It's easy to live next to someone for years and never get past "hello." But there are also plenty of places in New Jersey where neighbors are reaching out to someone from a different culture and making a new friend, a report says.
A survey commissioned by live voice translator Whisperr recently asked 3,024 people living across the United States about how – and where – they've overcome language and culture barriers to develop a new friendship.
The goal? To find the "Best Places for Cross-Cultural Friendships" in 2026. View the full national list here.
There were three locations in New Jersey that stood out, pollsters said. Here's where they ranked nationally:
#37 – Palisades Park – "Korean culture is a defining part of daily life in Palisades Park, where English, Korean and Spanish are all part of the local language landscape. Restaurants, cafés, markets and family-run businesses give the borough a distinctly international feel, while its dense residential streets bring different communities into close proximity. Schools, shopping areas and local services provide constant points of overlap, creating a setting where people from different cultural backgrounds regularly share the same social and commercial spaces."
#43 – Newark (Ironbound neighborhood) – "Portuguese and Brazilian influences have helped shape the Ironbound into one of Newark's most distinctive neighborhoods, with Spanish adding another major strand to the local cultural mix. English, Portuguese and Spanish are all widely represented, reflected in restaurants, bakeries, markets and community businesses. The neighborhood's compact layout and busy streets keep those communities closely connected, while work, nightlife and family life bring a constant flow of people through the area. That energy gives the Ironbound a social fabric where different languages and traditions often overlap naturally."
#52 – Jersey City (Journal Square) – "A major transit hub and one of Jersey City's most internationally connected neighborhoods, Journal Square brings together residents from across South Asia, Latin America and beyond. English, Hindi, Gujarati and Spanish are all part of the local language mix, reflected in restaurants, grocery stores, places of worship and family businesses. With commuters, students and longtime residents moving through the same streets each day, the neighborhood offers constant opportunities for different communities to interact. That mix of mobility and established cultural networks gives Journal Square a particularly layered social character."
Looking to make an out-of-state friend? Here are the top ten places that landed at the top of the list and the languages commonly spoken:
Nationally, nearly half of respondents (48%) said they have developed a close friendship with someone, despite neither person initially speaking the other's first language fluently.
Many of these new relationships are being made on the job, with 53 percent of people saying they have befriended a colleague whose first language differs from their own.
Repetition may explain why relationships are more likely to develop in a work environment, pollsters said.
"For example, colleagues at work get more than one attempt," Whisperr researchers said. "Strangers at community events, however, often do not get another chance to interact, particularly if the first one is awkward."
Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.
Sign up for free local newsletters and alerts for the
Newark Patch
Patch.com is the nationwide leader in hyperlocal news.
Visit Patch.com to find your town today.