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I am looking at moving to the area around the first of the year. I plan to work in Philly, and live in NJ, and need some help deciding on the best area to live. I see some similar threads, but most of them are looking to purchase a home, and I want to rent for now.
Here's my situation:
- Strongly prefer to live in NJ rather than PA. (My family homeschools our children, and NJ is a friendlier state for that.)
- I have children, so I'm looking for a place that is safe and family-friendly. Quality of schools is not relevant to us.
- Looking to rent for a couple of years.
- I do not have a job in Philly yet, so I can't say for certain what our budget will be. However, we are a one-income family, and consider keeping one parent at home to be an absolute must. I am a CPA, so salary is far from minimum wage, but we are also far from wealthy. Basically, we want to find something as inexpensive as possible (while staying in an area that is safe and friendly), so that we can save toward our goal of purchasing a home.
- I would like to commute less than an hour each way. Because I don't yet have a job in Philly, at this point I'm just assuming a commute to Center City. That may change, but at least it gives me an idea of what commutes would be like to the heart of the city.
I'm sure there are many nice places in the area, but I'm hoping some locals can give me opinions about what they think the least expensive place is that would still be safe for a young family who is looking to rent for a couple of years.
Try the areas off the White Horse Pike. One area to look at would be Lindenwold, NJ - you could rent a single family house in a nice neighborhood for REALLY cheap. Commute to Philly is easy using the PATCO or driving. The school system isn't very good, but why pay the higher rent to live in Cherry Hill or Mt. Laurel if you aren't using the schools? Just stay away from the apartment complexes in Lindenwold - stick to the neighborhoods. You could also try areas in Stratford, Somerdale, Hi-Nella, or Magnolia. Those towns have decent schools but are very affordable to live in. Pennsauken has some nice older neighborhoods where you could also live very cheaply, try to stay away from the areas that border Camden, there are some very nice neighborhoods in Pennsauken and although I hear the schools aren't very good, the houses are nice and neighbors seem friendly & quiet.
I would stick to somewhere along the Riverline (Cinnaminson, Riverton, Delran) or the PATCO line (Collingswood, Haddon Twp., or the Woodcrest/Ashland areas of Cherry Hill and Voorhees).
If you are looking to be less than an hour from the city but want to stay in New Jersey, why not look in the Mullica Hill area. Just over the Commodor Barry Bridge. A quaint family area. Quiet streets & park areas for children. Thirty minutes from Center City during traffic time.(most days) Close to Delaware for tax free shopping. I don't necessarily agree with New Jersey being more family friendly than PA. When you do go to buy you will find higher taxes across the board.
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Last edited by FindingZen; 09-28-2010 at 01:48 PM..
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If you are looking to be less than an hour from the city but want to stay in New Jersey, why not look in the Mullica Hill area. Just over the Commodor Barry Bridge. A quaint family area. Quiet streets & park areas for children. Thirty minutes from Center City during traffic time.(most days) Close to Delaware for tax free shopping. I don't necessarily agree with New Jersey being more family friendly than PA. When you do go to buy you will find higher taxes across the board.
wrong. When we were looking to move to SJ, Bucks or Montgomery counties we found the same or even HIGHER taxes for the same priced homes in PA then NJ.
Last edited by FindingZen; 09-28-2010 at 01:49 PM..
Reason: edited out previously deleted portion of quote
I think when you compare the overall value South Jersey generally beats out the Philly burbs and in some cases is just outright cheaper.
As for the Mullica Hill recommendation, well it's a nice area (I live in Logan which is also along 322, but closer to the bridge) but the commute from there to Center City is not easy. I would think you are looking at 1 hour minimum to get into the city, either by driving up 95 or taking 295 to the other bridges or PATCO. As much as I like to rep my area, it's just not as convenient for commuting to the city as Camden County and a lot of areas of Burlington County are.
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