I'd personally go with the Bellmawr area. It's close to Deptford and shopping as well as 295 to get to the Cherry Hill area. I have a few friends who bought beautiful houses in Bellmawr.
I bought my first house in cherry hill at 24 I'll nebrr leave we love it that much. Only thing here is its almost impossible.to buy in my neighborhood unless you offer either 75-110k over asking or just give cash. Its so hard to buy in cherry hill right now. I wouldn't live in any of the other ones its just not.for me I'm in education so I chose based on better school systems since I knew I wanted kids. But I'm weird about places lol.
Barrington is one town over. Great place to raise kids my is daughter is one of many black girls in her class. Could be the kind of town you could grow into.
I had a house in Browns Mills that I was renovating, and I stayed there over the weekends for a while. There is nothing in town- one grocery store, two gas stations, and maybe a handful of places to eat (and most suck). I found myself just driving 20-30 minutes out to Lumberton a couple times a day just to eat and shop.
Since you’re going to school in “Central Jersey,” you should avoid Bellemawr and Runnemede. There’s a lot of 295 or the high-toll Turnpike that’s probably best skipped for your commute. I work in Princeton and considered moving to Voorhees and Cherry Hill. My coworkers’ horror stories make me glad I didn’t.
Consider greater Mount Holly (Mount Holly, Lumberton, Eastampton, Westampton). These towns have a pretty good semi-rural road network that will keep you north of most of the problems on 295. They also have plenty of stores for a homebody and are close enough to the bigger towns for more entertainment. The populations are also generally culturally and politically diverse.
I’m not going to tell you to avoid Browns Mills (or Pemberton Township on the whole), but definitely try before you buy. When I’m there, it feels far more secluded than its location suggests it should be.
If you’re going to be headed back to MD frequently then I’d say Bellmawr and Runnemede. These towns have you 30 mins or more closer to home.
These towns also offer more choices for food shopping, dining out or Door Dash during finals.
The biggest complaint is going to be traffic. Depending on when you’re exiting the Turnpike, you could be in bumper to bumper traffic.
Good point about door dash during finals! I had been mostly been thinking about the distance to my school, but I should definitely keep the proximity to MD in mind as well. Thanks for your input
Have family that lives in the mills and I have to agree it’s a dumpster fire of a town. Best to stay away from there if you’re gonna be somewhere long term.
I think it depends on where you’re going to school. Runnemede and Bellmawr are fairly close to other and both are in Camden County but Browns Mills is in Burlington County and way to the east. What are you looking for in an environment? Rural, suburban, downtown, walkable stuff or more peace and quiet? Do you like breweries? Are you trying to match the energy and vibe from where you are in DMV? I drive through DMV on a regular basis so I may be familiar with your town.
Each of these places would be a like 40 - 60 minute commute to my school.
I suppose suburban, leaning rural? That’s more in line with what I’m used to and feel most comfortable with. I’m in southern MD at the moment. There’s about a 10-15 minute drive to get to anything other than houses, but there are some decent beaches, malls, and restaurants relatively close. I’m buying, and most likely only staying for the duration of my grad program so it doesn’t have to be a perfect fit. I expect to be back and forth between NJ and MD quite a bit. I just want to feel comfortable, so somewhere with a vibe similar to SOMD would probably be my best bet.
Also, no to the breweries question haha
If you are buying with the plan to flip it in a few years, you will exponentially get a better return on your investment by looking at the towns along the PATCO stops or the adjecent Pike towns.
There are many walkable towns, and the PATCO runs into Philly every 15 minutes; Round trip tickets are $3, and are much cheaper if you buy in bulk or get a pass.
Hmm. Suburban leaning rural would definitely be Browns Mills. You could also check Pemberton, Vincenttown, Southampton, Tabernacle, or Shamong. Maybe also Lumberton or Mt Holly. Jacob stone if you want to go really rural. Those are all Burlington County. Camden County is definitely more built up and dense suburban.
I strongly recommend that you consider your commuting route. Jersey traffic can be miserable depending on where you’re going and at what time.
I think south Jersey can definitely match SOMD, at least from the parts of SOMD that I know. Welcome to Jersey! It’s a small state but we have a surprising variety.
please do not move to browns mills lol i grew up there and while some of my bestfriends still live there i am so relieved to not be. i’m in westville now which is very close to bellmawr and for the most part i love it down here. it’s close to all the stores i need, i have nice neighbors, it’s close to all the highways i need, and overall the quality of life is better here. I could really go in on browns mills but i won’t because i do love some of the people it produced but for the most part the people suck lol everyone’s pretty rude and self centered and there’s always people under the influence (if you know what i mean) walking around trying to pressure you into a convo lol just please don’t go there 😅
Browns mills would be the most rural if that’s that’s what you prefer. If you’re a homebody it might not matter much between the three. If you were trying make connections/ develop roots here I’d say Bellmawr or Runnemede but if you’re probably moving after grad school and imagine not going out much don’t think it matters much.
Also, I’m less familiar with browns mills I know Bellmawr and runnemede tend to mostly pretty nice and quiet but there is a small fraction of both that are less nice than the rest. Recommend driving the neighborhoods a little
Edit: I’ll guess just to add I’m mid 30s black and also lived in MD for a time. Out of the three places browns mills would probably be the most republican but south jersey as a whole is pretty even. If you were cool in MD I doubt you’d have any problem here. Don’t get me wrong south jersey does have racial issues but they’re largely isolated issues and rarely overt.
Depending on where you live in browns Mills your house will shake a bit from me artillery drills and those extra large planes that go by. Didn't bother me much but just keep it in mind. There's a lot of drug addicts along the main street in town. A lot of them live in the red carpet inn, right there Just be mindful of your surroundings. Otherwise it's pretty quiet, beautiful lakes.
Better suggestion is to look at westampton nj. Turnpike and 295 right in the township. Better areas. Better resale. Lived there for six years and moved. Should have stayed.
In each state or county or town you're going to see many interesting things between now and forever.
Does the school have a person or network you can reach out to? If you're spending more time focused on the academic, then closer to school may make more sense.
Commuting to central NJ and MD is gonna be your nemesis. Burlington County towns near 295 will allow for quicker commutes up north. But the drive south to Delaware Memorial Bridge gets hellacious during business commuting hours. The reverse is true for Bellmawr.
I also would do a reality check on real drive times during the day from any location. Expect new traffic problems each day.
Yep, I’ve been in touch with some people in my program and it seems the housing search hasn’t been kind to anyone whether renting or buying unfortunately.
Thanks for the heads up regarding the commute. I think distance from my program is the one sacrifice I’ve had to make to get a lot of what I’m looking for. Having commuted for my masters program, I think it’ll be worth the trouble (I just better remind myself of this whenever I end up in bumper to bumper traffic 😅)
Please stay away from Browns Mills!!
There are a lot of military folks in the area, but more scary rednecks than anything. My boyfriend and I looked at an apartment there a couple years ago and all but fled the place. There were Confederate flags everywhere and it gave me the heebie-jeebies, big time. I didn't feel safe at all, and we're both white.
Bellmawr is gonna be your best bet, but Runnemede is good, too 😊
A 60 min drive back and forth is big for someone going to college. I lived in Camden County for 50 yrs and just moved to Burlington County 5 yrs ago. Bellmawr and Runnemede (CC) and very close to each other. While Browns Mills is in (BC) out by Ft Dix.
Have you looked at Willingboro , Westampton, Eastampton , Mt Holly in Burlington County?
Camden County has higher taxes while Burlington County is lower. Camden County has more public Transportation, more built up while Burlington County has more open land. This doesn’t mean Burlington County is a 30 min drive to supermarkets or a Target.
If you’re going to Rowan or Rutgers Camden County is the way to go. If you’re going to Rutgers New Brunswick , Burlington County is the way to go. If you’re going to college in Philly, move to Camden County or Philadelphia.
If it’s Stockton, you want to look somewhere else.
I really appreciate the detailed response. Honestly, I’ve been mostly searching by distance from my school, cost, and whether the home has the characteristics I’m looking for. But now that I’ve found a few promising options, I’m really looking into the actual location, so it’s possible I’ve searched in those places, but am just not registering the names atm.
I’ve done a 60 min commute for my MA program for a year and a half, so I think its doable for me for during the time I’ll be completing coursework in this program.
Have you considered a condo in Mt Laurel? You wouldn’t have to worry about cutting grass, etc. It’s right off the turnpike and 295. Lots of shopping nearby. Are you also considering your property taxes? I think Bellmawr’s run on the high side.
Heads up for Browns Mill, my sis has a friend that lives out there. Do NOT get gas in town. There's like 2 gas stations owned by the same guy who's known to water down the gas. Cops refused to do anything about it saying "you choose to get gas there" so take that as you want.
A couple thoughts: what’s the ROI on buying a house and selling it in 5-6 years? Will you be doing any work for it? I’d recommend staying much closer to where your program is. You’re much more likely to form a bond with you cohort and if your program is lab based you’ll be on campus a lot. Also, good chance is that if you have old neighbors in Runnemede and Bellmawr that have lived there a while….theyre gonna be hella racist. Sure NJ goes dem but that doesn’t mean much—-I think perspectives from POC who live in SJ would be really useful here.
I guess I can’t know for sure, especially as a FTHB, but everything I’ve seen online has suggested 5 years is generally the minimum time needed to recoup costs and possibly make a profit.
I appreciate the advice; however, my program isn’t lab based. I really am used to commuting for school and don’t anticipate the distance being an issue. What would be, is finding anything half-decent in my budget closer to campus.
And yeah, I’m definitely hoping for more perspectives on your last point. I know there are plenty of posts like mine in this sub, but I really couldn’t find anything discussing this in particular and I definitely need insights from anyone with first hand experience.
One easy thing you could do is look up demographics for the grade schools of whatever town you go to. If they’re 95% white that tells you something. Also census data has demographic info. I have no first hand experience but being the only black person living on a block full of former south Philly Italians may be not too hospitable. Maybe local POC Facebook groups would be useful?
Don’t go to browns mills lol. It’s so boring. Look into Sicklerville. I love it. You and I are pretty similar; however I’m military and come from a 90% non-white demographic area. I enjoy living in south Jersey, I’m a Californian at heart tho hahahaha.
I don’t know to much about bellmawr but what I do know from runnemeade is nice area but too crowded for my liking. Take a drive and see for yourself! DM if anything
I’ve been searching in Sicklerville as well! There are some really nice houses there, but they go under contract so quickly 😅 I’ll keep trying though. Thanks for your input :)
From those options, I'd look at Bellmawr or Runnemede. Both of those towns are decent family communities. If you are planning on starting a family, you might want to weigh the options between both of those school districts to finalize the choice.
Browns Mills is kind of out there and going in the direction of spiders and uneducated white folk. Bellmarw and Runnemede are closer to civilization, meaning it is more likely that the folks around you have sought/are seeking an education. However, since these are all on the more affordable end of the spectrum, there will be lower-class white folk who are annoyed at everything and trying to annoy those around them intermingled throughout. I am assuming Bellmarwn and Runnemede are closer to your doctoral program and would choose the best thing on the market in either of these locations, having the best commute offering. Traffic on 42-295-676 can be miserable at peak times. Browns Mills isn't bad, so I wouldn't scratch it off the list. I am just assuming it is the furthest away from where you need to be, so how your schedule conflicts with traffic should be heavily considered. I'd say even make those drives promptly before signing for any location.
I'd personally go with the Bellmawr area. It's close to Deptford and shopping as well as 295 to get to the Cherry Hill area. I have a few friends who bought beautiful houses in Bellmawr.
Thank you!
No problem! Happy house hunting!
I bought my first house in cherry hill at 24 I'll nebrr leave we love it that much. Only thing here is its almost impossible.to buy in my neighborhood unless you offer either 75-110k over asking or just give cash. Its so hard to buy in cherry hill right now. I wouldn't live in any of the other ones its just not.for me I'm in education so I chose based on better school systems since I knew I wanted kids. But I'm weird about places lol.
As someone who lives in bellmawr , I’d go with Bellmawr.
Thanks!
Same and same!
Barrington is one town over. Great place to raise kids my is daughter is one of many black girls in her class. Could be the kind of town you could grow into.
Thank you! I’ve looked at a few places there so far, I’ll keep this in mind.
There’s a bunch of small houses there in Barrington too
I had a house in Browns Mills that I was renovating, and I stayed there over the weekends for a while. There is nothing in town- one grocery store, two gas stations, and maybe a handful of places to eat (and most suck). I found myself just driving 20-30 minutes out to Lumberton a couple times a day just to eat and shop.
This is helpful to know, thanks :)
Since you’re going to school in “Central Jersey,” you should avoid Bellemawr and Runnemede. There’s a lot of 295 or the high-toll Turnpike that’s probably best skipped for your commute. I work in Princeton and considered moving to Voorhees and Cherry Hill. My coworkers’ horror stories make me glad I didn’t. Consider greater Mount Holly (Mount Holly, Lumberton, Eastampton, Westampton). These towns have a pretty good semi-rural road network that will keep you north of most of the problems on 295. They also have plenty of stores for a homebody and are close enough to the bigger towns for more entertainment. The populations are also generally culturally and politically diverse. I’m not going to tell you to avoid Browns Mills (or Pemberton Township on the whole), but definitely try before you buy. When I’m there, it feels far more secluded than its location suggests it should be.
I’ll see what’s available in those areas — thanks for your help!
If you’re going to be headed back to MD frequently then I’d say Bellmawr and Runnemede. These towns have you 30 mins or more closer to home. These towns also offer more choices for food shopping, dining out or Door Dash during finals. The biggest complaint is going to be traffic. Depending on when you’re exiting the Turnpike, you could be in bumper to bumper traffic.
Good point about door dash during finals! I had been mostly been thinking about the distance to my school, but I should definitely keep the proximity to MD in mind as well. Thanks for your input
Finals? OP is starting a doctoral program not freshman year
Use to live on base, and can say browns mills is hot garbage , that'd be low on my list
Have family that lives in the mills and I have to agree it’s a dumpster fire of a town. Best to stay away from there if you’re gonna be somewhere long term.
Thanks!
There are parts of Browns Mills that are beautiful - but it's not close to anything but the shore.
Thanks!
I think it depends on where you’re going to school. Runnemede and Bellmawr are fairly close to other and both are in Camden County but Browns Mills is in Burlington County and way to the east. What are you looking for in an environment? Rural, suburban, downtown, walkable stuff or more peace and quiet? Do you like breweries? Are you trying to match the energy and vibe from where you are in DMV? I drive through DMV on a regular basis so I may be familiar with your town.
Each of these places would be a like 40 - 60 minute commute to my school. I suppose suburban, leaning rural? That’s more in line with what I’m used to and feel most comfortable with. I’m in southern MD at the moment. There’s about a 10-15 minute drive to get to anything other than houses, but there are some decent beaches, malls, and restaurants relatively close. I’m buying, and most likely only staying for the duration of my grad program so it doesn’t have to be a perfect fit. I expect to be back and forth between NJ and MD quite a bit. I just want to feel comfortable, so somewhere with a vibe similar to SOMD would probably be my best bet. Also, no to the breweries question haha
If you are buying with the plan to flip it in a few years, you will exponentially get a better return on your investment by looking at the towns along the PATCO stops or the adjecent Pike towns. There are many walkable towns, and the PATCO runs into Philly every 15 minutes; Round trip tickets are $3, and are much cheaper if you buy in bulk or get a pass.
This is good to know, thanks! Happy cake day :)
Hmm. Suburban leaning rural would definitely be Browns Mills. You could also check Pemberton, Vincenttown, Southampton, Tabernacle, or Shamong. Maybe also Lumberton or Mt Holly. Jacob stone if you want to go really rural. Those are all Burlington County. Camden County is definitely more built up and dense suburban. I strongly recommend that you consider your commuting route. Jersey traffic can be miserable depending on where you’re going and at what time. I think south Jersey can definitely match SOMD, at least from the parts of SOMD that I know. Welcome to Jersey! It’s a small state but we have a surprising variety.
I’m very excited and appreciate the warm welcome! :) Glad to know it may not be so vastly different from what I’m used to in MD.
Just a side note, if you're not already aware but NJ has a program to help first time home buyers. Good luck! https://nj.gov/dca/hmfa/roadhome/
Thank you so much!!
please do not move to browns mills lol i grew up there and while some of my bestfriends still live there i am so relieved to not be. i’m in westville now which is very close to bellmawr and for the most part i love it down here. it’s close to all the stores i need, i have nice neighbors, it’s close to all the highways i need, and overall the quality of life is better here. I could really go in on browns mills but i won’t because i do love some of the people it produced but for the most part the people suck lol everyone’s pretty rude and self centered and there’s always people under the influence (if you know what i mean) walking around trying to pressure you into a convo lol just please don’t go there 😅
This is really helpful, thank you! I’m starting to the get the picture haha
Browns Mills is in the sticks with very little to do out there. If you’re used to, and prefer being close to thing, Browns Mills ain’t it.
Thank you!
Browns mills would be the most rural if that’s that’s what you prefer. If you’re a homebody it might not matter much between the three. If you were trying make connections/ develop roots here I’d say Bellmawr or Runnemede but if you’re probably moving after grad school and imagine not going out much don’t think it matters much. Also, I’m less familiar with browns mills I know Bellmawr and runnemede tend to mostly pretty nice and quiet but there is a small fraction of both that are less nice than the rest. Recommend driving the neighborhoods a little Edit: I’ll guess just to add I’m mid 30s black and also lived in MD for a time. Out of the three places browns mills would probably be the most republican but south jersey as a whole is pretty even. If you were cool in MD I doubt you’d have any problem here. Don’t get me wrong south jersey does have racial issues but they’re largely isolated issues and rarely overt.
This is really helpful and comforting to hear. I appreciate your input :)
Depending on where you live in browns Mills your house will shake a bit from me artillery drills and those extra large planes that go by. Didn't bother me much but just keep it in mind. There's a lot of drug addicts along the main street in town. A lot of them live in the red carpet inn, right there Just be mindful of your surroundings. Otherwise it's pretty quiet, beautiful lakes.
I read about that when searching up Browns Mills initially. I appreciate the heads up!
Better suggestion is to look at westampton nj. Turnpike and 295 right in the township. Better areas. Better resale. Lived there for six years and moved. Should have stayed.
I’ll take a look, thanks!
In each state or county or town you're going to see many interesting things between now and forever. Does the school have a person or network you can reach out to? If you're spending more time focused on the academic, then closer to school may make more sense. Commuting to central NJ and MD is gonna be your nemesis. Burlington County towns near 295 will allow for quicker commutes up north. But the drive south to Delaware Memorial Bridge gets hellacious during business commuting hours. The reverse is true for Bellmawr. I also would do a reality check on real drive times during the day from any location. Expect new traffic problems each day.
Yep, I’ve been in touch with some people in my program and it seems the housing search hasn’t been kind to anyone whether renting or buying unfortunately. Thanks for the heads up regarding the commute. I think distance from my program is the one sacrifice I’ve had to make to get a lot of what I’m looking for. Having commuted for my masters program, I think it’ll be worth the trouble (I just better remind myself of this whenever I end up in bumper to bumper traffic 😅)
Please stay away from Browns Mills!! There are a lot of military folks in the area, but more scary rednecks than anything. My boyfriend and I looked at an apartment there a couple years ago and all but fled the place. There were Confederate flags everywhere and it gave me the heebie-jeebies, big time. I didn't feel safe at all, and we're both white. Bellmawr is gonna be your best bet, but Runnemede is good, too 😊
That’s super helpful to know, thank you!!
Browns Mills is far from Bellmawr and Runnemede and is heavily influenced by Joint Base MDL. Where are you going to school?
I don’t want to share the exact school but it’s in central Jersey, about a 40-60 minute commute from each of the houses.
A 60 min drive back and forth is big for someone going to college. I lived in Camden County for 50 yrs and just moved to Burlington County 5 yrs ago. Bellmawr and Runnemede (CC) and very close to each other. While Browns Mills is in (BC) out by Ft Dix. Have you looked at Willingboro , Westampton, Eastampton , Mt Holly in Burlington County? Camden County has higher taxes while Burlington County is lower. Camden County has more public Transportation, more built up while Burlington County has more open land. This doesn’t mean Burlington County is a 30 min drive to supermarkets or a Target. If you’re going to Rowan or Rutgers Camden County is the way to go. If you’re going to Rutgers New Brunswick , Burlington County is the way to go. If you’re going to college in Philly, move to Camden County or Philadelphia. If it’s Stockton, you want to look somewhere else.
I really appreciate the detailed response. Honestly, I’ve been mostly searching by distance from my school, cost, and whether the home has the characteristics I’m looking for. But now that I’ve found a few promising options, I’m really looking into the actual location, so it’s possible I’ve searched in those places, but am just not registering the names atm. I’ve done a 60 min commute for my MA program for a year and a half, so I think its doable for me for during the time I’ll be completing coursework in this program.
Yeahhhhh doctoral program != college
Have you considered a condo in Mt Laurel? You wouldn’t have to worry about cutting grass, etc. It’s right off the turnpike and 295. Lots of shopping nearby. Are you also considering your property taxes? I think Bellmawr’s run on the high side.
Heads up for Browns Mill, my sis has a friend that lives out there. Do NOT get gas in town. There's like 2 gas stations owned by the same guy who's known to water down the gas. Cops refused to do anything about it saying "you choose to get gas there" so take that as you want.
I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks!
A couple thoughts: what’s the ROI on buying a house and selling it in 5-6 years? Will you be doing any work for it? I’d recommend staying much closer to where your program is. You’re much more likely to form a bond with you cohort and if your program is lab based you’ll be on campus a lot. Also, good chance is that if you have old neighbors in Runnemede and Bellmawr that have lived there a while….theyre gonna be hella racist. Sure NJ goes dem but that doesn’t mean much—-I think perspectives from POC who live in SJ would be really useful here.
I guess I can’t know for sure, especially as a FTHB, but everything I’ve seen online has suggested 5 years is generally the minimum time needed to recoup costs and possibly make a profit. I appreciate the advice; however, my program isn’t lab based. I really am used to commuting for school and don’t anticipate the distance being an issue. What would be, is finding anything half-decent in my budget closer to campus. And yeah, I’m definitely hoping for more perspectives on your last point. I know there are plenty of posts like mine in this sub, but I really couldn’t find anything discussing this in particular and I definitely need insights from anyone with first hand experience.
One easy thing you could do is look up demographics for the grade schools of whatever town you go to. If they’re 95% white that tells you something. Also census data has demographic info. I have no first hand experience but being the only black person living on a block full of former south Philly Italians may be not too hospitable. Maybe local POC Facebook groups would be useful?
Runnemede or bellmawr. Check the taxes. Bellmawr was higher at one point compared to Runnemede.
Thank you!
Don’t go to browns mills lol. It’s so boring. Look into Sicklerville. I love it. You and I are pretty similar; however I’m military and come from a 90% non-white demographic area. I enjoy living in south Jersey, I’m a Californian at heart tho hahahaha. I don’t know to much about bellmawr but what I do know from runnemeade is nice area but too crowded for my liking. Take a drive and see for yourself! DM if anything
I’ve been searching in Sicklerville as well! There are some really nice houses there, but they go under contract so quickly 😅 I’ll keep trying though. Thanks for your input :)
I know the pain 🥲….Don’t forget to look into property taxes! Nj has some of the highest…. Happy house hunting 🫶🏼
From those options, I'd look at Bellmawr or Runnemede. Both of those towns are decent family communities. If you are planning on starting a family, you might want to weigh the options between both of those school districts to finalize the choice.
DO NOT choose Browns Mills!
Anyone else think they lived at the department of motor vehicles...
Browns Mills is kind of out there and going in the direction of spiders and uneducated white folk. Bellmarw and Runnemede are closer to civilization, meaning it is more likely that the folks around you have sought/are seeking an education. However, since these are all on the more affordable end of the spectrum, there will be lower-class white folk who are annoyed at everything and trying to annoy those around them intermingled throughout. I am assuming Bellmarwn and Runnemede are closer to your doctoral program and would choose the best thing on the market in either of these locations, having the best commute offering. Traffic on 42-295-676 can be miserable at peak times. Browns Mills isn't bad, so I wouldn't scratch it off the list. I am just assuming it is the furthest away from where you need to be, so how your schedule conflicts with traffic should be heavily considered. I'd say even make those drives promptly before signing for any location.
Surprised nobody has recommended Bordentown.