Haddonfield... (Camden, Linden, Lindenwold: for sale, real estate, houses)

[jmcelroy]

Hi Folks,

My wife and I just got back from a job interview in Cherry Hill (I got the job!) and we'll be moving there in the Spring. We really liked Moorestown when we were up there, but I read somewhere that Haddonfield is similar - walkable downtown, older houses, etc. I also heard that they had a train to Philly. Any knowledge\input on Haddonfield? Any other places like this near Cherry Hill?

We went through Mt. Laural, but it wasn't our style - to much modern track housing for our tastes. We'd also like to avoid all of the crazy driving to the west of Cherry Hill since we always mistakenly end up in Camden!

Thanks!!!

-J

[invertigo]

Congrats on the job!! My wife and I relocated to Cherry Hill from North Jersey three years ago. Haddonfield is an awesome town. It is very similar to what you've already heard about it-- charming, colonial, nice downtown, older homes, etc etc. There is a VERY convenient train called the PATCO which runs from Lindenwold, NJ into Center City Philly. It stops twice in Cherry Hill, once in Haddonfield, and few other towns along the way including Camden. Growing up in North Jersey, I can tell you that getting into Philly is 10 thousand times easier than getting into say...NYC. Prices in Haddonfield are much higher than the surrounding area, but still cheap relative to the rest of the state. It's either the biggest secret around or no one wants to live in south jersey because you can get literally double the home for half the price just 90 miles south of NY. For the most part, we enjoy life around here.
BE WARNED-- this may sound a little crazy to you and I must admit, I didn't believe it either but....you better love football and better be willing to convert to an Eagles fan. This whole area-- all ages, both sexes is totally obsessed with Eagles football. They are totally miserable on Sundays and if you dare tell anyone you like any other team, you'll be made to feel like an outcast. Every fall, we contemplate moving (seriously) because we can't take it!! You'll probably think that is silly, but YOU'LL SEE!! You have been warned.

[invertigo]

Oh one more thing...you mentioned avoiding west of Cherry Hill. Just so you know, Haddonfield IS west of Cherry Hill. It is closer to Camden and Philly than Cherry Hill. Don't worry, there are a few towns of buffer in between!

[mike0421]

Originally Posted by invertigo

BE WARNED-- this may sound a little crazy to you and I must admit, I didn't believe it either but....you better love football and better be willing to convert to an Eagles fan. This whole area-- all ages, both sexes is totally obsessed with Eagles football. They are totally miserable on Sundays and if you dare tell anyone you like any other team, you'll be made to feel like an outcast. Every fall, we contemplate moving (seriously) because we can't take it!! You'll probably think that is silly, but YOU'LL SEE!! You have been warned.

Truer words could not be spoken. You risk taking your life in your hands if you wear a Giants jersey. Having spent 4 years living around the Philly area, I think I have them figured out. In addition to being the 4 sports team town that has gone the longest without winning a championship (1983 Sixers) Philadelphia fans will be forever mired in the fact that when it comes to the Northeast, they are the most nondescript of the four major cities, inclusive NYC, Boston and D.C. Philadelphia is right in the middle geographically, and the 50 watt bulb is overshadowed by two 100 watt bulbs in NYC and DC. Although almost three times larger in population than either D.C. or Boston, Philadelphia has a small reputation comparatively. I always think of Boston as a smaller town that plays 'big' and Philadelphia a bigger town that plays small. This inferiority complex permeates down to the residents in the town, as well as the suburbs, where, incidentally, real estate is substantially cheaper than DC, NYC, or Boston. It comes back to economy. Philadelphia is a blue collar shipping town, NYC has finance, Boston has information technology, DC has government, all white collar professions. These economies resonate obviously down to the citizenry. Of course there are bad apples in the stands of all stadiums, there are just a higher percentage of them in Philadelphia. And it goes beyond the teams they support. The only way they think their metropolitan area can get visibility and comparative fame to its more established neighbors is by having their sports teams win on the field. Unfortunately, they aren't very good at that either. And when they lose, they wear it on their sleeves. There is more of a personal sense of loss when their teams lose, as well as win. You never see a sports riot when an NY team wins a world championship, however, if a Philadelphia team should win, you'd likely see some sort of insurrection.

[invertigo]

Originally Posted by mike0421

Truer words could not be spoken. You risk taking your life in your hands if you wear a Giants jersey. Having spent 4 years living around the Philly area, I think I have them figured out. In addition to being the 4 sports team town that has gone the longest without winning a championship (1983 Sixers) Philadelphia fans will be forever mired in the fact that when it comes to the Northeast, they are the most nondescript of the four major cities, inclusive NYC, Boston and D.C. Philadelphia is right in the middle geographically, and the 50 watt bulb is overshadowed by two 100 watt bulbs in NYC and DC. Although almost three times larger in population than either D.C. or Boston, Philadelphia has a small reputation comparatively. I always think of Boston as a smaller town that plays 'big' and Philadelphia a bigger town that plays small. This inferiority complex permeates down to the residents in the town, as well as the suburbs, where, incidentally, real estate is substantially cheaper than DC, NYC, or Boston. It comes back to economy. Philadelphia is a blue collar shipping town, NYC has finance, Boston has information technology, DC has government, all white collar professions. These economies resonate obviously down to the citizenry. Of course there are bad apples in the stands of all stadiums, there are just a higher percentage of them in Philadelphia. And it goes beyond the teams they support. The only way they think their metropolitan area can get visibility and comparative fame to its more established neighbors is by having their sports teams win on the field. Unfortunately, they aren't very good at that either. And when they lose, they wear it on their sleeves. There is more of a personal sense of loss when their teams lose, as well as win. You never see a sports riot when an NY team wins a world championship, however, if a Philadelphia team should win, you'd likely see some sort of insurrection.

WOW...your post is so true! These are all of the thoughts that have been infesting my mind the last three years. Thanks for saying them for me. Very well said...

[jmcelroy]

Originally Posted by invertigo

Congrats on the job!! My wife and I relocated to Cherry Hill from North Jersey three years ago....

Thanks! We're really excited. And thanks for the info on the PATCO - I'm checking out the PATCO wikipedia page right now. Is it really that hard to get to NYC? I thought I heard that there was some sort of bullet train or something?? Can you really get twice the house for half the price in North Jersey? I've been hearing that South Jersey is actually much cheaper??

Thanks for the info!!

-J

[invertigo]

Originally Posted by jmcelroy

Thanks! We're really excited. And thanks for the info on the PATCO - I'm checking out the PATCO wikipedia page right now. Is it really that hard to get to NYC? I thought I heard that there was some sort of bullet train or something?? Can you really get twice the house for half the price in North Jersey? I've been hearing that South Jersey is actually much cheaper??

Thanks for the info!!

-J

NO WAY JOSE!! You get twice the house for half the price in SOUTH Jersey!! NY also has a similar, but larger high speed line called the PATH, which is just as easy to use. I was referring mostly to driving into both cities with NY of course being a nightmare.

[jmcelroy]

Originally Posted by invertigo

NO WAY JOSE!! You get twice the house for half the price in SOUTH Jersey!! NY also has a similar, but larger high speed line called the PATH, which is just as easy to use. I was referring mostly to driving into both cities with NY of course being a nightmare.

Oh, OK! That's what I was thinking. I must have just been confused when I read your post. Thanks for the clarification!

[Sters]

Haddonfield home have just undergone thier 10-year re-evaluation, and a $350,000 home will cost about $8,000 in property taxes, and that's just about the cheapest home you'll find. There are three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school, all highly ranked. No buses, eveyrone walks or rides their bikes, and speaking of walking, its extremely walkable and people DO walk. There is an attractive retail strip, nothing like Princeton of course, but still very nice with the usual holiday parades and fairs. The biggest are the 4th of July parade and First Night (complete with 2 rounds of fireworks) on New Years Eve.

They typical pattern, I am learning, is that when your youngest graduates from high school, the for sale sign is out on the front lawn. I get the impression that seniors are getting run out of town by the insane out of control property taxes (mine have practically doubled in 7 years). Keep in mind that Haddonfield is classified as a wealthy town and gets very little state aid, but unlike Moorestown and Cherry Hill, we have little industry...okay, none...just a few retail shops to help heft the load. In essence, Haddonfield residents carry the lions share of education costs, a much greater burden than their neighbors and contrary to popular opinion, not everyone in Haddonfiled is rich. Similarly, our ball fields are a joke since, again, we have to foot the whole bill.

Haddonfield is very small town, comfortable and cozy and child-centered...a terrific place to raise your kids and so convenient, especially with PATCO within walking distance. If I had to do it over again, however, I might choose Moorestown over Haddonfield strictly from a tax standpoint. It's not nearly so cosy or walkable, but I think you get a bigger bang for your buck.