At one new home community I visited with clients from New Jersey, the Builder said "We call this community South South Jersey". We all laughed but I think my clients felt more comfortable.
If you only see the New Jersey Turnpike when you're driving through the state, you don't really know New Jersey, the Garden State. I grew up in New Jersey and loved the Jersey Shore. We couldn't wait for the first warm weekend to pile into the car and head to the Shore. When we were old enough to get summer jobs, the lucky ones spent the summer in Wildwood. On the day after the Prom, we spent the day at Long Beach Island. Today my most successful friends have a house on the beach or on the ocean block. But for most of us, the Jersey Shore is out of reach. The high taxes are driving people away from New Jersey but not all the good times we had.
Other than the low taxes, my New Jersey clients love the fact that you can go to the beach in Delaware without buying a badge for each person. You can just walk onto the beach in Rehoboth or in Lewes. Buy an annual pass for your car and you can park at any of the state parks all year long. You can fill the car with all the grandkids when they visit and pay nothing extra. If you're over the age of 60, that annual pass only costs $12! And, when you turn 65, you can purchase a Life Pass for only $50. From then on, you and anyone that can fit in your car never pay another dime when you go to the part. Parks include the Cape Henlopen State Park and the Delaware Seashore Park, some of the nicest beaches in the whole state.
And, even on our worst day, the traffic in Coastal Delaware is nothing compared to the traffic on the Garden State Parkway on any summer Saturday. You can live anywhere in Sussex County and get to the beach in less than an hour.
I never knew much about Delaware when I was growing up in Pompton Plains, but now that I live here I see more people from my home state than I have since high school. Relocating is always stressful, but it is also a time of discovery and excitement. So, come check out South South Jersey. I think you're going to like it here.