The Hottest Suburban Philadelphia Neighborhoods
East Greenwich
A place for Philadelphia expats in search of great schools and wide-open spaces.
Median home price: $248,000
Decrease in average days on market (2011 to 2012): 27 percent
Increase in median household income (1999 to 2011): 60 percent
In East Greenwich Township, New Jersey, life revolves around two hallmarks of suburbia: friendly schools and competitive sports. Indeed, the local school districts, which include award-winning Kingsway Regional, are the main reason many out-of-staters—especially young families decamping from Philly and its challenges—have been pulled to this affordable slice of South Jersey of late. The Quaker-founded township (population 4,200) doesn’t have a downtown hub to call its own, so locals bond around Saturday-morning soccer games, and revel in the lack of congestion. “It’s been our little secret,” says realtor and East Greenwich lifer Ron Venuto.
The town’s seen steady growth in the housing market in recent years as more families are drawn in, but land preservation grants keep the landscape green, the lots spacious, and the parks clear for baseball, lacrosse and football. (“You’re always at the ball field here,” says Cissy Cuthbert, a Mississippi transplant.) Mickleton, with its well-maintained historic homes, is the most coveted section of East Greenwich, though no houses here sit on the market very long. That’s mostly due to location: It’s an easy 30-minute drive to Philly for work, excursions to the Franklin Institute, and date nights away from the little ones.
East Greenwich: The Post-Philly ‘Hood for Young Families
- East Greenwich is a hit with … young families, including many self-employed people and employees of bigger corporations in Philly and South Jersey.
- The food scene … is sparse, but residents can drive to nearby Swedesboro and Pittman for more options. And Philly is 18 miles away.
- Nightlife … is nonexistent. The place is quiet.
- Residents’ pet peeves … are few, though recent developments in housing have some worried that the township will get too populated. Regardless, considering its teeny boundaries and land protections, the place likely won’t change much.
- Residents describe the area using words like … “gracious” and “Small Town, USA.”
- Neighborhood gossip … is that another couple hundred homes will be built in Mount Royal soon.
Data derived from HomExpert Market Report, a product of Prudential Fox & Roach, Realtors, Research Division.
Click here to see the story on Conshohocken.
