I lived in Hoboken back in 1993 for about 2 yrs. I lived right above East L.A. Thank god I got out of there.....my liver would never have survived. Fun town when one is in their 20's-30's.
That was a looooong time ago man. LOL. That area has really changed. When I lived in Hoboken, Jersey City was a dump. Then Goldman and I think Merrill or Citi moved over there and the place took off. Park Slope and Brooklyn Heights are nice but insanely expensive now.
Anywhere along the Light Rail from Hoboken to the hospital is not bad. I prefer the Newport area because it is more contained, but prefer to hang in Hoboken. They've completed the waterfront walkway so you can walk back and forth between the two. JC is better if you need doorman (sign packages, etc) but Hoboken is better for nightlife. If you work downtown, it is quicker to get to the office from Hoboken/Newport than from either UES or UWS. Deal breaker for someone from Chicago? Eli lives in North Hobo with the wife and kid and parents.
I didn't even know what Newport was till I looked it up. I'm not sure that was even there 10 years ago besides a few office buildings.