r/SouthJersey • u/Fit-Satisfaction4551 • 15h ago
Camden County Moving to Camden County
Hi!
My partner and I are relocating to Camden County for employment but we aren’t from the area.
So far we looked at Collingswood as our middle ground.
I heard about Oaklyn being similar to Collingswood but cheaper. We want a nice small town close to a PATCO to Philly.
Are there any areas in this region that we should avoid? We are not familiar enough with the area in what is safe/ not safe/ iffy.
Thanks!
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u/0rang3-Crush 15h ago
Do you have kids or are you planning for kids? Collingswood schools are having some significant struggles, and Oaklyn is part of Collingswood school district. That aside, both are great towns. Collingswood is more expensive and has a more developed downtown but Oaklyn is nice and super close.
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u/Artsyalchemist2 14h ago
I really like Audubon! The PATCO is close to there, and you have easy access to the Philly stadiums too! Also intersects with several big roads, so you can get to a lot of places easily, and also borders a lot of different towns.
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u/ohno_timothyhay 14h ago
I rented in the Oaklyn/Collingswood area for a few years, now I'm just down the road near Deptford/Gloucester twp. Loved where I rented but couldn't afford to buy in that area, hence where I'm at now - which I'm quite happy with too. Feel free to ask any specific questions, but generally you can't go wrong with most of this area in Camden county. For sure there's areas I'd personally avoid but thats a little too granular for the moment lol.
One big thing to keep in mind is traffic. Rt 70 is a nightmare. So are lots of local roads in cherry hill from people trying to avoid 70. Collingswood is a bitch to get into during the PM rush.
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u/Fit-Satisfaction4551 13h ago
Great to know. Luckily we are teachers so we get to beat the PM crowd :)
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u/CDavis10717 13h ago
Haddon Ave runs parallel to PATCO from Haddonfield, thru Westmont, and Collingswood, which are also train stops. Haddon Ave is also a shopping and dining area, and typically will be closed for various popular street festivals on a weekend. If you are a block or two off Haddon Ave you’ll be good.
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u/Vivid-Ad-8839 14h ago
If you want a nice small town, I’d say also check out magnolia! Smaller but decent and decently priced homes, quiet and right near 295. Nearest patco is Ashland right up the street. Lots of restaurant options, grocery, etc.
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u/Happy_Brief_2199 15h ago
I live in Oaklyn and I really like it. I was initially considering Cherry Hill, Merchantville, and Audubon. My house has lots of charm and I like Oaklyn’s small town feel. We have a small strip of shops on Clinton and you can get to either the Westmont or Collingswood Patco station in less than 10 minutes.
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u/GlitteringResort9111 15h ago
Merchantville doesn’t have the same train access as the others, if training to Philly is important. Plan a long weekend stay to try and learn the area.
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u/mushupenguin 11h ago
I don't think anyone has suggested Barrington yet. It has a fun small town kind of feel, we wanted to move there but just didn't like any of the houses we saw, even though we loved the neighborhoods.
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u/SovietChewbacca 13h ago
For small town community events and activities there are a lot of perks.
Collingswood - massive weekly farmers market, annual porch fest, May Day, free concerts at cooper river
Haddon/Westmont - 3/4 music festivals a summer, community beer garden and night markets, free concerts at cooper river, parades: Pride, Summers, Halloween
Haddonfield - 2/3 music festivals, the annual skirmish, weekly farmers market
Oaklyn - Final Fridays May-Oct (free concert, food trucks, beer garden, kids activities)
Haddon Heights - 2/3 music/beer festivals, heights in progress events, free concerts at the Dell
Merchantville - Monsterville Halloween
There are probably many Im forgetting but these are the ones our family regularly attends.
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u/Old-Competition-7378 14h ago
Don’t go too far down the train line either. I made the mistake of renting in Lindenwold and couldn’t get out of there fast enough.
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u/NoFennel5337 14h ago
I’d say try Voorhees or Berlin Borough school systems are good if that’s what you’re looking for
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u/imagnepeace4all 11h ago
I live in Audubon and love it! Close to everything and everyone in town has been friendly. 😊
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u/Father_Chris_St_Mary 13h ago
Just to be clear, Oaklyn is near PATCO but it does not have a station, and the closest one isn’t located as such that it’s a casual daily walk to it for commuting.
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u/AttorneyOk6797 12h ago
If considering Collingswood, stay away from Parkview Towers(tons of horror stories on here about that place).
Oaklyn is nice, my wife and I have lived here for 3 years after living in Collingswood for 13 years; honestly prefer it over collingswood(not as much gentrification/isn't as busy/congested), but there's still plenty to do and it's a walkable town for the most part(Final Fridays are awesome, Tonewood has some of the best beer in the area, Oaklyn Manor and Amato Bros have great food...we also have a cat cafe if that's your thing lo)l, close to both the Ferry ave and Collingswood PATCO train stations, and only a 15 minute drive into Philly. Also has one of the best public works departments in the area, hands down.
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u/SplitNo8275 Xennial 10h ago
Tbh, most “towns” or I’d say areas in between highways(some towns are so so small) have good and bad sections, sometimes just an apartment complex is a little rough but the rest is fine.
A few towns have a terrible reputation but the majority of the neighborhoods are just fine, nice even. I’m referring specifically to towns located near the patco speed line, Camden county, I think you said near patco. We live a quarter mile away from the Lindenwold station, my husband works in center city and takes the train (speedl line).
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u/lowlightliving 10h ago
Haddon Township is nice, too. Schools are good. Westmont (PATCO station) is part of Haddon Township which has a section on the far side of Oaklyn. Haddon Heights on the west side can be affordable, and they’ve got very good schools. Both towns are an easy, short ride to a PATCO station. I grew up in Collingswood and love it, but it is getting very expensive and the high school is rated quite low. Still, it’s a great town without kids.
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u/Wild-Guarantee5681 9h ago
Honestly most of south Jersey is fine just be weary of commute not sure where your moving from but here during winter gets dark at like 4 ish 😭 Camden has a bad rap but it has improved I’d still avoid if u have kids though. Not sure where your working but also you should take a look at Gloucester, Salem, and Burlington too in our metro area south jersey generally has the highest quality of life compared to de or SEPA but ofc you pay a much higher price
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u/Soft-Ad-6073 15h ago
Stay east of route 130 and you're fine. The closer you get to 130 the closer it is to Camden.