HELP! ASAP! West coast Military family sent to Joint Base McGuire-Lakehurst NJ (Toms River: hotels, home)
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Even as I type this I am still in shock, for my last tour of duty I am being sent to Lakehurst, NJ. I have no clue of the area, everyone in my family is west coast & I can not find a positive thing in the world about NJ besides its small, yet crowded and you can shop?
Some basic questions, how far can I be from Joint Base McGuire for about an hour commute? (thats my max)
Schools? Where are the best schools around the base? or should I be looking at even a longer commute? my kids schooling ( grade & high school) are the most important thing to me.
What should I expect from the area?
Any advice or insight to the area, please feel free to pass along.
You are moving to a beautiful part of the country. You will not realize that till you make the move. Most of the schools are good. Stay away from Lakewood schools. Good luck and thank you for your service to our country.
Even as I type this I am still in shock, for my last tour of duty I am being sent to Lakehurst, NJ. I have no clue of the area, everyone in my family is west coast & I can not find a positive thing in the world about NJ besides its small, yet crowded and you can shop?
Some basic questions, how far can I be from Joint Base McGuire for about an hour commute? (thats my max)
Schools? Where are the best schools around the base? or should I be looking at even a longer commute? my kids schooling ( grade & high school) are the most important thing to me.
What should I expect from the area?
Any advice or insight to the area, please feel free to pass along.
With all that is going on in the world, you could have done a lot worse than NJ In any case, I think Haddonfield, which is about 50 mins away, would fit the bill. Very nice & safe town, its public HS is consistently ranked in the top 15, plus very close to Philly with all its attractions.
Our tomatoes taste better than anywhere else--we suspect it's the toxic waste in the soil--but you can only get them for about six to eight weeks in the latter part of Summer.
New York City is a short trip away.
Philadelphia is a short trip away.
We are packed with historical sites. Much of the American Revolution took place in New Jersey.
Our state government is a long-corrupted mess. You will feel better about your home state's.
I think NJ will be different from what's in your head. Just the other day I was talking with the cashier in CVS. She is from WA and is here because her husband is in the Coast Guard. She said she was surprised to find that NJ was so green. She didn't expect all the trees.
Then again, she also said she'd expected South Carolina to be a desert, leading me to silently question her basic knowledge of US geography.
I agree about Haddonfield, which is a wonderful town. As a former NJ teacher, I think you will be very pleased with the schools. There are many historical places to visit, and if you are a beach family, you will enjoy the shore. You are close to Philly and it is an easy ride to NYC. While you are on the east coast, travel up through New England and down into the southern states. I think you will really enjoy NJ and the east coast, and I thank you for your service to our country.
It is not as bad as "jersey shore" shows it to the world. Besides, they are all from NY. Southern NJ is less crowded in most places than northern NJ. Thanks for your service and the sacrifices of your family.
...I have no clue of the area, everyone in my family is west coast & I can not find a positive thing in the world about NJ besides its small, yet crowded and you can shop?
Some basic questions, how far can I be from Joint Base McGuire for about an hour commute? (thats my max)...
Really? Not one good thing in the world? We don't have west-coast-type earthquakes. That's one good thing. Tell us the bad things you have heard, so we can tell you what's true or false.
As for where to live, while Haddonfield is a great town, it is also a very expensive town. If you are working at the base and can swing the cost of Haddonfield, you may be better off looking into Moorestown as it would shave at least 20-30 minutes off of your commute. Ultimately, a recommendation on where to live is really dependent on what your budget is. There are plenty of options for virtually any budget in Burlington and even Camden County that will also come with good schools. Some of the areas closer to the base like; Shamong, Tabernacle and Medford they are great rural communities with excellent schools and would be an easy commute to the base. You can also look into towns along the 38 corridor; Lumberton which is very popular with military families as well as Hainesport and Mt. Laurel. Going down the 73 corridor you have Marlton and Voorhees, both of which have good school districts and a large variety of housing stock.
And one more thing--both another poster and I mentioned the historic sites.
You are a military family, and yes, we do appreciate your service.
You are moving to the place where your country began. In December of 1776, many had given up hope that the fight for independence would be successful and deserted the Continental Army. Before dawn on the day after Christmas, George Washington and a couple thousand troops crossed the icy Delaware River from Pennsylvania and marched on Trenton, which was guarded by Hessian soldiers on behalf of the Brits. By noon they were crossing back over the river, having won the battle and taken about 900 Hessians prisoner. This battle revitalized belief that independence could be won and more joined up to fight the British. You'll be an hour's drive or so from where this happened, and can even watch or join in the re-enactment that takes place every year.
You'll also be a short drive from the location of the Battle of Monmouth, the single longest day of fighting in the American Revolution, June 28, 1778. Re-enactment is cancelled for this year because they are doing some restoration work on the battlefield.
You'll be an hour or so from Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence was adopted and where your country's Constitution was debated and finally settled upon.
You'll be less than two hours from New York City, which served as the first capital of the United States under the Constitution and where George Washington was inaugurated.
You'll be about three hours' drive from Washington DC, with our federal buildings, endless museums and the National Archives.
You'll be about five hours' drive from Boston, where some of the first patriots started acting up against the British crown and its taxes.
Your kids' education is the most important thing to you--in addition to finding good schools for them, you will be living in an area that affords many opportunities to fortify that education beyond what is taught in the classroom.
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In any case, I think Haddonfield, which is about 50 mins away, would fit the bill. Very nice & safe town, its public HS is consistently ranked in the top 15, plus very close to Philly with all its attractions.
