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If you have been considering moving to NC, GA, FL for cost of living reasons
-- have you considered or would you consider areas in Western PA such as Pittsburgh -- rather than move all the way to the south. I understand the economic opportunities in Pittsburgh may be a bit lacking, but it seems to be attempting a reasonable recovery.
I have lived in GA (Atlanta exurb area) for several years, and am considering a move to the NoVa - Philly - NJ - CT belt (reverse transplant), or to Pittsburgh. Any opinions would be appreciated!
If you have been considering moving to NC, GA, FL for cost of living reasons
-- have you considered or would you consider areas in Western PA such as Pittsburgh -- rather than move all the way to the south. I understand the economic opportunities in Pittsburgh may be a bit lacking, but it seems to be attempting a reasonable recovery.
I have lived in GA (Atlanta exurb area) for several years, and am considering a move to the NoVa - Philly - NJ - CT belt (reverse transplant), or to Pittsburgh. Any opinions would be appreciated!
Contrary to alot of the posts in here, NJ still has a few, really nice affordable areas - North west jersey...Warren County. Why are you considering moving back? Was Georgia - Atlanta a bad move? Just curious as I am thinking of moving there... should I reconsider?
I wouldn't move to Pittsburgh with the idea that the area is attempting a 'comeback'. It is a lower cost of living area, good universities, good amenities, not much traffic, with a fair amount to do. The bad news is location, weather, economy, etc., it also tends to be pretty gloomy out there. I go there on business and have a very good friend out there. I would definitely stick to Philly and preferrably South Jersey very good area, good economic growth in SJ and the burbs, great food, nice people, great housing stock. It will be more expensive than Pitt but less than CT.
Contrary to alot of the posts in here, NJ still has a few, really nice affordable areas - North west jersey...Warren County. Why are you considering moving back? Was Georgia - Atlanta a bad move? Just curious as I am thinking of moving there... should I reconsider?
I am Asian Indian, lived 10+ years in the greater Atl area, and only 1 year in the northeast. Just looking for a change of scenery, and now that I have a family, trying to decide where to "set up roots".
I like looking at your forum, but every once in a while somebody will scare me with $15,000 property tax statistics! Could you enlighten me about North Jersey (and/or North west jersey-Warren county) -- cost of living / housing to buy independent house / school district / diversity.
I will ask MoorestownResident about South Jersey / Philadelphia arrea in a bit.
I feel Atlanta has something for everyone. And it will probably work for you. Lots of transplants. I am just looking for a change in scenery, and trying to make a northeast vs southeast determination. Hey, you tell me about North Jersey (cost of living etc.) and I will tell you all about Atlanta, or whatever you need to know)!
I wouldn't move to Pittsburgh with the idea that the area is attempting a 'comeback'. It is a lower cost of living area, good universities, good amenities, not much traffic, with a fair amount to do. The bad news is location, weather, economy, etc., it also tends to be pretty gloomy out there. I go there on business and have a very good friend out there. I would definitely stick to Philly and preferrably South Jersey very good area, good economic growth in SJ and the burbs, great food, nice people, great housing stock. It will be more expensive than Pitt but less than CT.
What are good areas to live in South Jersey. I have looked into Cherry Hill, and Pricenton a bit. Are these two areas safe? They look close to Trenton / Camden which often have a bad rep??
How long would a Cherry Hill -- Philly, or Princeton -- Philly train ride take?
What am I looking at in terms of taxes? Coz sometimes I see numbers like 15000 in property tax in NJ, I hope that is for million dollar homes?!!
I am Asian Indian, lived 10+ years in the greater Atl area, and only 1 year in the northeast. Just looking for a change of scenery, and now that I have a family, trying to decide where to "set up roots".
I like looking at your forum, but every once in a while somebody will scare me with $15,000 property tax statistics! Could you enlighten me about North Jersey (and/or North west jersey-Warren county) -- cost of living / housing to buy independent house / school district / diversity.
I will ask MoorestownResident about South Jersey / Philadelphia arrea in a bit.
I feel Atlanta has something for everyone. And it will probably work for you. Lots of transplants. I am just looking for a change in scenery, and trying to make a northeast vs southeast determination. Hey, you tell me about North Jersey (cost of living etc.) and I will tell you all about Atlanta, or whatever you need to know)!
Areas by me such as Independence, Hackettstown, Mansfield, Hope, Blairstown, Frelinghuysen... there are still single family homes for under 300K..even 200K with property and taxes below 5K/Yr. Diversity - this is NJ, everyone is welcome and you won't have to deal with ignorance. My favorite little liquor store by me is owned by Asian Indians - great guys! And they love it out here. We even have a few really good Asian Indian restaurants in the area. The schools systems are pretty decent as well. This area is also close to Rt. 80, Rt. 46, Rt. 206....and PA is only about 30 mins. Beautiful countryside...tiny little historical main streets. Try gsmls.com - Warren County.
What are good areas to live in South Jersey. I have looked into Cherry Hill, and Pricenton a bit. Are these two areas safe? They look close to Trenton / Camden which often have a bad rep??
How long would a Cherry Hill -- Philly, or Princeton -- Philly train ride take?
What am I looking at in terms of taxes? Coz sometimes I see numbers like 15000 in property tax in NJ, I hope that is for million dollar homes?!!
Princeton and Cherry Hill are nice areas. Safe and good schools. Trenton is Trenton...as long as your not in Trenton - you won't see any trouble.
You will get more for you money in Cherry Hill then in Princeton. Other areas down there would be Voorhees, Moorestown, Mt. Laurel, Marlton (aka Evesham)
If you want to go further north, but still stay in Burlington County - Chesterfield is doing a lot of building....single family homes and townhouses...they are nice. Or any of the areas that end up in the Northern Burlington Schools. Or Bordentown.
The two primary counties serving Philly are Camden and Burlington. Gloucester County to the south of Camden County is coming into its own with sprawl and relatively cheaper housing with some good school districts. Over time, I think GC will be a good investment.
Camden County - most desirable towns - Haddonfield, Cherry Hill, Voorhees - sorry to say your $15K property tax number will be for a house with market value considerably less than $1 million, especially in Haddonfield which is very expensive. The patco train line runs from Lindenwold (near Voorhees/Cherry Hill) to center city. Other stops include Haddonfield, Westmont and Collingswood before hitting Camden stops. Depending on the stop, the commute on the train is about 20 minutes +/- and it is very reliable and a good way to access center city Philly.
Collingswood and Westmont (aka Haddon Township) are good towns and locations should you want to spent less on housing than towns cited above. The housing stock tends to be older with relatively less new construction. Collingswood has improved its Main Street appeal dramatically and its reputation over recent years but it still has some rough areas. It borders Camden on one side.
Burlington County - has more rural feel with more open space than Camden County. Think horse farms. Still developing in some areas but primarily grown out, smart growth initiatives in recent years make it more desirable IMO. Most desirable towns - Moorestown, Medford, Marlton, Mount Laurel. Great areas, great schools, especially Moorestown. You're going to have the same property tax issues here, possibly slightly less than CC but not by much. M-town was just reassessed and housing is expensive, you'll do better in the other towns. Commute to Philly is going to be a bit longer due to drive time to the train or drive to the city but still pretty easy. I drive roughly 10 minutes on route 295 south to Woodcrest Train station. Other towns to consider with more bang for the buck - Lumberton, Hainesport which have good access to major roads but they feed the RV high school district which is not as desirable. But there are alternatives.
Princeton in Mercer County to the north is a great area but it's not where I'd recommend you hang your hat if you want to get to Philly/NYC on a daily basis. People do it, of course, but you are setting yourself up for commute issues. I'd prefer to have access to Princeton instead of living there.
Any of these towns are good choices, SJ on the whole has great access to everything - Philly, Princeton, the shore, major airports, even NYC is not too bad. Some people commute to NYC from these towns. The climate is a bit warmer, Philly is the most northern point of the sub-tropical climate zone.
The two primary counties serving Philly are Camden and Burlington. Gloucester County to the south of Camden County is coming into its own with sprawl and relatively cheaper housing with some good school districts. Over time, I think GC will be a good investment.
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What are the train lines that serve these 3 counties. Is it basically the SEPTA or PATCO (?) line that runs East-West (Atlantic City - Philadelphia)? Do you just drive to your nearest station?
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Any of these towns are good choices, SJ on the whole has great access to everything - Philly, Princeton, the shore, major airports, even NYC is not too bad. Some people commute to NYC from these towns. The climate is a bit warmer, Philly is the most northern point of the sub-tropical climate zone.
Is Princeton a job center? To get to Princeton or NYC from Cherry Hill (by tran) would you basically be going to Philadelphia, and taking another train?
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property taxes
What would the property taxes be on a 300-400K house in CC, BC, GC counties? Is that a reasonable range for these counties or too low / too high?
1. Septa is PA public transportation, Patco serves SJ at large to Philly only, it does not run to Atlantic City but I think you can take NJ transit trains to AC. The Patco train line runs from Lindenwold in Camden County, you would need to drive to the station closest to where you live.
Here's the route:
PATCO :: Lindenwold Station (http://www.ridepatco.org/lindenwold.asp# - broken link)
2. Princeton is a job center, especially along the Rt 1 corridor there are major employers like Merrill Lynch, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal, Educational Testing Service (ETS).
3. You can find smaller houses in these towns for $300K-$400K just depends on the town, the size, age, lot size etc., if the assessments are fairly recent, property taxes will be anywhere from $5,000-$9,000 and possibly more depending on the town.
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North Jersey
