Gloucester County: Speak the truth please. (Camden, Linden: low income, real estate, apartment complexes)

[New2NewJersey99]

Hi All. My name is Justin. I have a few questions and I am looking to hear from those who actually know what they are talking about.

Just a quick background about me:
Single white guy just turned 30, not looking to marry or have kids anytime soon.I am originally from Brooklyn, NY and one of the few who truly hate it. If it disappeared off the map right now, I would be happy as I don't fit the NY stereotype by any means.

Anyway, I run a small successful business and I am looking to move down to South Jersey (Burlington, Camden, or perhaps Gloucester County) b/c the majority of my work is in that 30-50 mile radius.

To cut to the chase. I am looking to buy a home in the $70,000-$110,000 range. I need property more then "house space" b/c I intend to park my two pickup trucks and small horse trailers on the property hopefully in the back so the neighbors don't flip out. Also I need a "workshop" that has adequate space and i figured to build something in the back or perhaps a decent size garage.

I was looking through the online real estate ads and I keep seeing Gloucester County being very affordable. A few towns kept coming up over and over again: Paulsboro, Gibbstown, Mantua, Wenonah, etc...

Can someone who knows what they are talking about sum up what the heck these areas are all about b/c you seem to get a lot of house for very little which usually means something is not right in that area.

I heard all different things from different folks. Some people sware by the area and some say its run down, low income white trash and minorities, drugs, the towns literally "smell", unsafe, etc...

Not to sound snooty, but I'm a white guy who grew up in brooklyn and i do consider myself a bit on the classy side so the last thing i want to do is move to another town like brooklyn, but in NJ this time.

Any advice would be appreciated. Simple summary work best (Paulsboro = blah blah, Wenonah = Blah Blah) and any other recommendations would be appreciated as to what other towns to target.

Thanks!
Justin.

[erikaNJ]

Paulsboro isn't exactly the nice part of town. Quite unsavory for most. Mantua is OK, don't know about Gibbstown or Wenonah. I would say try franklinville, swedesboro, and clayton/glassboro. Good luck! just FYI though: NJ has the highest property tax... it's really a pain.

Edit- Yes, paulsboro really does smell. There is some kind of plant out there from what I heard (because I was questioning the smell myself) and it smells very city like (if that's how you can explain it). Clayton is a pretty nice town with nice little homes, as long as you don't get too involved with the people. Franklinville is pretty nice, and Glassboro is also becoming very nice because they are expanding the college out there (Rowan U).. as long as you don't mind college kids. Seems to be pretty calm though... stay away from Ellis st. Swedesboro is very nice most parts of it... haven't heard a lot about Gibbstown... so I can't imagine it being too awfully terrible.

[elflord1973]

Originally Posted by New2NewJersey99

Hi All. My name is Justin. I have a few questions and I am looking to hear from those who actually know what they are talking about.

Just a quick background about me:
Single white guy just turned 30, not looking to marry or have kids anytime soon.I am originally from Brooklyn, NY and one of the few who truly hate it. If it disappeared off the map right now, I would be happy as I don't fit the NY stereotype by any means.

Anyway, I run a small successful business and I am looking to move down to South Jersey (Burlington, Camden, or perhaps Gloucester County) b/c the majority of my work is in that 30-50 mile radius.

To cut to the chase. I am looking to buy a home in the $70,000-$110,000 range. I need property more then "house space" b/c I intend to park my two pickup trucks and small horse trailers on the property hopefully in the back so the neighbors don't flip out. Also I need a "workshop" that has adequate space and i figured to build something in the back or perhaps a decent size garage.

I was looking through the online real estate ads and I keep seeing Gloucester County being very affordable. A few towns kept coming up over and over again: Paulsboro, Gibbstown, Mantua, Wenonah, etc...

Can someone who knows what they are talking about sum up what the heck these areas are all about b/c you seem to get a lot of house for very little which usually means something is not right in that area.

I heard all different things from different folks. Some people sware by the area and some say its run down, low income white trash and minorities, drugs, the towns literally "smell", unsafe, etc...

Not to sound snooty, but I'm a white guy who grew up in brooklyn and i do consider myself a bit on the classy side so the last thing i want to do is move to another town like brooklyn, but in NJ this time.

Any advice would be appreciated. Simple summary work best (Paulsboro = blah blah, Wenonah = Blah Blah) and any other recommendations would be appreciated as to what other towns to target.

Thanks!
Justin.

Can't give you any "inside information", but some things you're asking about -- e.g. income levels are reported in census data and listed on this site.

http://www.city-data.com/city/Wenonah-New-Jersey.html

http://www.city-data.com/city/Paulsboro-New-Jersey.html

http://www.city-data.com/city/Gibbstown-New-Jersey.html

[New2NewJersey99]

Thank you for everyone's comments as it truly helps! Anyone else have info on good areas to live in Gloucester or Camden County with what I am looking for? Also, anyone know the story about an area called National Park?

[solibs]

Paulsboro is definitely in my top 10 list of "most depressing places".

There's a reason that a lot of stuff near the Delaware River is really cheap - it's because it's surrounded by oil refineries. In Gloucester the further you get from Philly the better.

It sounds like you're looking for property @ ~1 acre? I think anything less than $150k should throw up the warning flags.

Also, keep in mind that much of the eastern part of those counties are within the Pinelands boundaries so you might want to make sure that what you want to do with your property is actually permitted before you buy it.

[Whoelsebutcharles]

I have family in that area - Cherry Hill, Voorhees, Pine Hill, Deptford. CH is definitely the most expensive by far. Voorhees nice too, but its best days are most likely behind it, it borders some real rough areas like Lindenwold, Lawnside and parts of Berlin, lots of gangs in the apartment complexes, and a run-down shopping mall. I'd stay away from Camden County overall because most of it is a dump and the parts that aren't (CH, Haddonfield) are through the roof expensive. Pine Hill and Deptford I am less familiar with, my uncles live in those towns. Pine Hill looks OK from what I've seen of it, supposed to have a very private golf course. I've been to Deptford Mall as well, which reminds me of what Echelon Mall in Voorhees used to be like. Not a mall person, but I used to go there sometimes with my now ex-girlfriend who was enrolled at Rowan University in Glassboro. Glassboro is Gloucester County, not too far away from Deptford, but appears to be a mix of white trash and ghetto, not the safest place to be, definitely not what you want if you want "class", there was a murder at Rowan a few years ago, a student there had gotten into a fight with local gangs and had a heart condition, never recovered. My ex's grandmother lived in Turnersville/Washington, which appears more white collar than its surroundings but I never got the idea that it was anything special. Check it out, you have some shopping along Rt 42 including a good bagel place there called Einstein Bagels if memory serves. You also have Super Walmarts which are sorta unique to that area as well. There are also some quieter up-and-coming McMansion-laid areas like Mullica Hill which I'm not too familiar with, but that you can see is off 322 going opposite direction of Rowan. If you're not too picky about the location, I'd also check out southern Burlington County. You get what you pay for and the schools are pretty good from what I've heard. Mt. Laurel I think has the lowest taxes because it's an industrial town and has the most "affordable" housing, not sure what type of people live in those though. My aunt and uncle rented an apartment in Ramblewood 1981-83 said it was nice then, don't know about it now. Maple Shade is cute, it's a blue-collar town and borders Pennsauken, but it's safe, has a bit of a downtown, I've been to that Wawa on North Forklanding Rd a handfull of times. It all depends on what you want. From what I've heard you get more for your dollar in Evesham than anywhere else, that area is very safe, a little on the old side, you have the old downtown Marlton area off 73 and 70, although they are starting to eliminate that circle now so there has to be lots of construction going on there which will hold up traffic no doubt. I've heard they are going to put up an overpass there which I can't imagine what it will look like but we will see I guess. Not to familiar with what's along Rt 130 (Cinnaminson, Delran etc), but I have a cousin who lived in Palmyra at one point and ended up moving because the area was getting bad. Judging by its location near the bad parts of Pennsauken it's not hard to see why. Hope that helps.

[JerzBoy]

National Park isn't a bad town. It is very working class but quite safe. Plus it is right along the Delaware River with a nice waterfront park.

I'd avoid Paulsboro like the plague.

[Gerania]

Oh, I've been avoiding answering this because the question(s) was so broad. I think that you might have a difficult time finding a house with a large yard in much of northern Camden County, especially in your price range. The desirable areas are very expensive. These include Cherry Hill, Collingswood, Haddonfield, Voorhees and most of the territory in between.

Anything that makes a house or an area look less than desirable to Mom and Dad with 2.2 children makes it more desirable for you. You do not need a strong school system; you also don't need an area with zero crime, don't have to worry about a pedophile a mile down the road. I know people who live in Pennsauken, Palmyra, Barrington, Berlin and are OK with the choice.

Southern Camden County is more suburban and semi-rural. You might find a deal down that way. It's quite a mix of new housing developments, trashy, crime ridden areas, farms, solid blue collar neighborhoods and everything in between.

[Phish Head]

Gloucester is more suburban and rural than Camden County. I prefer it myself. Most of Camden County is pretty dumpy, IMO. If you are really a country person, check out Shamong, Tabernacle, or perhaps Winslow. If you plan to develop the land, check with the Pine Barren's map, as someone mentioned. I don't think keeping a few horses on a large property would be disallowed, though.

[MoorestownResident]

Originally Posted by New2NewJersey99

Hi All. My name is Justin. I have a few questions and I am looking to hear from those who actually know what they are talking about.

Just a quick background about me:
Single white guy just turned 30, not looking to marry or have kids anytime soon.I am originally from Brooklyn, NY and one of the few who truly hate it. If it disappeared off the map right now, I would be happy as I don't fit the NY stereotype by any means.

Anyway, I run a small successful business and I am looking to move down to South Jersey (Burlington, Camden, or perhaps Gloucester County) b/c the majority of my work is in that 30-50 mile radius.

To cut to the chase. I am looking to buy a home in the $70,000-$110,000 range. I need property more then "house space" b/c I intend to park my two pickup trucks and small horse trailers on the property hopefully in the back so the neighbors don't flip out. Also I need a "workshop" that has adequate space and i figured to build something in the back or perhaps a decent size garage.

I was looking through the online real estate ads and I keep seeing Gloucester County being very affordable. A few towns kept coming up over and over again: Paulsboro, Gibbstown, Mantua, Wenonah, etc...

Can someone who knows what they are talking about sum up what the heck these areas are all about b/c you seem to get a lot of house for very little which usually means something is not right in that area.

I heard all different things from different folks. Some people sware by the area and some say its run down, low income white trash and minorities, drugs, the towns literally "smell", unsafe, etc...

Not to sound snooty, but I'm a white guy who grew up in brooklyn and i do consider myself a bit on the classy side so the last thing i want to do is move to another town like brooklyn, but in NJ this time.

Any advice would be appreciated. Simple summary work best (Paulsboro = blah blah, Wenonah = Blah Blah) and any other recommendations would be appreciated as to what other towns to target.

Thanks!
Justin.

The quick answer is you are looking at some of the most inexpensive towns in GC. Paulsboro sucks, don't move there under any circumstances, the other towns are blah but some are reasonable, like Gibbstown. Just remember, you get what you pay for. I suggest looking at the prices in Mullica Hill WITH the property taxes as a baseline for what is considered a good area with good schools in GC. Talk to a realtor. Any of them will give you info on the county.