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Anyone happen to live in Blackwood NJ? Can you tell me what the community and area are like? It the town considered safe etc?
I don’t live there, but I can give you the down low. It’s blue collar, lower middle class. Blackwood is a specific section of Gloucester Twp. Gloucester Twp as a whole is a little better off and a little more diverse than Blackwood specifically...ironically Blackwood is whiter than the township at large.
There isn’t much to do and not a great quality of life. Bad suburban sprawl, strip malls, developments, fast food joints, etc. There is Camden County College. Elsewhere in Gloucester Twp there is an outlet shopping center that opened a few years ago. There are some parks. Timber Creek is nice, you can bring your dog there, and there is open space for them to run and a swimming spot. Freedom Park in Medford is better though. Otherwise, there really is no reason to go to Gloucester Twp.
It’s generally safe, but parts of it do look quite dumpy, run down, and depressed, which may give it a more unsafe appearance, though I would say that is pretty misleading. Still, it’s a kind of soul sucking place. I wouldn’t want to live there.
I don’t live there, but I can give you the down low. It’s blue collar, lower middle class. Blackwood is a specific section of Gloucester Twp. Gloucester Twp as a whole is a little better off and a little more diverse than Blackwood specifically...ironically Blackwood is whiter than the township at large.
There isn’t much to do and not a great quality of life. Bad suburban sprawl, strip malls, developments, fast food joints, etc. There is Camden County College. Elsewhere in Gloucester Twp there is an outlet shopping center that opened a few years ago. There are some parks. Timber Creek is nice, you can bring your dog there, and there is open space for them to run and a swimming spot. Freedom Park in Medford is better though. Otherwise, there really is no reason to go to Gloucester Twp.
It’s generally safe, but parts of it do look quite dumpy, run down, and depressed, which may give it a more unsafe appearance, though I would say that is pretty misleading. Still, it’s a kind of soul sucking place. I wouldn’t want to live there.
Thank you for your assessment in such an intelligent manner. Would you personally recommend Williamstown, or Delran, Maple Shade or Collingswood?
Thank you for your assessment in such an intelligent manner. Would you personally recommend Williamstown, or Delran, Maple Shade or Collingswood?
That depends on your budget, the kind of housing you are looking for, where you are working, and if schools are important.
What I said for Blackwood/Gloucester Twp, ditto for Williamstown/Monroe Twp. They are pretty much the same. Maple Shade, I would say is even worse off. These are all the kinds of decaying blue collar, mostly white suburbs that you would suspect have an opioid crisis, although there are plenty of substantially worse towns that South Jersey offers.
If schools are important and you are looking for a house, then Delran. If schools are not important and you want an apartment to rent, Collingswood. But budget is important. Collingswood does have some crappy parts like the areas bordering Camden and the apartment complex known as The Heights. Do not live there. The good area around the downtown and Haddon Avenue will be more expensive. Collingswood easily wins if you are commuting to Philly, whether you drive or take PATCO. Collingswood has more going on, Delran is just another suburban sprawl town, but definitely better than Blackwood, Williamstown, and Maple Shade.
Haddon Twp/Westmont gives you a Collingswood vibe/walkable downtown (sort of)/PATCO/good Philly commute with Delran quality schools. You have Collingswood Lumberyard style luxury apartments (Haddon Towne Center), some other apartment options (Albertsons Village), and housing stock.
If you buy a house anywhere in Camden County, be prepared for a real shocker when you see the property taxes! Not that Burlington and Gloucester Counties are reasonable, but Camden County might have the worst millage rate in the nation.
That depends on your budget, the kind of housing you are looking for, where you are working, and if schools are important.
What I said for Blackwood/Gloucester Twp, ditto for Williamstown/Monroe Twp. They are pretty much the same. Maple Shade, I would say is even worse off. These are all the kinds of decaying blue collar, mostly white suburbs that you would suspect have an opioid crisis, although there are plenty of substantially worse towns that South Jersey offers.
If schools are important and you are looking for a house, then Delran. If schools are not important and you want an apartment to rent, Collingswood. But budget is important. Collingswood does have some crappy parts like the areas bordering Camden and the apartment complex known as The Heights. Do not live there. The good area around the downtown and Haddon Avenue will be more expensive. Collingswood easily wins if you are commuting to Philly, whether you drive or take PATCO. Collingswood has more going on, Delran is just another suburban sprawl town, but definitely better than Blackwood, Williamstown, and Maple Shade.
Haddon Twp/Westmont gives you a Collingswood vibe/walkable downtown (sort of)/PATCO/good Philly commute with Delran quality schools. You have Collingswood Lumberyard style luxury apartments (Haddon Towne Center), some other apartment options (Albertsons Village), and housing stock.
If you buy a house anywhere in Camden County, be prepared for a real shocker when you see the property taxes! Not that Burlington and Gloucester Counties are reasonable, but Camden County might have the worst millage rate in the nation.
Our budget would be 350,000 and that is why I was focusing on Williamstown as I lived here once and like it. I also was looking at Cherry Hill as well. Thank you so much for your information.
Our budget would be 350,000 and that is why I was focusing on Williamstown as I lived here once and like it. I also was looking at Cherry Hill as well. Thank you so much for your information.
I see. I didn’t you realize you were the same guy who posted a similar thread a few months back until I looked at your profile. You had also been inquiring about access to both Philly and NYC before, and you are gay...presumably without children? Don’t know for sure.
Being from here originally, you may know Collingswood has a somewhat active gay community, if that matters to you.
$350K will get you a house in Delran, Haddon Twp, Collingswood, and Cherry Hill. Mostly modest homes. You won’t get a big new construction on that budget, but you will have options. Collingswood and Haddon Twp homes will generally be older than Cherry Hill and Delran. Assuming schools are not important then, you can choose any of the four, although if they are, all are pretty good choices, but in order, it would be Cherry Hill as the clear leader, Haddon Twp and Delran in a tie, then Collingswood just slightly behind them.
Choose Delran if you want maybe a little more for your budget, care about the small amount closer it is to NYC, and want slightly lower property taxes.
Choose Collingswood for the downtown, festivals and events, gay community, Philly commute.
Choose Cherry Hill for the safest investment, as the schools are the best of the bunch, so resale value will be stable. It is also most convenient to shopping.
Choose Haddon Township if you want bars (LOL). But seriously, choose it for that, the odd mix of car friendly and pedestrian friendly downtown (look on Google maps to see what I mean), festivals and events, the Philly commute, and in my estimation, the most potential upside and appreciation from an investment standpoint. I was around there on Father’s Day weekend. Seemed pretty lively, better than I’ve ever seen it.
I see. I didn’t you realize you were the same guy who posted a similar thread a few months back until I looked at your profile. You had also been inquiring about access to both Philly and NYC before, and you are gay...presumably without children? Don’t know for sure.
Being from here originally, you may know Collingswood has a somewhat active gay community, if that matters to you.
$350K will get you a house in Delran, Haddon Twp, Collingswood, and Cherry Hill. Mostly modest homes. You won’t get a big new construction on that budget, but you will have options. Collingswood and Haddon Twp homes will generally be older than Cherry Hill and Delran. Assuming schools are not important then, you can choose any of the four, although if they are, all are pretty good choices, but in order, it would be Cherry Hill as the clear leader, Haddon Twp and Delran in a tie, then Collingswood just slightly behind them.
Choose Delran if you want maybe a little more for your budget, care about the small amount closer it is to NYC, and want slightly lower property taxes.
Choose Collingswood for the downtown, festivals and events, gay community, Philly commute.
Choose Cherry Hill for the safest investment, as the schools are the best of the bunch, so resale value will be stable. It is also most convenient to shopping.
Choose Haddon Township if you want bars (LOL). But seriously, choose it for that, the odd mix of car friendly and pedestrian friendly downtown (look on Google maps to see what I mean), festivals and events, the Philly commute, and in my estimation, the most potential upside and appreciation from an investment standpoint. I was around there on Father’s Day weekend. Seemed pretty lively, better than I’ve ever seen it.
Thank you again for remembering me. We're not looking for New construction. As I feel those houses are very cold. I want something with character and larger. My very first house on my own was 3600 square feet and I used every inch of it. We're looking for something between 2500-3000 square feet. This will be the forever home, so I'm being picky. My partner doesn't care where it is, just that it's safe, and he can do his buying and selling of antiques and collectibles as his subliminal income.
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