Roomster, Roomi, SpareRoom… we’ll stop there before you get overwhelmed by the plethora of websites offering up housing and roommate listings. Great apartments and awesome roomies go faster than hotcakes in the Mile Square. In case you haven’t heard, The Hoboken Girl has their own Real Estate Directory on The Local Girl, a curated + ever-growing list of real estate throughout New Jersey, including Hoboken. If you’re searching for a new house, condo, or rental, or even if you want to list a property, this directory is for you. Other than that, we have created a guide perfect with also other great options when it comes to finding your dream apartment and roommates. Read on for our complete guide to finding apartments and roommates online in Hoboken, New Jersey.
The Local Girl Real Estate Directory
Although not a typical “roommate” finding page, The Local Girl‘s Real Estate Listings Directory Page is a great place to find living accommodations for both residents + newcomers. If you’re looking for a sublet, want to rent your room, or are looking for a temporary rental, there are options for each. Features of the directory of listings include being able to rent, buy, list a property, find a room, and sublet a room — and there are many properties located throughout the Hoboken, Jersey City, NYC, and Northern New Jersey areas to choose from. The properties listed can be sorted by property type, number of bedrooms, minimum + maximum price, and rental versus sale.
Roomster — Top Pick
In this app, you set your location, list your budget, and create a profile to list your interests and wants/needs for a room/mate so you can “stalk” potential roomies, and vice versa, before reaching out. The only downside to Roomster is that you can’t message people for free (there are a few packages to choose from), so if you see a place you really want, the person you’re reaching out to might not see your message, and that rooming option can be lost. But with the paid version, you can message people through Facebook and other social media apps, so you know they’re the real deal.
Read More: Moving to Hoboken? Here Is Everything You Need to Know
SpareRoom — Sublets + Leases
Whether you just moved here or are in limbo when it comes to your next lease, this is the place you to go to get your housing fixed for a short amount of time. And if you’re looking for a longer lease, there are plenty of those too. It’s free, but some listings are “early bird”, meaning that only people who pay a small fee can see them first.
NYC Housing — Temporary Rooms
Here’s a hidden gem many interns rely on for last-minute housing — but it’s also a great option for Hobokenites who are in a pinch. You have to be accepted into these Facebook groups, but it’s by no means exclusive (We’ve never heard of someone getting rejected). While we haven’t looked at any rooms via this method, we have plenty of friends who have found temporary housing here.
Roomi — Least Options
There aren’t too many listings for Hoboken (there are lower Manhattan options and a ton of Brooklyn ones — regardless of your location preferences), but you may find a couple of promising ones in town. The only thing working against you here is timing… so hop to it!
LiveWith — Tinder For Roommates
Whether Tinder makes you cringe or you’re obsessed with the dating app, LiveWith is a lifesaver when it comes to finding compatible roommates. Using the app is easy-breezy. Simply put in your deets, some photos, and your next roommate could be just a few swipes away!
See More: A Step-by-Step Guide to Researching Your Montclair Home
Bonus: More Facebook Groups
Hoboken + North Jersey Roommates Group
This group is dedicated to helping people look for roommates in the Hoboken area and other surrounding Northern New Jersey neighborhoods like Jersey City and Weehawken. Group members can post what details are important to know for potential roommates. These details can include monthly rent, amenities, apartment size, and more.
Hoboken Housing Group
With a specific location basis in Hoboken, this Facebook group allows users to post any available rooms or apartments looking for roommates. However, this group is private which means group members need to be accepted prior to posting as well as searching for potential roommate options.
A Trip to Hoboken’s First Bagel Shop: Hoboken Hot Bagels
Here in New Jersey, there are three major food groups: pizza, pasta, and bagels. Hoboken has always been a frontrunner in the Italian restaurant department, but as recently as the early '80s, the City was without a traditional bagel shop. Hoboken's first, Hoboken Hot Bagels, opened in 1983 and still stands proudly — and relatively unchanged — at 634 Washington Street. The shop was started by Dick Wehr Jr. and is now run by his son, Richard. Richard's daughter, Francesca, is also a Hoboken business owner: a licensed social worker providing mental health counseling through her company Francesca Wehr, LCSW. We caught up with Richard and Francesca to talk about all things Hoboken, bagels, and business-owning. Keep reading to learn more about Hoboken's first bagel shop and the family behind it.
Origin Story
This story begins not with Dick or Richard but with Dick's wife, Jane Milo Wehr. Her father owned Campus Music in Hoboken and the neighboring property at 634 Washington Street. In 1983, Jane's father wanted to sell the property — and noticing a gap in the market, Dick Wehr decided to start a bagel store (Well, technically three. He opened two other stores in New Jersey, too).
Read More: Leo’s Grandevous Italian Restaurant — One of Hoboken’s Oldest Local Eateries
Richard was in high school at the time and was involved in the business from the get-go: baking, helping customers, and supporting his father in any way he could. As he puts it, his dad was the "brains and the money," while Richard was "the muscle."
Ten years later, in 1993, Dick wanted to sell the business and offered it up to Richard. For Richard, it was a no-brainer. He took over the Hoboken location and Ridgefield Park location. He's been in Hoboken ever since.
And like the ownership, not much has changed about Hoboken Hot Bagels since its inception. The recipes are the same ones originated by Dick Wehr and the equipment — including the bagel mixer — was purchased by Dick back in the '80s. Richard says that this old-schooler mixer "makes Hoboken Hot Bagels what they are."
What's On The Menu?
Hoboken Hot Bagels is exactly what you want from a New Jersey bagel shop: no frills, no fancy bells and whistles. Just bagels, cream cheeses (made in-house), breakfast sandwiches, and some chips.
But if there's a standout menu item, it's the everything bagel, which Dick Wehr used to say he invented. Richard doubts this, but Dick certainly invented his own kind of everything bagel. Both sides of the bagel are dipped into the seed mixture, ensuring maximum coverage with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, garlic, onion, and salt. It's very garlicky and very good.
Richard's go-to menu item is the everything bagel with sliced nova, scallion cream cheese, capers, and onions. Francesca, his daughter, is vegan-leaning, so opts for the everything bagel with the onion tofu spread.
HG pro tip: if there's a line outside, stay in it. Richard says this is when the bagels are fresh out of the oven, putting truth to the name Hoboken Hot Bagels.
Generational Impact
The first-hand exposure to running a business undoubtedly impacted Richard, and that impact was passed down to the next generation of Wehrs. Richard's daughter, Francesca is a licensed therapist and runs her own counseling practice here in Hoboken called Francesca Wehr, LCSW.
Mental health services may seem like a far cry from the bagel business (though, bagels are their own form of therapy), but Francesca says her father and grandfather played an instrumental role in her career.
"Seeing my dad run the business made the idea of starting a business seem like something that could be done," Francesca shared. "I saw my dad do it, I saw my grandpa do it, so it was just this natural progression of things. I didn't really think too much about the risks involved — but I learned along the way." For Francesca, it felt like a natural next step in her career; and Hoboken was the natural location.
See More: The Best Bagel Spots in the Montclair Area For Your AM Bagel Run
For Richard, it's the people that make the place. "As I've grown older and been here long enough, you see the new people coming and going — but I still have so many original friends that were here, and are still here," he remarked about owning a business in Hoboken. "It's a wonderful town; people are very friendly."
Hoboken Hot Bagels is open 6AM-2PM every day of the week (except Sundays, when it opens at 7AM). You can order in person or online, and keep up with Hoboken Hot Bagels on Instagram here.
