Southern NJ (Edison, Plainfield, Roselle: apartments, zoning, rental)

[billb7581]

Originally Posted by Hoopnut83

Diversity is one of those topics that is in the eye of the beholder. As an African American, diversity to me is not just about whether I will be treated fairly or accepted in a place where I live or visit, but whether folks from various cultures have the opportunity to interact, sharing with and learning from one another. No doubt, things are getting better, but we've still get room to grow as a country.

Like Joe, my family and I are potentially moving to the Burlington County area and are looking for a town that is not homogenous, with an excellent school system and recreation department. With a price limit of about $500K, and the advice many have shared on this forum, we've narrowed our search to towns feeding the Lenape-Lenape, Rancocas Valley Regional and North Burlington Regional school districts (we're trying to be about 1/2 way between Princeton and Philly). Looking for comments from folks that have experience with these districts regarding the diversity of the school (focusing on the high school of each district), the quaility of the curriculum, the creativity of the teaching staff. I left off Burlington Township as it was ranked lower on some of the school ranking lists I've seen, but I'd be curious if folks have good things to say about their high school as well.

Thanks for your insight.

I wouldn't recommend RV.

Check out Cinnaminson if you get a chance. They don't list it on this site because it shares a zip code with Riverton 08077

I have a special needs son, and a gifted daughter, and have had nothing but positive things to say about the job they've done with them thus far.

[DITC]

Originally Posted by MoorestownResident

Not trashing N. Burlington because it does have a solid reputation but, in general, I like the towns around the Lenape school district much better. Frankly, there's more to do around central BC and it is a 'hotter' area than northern BC. If you want some diversity, check out Lumberton Twp, Mount Laurel, Hainesport. You can find a nice, fairly new house for $500K in these towns with some large lots, especially in Lumberton. Taxes might run from $7K-9K depending on age, size, lot, etc. Hainesport has cheapest taxes but the schools aren't as good as surrounding towns.

ML probably should be considered first because it is in the Lenape district. Lumberton and Hainesport are in the RV district. RV doesn't have the best reputation though I understand the programs are solid. It is a large school that gets lots of college scholarship money each year. Lumberton township schools are very solid though. Some families in RV district send their kids to Holy Cross HS in Delran which offers great academics.

$500k?? He said 200k in an earlier post.

[Diane Giam]

Originally Posted by DITC

$500k?? He said 200k in an earlier post.

He did say $200k. I don't know why someone changed that.

Diane G

[DITC]

Since someone mentioned Northern Burlington area, I have to second that. This area has less traffic than the Moorestown-Medford area, it is cheaper, and it is slowly becoming metro-NY so real estate values will go up. This area is on the upswing as far as growth and schools, similar to Marlton and Mt Laurel in the 80s. You get the benefit of truly being in between two major cities, and can commute to any job from Wilmington DE to Queens (that is a TON of flexibility). You can get to the beach in less than 45 minutes too. I guess "happening" is relative in South Jersey, nothing interesting goes on in downtown void suburbia, unless you count the mall and Starbucks as fun. I would jump on Northern Burlington Co., to me this is one of the best kept secrets in NJ.

[MoorestownResident]

Originally Posted by DITC

$500k?? He said 200k in an earlier post.

Oh, I guess he should stick to N. Burlington then around $200K.

[nic529]

No way you can find a house in N. Burlington for 200K! The 500k came up because someone else had mentioned she was looking in the area with that budget.

[Hoopnut83]

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll take a look at Cinnaminson.

[nic529]

Originally Posted by Hoopnut83

Thanks for the feedback. I'll take a closer look at Rancocas Valley. Northern Burlington is my first choice at this point, but I haven't seen much in the way of newer homes outside of the K. Hovnanian and Toll Brothers subdivisions in Chesterfield, and the lots (in my price range anyway) are pretty small.

This is very true - the lots that Toll Bros and KHOV are building are tiny. I think the biggest is like .27 or something silly like that and with a 3000sq ft home - that doesn't leave much room for yard. And all the houses are so close to each other. Gives new meaning to reach out and touch someone! You can find an existing home in that price range for sure though. On Fenton Lane for example...there is a 4/2 ranch on 3/4 acre - listed price is 415k - but they can be chewed down - there is a lot of updating that needs to be done inside - light fixtures etc. And with that house in particular - they are going to be starting to put all the recreational fields and parks behind it.....its going to be really nice. As for newer homes - Not many of those around that have the bigger properties. Check out Crosswicks Chase in Chesterfield. Those houses are about 10 yrs old I think, and have 1 acre or close to it lots. They may be in your price range if there are any for sale. You could also look into Bordentown Twp - they are building some new developments.

The Lenape School District is very good, and there are a lot of ammenities there like MoorestownResident said. It just depends what kind of town your looking for. Lumberton Schools go to RV - I'm not sure about Hainesport. And Southampton is nice as well.

As for the OP - I sincerely suggest looking at Bordentown City.

[Hoopnut83]

Different posting...Hoopnut83 added to Joe123's posting and indicated that their house budget was about $500K. Sorry about the confusion.

[MoorestownResident]

Originally Posted by nic529

This is very true - the lots that Toll Bros and KHOV are building are tiny. I think the biggest is like .27 or something silly like that and with a 3000sq ft home - that doesn't leave much room for yard. And all the houses are so close to each other. Gives new meaning to reach out and touch someone! You can find an existing home in that price range for sure though. On Fenton Lane for example...there is a 4/2 ranch on 3/4 acre - listed price is 415k - but they can be chewed down - there is a lot of updating that needs to be done inside - light fixtures etc. And with that house in particular - they are going to be starting to put all the recreational fields and parks behind it.....its going to be really nice. As for newer homes - Not many of those around that have the bigger properties. Check out Crosswicks Chase in Chesterfield. Those houses are about 10 yrs old I think, and have 1 acre or close to it lots. They may be in your price range if there are any for sale. You could also look into Bordentown Twp - they are building some new developments.


The Lenape School District is very good, and there are a lot of ammenities there like MoorestownResident said. It just depends what kind of town your looking for. Lumberton Schools go to RV - I'm not sure about Hainesport. And Southampton is nice as well.

As for the OP - I sincerely suggest looking at Bordentown City.

Chesterfield is very nice area with character that will probably be preserved over time due to the zoning and open space program the township has adopted. Lumberton and Hainesport send kids to RV, Southamption is the Lenape district. SH is a good choice except for the fact that it is much farther away from the main roads. It will add time on the commute and for that reason resale might be an issue.

As indicated, many families in the RV district send their kids to Holy Cross HS in Delran which is a great school atheltically and academically. You shouldn't discount the desirability of the towns I posted about before, this is really the center of smart growth in the Delaware Valley where you have access to everything including high end shopping.