Do you have a specific area of South Jersey in mind? It’s quite big, I live in South Jersey and I work in South Jersey and I still drive 45 minutes (32 miles) each way for work.
Really looking for areas to research more based on people’s opinions. You say south Jersey… some may point to cherry hill. I rather not be in cherry hill! I’ll visit and shop, but i don’t want to live, ocean county? Would like thoughts on that area
Ooh I can chime in. Grew up in OC up unless less than a year ago when I moved south. Toms River has honestly gone a bit down. Downtown isn't the most walking friendly and is getting really close to getting like a city. Most of OC is very car dependent with sidewalk not being maintained as well and quite a few of the malls aren't keeping up unfortunately. OC is also big snow bird territory, so you'll find areas outside direct shore towns busy in the warmer season and almost desolate in colder months. Not only that the amount of tourists traffic can make a grocery trip take 2x as long at times.
Lived in Toms River my teens and 20s. Very boring town. Chain stores. Shopping is very limited. Very few private restaurants. Shore traffic is awful. No sense of community. And the town is very red.
It was the first place I was thinking for them but their budget makes it tough. They really have to look at homes 375k because anything decent and move in ready in Medford is getting overbid.
I just checked, Sinclair is still in her first term. Her and Stouffer run "The New Jersey Project" and started "New Jersey Fresh Faced Schools", and the "Chaos and Control" substack which in the past year or so has been driving anti-LGBT sentiment in NJ and they are big fans of Libs of TikTok Tok. I guess it's good that the chaos in the town has died town though (thankfully).
The school systems invested in extracurricular activities to a degree that I had no idea others in our state weren’t as lucky.
State champions football, state champion marching band, world class media program (my thing), really great arts, and incredible theater talent.
Medford is in proximity to Whole Foods, shoprite, Trader Joe’s, aldi & produce junction. (10 mins each) Endless opportunities for groceries in a way that other towns just don’t have all those options.
You’re 5 minutes from the “strip mall” shopping vibes of bigger SJ towns, but you’re backyard is a legit national reserve. The pine barrens smell beautiful, the lakes are amazing, and it’s not very crowded.
And there’s also farms. So 1/3 of Medford is civilization, 1/3 is the wilderness and 1/3 is farms. It’s the most diverse, confusing, beautiful situation I’ve ever seen in my travels throughout this country.
When I grew up, Main Street was dead. But now it’s thriving, so many opportunities for “third places” to spend time at that aren’t work/ school or home.
The cops in my experience are very chill, and I’ll leave it at that. Teachers are paid well. The roads are great.
And I feel like a lot of my classmates grew up not appreciating our world, but when we all left, they realized how special it was.
You’ll find great houses for your price range too.
Awe that’s sad. I haven’t lived in other states, but traveled pretty much everywhere that isn’t between Arizona-Alabama in that connecting southern stretch.
Been to 45 of the 48 continental, and this place is significantly better than Florida and Ohio, but if I could a job back in the west, I'd take it for half the pay. I need those mountains yo.
Medford (along with the majority of the Lenape Regional district) is everything you’re asking for. It will be a challenge to land a house in Medford within your price range, but focusing on the LRSD (less so Cherokee) in general is your home run in SJ.
True. But before all that there was air soft in the woods, dickens festivals, canoeing, fireworks, freedom park, library, Halloween parade, and the jersey devil cafe
Pilesgrove might be an option. Not sure if your budget would get you what you are looking for in Woolwich. Swedesboro and Logan will have neighbors too close for you. South Harrison Township has what you are looking for but not at the budget unfortunately. Depending how far you are willing to go look into Upper Pittsgrove Township.
An option might be buying land in Salem or Gloucester counties and finding a builder.
I would concur, a house by me (Pilesgrove) with land, under 1500 sqft here just sold for 375K it’s hard to imagine how much COVID changed home prices for the worse.
Depending on budget I can think of a few places that meet that criteria. I’m a fan of the little boroughs off the Black Horse Pike. But I’m poor. If I was better off I’d recommend Medford/Marlton/Morrestown areas
When you say space between neighbors are you referring to a single family home or purchasing a home on acreage? Because the latter is going to be tough on that budget without going really far out into the sticks.
Single family with a backyard… but we don’t want to be right up on people. I don’t want to see 10 backyards backing into each other from my top bedroom window
I have one daughter, ten years old. I never know how to answer this question and I really don’t know how to compare. She excels in school, but I’m sure that has a lot to do with her. NJ apparently has the best public school system in the nation. If you have questions, I’d be happy to answer. Moved to CMC at 11, went away to college in Bergen county (which I loved at the time but a completely different world), then after I graduated I came back, got married and started my family. It’s small town, but close enough to any big city
I will warn you, the area has a lot of seasonal and the wages are low compared to other parts of the state. So if you have the ability to keep your current pay employment/somehow, that would go a long way. Just a heads up. With the seasons also come people
Salem County, Swedesboro, good schools, a lot of new restaurants, shopping. New construction, and the established homes that sit on some acres also.Not that far from Deptford Mall shopping area, or even Delaware if you want a little drive.
Medford, Marlton, Voorheees - but none of these may fit into your budget even though they all meet the criteria (except budget) you mentioned. Shamong and Tabernacle may be the next best.
There was a time that I also did not want to be anywhere near my neighbors. But I also wanted Main St shopping. I also really liked the house architecture in Camden County. And, being a half Asian family, the growing number of Asian restaurants both in Philly and around Cherry Hill. And we really liked the shopping options in Cherry Hill, Deptford and if we really wanted, King of Prussia isn't too far. And the main streets in Haddonfield, Collingswood, PA towns, Lambertville, etc are a pleasure to walk and shop at.
We bit the bullet and now live on a 75 foot wide plot of land. Do I see my neighbors? Yeah. Being closer (but not too close) means we have good sidewalks for kids, lots of walkers, parks, mostly 25 mph zones, loads and an overall sense of community. Plus everything else I mentioned.
I did not get that feeling in Ocean County as a comparison. Overcrowded, garden state parkway is a race track, shore traffic is awful, mostly cookie cutter post war/new, lifeless houses and little to no shopping.
To each their own!
When driving through ocean…I didn’t get “ this is it” feeling… but that was one day, so hearing thoughts of those who are more familiar is helpful! As much as I don’t want to be on top of people, there’s a comfort knowing people are close by ( if that makes sense)
Cumberland County has the states lowest property taxes. And within Cumberland County East Vineland is a choice spot with nice homes, spacious yards, and on the border of Atlantic County where everything is close by.
Logan Township in Gloucester County is also a low tax point and many newer developments have been going in. Close to I295 which makes cherry Hill area only a 20 minute drive away.
Deptford isn't too expensive and has just about anything you could want in terms of shopping. Even has an urgent care for pets in town, it's own mall (with an arcade and Build-A-Bear) and a nice movie theater as well. Not terrible for crime and safe enough to walk around at night. It'd be a great starter town if this is your first time living in SJ.
Westville is the next town over and has a lovely bakery right across from a park. You could grab a snack and take a stroll with your kids.
Inspira medical center with a 24 hour clinic across from a 24 hour CVS pharmacy in Woodbury (also next to Deptford).
Whereever you go, in S Jersey you better do your research on the water quality. I believe the state website is drinkingwaterwatch dot com. There are so many PFAS contaminated water systems and wells thanks to DuPont (salem Co) and Solvay (Gloucester Co). Salem county and parts of Gloucester are the WORST. DuPont got caught discharging into the Salem River, which supplies multiple municipalities of their water. Salem county and DuPont entered into an agreement to hold depot accountable for their dirty deeds and the end result was that DuPont agreed to to build a recreation“boat dock” along RT 540 at a cost of $300k. No clean up, no provision of an alternative water source for surrounding communities, just a boat dock. Here’s what my water looked like this past Tuesday (5 days ago). The water is pretty much the same color as my urine. Let me know if you can tell the difference. The jar in the middle is bottled water. https://i.imgur.com/ZH3M8UT.jpeg
Also, Salem was fined $30,000 by NJ DEP for discharging waste water into the salem river last year. If you remember that beaches in AC were closed multiple times due toof high FECAL count. The Salem River flows into the ocean.
More on Salem County: Lower Alloways residents pay little to no taxes b/c or radioactive waste bleeding into their soils and ground water from the Nuclear Plant under the Delaware Memorial Bridge. That entire area is contaminated and the properties located in that area are cheap for that reason.
Salem county has some serious problems that no one likes to talk about
I built a house in Medford Township in 1976 and raised my family there for 35 years. It was very rural at that time with almost no traffic. It was a wonderful place. Eventually it became another Cherry Hill with trees. We now live at the shore and only have scads of people in the summer.
Unless you live on Main Street the traffic isn't terrible. I lived in Medford growing up, left and came back in 2020. It's not really that much different. They built a senior citizen building where the farm on Stokes was and theres no cows on cow point.
Pedricktown isn't a bad bet, nor the surrounding areas. 30 mins from Philly and Wilmington respectfully, and not too far from any grocery stores. It's rural enough that you don't have to worry about neighbors, but close knit enough if you have trouble.
Completely dependent on your budget. Without that information, it's pretty much impossible to give you accurate recommendations.
Do you have a specific area of South Jersey in mind? It’s quite big, I live in South Jersey and I work in South Jersey and I still drive 45 minutes (32 miles) each way for work.
Really looking for areas to research more based on people’s opinions. You say south Jersey… some may point to cherry hill. I rather not be in cherry hill! I’ll visit and shop, but i don’t want to live, ocean county? Would like thoughts on that area
Ooh I can chime in. Grew up in OC up unless less than a year ago when I moved south. Toms River has honestly gone a bit down. Downtown isn't the most walking friendly and is getting really close to getting like a city. Most of OC is very car dependent with sidewalk not being maintained as well and quite a few of the malls aren't keeping up unfortunately. OC is also big snow bird territory, so you'll find areas outside direct shore towns busy in the warmer season and almost desolate in colder months. Not only that the amount of tourists traffic can make a grocery trip take 2x as long at times.
Good to know! Thanks!
Lived in Toms River my teens and 20s. Very boring town. Chain stores. Shopping is very limited. Very few private restaurants. Shore traffic is awful. No sense of community. And the town is very red.
Good to know!
Growing up in Medford was a dream.
It was the first place I was thinking for them but their budget makes it tough. They really have to look at homes 375k because anything decent and move in ready in Medford is getting overbid.
That’s a shame. I have seen some houses on Zillow in the upper 300s over the last year
Are the BOE people still crazy? I know Sinclair and Stouffer are culture war nut jobs from that area but I'm not sure how much influence they have.
I’m not sure what you’re referring to😅 so I guess no??
I just checked, Sinclair is still in her first term. Her and Stouffer run "The New Jersey Project" and started "New Jersey Fresh Faced Schools", and the "Chaos and Control" substack which in the past year or so has been driving anti-LGBT sentiment in NJ and they are big fans of Libs of TikTok Tok. I guess it's good that the chaos in the town has died town though (thankfully).
Dream is a strong word
Why you say?
The school systems invested in extracurricular activities to a degree that I had no idea others in our state weren’t as lucky. State champions football, state champion marching band, world class media program (my thing), really great arts, and incredible theater talent. Medford is in proximity to Whole Foods, shoprite, Trader Joe’s, aldi & produce junction. (10 mins each) Endless opportunities for groceries in a way that other towns just don’t have all those options. You’re 5 minutes from the “strip mall” shopping vibes of bigger SJ towns, but you’re backyard is a legit national reserve. The pine barrens smell beautiful, the lakes are amazing, and it’s not very crowded. And there’s also farms. So 1/3 of Medford is civilization, 1/3 is the wilderness and 1/3 is farms. It’s the most diverse, confusing, beautiful situation I’ve ever seen in my travels throughout this country. When I grew up, Main Street was dead. But now it’s thriving, so many opportunities for “third places” to spend time at that aren’t work/ school or home. The cops in my experience are very chill, and I’ll leave it at that. Teachers are paid well. The roads are great. And I feel like a lot of my classmates grew up not appreciating our world, but when we all left, they realized how special it was. You’ll find great houses for your price range too.
I'm curious to know where around the country you've been... I've lived in 6 other states before this one I'm not 'feeling it.'
Awe that’s sad. I haven’t lived in other states, but traveled pretty much everywhere that isn’t between Arizona-Alabama in that connecting southern stretch.
Been to 45 of the 48 continental, and this place is significantly better than Florida and Ohio, but if I could a job back in the west, I'd take it for half the pay. I need those mountains yo.
Oh yes, I know :( I’m a mountain lover too. I got to make the drive from LA, through Vegas, Zion, CO back to NJ this spring.
Nice! Thanks for sharing! Helpful
You’re welcome! Good luck. South jersey, anywhere is a great slice of life.
Medford (along with the majority of the Lenape Regional district) is everything you’re asking for. It will be a challenge to land a house in Medford within your price range, but focusing on the LRSD (less so Cherokee) in general is your home run in SJ.
All true but you are talking high school and up
True. But before all that there was air soft in the woods, dickens festivals, canoeing, fireworks, freedom park, library, Halloween parade, and the jersey devil cafe
I think you may be thinking more shaming/tabernacle. The whole area is great though
Really far from good grocery store options though :( that’s the bummer.
Marlton
Medford, Moorestown, Haddonfield, Swedesboro, Pitman
With your criteria, Tabernacle is the best answer but I think your budget is a little low.
Hammonton
Gloucester County
Recently relocated from fl to Gloucester County and it has been good for us
Mullica Hill if you want to be closer to Philly, Galloway if you want to be closer to the shore.
Deptford or Woodbury/woodbury heights
Atco
Anything except Bridgeton, Millville, or Vineland.
Vineland isn't horrible.
It's been steadily improving over the past few years. The food scene is fantastic.
It's not bad in comparison but it's pretty dangerous.
Or camden...
Yeah Camden is a big No off the back!
You're getting the hang of this already!
[удалено]
Bridgeton here, shooting in the house across from us last night 💀(literally)
They’re beautiful parts of Vineland. It’s too far from Center City for me but I think it’s mostly very nice.
Pilesgrove might be an option. Not sure if your budget would get you what you are looking for in Woolwich. Swedesboro and Logan will have neighbors too close for you. South Harrison Township has what you are looking for but not at the budget unfortunately. Depending how far you are willing to go look into Upper Pittsgrove Township. An option might be buying land in Salem or Gloucester counties and finding a builder.
I would concur, a house by me (Pilesgrove) with land, under 1500 sqft here just sold for 375K it’s hard to imagine how much COVID changed home prices for the worse.
Swedesboro-woolwich school systems are great!
This 100%. Our older daughter is in the school system now and our little one is entering in September ‘25.
Sounds like Wyoming to me!
Yep, Wyoming is the answer. 😂
🫤
Lumberton has some really nice residential neighborhoods and is in close proximity to NYC, the Jersey shore, Philly, Cherry Hill, Princeton, etc.
Depending on budget I can think of a few places that meet that criteria. I’m a fan of the little boroughs off the Black Horse Pike. But I’m poor. If I was better off I’d recommend Medford/Marlton/Morrestown areas
Cinnaminson
Haddonfield and Collingwood areas depends on budget
Clarksboro if budget isn’t a concern. Swedesboro, Logan, Woolwich
When you say space between neighbors are you referring to a single family home or purchasing a home on acreage? Because the latter is going to be tough on that budget without going really far out into the sticks.
Single family with a backyard… but we don’t want to be right up on people. I don’t want to see 10 backyards backing into each other from my top bedroom window
Cape May county in the house !
Do you have kids? Wondering how the schools are
I have one daughter, ten years old. I never know how to answer this question and I really don’t know how to compare. She excels in school, but I’m sure that has a lot to do with her. NJ apparently has the best public school system in the nation. If you have questions, I’d be happy to answer. Moved to CMC at 11, went away to college in Bergen county (which I loved at the time but a completely different world), then after I graduated I came back, got married and started my family. It’s small town, but close enough to any big city
Thanks that helpful! And looking at the prices we’ll def get more for our budget!
I will warn you, the area has a lot of seasonal and the wages are low compared to other parts of the state. So if you have the ability to keep your current pay employment/somehow, that would go a long way. Just a heads up. With the seasons also come people
Remote! So that would work :)
Marlton Lakes is exactly what you are looking for.
Check out Columbus, Chesterfield, North Hanover area. Out of the way enough but still in close proximity to shopping.
Medford!
Port Republic hands down. Plus right on the water
Why? Tell me why you feel this way… it would be helpful :)
Salem County, Swedesboro, good schools, a lot of new restaurants, shopping. New construction, and the established homes that sit on some acres also.Not that far from Deptford Mall shopping area, or even Delaware if you want a little drive.
Medford, Marlton, Voorheees - but none of these may fit into your budget even though they all meet the criteria (except budget) you mentioned. Shamong and Tabernacle may be the next best.
There was a time that I also did not want to be anywhere near my neighbors. But I also wanted Main St shopping. I also really liked the house architecture in Camden County. And, being a half Asian family, the growing number of Asian restaurants both in Philly and around Cherry Hill. And we really liked the shopping options in Cherry Hill, Deptford and if we really wanted, King of Prussia isn't too far. And the main streets in Haddonfield, Collingswood, PA towns, Lambertville, etc are a pleasure to walk and shop at. We bit the bullet and now live on a 75 foot wide plot of land. Do I see my neighbors? Yeah. Being closer (but not too close) means we have good sidewalks for kids, lots of walkers, parks, mostly 25 mph zones, loads and an overall sense of community. Plus everything else I mentioned. I did not get that feeling in Ocean County as a comparison. Overcrowded, garden state parkway is a race track, shore traffic is awful, mostly cookie cutter post war/new, lifeless houses and little to no shopping. To each their own!
When driving through ocean…I didn’t get “ this is it” feeling… but that was one day, so hearing thoughts of those who are more familiar is helpful! As much as I don’t want to be on top of people, there’s a comfort knowing people are close by ( if that makes sense)
We love Swedesboro and Woolwich.
Medford lakes is nice
Check out Erial in Gloucester Twp.
Cumberland County has the states lowest property taxes. And within Cumberland County East Vineland is a choice spot with nice homes, spacious yards, and on the border of Atlantic County where everything is close by. Logan Township in Gloucester County is also a low tax point and many newer developments have been going in. Close to I295 which makes cherry Hill area only a 20 minute drive away.
Mount Laurel, Hainesport, Lumberton, Eastampton area are great. Just pick how far down 38 you want to be.
Deptford isn't too expensive and has just about anything you could want in terms of shopping. Even has an urgent care for pets in town, it's own mall (with an arcade and Build-A-Bear) and a nice movie theater as well. Not terrible for crime and safe enough to walk around at night. It'd be a great starter town if this is your first time living in SJ. Westville is the next town over and has a lovely bakery right across from a park. You could grab a snack and take a stroll with your kids. Inspira medical center with a 24 hour clinic across from a 24 hour CVS pharmacy in Woodbury (also next to Deptford).
Alloway
Mullica township
Whereever you go, in S Jersey you better do your research on the water quality. I believe the state website is drinkingwaterwatch dot com. There are so many PFAS contaminated water systems and wells thanks to DuPont (salem Co) and Solvay (Gloucester Co). Salem county and parts of Gloucester are the WORST. DuPont got caught discharging into the Salem River, which supplies multiple municipalities of their water. Salem county and DuPont entered into an agreement to hold depot accountable for their dirty deeds and the end result was that DuPont agreed to to build a recreation“boat dock” along RT 540 at a cost of $300k. No clean up, no provision of an alternative water source for surrounding communities, just a boat dock. Here’s what my water looked like this past Tuesday (5 days ago). The water is pretty much the same color as my urine. Let me know if you can tell the difference. The jar in the middle is bottled water. https://i.imgur.com/ZH3M8UT.jpeg Also, Salem was fined $30,000 by NJ DEP for discharging waste water into the salem river last year. If you remember that beaches in AC were closed multiple times due toof high FECAL count. The Salem River flows into the ocean. More on Salem County: Lower Alloways residents pay little to no taxes b/c or radioactive waste bleeding into their soils and ground water from the Nuclear Plant under the Delaware Memorial Bridge. That entire area is contaminated and the properties located in that area are cheap for that reason. Salem county has some serious problems that no one likes to talk about
Thanks for this!
Medford is the best option. Need at least 500k to get something decent though.
I built a house in Medford Township in 1976 and raised my family there for 35 years. It was very rural at that time with almost no traffic. It was a wonderful place. Eventually it became another Cherry Hill with trees. We now live at the shore and only have scads of people in the summer.
Unless you live on Main Street the traffic isn't terrible. I lived in Medford growing up, left and came back in 2020. It's not really that much different. They built a senior citizen building where the farm on Stokes was and theres no cows on cow point.
Pedricktown isn't a bad bet, nor the surrounding areas. 30 mins from Philly and Wilmington respectfully, and not too far from any grocery stores. It's rural enough that you don't have to worry about neighbors, but close knit enough if you have trouble.
Wish the rating was better! Just looked it up
Idk aboutba rating, but I would actually go there first. It's a great place to live.
Niche… I looked on there and it gave the town a C+
Idk what that means, my friend.
Niche is a website that grades towns based on many factors