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Depends what you want. If you want the fast pace of life near New York, and you like sophistication and smart people and cultural offerings, and are prepared to deal with the competition for time and space, northern NJ is the best place to live on the planet. If you want a laid back atmosphere and are sick of the rat race, you might want to move South. It also depends where you are on your timeline. If you are young and strong and less than 40, northern NJ has more to offer. If you are middle aged or older and the energy is waning, and the income potential is winding down, and you no longer like to compete, it may be time to pack up the tents and head for South Jersey.
I'm going to buck the typical portrayal of North and South Jersey, because the truth is, you can find either pace of life in either place. The Philly burbs on the Jersey side are fast paced, highly developed, and hardly laid back. No one thinks nature and solitude in Cherry Hill, Camden or Atlantic City. Likewise, Sussex, Warren, Hunterdon, and parts of Morris and Passaic are filled with nature, parks, and have very low population densities. So....
if you like mountains, hills, deciduous trees, small towns, higher snowfall, and lots of nature go to NW NJ. If you like fast paced, heavily developed areas with tons of shopping, people, and more jobs, go to NE or SW NJ. If you like flatter land, coniferous trees, less snow, Phillies and Eagles, and easier access to the shore, live in South/Southeastern NJ.
No one thinks nature and solitude in Cherry Hill, Camden or Atlantic City.
I wouldn't call any of them fast-paced either. You're comparing pre-fab suburbia to all-out urban decay to a sleazy, gilded poverty resort-town. Fast-paced is Philadelphia or New York City.
I wouldn't call any of them fast-paced either. You're comparing pre-fab suburbia to all-out urban decay to a sleazy, gilded poverty resort-town. Fast-paced is Philadelphia or New York City.
I still maintain that SJ, specifically the tri-county area, is better location-wise than the majority of NNJ. This is because even the further suburbs are generally only 35 minutes from the city (in this case Philly). It's difficult to find a nice town within that distance to Manhattan. Sure, on a purely objective basis Manhattan is much more of a draw than Philly, but for most of your entertainment and other needs, especially spur of the moment decisions, Philly is great anyway. Essentially, I am trying to say that on a day to day basis I'd rather live closer to Philly than farther from New York. Plus SJ is closer to the shore, including AC, which is a huge draw as well.
Also, you can make great money in SJ, especially when taking into account the cost of living. I'm continually amazed at how some people on this forum look down on South Jersey as some backwater place haha. I didn't even know these stereotypes existed until I read them on the internet.
I've lived in both and greatly prefer NNJ. I prefer the topography, the NYC media market and overall vibe more. I prefer the shore area over the Delaware Valley in South Jersey.
Overall my ranking is:
NWNJ
NENJ
SENJ
SWNJ
(central NJ fits into the above categories)
Of course I'd choose to live in Moorestown over Elizabeth but hopefully that's obvious. I'm talking in generalities. It wouldn't be a death sentence to live in any area of the state though.
Oh hell I'll bite. I grew up smack in the middle (Mercer County) so I got a taste of both growing up. Summers on Long Beach Island, Fall and Winter hunting in the Pines, and Spring camping trips in the Northwestern counties. Honestly it's all what you're comfortable with. The Pines are nice, but they're flat-I'm also not enough of a beach person to care about proximity to the shore. If we had our druthers we'd move further north and west than where we live now-either Sussex or Warren counties. Preferably close to, bordering, or within (yes there are private homes located inside the park) the Delaware Water Gap NRA. Enough land to hunt, shoot, ride ATVs, and cut our own firewood on. The only issue is making a living at that point... Proximity to either city is not really an issue for us either-peace and quiet is.
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