▁choice ▁in ▁the ▁United ▁States . ▁Many ▁Hob oken ites ▁head ed ▁to ▁the ▁sub ur bs , ▁often ▁the ▁close ▁by ▁ones ▁in ▁Ber gen ▁and ▁Pass a ic ▁Count ies , ▁and ▁real - est ate ▁values ▁decl ined . ▁Hob oken ▁s ank ▁from ▁its ▁earlier ▁inc arn ation ▁as ▁a ▁l ively ▁port ▁town ▁into ▁a ▁rund own ▁condition ▁and ▁was ▁often ▁included ▁in ▁lists ▁with ▁other ▁New ▁Jersey ▁cities ▁experien cing ▁the ▁same ▁phenomen on , ▁such ▁as ▁Pat erson , ▁Elizabeth , ▁Cam den , ▁and ▁neighbor ing ▁Jersey ▁City . ▁ ▁The ▁old ▁economic ▁under p inn ings ▁were ▁gone ▁and ▁nothing ▁new ▁seemed ▁to ▁be ▁on ▁the ▁horizon . ▁Att empt s ▁were ▁made ▁to ▁stabil ize ▁the ▁population ▁by ▁demol ishing ▁the ▁so - called ▁sl ums ▁along ▁River ▁Street ▁and ▁build ▁subs id ized ▁middle - in come ▁housing ▁at ▁Marine view ▁Pla za , ▁and ▁in ▁mid town , ▁at ▁Church ▁Tow ers . ▁He aps ▁of ▁long ▁un collect ed ▁garbage ▁and ▁ro ving ▁pack s ▁of ▁semi - w ild ▁dogs ▁were ▁not ▁un common ▁s ights . ▁Though ▁the ▁city ▁had ▁seen ▁better ▁days , ▁Hob oken ▁was ▁never ▁abandoned . ▁New ▁inf us ions ▁of ▁imm igr ants , ▁most ▁not ably ▁Puerto ▁Ric ans , ▁kept ▁the ▁store front s ▁open ▁with ▁small ▁business es ▁and ▁housing ▁stock ▁from ▁being ▁abandoned , ▁but ▁there ▁wasn ' t ▁much ▁work ▁to ▁be ▁had . ▁Washington ▁Street , ▁commonly