We're considering a move due to a job offer. The office is in South Jersey, just North of Cherry Hill. For relocation purposes, we're looking at quality of high schools, cost of living, commute times, and presence of a Jewish community. The job would most likely have a travel factor of 35% - 50%. Any suggestions on either the Jersey or PA side? I've heard good things about Bucks County but other than seeing what looks like a long a$$ commute, know nothing about living there.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts and suggestions.

I lived in West Chester and Wilmington for several years. Buck County is indeed going to be a long commute, what's your driving tolerance? Unless things have drastically changed, there were several good neigborhoods right in the Cherry Hill area.

I would prefer to have a commute of no more than 35 - 40 minutes or so if possible, but would place a higher priority on the other considerations.

I know there is a strong jewish presence in the Cherry Hill area. I pass the Betty and Milton Katz Jewish Community Center (link here) frequently, and it seems quite active and popular, although I have no first hand knowledge. Areas of Cherry Hill are very nice, so is nearby Haddonfield, and I believe the local schools have a good rep. I think Voorhees was an up and coming area, but I don't know much more than that, and that was a few years ago. I'm in NJ frequently, but I don't live here anymore. I suspect the cost of living is cheaper in S Jersey than Bucks Co. I can tell you Rapid Rover is a reasonable airport transport company and they're a fairly cheap ride to the Philadelphia airport (compared to where I visit in Burlington County).

We discussed this thread with the OP and we are switching it to our Mid-Atlantic Regional Forum.

Please follow and continue to contribute at it's new home.

Thanks.


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Cholula
OMNI Co-Moderator

I talked to a good friend who lives in a Buck Co suburb...she says you'll want to avoid Bucks with the commute time restriction. She's Jewish, well, insofar as she's a double-bacon-cheeseburger-chompin'-of-course-I'll-have-another-slice-of-Christmas-ham good little Jewish girl Hey, at least she doesn't have tattoos and she has her late mother--who insisted on cooking a ham for Christmas dinner--buried in the traditional manner in a Jewish cemetery. She says Cherry Hill, while much more mixed than before, has a "very strong and active Jewish presence" and the JCC mentioned above is the center of things. Moorestown she considers to be a little more WASPy. Voorhees and Marlton "are also worth considering though it would depend on his salary and how far away [I'm assuming from the Cherry Hill JCC] he wants to be."

If you are concerned about quality of schools, your best choices are:

Haddonfield (where I live) -- small older colonial town, great schools, easy train access to Phila., lots of activities. High school has about 750 students, with a great sports program as well. (5 years in a row best Group 2 H.S. sports in the state, with many championships in swimming, tennis, cross country, soccer, golf, etc.). Regularly ranked best H.S. in South Jersey, and one of best in state and in Del. Valley (Philly area). A fair % of Jewish residents, although most attend synagogues in Cherry Hill. We are not Jewish, but have many Jewish friends in town who love the town.

Cherry Hill -- Very active Jewish community. Two high schools, both very big. The high schools are very competitive academically and good. I hear some complaints that it is harder to get onto a sports team, be in the school play, work on the school yearbook, etc. because of the size of the 2 high schools. A nice town if you like development living. No real town center (other than the mall.)

Voorhees -- Again, a nice town with a very big Jewish community. Many of the synagogues formerly in Cherry Hill have moved out to Voorhees over the last decade or so. However, schools are not as good as Cherry Hill or Voorhees. Again, it's housing development land, with no real town center.

Moorestown -- As mentioned by someone earlier, a waspy town, older colonial town,although not as dense as Haddonfield. Great school system. Not a large Jewish population in town.

These are your best choices in terms of school systems. I don't know exactly how far north of Cherry Hill you would be, but no other school system in South Jersey will compare with these four school systems.

Feel free to p-mail me if you want further information.

Oh, and edited to add - I can get to the PHL airport within 20-25 mins. from Haddonfield. Cherry Hill will be 25-30, Voorhees 25-35, and Moorestown 35-40.

Thanks to all for the advice and suggestions. The office is located close to the Moorestown - Maple Shade border so any of the NJ locations suggested would work.

Marlton NJ has some nice areas too and is not a bad commute to Moorestown. I have friends that live in Marlton and work in both Moorestown and Philly and neither complain about the commute.

I live in Lower Merion Township PA that has both great schools and an active Jewish community but the drive to Moorestown would be about 45 minutes with light traffic and an hour with rush hour traffic.

If you work in NJ I suggest you live in NJ. Too many extra tax and traffic problems living across the Delaware River.

MisterNice

I concur wholeheartedly with MisterNice on that subject.

Did you end up decided where to stay?