Living in West Camden County: The Small Towns Just Over the Bridge from Philadelphia
If you have spent any time in the western corner of Camden County, you already know the feeling. Tree-lined streets, front porches, a walkable little downtown, and Philadelphia close enough that you can be at a Center City desk in about twenty minutes. What most people cannot find is a straight answer about what it is like to live here, because these towns rarely get written about.
So here is that answer.
This is a cluster of small historic boroughs sitting just over the bridges from Philadelphia, strung along the White Horse Pike and the Black Horse Pike. Collingswood and Haddonfield get most of the attention and carry the higher price tags. But the towns right next door offer a lot of the same lifestyle for noticeably less money, which is exactly why buyers keep discovering them. Below I break down five of them, plus the well-known neighbors worth knowing.
What Ties These Towns Together
Before the town-by-town, it helps to understand what this whole pocket has in common. If any of this is on your list, you will likely feel at home somewhere in here:
A genuinely short trip to Philadelphia, usually 15 to 20 minutes by car over the Walt Whitman or Ben Franklin bridge, or car-free on the PATCO Speedline from several of these towns
Small walkable downtowns built around a main street rather than a strip mall
Older homes with real character, everything from Victorians and craftsman four-squares to solid mid-century ranches and Cape Cods
A family-oriented rhythm, with parks, youth sports, farmers markets, and seasonal parades that people actually show up for
Prices that still make sense compared to Philadelphia and to pricier neighbors like Haddonfield
One honest caveat up front. These are established older boroughs, so you trade newer construction and big lots for character, walkability, and location. Property taxes here are real, as they are across New Jersey, and they vary town to town. Worth checking on any specific home.
Mount Ephraim
Mount Ephraim calls itself the Village at the Crossroads, and that is a fair description. It is a compact borough with colonial roots going back to a tavern that stood at the Black Horse Pike and Kings Highway in the early 1800s. Today it is one of the closest of these towns to the bridges, with quick access to I-295 and the New Jersey Turnpike, so commuters love it.
It leans practical and unpretentious. You have everyday spots like the Black Horse Diner and a handful of well-worn local taverns, parks for the kids, and a location that is hard to beat for getting into the city or anywhere in South Jersey. On price, Mount Ephraim sits in the more affordable tier of this group, which makes it a strong first-home option for buyers who want to be close to Philadelphia without stretching the budget.
Best for: commuters and first-time buyers who want location and value over frills.
Audubon
Audubon is a step up in downtown energy. The commercial stretch along Merchant Street and the White Horse Pike has cafes, boutiques, and independent restaurants, and the town is well regarded for its schools. Add in lake views, nature parks, and long-running traditions like the Fourth of July and Christmas parades, and you get a borough that balances a quiet residential feel with a real sense of community.
Homes here recently run in the neighborhood of the mid $400,000s, which places Audubon above the most budget-friendly towns on this list but still well under the premium neighbors. You are paying for the downtown, the schools, and the established feel.
Best for: buyers who want a lively main street and a strong community identity, and have a little more room in the budget.
Haddon Heights
Haddon Heights is one of the most charming towns in the county, and it wears its history well. It was laid out in 1890 as a railroad suburb, and Station Avenue, named for the old passenger station, is still the heart of it. The downtown is small on purpose, with spots like Trouble Brewing coffee house, a couple of BYOB restaurants, Del Buono's Bakery, and John's Friendly Market. The event calendar is genuinely active, from Rhythm and Brews to summer concerts at the outdoor amphitheater.
The housing stock is a big part of the appeal, a mix of Victorians, Colonial Revivals, craftsman four-squares, and postwar Capes on mature tree-lined streets. Pricing spans a wide range. Many single-family homes land somewhere in the high $300,000s to low $500,000s depending on section and condition, the standout Victorians run higher, and there is a 55-plus condo community near downtown at more accessible price points. Taxes tend to run a touch higher here, which is the tradeoff for the amenities and the walkability.
Best for: buyers who want character homes, a walkable downtown, and an active community, and who value that enough to pay a modest premium.
Runnemede
Runnemede is a down-to-earth, budget-friendly borough with an unbeatable commuter location right on Route 42, minutes from I-295 and the Turnpike. The housing is mostly mid-century ranches, Capes, and townhomes on quiet residential streets, and the town runs on parks, sports leagues, and a strong local community feel.
This is first-time-buyer territory. On a price-per-square-foot basis Runnemede is one of the more affordable entries in the group, which is a big reason families and first-time buyers keep landing here. You are not getting a trendy foodie downtown, but you are getting space, value, and an easy drive to just about everywhere.
Best for: first-time buyers and families who want the most house and the easiest commute for the money.
Bellmawr
Bellmawr is the value play of this whole cluster. It offers some of the most affordable housing in Camden County paired with genuinely excellent highway access, sitting right near Routes 42 and 295, the Turnpike, and I-76 straight over the Walt Whitman into Philadelphia in about fifteen minutes. The housing is primarily postwar ranches, Capes, and split-levels.
Because entry prices here are among the lowest in the area, often starting well under the county median, Bellmawr draws a steady mix of first-time buyers, young families, and investors looking for solid rental math. The borough has its own parks and community pool and keeps families busy with youth sports.
Best for: first-time buyers and investors chasing the strongest price and highway access in the area.
The Well-Known Neighbors
Three more towns round out the picture, and they are worth knowing even if they sit at a different price point.
▪ Collingswood is the flagship. A dry town with a celebrated BYOB restaurant scene along Haddon Avenue, a PATCO station that puts you in Center City car-free, a Saturday farmers market, and 70-acre Knight Park. It is the most walkable and food-forward of the group, and it is priced accordingly, generally running above its neighbors while still costing a fraction of Haddonfield.
▪ Haddonfield is the premium benchmark of the region, an affluent, historic downtown with top-tier schools and home prices to match. It is the town the others are often compared to, and the reason the value in the surrounding boroughs stands out.
▪ Barrington is a quiet, family-friendly borough with a small downtown along Clements Bridge Road, easy access to Routes 295 and 30, and a hometown event calendar. It sits comfortably in the middle on price and often gets overlooked, which can work in a buyer's favor.
Finding the Right Fit
If you are trying to narrow it down, it usually comes down to what you are optimizing for:
Best overall value and first home: Bellmawr and Runnemede
Walkable downtown and food scene: Collingswood, with Haddon Heights close behind
Character homes and community events: Haddon Heights and Audubon
Fastest, easiest commute: Mount Ephraim, Bellmawr, and Runnemede
Willing to pay a premium for the marquee name: Collingswood or Haddonfield
The good news is that these towns are close enough together that you can realistically shop across several of them in a single afternoon, and small differences in price per square foot from one borough to the next can open up meaningfully more house.
The Bottom Line
West Camden County is one of those areas that rewards people who actually know it. The famous names get the headlines, but the value and the everyday livability are spread across the whole cluster, and the right town really depends on your budget, your commute, and the kind of daily life you want.
If you are weighing a move to any of these towns, or you just want to know what your money buys from one borough to the next, reach out. I am glad to walk you through it street by street. Here to help and glad to be a resource.
