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I am moving from FL to PA/NJ (haven't decided yet) to attend Thomas Jefferson University. I have been looking at living in Philly but have recently opened up my search to the NJ side, particularly Collingswood. I have read a lot of threads on here that have recommended the area, and it doesn't seem too bad of a commute to TJU 5 days a week. I do have a couple of questions I was hoping you guys could answer though:
- How good/bad is the parking situation at the PATCO station in Collingswood? I have been looking at places walking distance to the station but wouldn't mind expanding my search a little further if I could feel confident that I wouldn't have a problem with parking each morning. Many of my classes will begin by 9am M-F, so prime morning rush time. In your experience, do you think I'll struggle with parking at this station each morning?
- My next question is pretty general, but I'm just looking for any recommendations for apartment communities in the Collingswood/Cherry Hill area (preferably within a few miles of the PATCO station). I have checked out a couple of them online (Metropolitan - which seems nice but they don't have much availability and the Lumberyard - the reviews online are not so great). Anyone have experience with these places or can recommend any others?
You are right that the commute isn't bad. You can basically get to TJU in 15-20 minutes.
Parking can be an issue in Collingswood sometimes, but if that happens you can always go 5 minutes down the road to the Westmont stop where there's almost always parking available. For apartments in the area you need to use craigslist or a local realtor. Main Street Realty does a lot of Collingswood apartment listings. I'd check them out.
I agree with the above poster. If you find parking is tight at the Collingswood PATCO station, you can easily use the Westmont station which is about a mile down the road and has plenty of parking. It is a very easy commute into Center City taking PATCO - I do it every day. As for apartments, you might want to check out Towers of Windsor in Cherry Hill. We looked at them and they are very spacious and include all utilities. The location is great...close to all the shopping in Cherry Hill and only about a 10 minute ride to the Westmont PATCO station. They have a community pool as well.
Thank you both for the information! I hadn't even considered the Westmont Station. Since it isn't so far, that may be the station I commute from. Thanks!
I've looked into some places in Cherry Hill and like how much more space I can get than I could have gotten in Philadelphia, so I'm strongly considering a few places there. I did look into Towers of Windsor but unfortunately they don't have any units available with washer/dryer and that's a must for us! Thanks for the recommendation though!
Seems like I'm down to Cherry Hill Towers and Burrough's Mill for now. If anyone has any insight on those, I'd appreciate it. Otherwise, I'll still take any recommendations!
You definitely can get more space in NJ, but it also depends on what kind of life you want to have while at TJU. If you want the true city experience, you have one of the best downtown neighborhoods in the US in Center City, Phialdelphia. If space and quiet are more important to you, you may enjoy NJ more. I think if you're in the city, you will find yourself doing more things with classmates and being more social because the on and off-campus opportunities are at your door stop versus a train ride away. That's not to say everyone in NJ is not sociable, it's just you may have to commute to meet up with classmates. If you're more of a homebody (e.g. married, etc.), you may prefer the space and relative convenience of NJ.
Regarding the apartment complex, the Lumberyard is the most walkable option in Collingswood. You can walk to all of the restaurants, coffee shops, and events in Collingswood, plus the complex has a relatively younger population living there. It's a brand new building, and my mom has a condo/townhouse across the street in the older building. It's very nice and a luxury building compared to many of the other things you'll see in the area (because they are older).
You definitely can get more space in NJ, but it also depends on what kind of life you want to have while at TJU. If you want the true city experience, you have one of the best downtown neighborhoods in the US in Center City, Phialdelphia. If space and quiet are more important to you, you may enjoy NJ more. I think if you're in the city, you will find yourself doing more things with classmates and being more social because the on and off-campus opportunities are at your door stop versus a train ride away. That's not to say everyone in NJ is not sociable, it's just you may have to commute to meet up with classmates. If you're more of a homebody (e.g. married, etc.), you may prefer the space and relative convenience of NJ.
Regarding the apartment complex, the Lumberyard is the most walkable option in Collingswood. You can walk to all of the restaurants, coffee shops, and events in Collingswood, plus the complex has a relatively younger population living there. It's a brand new building, and my mom has a condo/townhouse across the street in the older building. It's very nice and a luxury building compared to many of the other things you'll see in the area (because they are older).
Good luck.
Thanks so much for the insight! I'm hoping to give NJ a shot (since the price is much cheaper and I am trying to limit how many student loans I take out). I'm still open to both areas however. It seems what it's most going to come down to is price and availability. I'm actually really interested in the Lumberyard despite the online reviews, however it doesn't seem like they have availability for my time frame. They have 1 apartment available in the next month and it's way out of my price range. So I'm still on the hunt, unfortunately.
Thanks so much for your post! Gives me some things to think about
If you aren't locked into complex's, I would suggest looking on craigslist and zillow and there are plently of rowhomes or smaller houses in Collingswood/Westmont that could work for you and save you from possibly driving to train to boot.
Good luck.
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They have 1 apartment available in the next month and it's way out of my price range. So I'm still on the hunt, unfortunately. 
