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I recently took a new position at my company and I'll be working in Cherry Hill. I've read on here that Cherry Hill is great..shopping is nice and taxes are high, etc.
I'm 26 so I still want to be able to go out and have fun. I'm from a smaller town near St. Louis (IL side though) I don't need a busy/crazy city nightlife, but I definitely want to have the option of a couple of places to hang out on the weekends. *Wine bar, Irish bas, Sports bars would be my top picks.
My boyfriend will be attending Rowan University in the Spring...so maybe I should consider in his commute as well. I don't even know what the traffic is like there. I just heard... stay out of Camden.
Any suggestions on places that would fit our "still young" lifestyle, but won't make our commute crazy!!!!? We won't know anyone up there so I would like some social places to get out and meet people. I don't need to be IN the action...but I want the option to be a part of it. Dry towns are out of the picture. That just seems weird anyway....
I am use to WAY lower rent prices... I think $1500/month is the highest I'd go.
Philly is maybe an option, but I'm afraid my taxes might be too extreme. We'll try to shoot for the NJ side.
stay out of Philly. City wage tax will take as much as the high property taxes over here in Jersey. Philly is not nearly as safe either.. + if you want to partake in any Philadelphia museums, clubs etc, you can drive to it and then go back to the safety of the burbs. BF going to Rowen, Id look to Cherry hill area or maybe Haddonfield. But be forewarned, it is not cheap. You get what you pay for.. Good luck
In New Jersey, towns are VERY close to each other. I'm 28 and I bought a place in Collingswood a few years ago.
I'd look at Collingswood or Haddon Township. Both are about a 10-20 minute drive to Cherry Hill, depending on which side of Cherry Hill your job is located. Collingswood is dry (I know you said you don't want that), but has a nice BYOB restaurant district. Next door (a mile away) is Haddon Township, which is not dry and has a few hang out spots that get a younger crowd on weekends (Pour House, Irish Mile, PJ's, etc.). The best part of these two towns is that you can WALK to PATCO and be anywhere in Center City Philly in 15-20 minutes 24/7. The PATCO train is one of two 24/7 train systems in the COUNTRY, and it only costs $5 round trip!
From Collingswood, you'd be about a 30 minute drive to Rowan, and maybe a few more minutes from Haddon Township. The commute to Glassboro would be consistent during off-peak hours.
I grew up right near Rowan, and my advice in general would be to move closer to Cherry Hill, because the commute from the Rowan area to Cherry Hill in the morning is brutal even though it is not far. Route 42, Route 55 North, and 295 North all jam and the 18 mile trip easily can take 1 hour or more. Also, every community near Rowan is a bedroom community.
Finally, you will pay wage tax and higher rents in the city if you live in Philadelphia proper. You can swing it on $1500/month though and it is by far the most happening part of the region. There are other challenges with city life, most notably finding a place to park your car, since you will need it for commuting to Cherry Hill.
It sounds like Collingswood or Haddon Township would be a good place to take a year lease and get to know the area. You could also check out Haddonfield Commons and a few other places in Haddonfield as well, but Haddonfield is also a dry town and exclusive, so rents will be high in exchange for a few minutes less of a commute to Cherry Hill and great schools that you won't use.
I agree with Tom's statements. You want to base near the job, not Rowan. Getting to Rowan from the Collingswood/Cherry Hill area is easy as the bulk of the drive is going against traffic. $1,500 a month can easily get you into any number of nice apartment complexes or even a house/townhouse rental. I also wouldn't worry about "dry towns" as the towns in this area are pretty much contiguous, you could live in dry Collingswood or Haddonfield and still be able to literally walk to a bar in 10 minutes if you wanted to. Basing along the PATCO line also gives you very easy access to Philadelphia whenever you want it.
I have a good friend who was originally from Litchfield, IL and I have been there, so I have an idea of what you're coming from and you will most likely be very surprised at the density in this area.
I will triple agree with Haddonfield/Collingswood/Haddon Twp/Westmont areas. Check Craigslist for those areas. Idea here is you want to be walking/bike/SHORT car ride to a PATCO station so you can swing into Philly easy for dinners/weekends. Haddon Ave is the main strip of places to eat (non-chains). If you have any specific questions just ask.
Also check out Voorhees. It's right next to Cherry Hill, and there are tons of apartments and townhouses that are reasonably priced.
Definitely rent for at least a year before buying in south Jersey. You'll get to know the area and individual towns a lot better.
I grew up in a dry town in that area, but never lacked for alcohol and nightlife. Most of the towns are like 2 miles wide, and the next town always has sports bars and night clubs.
Be aware that in Camden County, especially all around the Cherry Hill area, it always seems to be "rush hour." When I go down there to visit my parents, there is ALWAYS congested traffic. What used to be a 10 minute trip from one place to another in the 80s and 90s is now a 30+ minute trip.
Also agree that whenever you go into center city Philly, take PATCO (or as we old timers call it, the high-speed line). It's quick and safe, and you don't have to worry about expensive Philly parking and driving after drinking.
Locals know what roads to avoid in Camden County. There are a few spots that are bad but you can usually avoid most of the congestion if you learn the backroads.
Voorhees has a new Main Street-type complex that was built near the Echelon Mall that also may be worth checking out. Rents are high there too, though. The hardest thing to find in the Collingswood/Haddon Township area are apartments that are larger and new. Since I looked a few years back, a lot of the complexes have renovated in Collingswood, but your best bet in my opinion is to get something one of a kind -- a storefront apartment, duplex, rowhouse, etc. and as close to the train as you can tolerate. If you're not dead set on a complex, you'll find rental housing in Collingswood/Haddon Township can take some work to find, but the payoff is great -- it's a great place to live and by far the most walkable area in South Jersey.
Also, I don't think traffic from Cherry Hill to Voorhees is much better. The whole area is a giant log jam from 4-6. I usually hit the gym after work, so traffic is tolerable by the time I need to trek up 70 west.
Now MIGHT be the time to get yourself a brand new Lumberyard unit in Collingswood for the long term rental price. The town is essentially broke but has great potential once the heads are out. They are renting out long term lease and you will be able to see CC Philly and take the PATCO one stop to Westmont for some great, youth feeling spots like the Pour House and PJ's. Collingswood is friendly to youth, glbt people and earth mothers so you probably would like it if you like the feel of village life.
I recently took a new position at my company and I'll be working in Cherry Hill. I've read on here that Cherry Hill is great..shopping is nice and taxes are high, etc.
I'm 26 so I still want to be able to go out and have fun. I'm from a smaller town near St. Louis (IL side though) I don't need a busy/crazy city nightlife, but I definitely want to have the option of a couple of places to hang out on the weekends. *Wine bar, Irish bas, Sports bars would be my top picks.
My boyfriend will be attending Rowan University in the Spring...so maybe I should consider in his commute as well. I don't even know what the traffic is like there. I just heard... stay out of Camden.
Any suggestions on places that would fit our "still young" lifestyle, but won't make our commute crazy!!!!? We won't know anyone up there so I would like some social places to get out and meet people. I don't need to be IN the action...but I want the option to be a part of it. Dry towns are out of the picture. That just seems weird anyway....
I am use to WAY lower rent prices... I think $1500/month is the highest I'd go.
Philly is maybe an option, but I'm afraid my taxes might be too extreme. We'll try to shoot for the NJ side.
I'd love some feedback!
Thank you
sicklerville is easy drive to rowan and NJT 459 can time with ACL trains to cherry hill all other times use PATCO to 450 or if 450 fails you drive is also easy 551 service to philly is express and rowan has 408/313 to philly as well
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