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Just wanted to point out fwiw that eastern Cherry Hill is more diverse than the previous posters seem to be saying. Take a walk down the halls of Cherry Hill East on a school day and I am sure you will agree with me.
To the OP, if I was in your position I would try to look for a cheaper neighborhood (or simply a smaller house) in Cherry Hill that still feeds into Cherry Hill East. I would also suggest Voorhees, as did a previous poster. It has a similar demographic makeup to eastern Cherry Hill and also has great schools.
In comparison to Haddon Township, Cherry Hill offers better public schools, but a much less charming community feel (Haddon Township is very historic; Cherry Hill was built in large clusters after WWII, so tract housing, strip malls, and big box stores abound). In addition, the real estate bust has especially hit that part of South Jersey, so it should not be hard to find an affordable home in either area. In the end, it's all about trade-offs.
And call me crazy, but I don't find snootiness to be much of a problem in Cherry Hill. Some people in the eastern part of the township certainly do fit the "nouveau riche" stereotype, but even there, the vast majority of families are perfectly fine and well-adjusted--folks may have more money to spend in those parts, but most of them don't let it get to their heads.
Diversity is in the eye of the beholder, but I would say Cherry Hill offers a healthy mix of people for an upper-tier suburb. Neighboring Voorhees isn't a bad suggestion, either, and in comparison to Haddon Township, offers a similar set of pros and cons. The real estate tends to be a bit more expensive there though.
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When people look at Haddon Twp, they should also look at Haddon Heights. There is a small piece of Barrington on the Haddon side of Rt 30. Barrington has good elementary schools & their children go to Haddon Heights for high school.
Again, Cherry Hill has school choice. Students are bussed to East or West no matter where they live in the township. The high schools are segregated by program, not geography. Students may attend lower grades that are not assigned by geography, but then it's the parents' responsibility to get them there. The closest thing that you will find to an old-fashioned grid pattern neighborhood in Cherry Hill is the section of Erlton that I mentioned. There are a few shops on Route 70 that can be walked to.
I personally like Voorhees. I have relatives who have been there for multiple generations and have never heard them complain about it at all. Taxes are among the lowest in the area actually, unlike Haddon, which mentioned in a recent thread has very high taxes. That said, it is the same type of suburban sprawl that you will find in neighboring towns like Cherry Hill, Mt. Laurel, Evesham/Marlton etc.
It seems like the real kicker people have with Voorhees is the high school, Eastern Regional High which gets kids from other towns like Gibbsboro (which Voorhees surrounds on three sides) and Berlin. But again, I never heard anyone who went through that school complain about it at all.
You definitely need to look into what schools have a better program for your kids. Cherry Hill School districts are on a drastic decline and are pretty much riding on a past reputation only.
You definitely need to look into what schools have a better program for your kids. Cherry Hill School districts are on a drastic decline and are pretty much riding on a past reputation only.
I said the same thing when I read that, but, judging that portions of it are very close to Pennsauken, which is definitely on the downswing, and indirectly, Camden, it is not surprising.
Personally I think the all the sections of Pennsauken that share a border with Cherry Hill are still pretty solid, but it is at least the buffer town now that filters out all of Camden's problems.
If the other person could be a bit more specific about WHY the public schools in CH are on the decline? Because stats do not imply this at all.
I said the same thing when I read that, but, judging that portions of it are very close to Pennsauken, which is definitely on the downswing, and indirectly, Camden, it is not surprising.
Personally I think the all the sections of Pennsauken that share a border with Cherry Hill are still pretty solid, but it is at least the buffer town now that filters out all of Camden's problems.
If the other person could be a bit more specific about WHY the public schools in CH are on the decline? Because stats do not imply this at all.
I understand that western Cherry Hill now leans more working/lower middle class, but these areas are hardly war-zones, and there are more than enough upscale developments in the township's eastern half to "balance them out."
I know quite a few people who graduated from East in the past five years, and none of them had any complaints regarding the quality of their education. Eastern Regional is a fine school as well. Aggregate test scores may be a bit lower in comparison to, say, Haddonfield, given the wider sociodemographic spectrum these schools serve, but bright, motivated students at either of these schools will end up in the same place.
Last edited by ElijahAstin; 02-12-2012 at 01:36 PM..
I understand that western Cherry Hill now leans more working/lower middle class, but these areas are hardly war-zones, and there are more than enough upscale developments in the township's eastern half to "balance them out."
I know quite a few people who graduated from East in the past five years, and none of them had any complaints regarding the quality of their education. Eastern Regional is a fine school as well. Aggregate test scores may be a bit lower in comparison to, say, Haddonfield, given the wider sociodemographic spectrum these schools serve, but bright, motivated students at either of these schools will end up in the same place.
Definitely agree with this. And for the record, I went through one of the worst districts in the state and I turned out just fine with a college education. What people fail to realize is the fact that the state makes the core curriculum content standards that students must learn, not the individual town or area. I used to be a teacher, in multiple school districts, all of which followed the same curriculum. So I know this stuff.
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