Impressions of Vineland, NJ

[Busch Boy]

IMO, Vineland is a very perculiar place. Some areas look like an inner-city. Others look extremely rural with horses and chickens frolicking on front lawns. And then you have cookie-cutter subdivisions in other parts. Overall the homes are run-down and extremely small for the enormous amount of land they sit on. The actual land, however, is pretty nice. Most of the roads are leafy and very green.

What is one to make of Vineland?

P.S.:
I went to Vineland once and we drove past a K-Mart or a Sears (don't remember which one it was); but I remember finding the 1970's facade it had quite shocking. I had never seen such an archaic-looking K-mart/Sears in my life!

[bxbea]

It's sad to read the comments posted about Vineland. I grew up there and loved it. I went to Cunningham and Landis. The town at the time was predominantly white. I am Puerto Rican. Never felt out of place. Had lots of friends. Didn't think I was different until my family moved to New York. Race was and is so much more important in NY. When tested in NY for placement in school I was three years ahead of my so-called grade level. Public education in Vineland was way ahead. I remember going to Newberry's after school with friends. I remember when they opened the library on Landis Ave. I even had a paper route with the Vineland Times Journal. There were times we would leave to visit family in New York and would forget to lock the back door of the house. We would call a neighbor and they would lock it for us. Never robbed. There was even a Crystal Lake where we would go in the summer on the other side of the railroad track that runs through town. We would swing and jump off a rope on a tree, at the highest point and jump into the water. Is it still there? My brother was there a few years ago and told me it was gone. Did not know if he was kidding. Miss being in a rural area like that. I now sleep through the noise of traffic, people in the street, sirens, and the subway. Would love to have the quiet again. Would like to walk down the street and say "Good morning" without getting a dirty look. Would like to sit on a front porch in summer and just relax. Wouldn't even mind the blisters from raking the leaves in autumn. Hope it's not really as bad as I've read here.

[sofietrt]

Originally Posted by Gerania

A couple of months ago I went down to Wheaton Glass and Millville historic district. I drove through Vineland to get there and lived. Go figure.

I plan to visit again the Glasstown Arts District which I find very charming and one of the fun things to do in South Jersey. Matter of fact, it's these revitalized Main Street downtowns that make New Jersey quite attractive I think.

I once drove through Vineland (out of curiosity when heading down shore), and I found the town very peculiar and an anomaly there in South Jersey. It's just strange and almost creepy to me. Weird vibe there. Having read the thread here, now I know why. I wouldn't want to live there, and I for the most part love New Jersey (except the taxes!).

Keep in mind this is an outsider's first impression from what I recall how the surroundings looked... not a comment about the people living there. :-)

[DecayingAngel]

I too like Vineland. There are good and bad areas as with any other city. The housing prices are still reasonable and the taxes aren't that bad, depending on the individual property.

And it is strange. You can be in its suburbs and people have horses in their backyards. There are also some new developments springing up with advertised prices starting at $170,000.

That said, I would highly recommend Buena Vista Township as an area to consider. It is really a decent place to live. We have been here 5 years now and unfortunately must leave due to job considerations but if that weren't an issue we wouldn't think of going somewhere else.

There has never been an ounce of trouble on our road. IF there is someone suspicious, the neighborhood has a "call network" to alert the whole block. Some people here still don't bother to lock their cars. It is very quiet and rural to semi-rural, but amenities are a relatively short drive away. We either go into Cumberland County (Vineland, Millville) or Atlantic County (Egg Harbor Township) for major shopping excursions.

BVT is in the westernmost part of Atlantic County. It's not to be confused with Buena, which has it's more seedy and crime prone areas such as Landisville. If you go on an MLS website and search for BVT, I think you will be pleasantly surprised. Although a bit lower then most properties, I just found a totally rehab rancher on 3 acres for under $160,000 and taxes below $3,000. So you might want to consider looking just outside Vineland.

BTW, we have a Vineland zip code since Buena Vista does not have a delivery post office. That's how close we are.