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Hello, I just got a new job working from home but I have to relocate to the Philadelphia suburbs on the NJ side. My wife works from home as well so we have a good amount of flexibility as far as where to live near Philadelphia.
We are coming from Bayonne, NJ. Our budget is 1500 per month (maybe going up to 1550 or so). We are looking for a walkable suburb with decent Philadelphia access and some decent parks nearby. We also have a 9 month old daughter as well. I wouldn't say school are top priority right now as we would ideally buy a home before her starting school.
I do not drive a car (she does) so walkability is a major concern. I would at least like a somewhat decent downtown to walk to. Ideally we would be able to rent an actual house but I am unsure how realistic this is. If anyone has any suggestions of cities/towns I would be very grateful.
When you say access to Philly, do you mean mass transit? If so, then you're talking about the PATCO line (or possibly the NJ Transit River Line with a connection to PATCO in Camden). If you add on the desire for a downtown area that you can walk to, I think you are talking about Collingswood, Haddon Township, and Haddonfield. Given your price concerns I'd bet that Collingswood is the most likely fit for you. You'll probably be looking at an apartment at that budget, but I'm no expert on that score. For some discussion about the communities on the PATCO line try starting with this thread:
When you say access to Philly, do you mean mass transit? If so, then you're talking about the PATCO line (or possibly the NJ Transit River Line with a connection to PATCO in Camden). If you add on the desire for a downtown area that you can walk to, I think you are talking about Collingswood, Haddon Township, and Haddonfield. Given your price concerns I'd bet that Collingswood is the most likely fit for you. You'll probably be looking at an apartment at that budget, but I'm no expert on that score. For some discussion about the communities on the PATCO line try starting with this thread:
Thank you for the reply, I am fine with driving access to Philly, it doesn't have to be mass-transit. I would like to be within a 45 minute drive to CC ideally. I don't have to go there everyday or anything like that. Would that open up more towns?
Thank you for the reply, I am fine with driving access to Philly, it doesn't have to be mass-transit. I would like to be within a 45 minute drive to CC ideally. I don't have to go there everyday or anything like that. Would that open up more towns?
Absolutely. Half of south jersey is 45 minutes from Center City. Although I think my recommendations wouldn't change much, (except to add in Haddon Heights and Audubon), especially when you say you want a downtown area that you can walk to. I'd recommend that you come down and drive through some of these communities and see what you like or dislike about them. My guess is that, since you're from Bayonne, you'll think that the inner ring suburbs down here (the ones that I have mentioned) are actually pretty spacious compared to what you are used to. A lot of people down here prefer the newer suburbs that are further away from town, but most of those do not have typical downtown areas to walk to or that you could live within a walkable distance of. There are plenty of communities further down Highways 42, 55, or I-295 that might also fit the bill for you. They tend to be cheaper and more rural if you are looking for that kind of thing, but I don't know as much about them so I'll let someone else chime in.
45 minutes driving can push you right to Hammonton, Mount Holly, Bordentown City, Burlington City, etc. $1,500 will get you something in these places for sure, at least for apartments. All have pretty active downtowns with plenty of amenities. Burlington is definitely rougher around the edges but is also getting a lot of attention towards re-investment and redevelopment in the downtown with businesses. Closer into Philly but not along the PATCO line, you can also check out Merchantville and Maple Shade which actually have full-fledged supermarkets in the walkable downtown, which many of these other places cannot boast. These are other places worth looking into aside from the Haddonfield to Collingswood PATCO corridor, Haddon Heights, and Audubon. Although by the time the child starts school, you would probably want to move out of Hammonton, Mount Holly, and Burlington City. Bordentown schools are good.
Hammonton might be a stretch at 45 minutes (I worked there for over a year). And definitely not at rush-hour. My first thought was Collingswood. Haddonfield is very walkable, but you might have trouble finding something to rent in your budget range. Merchantville and Maple Shade also come to mind.
Hammonton might be a stretch at 45 minutes (I worked there for over a year). And definitely not at rush-hour. My first thought was Collingswood. Haddonfield is very walkable, but you might have trouble finding something to rent in your budget range. Merchantville and Maple Shade also come to mind.
I was basing Hammonton off of Google Maps. It puts the commute at 39 minutes without traffic along the ACE. But yes, I think even moderate traffic will push it over for sure. And yes, I didn't suggest Haddonfield because I was thinking $1,500 won't cut it there. Similar with Moorestown. Really not worth mentioning.
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Originally Posted by jcampo13
Hello, I just got a new job working from home but I have to relocate to the Philadelphia suburbs on the NJ side. My wife works from home as well so we have a good amount of flexibility as far as where to live near Philadelphia.
We are coming from Bayonne, NJ. Our budget is 1500 per month (maybe going up to 1550 or so). We are looking for a walkable suburb with decent Philadelphia access and some decent parks nearby. We also have a 9 month old daughter as well. I wouldn't say school are top priority right now as we would ideally buy a home before her starting school.
I do not drive a car (she does) so walkability is a major concern. I would at least like a somewhat decent downtown to walk to. Ideally we would be able to rent an actual house but I am unsure how realistic this is. If anyone has any suggestions of cities/towns I would be very grateful.
Thank you!
Look at Erlton & Kingsway Village in Cherry Hill. Both are walking distance from downtown Haddonfield. There are also apartments in that area.
I like Collingswood. We rented a 2 bedroom apartment for $1200. Nice little downtown. I could walk to restaurants and little shops. The best was the Wawa was close by for groceries. Not a full shopping trip but if I forgot something I could just bike over the wawa for some eggs or milk.
Lots of parks, lots of families and activities. All the shopping you need is right down the road in Cherry Hill including Wegmans (grocery store, I loved Wegmans)
PATCO is right there so you can have fun in the city. Super easy commute if you are driving. You have close access to Walt Whitman and The Ben Franklin. You can even drive up to the Betsy Ross. So no matter which bridge is backed up or closed you have an alternative.
The schools are not bad. Good schools usually means a nice area. Even if you don't have kids.
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