population. Jersey developed as a trade center, and that is revealed by the fact that most of the people work in the professional service industries like finance, administration and retail trade, as compared to the rest of America where a large number of people work in other industries like agriculture and technology.
Windshield survey
Driving around the streets of Jersey City, several observations come up concerning health. People with physical disabilities still struggle to get to have supporting facilities like wheelchairs and walking sticks. In the local health centers, most of the patients have complaints that relate with lifestyle illnesses like diabetes and blood pressure related illnesses. Cancer patients do not access adequate attention especially when they come from poor backgrounds. Many not-for-profit organizations have set base in downtown Manhattan in the black and Hispanic communities to offer support and counsel to patients suffering from lifestyle illnesses and other conditions that require a lot of resources to manage and treat.
Mentally related illnesses are common in the downtown, and most of the patients are victims of drug abuse. Also, the attention given to mental disorders is minimal, and the streets have the random cases of bipolar patients on the run. Other observable health concerns are the sparse distribution of well-equipped health centers among the poor neighborhoods and the inner city, a factor that makes it hard for the low-income earners to access quality healthcare. The gap is filled by certified practitioners who charge high fees for the treatment of regular illnesses like fever and flu. On the other hand, the uptown Jersey has decent and highly efficient medical and health care facilities that serve the middle-class population. As noted in the previous section, the level o economic inequality is very high in Jersey, a factor that creates a strong divide between the rich and privileged compared with the poor and disenfranchised.
Representation
Jersey has a city government led by a mayor, Steven Fulop. The office of the Mayor ensures that the city is well run; with clean water, efficient transport system, and emergency services. The fire response unit falls under the City Council establishment, and the mayor is voted by the residents. The Mayoral office also takes charge of policies that affect the attractiveness of the city to potential investors and tourists, by ensuring that businesses are regulated and that there is sufficient security. Emergent issues like LGBT rights are managed from the mayoral office, and the current Mayor Steven Fulop has worked had to ensure that the rights of individuals are respected without regard to sexual affiliation, race, religion or creed.
Jersey City is in Hudson County in the New Jersey State that has two senators from the Democratic Party. The County is represented in the house of congress by Donald Payne Jr, and it is the 10th congressional district. The diversity of Hudson County and the Jersey City makes it a liberal environment that supports the Democratic wing of US politics. That means in the forthcoming elections most of the people in Jersey will be voting for Hilary Clinton over Donald Trump. Though, there are other people who are keen on supporting the Republic party in a push to defend the status quo and conservative policies.
Vital Statistics
In 2017, 997 live births were recorded in Jersey City against 784 deaths in the same period. The average age at death was 80 and 73 for women and men, respectively. Cancer is the number one cause of death (38%) with circulatory diseases like Stroke and heart disease cause 25% of the deaths. Respiratory diseases such as influenza and pneumonia contribute to 9% of the deaths in Jersey City. The rate of infant mortality is at 12 infant deaths for every 1000 live births (Jersey, 2016).
Looking at the vital statistics, it is evident that Jersey City has a healthy population that has a life expectancy above the national average. Most people die of lifestyle illnesses and other diseases like cancer and influenza. Circulatory diseases lead to deaths of many aging people, raising questions about the ability of the healthcare industry to respond to the high rates of deaths resulting from illnesses that are caused by factors beyond the control of the people in Jersey. The stats also reveal the helplessness of the healthcare industry to curb the threat of cancer and the need for the government to intervene by enacting laws that promote the selling of safe foods for human consumption.
Health Statistics
Jersey City has 5.33 violent crimes in every 1000 people compared to 2.61 crimes in other parts of New Jersey State. AIDS is the most prevalent communicable disease in Jersey while Hepatitis C was the second most common disease (Neighborhood Scout, 2016). Other communicable diseases border around the use of contaminated needed and food poisoning. Overall, 52,000 people get infected with communicable diseases in New Jersey every year (Livio, 2015). The rates of chronic diseases are common in Jersey City, but data was not available.
Community leader interview
For the purpose of this paper, Robson Schwartz, a resident of Jersey of African descent was interviewed. Robson works as a social worker for a not-for-profit organization in downtown Manhattan. He explained his general opinions about the challenges that face the city, and the increasing numbers of homeless people. Robson says that most young people from the downtown feel left out by the economic system, and the existence of gangs offers them an outlet for their frustrations and that is the main reason for the high levels of crime.
He also noted that health facilities are inadequate in the poor neighborhood, resulting in unnecessary deaths as poor households cannot afford health services from the established institutions. Also, most people do not have health insurance, a factor that weighs down the access to healthcare services. Heroin is the most prevalent drug in Jersey, and it has led to the death of many young people below the age of twenty years. He noted that the government medical plan for poor and less privileged people has helped to ease out the burden of health care among poor households and the unemployed people.
Community Diagnosis
The Jersey City community in Hudson County is a very diverse metropolitan society that grapples with challenges of urbanization and related social issues. The high levels of unemployment and poverty produce a large population of secluded people who do not have access to basic health services and medical insurance. Also, the high numbers of foreigners provide a culture shock when the newcomers cannot find a job or place to live, resulting to homelessness, a factor that exposes people to health risks.
The low rate of movement from high school to colleges and universities increases the chances that the young people of Jersey will not access lucrative employment opportunities. That leads to a high concentration of the minimum wage jobs and other short-term contracts, reducing the ability to access high-quality health services. The population is fairly young, at a mean age of 33 years, leading to an oversupply of labor as most people in this age bracket are actively looking for opportunities to make a living.
The collapse of the manufacturing industry left many people without a job, and the reaction was to shift to other sectors like construction. However, that sector does not offer the people a chance to earn good salaries, and, too, it does not open many opportunities to absorb the fairly uneducated population. That leaves Jersey with the challenge of dealing with a frustrated population that is secluded by the economy, a factor that leads to increasing in the number of violent crimes.
References
Bureau, U. C. (2016, August 25). Census.Gov. Retrieved August 26, 2016, from http://www.census.gov/en.html
Gov Data, C. of J. (2014). Data. Retrieved August 26, 2016, from http://www.jerseycitynj.gov/data.aspx?id=14948
Jersey, S. of. (2016). Health statistics. Retrieved August 26, 2016, from http://www.gov.je/Government/JerseyInFigures/Health/Pages/Health.aspx#anchor-1
Kaysen, R. (2016, June 20). Jersey City: Growing, with many personalities. Real Estate. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/12/realestate/jersey-city-growing-with- many-personalities.html
Livio, S. (2015, June 18). The ten diseases N.J. Residents are most likely to catch. Retrieved August 26, 2016, from http://www.nj.com/healthfit/index.ssf/2015/06/what_are_the_most_common_communica ble_diseases_in.html
Mcginn, B. (1981). Rome: Profile of a City, 312–1308. By Richard Krauthammer. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1980. Xvi + 389 pp. $16.50. Church History, 50(03), 331. Doi: 10.2307/3167325
Neighborhood Scout, L. (2016). Jersey City crime rates and statistics. Retrieved August 26, 2016, from https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/nj/jersey-city/crime/
