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We are moving to the area, and are looking around for rental homes. I found one that I'm in LOVE with, but it's in Woolwich, which I haven't heard/read much about. Any information would be helpful. Thanks!
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
23,814 posts, read 34,698,410 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sahm2kaitlyne
We are moving to the area, and are looking around for rental homes. I found one that I'm in LOVE with, but it's in Woolwich, which I haven't heard/read much about. Any information would be helpful. Thanks!
Well, I live in Logan, which is the next township over from Woolwich and both are sort of centered on Swedesboro. I daily commute from Logan to Maple Shade which is the next town out from Cherry Hill. My commute is a little over 20 miles and takes about 35 minutes. I used to take the Turnpike, but have recently switched to taking 295 to 130 to 38, this would be the best route for your husband to take as it avoids all the traffic going into Philadelphia. I made the conscious choice to move to that area knowing what the commute would be and based on my neighbors and the parents in the sports leagues, the vast majority of people living there commute to either Philadelphia, Delaware, South Eastern PA or Camden/Burlington County. So, it is a pretty normal thing.
As for the area, I think it's fantastic, but it does have some drawbacks. First things first, it is a more rural suburb. The townships are large and are a collection of small towns and developments surrounded by open farmland. You drive down the road and you go from a normal looking suburb one minute and are then in open farmland the next. This to me is an advantage as we have a ton of fantastic local farmers markets and since NJ has great produce it makes feeding everyone the good stuff a lot easier and cheaper.
The one drawback to all this lack of development is that shopping choices are limited. We have a few different pharmacies and convenience stores, but there is only one local supermarket, which is the Acme located in Logan in the Beckett development. It is a nice Acme and offers everything you could want, but it is the only local choice. Around the Acme and in a couple other areas we have some fast food places, pizzarias, chinese, etc. In downtown Swedesboro there are a couple bakeries and some good restraunts (Old Swedes Inn, Botto's Italian Line and Rode's Fireside Inn). If you want to do major shopping like warehouse club, mall, Target, Wal*Mart, Home Depot etc. or go to the movies you need to drive. The two closest areas are Concord Mall in Delaware (thanks for info on that one Southbound) and the Deptford Mall in NJ. Both are about 20-30 mintues away by car. Of course if you are like us, since your husband would be working in Cherry Hill, which is the shopping mecca for the area, he could probably get a lot done at lunch and after work and minimize the trips. There are plans to build a mega shopping complex in Woolwich near Kingsway High School along 322. It is supposed to contain a couple big box stores, a movie theater, restraunts and a promenade style area with shops. It would be a big boon to the area and add a lot of local jobs, but a lot of people are worried about the traffic that it would bring. The project has been slowed do to the economy, but it is still approved and they do plan on building it.
Schools in the area are very good and equivalent to what you would find in Camden and Bulrington County. No, they aren't Moorestown or Haddonfield quality, but they are in the same league as Haddon Twp. and other good suburban towns. All the towns in the area send their kids to Kingsway Regional High School which is located just outside Swedesboro in Woolwich. However, all of the towns operate their own elementary schools. Woolwich is unique as they share schools with Swedesboro proper and the district is referred to as the Swedesboro-Woolwich Unified School District. The schools are older, but of generally high quality.
Woolwich itself is a pretty new invention. It's existed for a long time, but the main development has really only occurred in the past 10 years. It's a collection of developments from townhomes to McMansions. It's also virtually all residential, which is an issue as the taxes there are on the high side especially compared to the other towns around it. Most of the folks in Woolwich are transplants and a lot of the people that live there now are from South Eastern PA and Northern Delaware. It is overall a pretty affluent community.
Swedesboro itself I only mention as it is the main town in the area and Woolwich is very tied to it. Swedesboro is an old town and has existed since the late 1600's. The town is an odd mix. The areas surrounding the downtown are very nice, but the housing in the immediate downtown area is a mix. A lot of gentrification has been going on with empty lots being turned into new housing and old homes being rehabbed. If you drive through you can see it varies from block to block. The town is safe and crime isn't an issue, but it is a mixed area socio-economically and you need to take that into account. The town wants to make itself Haddonfield South and they are working hard to get there.
The area overall is one of the few places in South Jersey where new construction is still being built and the area is still growing. This bodes well if you are looking to settle there as property values have been pretty steady even with the downturn and should rise again once things pick back up. The main issue facing the area is striking the balance with the development. The towns have the room to get a lot bigger with a lot more retail and businesses, but no one who lives there really wants to see it turn into another Washington Twp. (over developed suburb closer to Philly).
Overall, I think you would like it and it is definitely a nice area with good schools. If you were buying I would have tried to steer you towards the Beckett development in Logan as Logan's tax rate is one of the lowest around but we still have great schools (IMO best of the towns in the area) and most of the available shopping and regular dining options are in Beckett, so you get a lot of bang for your buck.
PS Just so you are aware there is a very nice apartment complex in Woolwich along Township Line Rd. It is the "Apartments at Weatherby". Weatherby is a major development in Woolwich that has single family houses, townhomes, 55+ and apartments. They are 2br, 2ba, which I don't know if that would work for you, but for $1,410 per month you get a 1,350 sq.ft. 2nd floor apartment with a private garage w/direct access and an outdoor deck (they also have smaller places for less money as well). They are also brand new, so are pretty nice inside. Being a traditional apartment rental, it may be a better option than renting a private home while you get settled and explore the area.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
23,814 posts, read 34,698,410 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NJGOAT
Well, I live in Logan, which is the next township over from Woolwich and both are sort of centered on Swedesboro. I daily commute from Logan to Maple Shade which is the next town out from Cherry Hill. My commute is a little over 20 miles and takes about 35 minutes. I used to take the Turnpike, but have recently switched to taking 295 to 130 to 38, this would be the best route for your husband to take as it avoids all the traffic going into Philadelphia. I made the conscious choice to move to that area knowing what the commute would be and based on my neighbors and the parents in the sports leagues, the vast majority of people living there commute to either Philadelphia, Delaware, South Eastern PA or Camden/Burlington County. So, it is a pretty normal thing.
As for the area, I think it's fantastic, but it does have some drawbacks. First things first, it is a more rural suburb. The townships are large and are a collection of small towns and developments surrounded by open farmland. You drive down the road and you go from a normal looking suburb one minute and are then in open farmland the next. This to me is an advantage as we have a ton of fantastic local farmers markets and since NJ has great produce it makes feeding everyone the good stuff a lot easier and cheaper.
The one drawback to all this lack of development is that shopping choices are limited. We have a few different pharmacies and convenience stores, but there is only one local supermarket, which is the Acme located in Logan in the Beckett development. It is a nice Acme and offers everything you could want, but it is the only local choice. Around the Acme and in a couple other areas we have some fast food places, pizzarias, chinese, etc. In downtown Swedesboro there are a couple bakeries and some good restraunts (Old Swedes Inn, Botto's Italian Line and Rode's Fireside Inn). If you want to do major shopping like warehouse club, mall, Target, Wal*Mart, Home Depot etc. or go to the movies you need to drive. The two closest areas are Concord Mall in Delaware (thanks for info on that one Southbound) and the Deptford Mall in NJ. Both are about 20-30 mintues away by car. Of course if you are like us, since your husband would be working in Cherry Hill, which is the shopping mecca for the area, he could probably get a lot done at lunch and after work and minimize the trips. There are plans to build a mega shopping complex in Woolwich near Kingsway High School along 322. It is supposed to contain a couple big box stores, a movie theater, restraunts and a promenade style area with shops. It would be a big boon to the area and add a lot of local jobs, but a lot of people are worried about the traffic that it would bring. The project has been slowed do to the economy, but it is still approved and they do plan on building it.
Schools in the area are very good and equivalent to what you would find in Camden and Bulrington County. No, they aren't Moorestown or Haddonfield quality, but they are in the same league as Haddon Twp. and other good suburban towns. All the towns in the area send their kids to Kingsway Regional High School which is located just outside Swedesboro in Woolwich. However, all of the towns operate their own elementary schools. Woolwich is unique as they share schools with Swedesboro proper and the district is referred to as the Swedesboro-Woolwich Unified School District. The schools are older, but of generally high quality.
Woolwich itself is a pretty new invention. It's existed for a long time, but the main development has really only occurred in the past 10 years. It's a collection of developments from townhomes to McMansions. It's also virtually all residential, which is an issue as the taxes there are on the high side especially compared to the other towns around it. Most of the folks in Woolwich are transplants and a lot of the people that live there now are from South Eastern PA and Northern Delaware. It is overall a pretty affluent community.
Swedesboro itself I only mention as it is the main town in the area and Woolwich is very tied to it. Swedesboro is an old town and has existed since the late 1600's. The town is an odd mix. The areas surrounding the downtown are very nice, but the housing in the immediate downtown area is a mix. A lot of gentrification has been going on with empty lots being turned into new housing and old homes being rehabbed. If you drive through you can see it varies from block to block. The town is safe and crime isn't an issue, but it is a mixed area socio-economically and you need to take that into account. The town wants to make itself Haddonfield South and they are working hard to get there.
The area overall is one of the few places in South Jersey where new construction is still being built and the area is still growing. This bodes well if you are looking to settle there as property values have been pretty steady even with the downturn and should rise again once things pick back up. The main issue facing the area is striking the balance with the development. The towns have the room to get a lot bigger with a lot more retail and businesses, but no one who lives there really wants to see it turn into another Washington Twp. (over developed suburb closer to Philly).
Overall, I think you would like it and it is definitely a nice area with good schools. If you were buying I would have tried to steer you towards the Beckett development in Logan as Logan's tax rate is one of the lowest around but we still have great schools (IMO best of the towns in the area) and most of the available shopping and regular dining options are in Beckett, so you get a lot of bang for your buck.
PS Just so you are aware there is a very nice apartment complex in Woolwich along Township Line Rd. It is the "Apartments at Weatherby". Weatherby is a major development in Woolwich that has single family houses, townhomes, 55+ and apartments. They are 2br, 2ba, which I don't know if that would work for you, but for $1,410 per month you get a 1,350 sq.ft. 2nd floor apartment with a private garage w/direct access and an outdoor deck (they also have smaller places for less money as well). They are also brand new, so are pretty nice inside. Being a traditional apartment rental, it may be a better option than renting a private home while you get settled and explore the area.
You're welcome, GOAT. Since the OP is considering the area, I think it's appropriate to pursue the Delaware shopping.
Were you able to get there?
What I liked about the Naamans Road/Concord Pike area is the way that shopping is so condensed. In about 4 hours, I could do about 2 days worth of shopping, due to the lack of driving all over. The stores are all laid out, like ducks in a row, along the 2 roads.
Thanks to you guys for all the info. You've been a great help to me on all my threads! DH doesn't mind the commute, but he may just mind the shopping choices (or lack of), but hopefully I can talk him into it since he'll be in Cherry Hill pretty much every day anyway
You're welcome, GOAT. Since the OP is considering the area, I think it's appropriate to pursue the Delaware shopping.
Were you able to get there?
What I liked about the Naamans Road/Concord Pike area is the way that shopping is so condensed. In about 4 hours, I could do about 2 days worth of shopping, due to the lack of driving all over. The stores are all laid out, like ducks in a row, along the 2 roads.
No sales tax is icing on the cake.
We actually headed over there this past weekend. My daughters birthday party is this weekend and we went to buy her some presents and pick up a couple things for the house. It was a breeze to get there and you are very correct that the area makes shopping real easy the way it is laid out.
Can't thank you enough for the tip, as I had always heard of Concord Mall, but had no idea where it was and what else was available.
Thanks to you guys for all the info. You've been a great help to me on all my threads! DH doesn't mind the commute, but he may just mind the shopping choices (or lack of), but hopefully I can talk him into it since he'll be in Cherry Hill pretty much every day anyway
Well, that's the weird thing, yes there is a lack of shopping choices in the immediate area, however, there are tons of options that aren't that far away. Having lived in Camden and Burlington County most of my life it never ceases to amaze me that my trip from Swedesboro to a major shopping area may be 20 miles, but it is only 20 minutes of mainly highway driving. Consequently you can live 5 miles away from major shopping in Camden County and it could take you 15 - 20 minutes to slog through traffic to get to the store.
For instance, my wife and I love Target. When we lived right outside Haddonfield it would take us about 20 minutes to drive to the Target in Cherry Hill on a Saturday morning do to all the traffic. Now, our closest Target is 20 miles away in Deptford, but it still only takes about 20 minutes to get there. I guess what I'm getting at is that proximity is only part of the equation and time wise you may be just as close being 20 miles away as you are being 5 miles away.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
23,814 posts, read 34,698,410 times
Reputation: 10256
Quote:
Originally Posted by sahm2kaitlyne
Thanks to you guys for all the info. You've been a great help to me on all my threads! DH doesn't mind the commute, but he may just mind the shopping choices (or lack of), but hopefully I can talk him into it since he'll be in Cherry Hill pretty much every day anyway
You're welcome.
It would be easier to get the lay of the land in the area, living in or near Cherry Hill, then moving to Woolwich, but life is not perfect. I did not move into Charlotte, but to Kings Mountain, which is 30 miles west.
My suggestion would be that if you like this house best & get it, you can go to DE for some shopping, during the week, then go to the Cherry Hill area on the weekends, with your husband. That way you will both learn that area. There is some shopping that duplicates in Deptford, but some of those stores aren't as good as the Cherry Hill versions of the same chain. Take for instance, Pathmark. My sister lives in Pitman & will not go to the Deptford Pathmark. There's another in Lawnside that I have not heard good things about. The Cherry Hill Pathmark is across from Cherry Hill Mall. I went there regularly. It's fine. Pathmark has good buys on groceries, but the Cherry Hill store is the one to go to. There are a couple of Pathmarks in DE, but I have not been to them.
There is one Harris Teeter in Delaware, & Food Lion starts in Delaware just south of the Pathmark territory. They do not attempt to compete with Pathmark & Shop Rite. They can not.
You can get pulled pork BBQ in South Jersey & Philly. However, the most popular sandwiches are hoagies, then cheesesteaks & meatball sandwiches. You will notice a difference in the bread. Lowes Foods & Ingles import some bread from NJ.
Oh, & the best convenience stores are the WaWa chain. Currently, WaWa goes as far south as Petersburg, VA.
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I did not move into Charlotte, but to Kings Mountain, which is 30 miles west.
