...before I moved here, I read quite a few posts just like these. It seems everyone hates it here in Bridgeton. But you know what? Everywhere else I have lived in this state has had the very same problem. Everyone hates it in the town they currently live in, it seems. As a matter of fact, it sounds like most people who live in NJ hate it here until someone from another state ruffles their feathers. Then they suddenly love it and would defend it with their lives. (Even I could be accused of that in my younger days, but I know better now. :P)
Anyway, I have been here for just a little over a month now. At first I was apprehensive because I had heard all of these bad things about Bridgeton. In truth, I wanted to live in Millville... but the houses were a bit more expensive. I was worried about the crime rate here - still am. But get an alarm system. As far as convenience and people I have seen out and about... sure, there are some leery folk. There will be anywhere you go. But I have not yet been met with hostility of any kind. And store hours? The local Acme and Shop Rite (in Upper Deerfield, technically) are open until midnight and 1 am, respectively. That's a hell of a lot more convenient than north Jersey, where everything dies at 6 pm. Granted, I know nothing of real night life. I don't go out and "club" or what have you. If that's your thing, then I guess you shouldn't move to an area like this because it is rural. (Even though it's called the "City" of Bridgeton. Hmm.) But if you like the outdoors, there are certainly things to do. Sunset Lake and Thundergust are nearby, as well as the Wetland management areas near Mauricetown.
There are a lot of things conveniently located locally - as aforementioned there is the Shop Rite, Acme and also an IGA nearby. There is a Wawa, 7-11, Dunkin Donuts, Wendy's, Burger King, etc.. all close by. Now again for me, in Warren County where I recently lived, it was a long haul to get anywhere. So this was a nice change for me in that respect.
The only other thing besides crime that bothers me here is the lack of work. As I said, I've been here just over a month and have found nothing "local". All the decent jobs have been no less than 40 minutes away.
I do think that for people who aren't used to South Jersey life may be a little rattled here. I grew up by LBI so I know what to expect.
The person who posted before me made a good point, too - come down and take a look around, do some peoplewatching. We sat in a local eatery and took it in for a little while before we moved in. There are some places right in town that we looked at and didn't care for the area, haha.. so we just went elsewhere. That's the way it goes... I guess ultimately you won't know if you like it until you're here. All we can do is tell you what we think. And I'm sure by this point you see that I don't necessarily agree with 95% of the people posting on this thread.
Whatever you do, may you be happy with your decision - and good luck with the move!
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I've heard it all...
bridgeton is not that bad
not that bad
. At the time I lived on North Laurel across from a grocery store. I wasn't allowed to even sit on my porch at night or even in the daytime with my parents in the living room. So I can imagine what it's like now, 34 years later. That is one of the reasons we moved, my father and I were both born in Bridgeton and my mother was a transplant from WV. I felt much safer once we moved and I'm glad I have raised my children down here. I'm not ashamed to say I'm from NJ but I wouldn't want to live there. Bridgeton has one thing I miss and that is the subs,
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