Any cool towns in South Jersey? (Trenton, Camden: crime, buying, new construction)
New Jersey Suburbs of PhiladelphiaBurlington County, Camden County, Gloucester County, Salem County in South Jersey
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My wife and I currently live in North Jersey. We are planning on moving to South Jersey near Philly, but were hoping to find an equivalent to Hoboken or Morristown. Or in Philly terms, something like Roxborough-Manayunk. The closest thing to this we found is Collingswood. It seems ok, but were hoping for a little bit more. We're not party animals by any stretch, but since we don't have any kids yet we were looking for a little bit of a social scene. A few decent bars and a small downtown for example. Is this possible in South Jersey? A co-worker of mine just suggested Moorestown or Haddonfield. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
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Quote:
Originally Posted by slapshotbob99
Hello,
My wife and I currently live in North Jersey. We are planning on moving to South Jersey near Philly, but were hoping to find an equivalent to Hoboken or Morristown. Or in Philly terms, something like Roxborough-Manayunk. The closest thing to this we found is Collingswood. It seems ok, but were hoping for a little bit more. We're not party animals by any stretch, but since we don't have any kids yet we were looking for a little bit of a social scene. A few decent bars and a small downtown for example. Is this possible in South Jersey? A co-worker of mine just suggested Moorestown or Haddonfield. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
This has been discussed several times on the South Jersey board.
You can try Cherry Hill. Haddon Township has a couple of bars. Haddonfield & Collingswood are dry. Both have BYOB restaurants.
I would second Collingswood/ Westmont. If you are looking for the equivalent of a Hoboken/Morristown, it won't be Vorhees. Not really any place you can go there without driving. No real" downtown", just strip mall bars and shopping centers. Collingswood and Westmont have a main street similar to Westmont, NJ. You have 24/7 access to Philly on the PATCO subway and its a 12 minute commute. You wont get those choices anywhere else in SJer. You get some walkable bar/ restaurants that have community and nightlife as well.
I lived in Montclair 18 years and considered same, moving to South Jersey. Haddonfield, Moorestown, Collingswood are the choices. Haddonfield far and away, the best of the lot and one of the best downtown's in NJ. Not as gritty as Montclair-or have the crime issues-and is very vibrant, especially for street fairs, but without the rowdiness. Ironically, I watched an episode of 'Bar Rescue' today featuring South Park in Montclair, which eventually was shut down by the town because of troubles. Nonetheless, driving into Haddonfield is akin to driving into Princeton, minus the university. A combination of Ridgewood and Montclair, but, without a "bar scene"...or the pretentiousness. Moorestown's downtown very quaint, but lacks size and scope to be considered a top notch downtown. Great housing stock, nice people and voted best small town in America by Forbes magazine about ten years ago. The Starbucks located in an old bank building is kinda' cool. However, Moorestown is on the quiet side, which has its place. Both Haddonfield and Moorestown schools are top 25, and rival Chatham, Madison, Ridge, Princeton, Ridgewood, etc. Collingswood is a former blue-collar enclave re-inventing itself as a hip destination spot for thirty-somethings. The downtown is becoming more and more hip with several restaurants and events. Plus, you have Cooper Lake. You can cut costs buying half a twin or living by the lake, or buy a larger colonial or Victorian on the south side of the train station by the park. However, schools are subpar, a remnant of it's past, but improving somewhat. The hidden gem is Merchantville. You can buy an oversized colonial or Victorian for one-half to one-third what you would pay up north. There is a cool, little downtown, but lacks a restaurant culture or hip vibe. Taxes are high too, but the schools are below average and no high school. The play there is to send kids to Cherry Hill and avoid Pennsauken schools all together. Taxes down south have caught up making finding bargains harder to find. Nonetheless, Five to ten years from now, Collingswood should be the Red Bank-with better housing stock-hip destination spot in Camden County.
South Jersey does not have a social scene like North Jersey. There are no towns like Morristown/Hoboken and its a shame. From personal observation a lot of it has to do that North Jersey has more business professionals and South Jersey has more "working class" people. There is Moorestown, Haddonfield, and Merchantville but it's definitely nothing like a Morristown/Hoboken.
South Jersey does not have a social scene like North Jersey. There are no towns like Morristown/Hoboken and its a shame. From personal observation a lot of it has to do that North Jersey has more business professionals and South Jersey has more "working class" people. There is Moorestown, Haddonfield, and Merchantville but it's definitely nothing like a Morristown/Hoboken.
That's it in a nutshell. I'm sure class and money play a part too, but there are some fairly wealthy areas as you mentioned, but the mindset is all different. Haddonfield resists ditching the dry laws or encouraging new construction near the PATCO, Moorestown resists the restoration of mass-transit. Even Collingswood is still just a handful or restaurants and some hipster parents. It's not that SJ lacks a Morristown or Hoboken, it lacks a Red Bank, a Montclair, or even a South Orange or Maplewood Village or Somerville. There's no mass transit outside of PATCO, and those towns seem to drop the ball constantly (see the Haddon Town Centre project, or Collingswood's struggle to field one grocery store). The Riverline towns remain sleepy and/or rundown.
People down here like their blue-collar, family-oriented, 1970s-suburban lifestyle. What few young people that do wind up stuck here either bolt for Philly, make do with the Collingswood area, or spend their social time further north.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
23,814 posts, read 34,684,299 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NJhighlands87
That's it in a nutshell. I'm sure class and money play a part too, but there are some fairly wealthy areas as you mentioned, but the mindset is all different. Haddonfield resists ditching the dry laws or encouraging new construction near the PATCO, Moorestown resists the restoration of mass-transit. Even Collingswood is still just a handful or restaurants and some hipster parents. It's not that SJ lacks a Morristown or Hoboken, it lacks a Red Bank, a Montclair, or even a South Orange or Maplewood Village or Somerville. There's no mass transit outside of PATCO, and those towns seem to drop the ball constantly (see the Haddon Town Centre project, or Collingswood's struggle to field one grocery store). The Riverline towns remain sleepy and/or rundown.
People down here like their blue-collar, family-oriented, 1970s-suburban lifestyle. What few young people that do wind up stuck here either bolt for Philly, make do with the Collingswood area, or spend their social time further north.
What restoration of mass transit in Moorestown are you talking about?
The state of NJ did not spend a single dime on even bus transit in South Jersey until Red Arrow, a Pennsylvania company, folded. PATCO is funded by bridge tolls. Want to whine some more? Whine to Trenton.
What restoration of mass transit in Moorestown are you talking about?
The state of NJ did not spend a single dime on even bus transit in South Jersey until Red Arrow, a Pennsylvania company, folded. PATCO is funded by bridge tolls. Want to whine some more? Whine to Trenton.
The original idea for what became the Riverline was to run through Moorestown to Mt. Holly, but Moorestown resisted.
I don't dispute that Trenton hasn't done SJ any favors, the Glassboro Line remains in limbo.
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My Two Cents on 'Hip SJ Towns'
