The truth about Browns mills (Camden, Union: renting, how much, houses)

[nsa162]

Alot of people on this board bash Browns mills as being rundown,ghetto and full of pineys. Is there anyone here that knows about the subdivisions in browns mills like Mirror lake or country lake? Are these also ghetto? The houses in these subdivisions look really nice. Is there alot of noise from the nearby base? How long does it take to commute from browns mills to the garden state parkway in lakewood? All the map sites say 40 minutes but is this a realistic time for the morning commute if you leave browns mills 7am?

[Badfish740]

It's amazing how much areas like Browns Mills, Pemberton, Tabernacle, New Egypt, etc...are changing. I was shocked the last time I had driven through at all of the development. All still have their bad parts, but it won't be long before yuppies displace most of the "riff-raff" It's funny, my dad and I were having a conversation the other day about Monmouth County. In the late '60s/early '70s he used to drag race at Englishtown and was talking about how Manalapan used to be full of Hillbillies/Pineys that would show up at the track with more beers in their cooler than teeth in their head! I'd say it's a far cry from that now...

[SugarCookie]

About 40 minutes would be an accurate drive to Lakewood..Give or take a few minutes. As far as Browns Mills reputation..Well it isn't as bad as Camden..LOL All kidding aside, I have been living here for 6 years, I have seen a lot of changes..Both good and bad..Mostly good, and the community is trying to get better..But it has many years to go before it is considered a safe, nice place..

If you are looking into Mirror Lake, or county Lakes, even Presidential Lakes (which is off of Rt. 70), all those are better places to live. The noise from the base isn't too bad as far as the army goes.. Especially in presidential Lakes..But you will get a lot of planes from the Air force McGuire flying over a lot, and they fly pretty low since we are so close..Taking off and landing...

Now if you have children.. That is another story.. I am not pleased with the school system.. It is an Abbott school district.. In other words.."poor" and they get funding from the state.. and only 37 percent go onto higher education...

[Roselvr]

Originally Posted by nsa162

Alot of people on this board bash Browns mills as being rundown,ghetto and full of pineys. Is there anyone here that knows about the subdivisions in browns mills like Mirror lake or country lake? Are these also ghetto? The houses in these subdivisions look really nice. Is there alot of noise from the nearby base? How long does it take to commute from browns mills to the garden state parkway in lakewood? All the map sites say 40 minutes but is this a realistic time for the morning commute if you leave browns mills 7am?

I'm in Country Lakes, if you've been through here, you've driven by my house. We have the rancher with all of the flowers. From the street it looks like every other rancher but what you can't see is that it is L shaped and pretty large. I have a link on my member page.

I've lived in Presidential Lakes, haven't been there much since I moved out in 2000, but did drive through in the summer. The nicest section is the new section. When you live in PL you have to deal with Pinelands which means there are things you can't do.

When you get over in town it's like another world. You can drive around mirror lake and see decent houses & not so decent houses. Since I'm selling my house, I'm tracking other houses similar to mine and there is usually a reason some houses are cheaper then others depending on section. Every town is like this.

You have to take everything into the picture when deciding where to move. The taxes are good and even though the school is an Abbott District, the kids get a good education. My son graduated a few years ago, he did well. My daughter is now in 9th grade so I've seen a lot of the benefits from the money received. Her grade school had laptops, cameras & new computers. They were teaching them how to make newsletters in 3rd grade as well as starting a web page for their class.

As for the base and planes flying, I came from Union County and find it has less noise here even with the small amount of planes that fly. While it is noisier living by Mirror Lake, CL isn't bad. I am home all day and can say that the last few years, we've had planes fly mostly on weekends, usually Sunday's. There is a daily flight plan over the municipal building, if you're driving out to 38 it's a normal sight.

Driving to the Parkway is about 40 minutes depending on the time of day.

Would I move to Browns Mills again? Yes. I love Country Lakes, it's nice around here. We were going to buy a larger house 7 blocks away but it fell through. I can't tell you how hard it was to make the decision to put the house on the market. We won't find another house as updated as this for the same price. I was looking almost $200,000 more then what we are asking in towns 15 minutes away and considered them fixers. They had paneling, faux brick, old heating systems, no central air, electric service wasn't upgraded and none were move in ready like ours.

[emanon]

NSA 162,
Isn't Browns Mills the town where those Martians landed years back? Are you sure those are really Pineys your talking about and not some strange beings that crawled out from those smoking space ships?

E

[SugarCookie]

I don't agree with the school system being good..We came from a district where 98% went onto higher education..With Pemberton only 37%..Wow, big difference..My 3 daughter's went onto a 4 year college, so they were in that 37%..BUT they had most of their schooling in the other district..Teaching, encouragement starts at home though, and most Browns Mills, not all, are blue collar worker's or non-worker's..So education for the most part isn't important to them.. And so it is passed onto their children.. So I guess it is 50/50..What they learn at school and the motivation, encouragement from home, The schools can try their hardest, but if the home foundation isn't doing their part, the school fails too...Now I am not saying all families here don't care about their children's education, there are some wonderfully educated professionals in town..BUT the majority are blue collar, and uneducated...Fact...Look at the census..

Originally Posted by Roselvr

I'm in Country Lakes, if you've been through here, you've driven by my house. We have the rancher with all of the flowers. From the street it looks like every other rancher but what you can't see is that it is L shaped and pretty large. I have a link on my member page.

I've lived in Presidential Lakes, haven't been there much since I moved out in 2000, but did drive through in the summer. The nicest section is the new section. When you live in PL you have to deal with Pinelands which means there are things you can't do.

When you get over in town it's like another world. You can drive around mirror lake and see decent houses & not so decent houses. Since I'm selling my house, I'm tracking other houses similar to mine and there is usually a reason some houses are cheaper then others depending on section. Every town is like this.

You have to take everything into the picture when deciding where to move. The taxes are good and even though the school is an Abbott District, the kids get a good education. My son graduated a few years ago, he did well. My daughter is now in 9th grade so I've seen a lot of the benefits from the money received. Her grade school had laptops, cameras & new computers. They were teaching them how to make newsletters in 3rd grade as well as starting a web page for their class.

As for the base and planes flying, I came from Union County and find it has less noise here even with the small amount of planes that fly. While it is noisier living by Mirror Lake, CL isn't bad. I am home all day and can say that the last few years, we've had planes fly mostly on weekends, usually Sunday's. There is a daily flight plan over the municipal building, if you're driving out to 38 it's a normal sight.

Driving to the Parkway is about 40 minutes depending on the time of day.

Would I move to Browns Mills again? Yes. I love Country Lakes, it's nice around here. We were going to buy a larger house 7 blocks away but it fell through. I can't tell you how hard it was to make the decision to put the house on the market. We won't find another house as updated as this for the same price. I was looking almost $200,000 more then what we are asking in towns 15 minutes away and considered them fixers. They had paneling, faux brick, old heating systems, no central air, electric service wasn't upgraded and none were move in ready like ours.

[NorthJerz]

Browns Mills is not a nice place to raise a family or buy a home. People in the town do not take care of their property or homes. Its sad to drive around and see how some of the people in this town live. The school district is terrible and the people who live in the town for the most part are not the most upstanding citizens. The base is near by but most of the people that work on the base live on the base now so the respectful men and women that used to fill the town no longer. I would not recommend this town to move to, purchase a house or raise a family. I know as you go up north prices get more and more expensive but believe me it would be worth it to ensure your children get the education they deserve and so that you can rest at ease at night knowing you are somewhere much more safe, clean and comfortable.

[RUBIES77]

Where is Brown Mills? What is a Pinney? Is that the equivalent to Trailer Trash? Thank you,

[NewHomeHappy]

Originally Posted by RUBIES77

Where is Brown Mills? What is a Pinney? Is that the equivalent to Trailer Trash? Thank you,

Where are you from Rubies77 ? Any New Jerseyian would know this lingo.

[medic958]

I am going to be renting a house in the Mirrow Lake section. My husband and I am employed as Paramedics by FCI Fort Dix. We have 2 boys 6 & 9. I am reading these posts regarding Browns Mills, and there are mixed reviews. The neighborhood seems nice enough, and I have tried to read up about the schools. Could someone please give me some insight about the area. Positive or negative. Schools,shopping,childcare etc. Thanks!!!