The move from the city, she added, “has been a culture shock, but in the best way.” Neighbors brought over wine and homemade pasta sauce as welcome gifts. And with a full roster of youth sports as well as programs at the library, her 10-year-old son doesn’t lack for activities.
“Everyone works together to make sure the kids are safe, productive and nurtured,” she said. “I feel like my son is in good hands.”
As for the cemetery mere steps from her house? “To me, it’s beautiful,” Ms. Bucasan said. “And because it takes up such a large space, it makes the town feel less crowded.”
What You’ll Find
North Arlington is in southernmost Bergen County, between the Meadowlands and the Passaic River, and two miles south of Route 3, which leads to the Lincoln Tunnel. Its immediate neighbors are larger and more industrial: Belleville, in Essex County, to the west across the river; Lyndhurst, in Bergen County, to the north; and Kearny, in Hudson County, to the south.
Ridge Road, the wide principal thoroughfare and a bus route, is lined with small businesses, including a cluster of monument makers and florists, and is the site of the high school, municipal building, library and Catholic church. The business district’s overall look is utilitarian and tidy, with the mausoleums providing a splash of opulence through the cemetery fence.
The borough employs a part-time quality-of-life officer, who flags matters on public property needing attention, including potholes and cracked foundations. “In order for us to tell a homeowner to maintain their property, it’s hypocritical if we don’t maintain ours,” said Daniel H. Pronti, the mayor.