Camden, New Jersey’s motto is In a Dream, I See the City Invincible! A lofty dream, but it appears with all the relatively recent funding the city’s been receiving, some good things are happening to brighten Camden’s future. The motto is an excerpt from one of Walt Whitman’s poems he self-published in 1855.

Situated stately on the Delaware River, the city is the seat of Camden County. Currently over 80,000 people reside in Camden.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, “The city of brotherly love,” is only about four miles to the northwest across the Delaware River via the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. Allentown sits just 66 miles to the northwest.

The city’s Delaware River waterfront is a big favorite with locals and visitors due to several attractions. Extensively renovated in 2005 as part of Camden’s revitalization plans, the Adventure Aquarium is a delightful encounter with all that is under the sea. Campbell’s (of Campbell’s Soup) Field hosts games for the Camden Riversharks and the Rutgers-Camden baseball team. With 25,000 seats in an open air concert amphitheater setting, the Susquehanna Bank Center provides a great outdoor setting for all kinds of live outdoor events.

A retired battleship that survived through three wars, the USS New Jersey (BB-62), rests regally along Camden’s waterfront and is now a museum, a testament to days gone by. Other waterfront attractions are One Port Center, Walt Whitman Cultural Arts Center, Walt Whitman House, Wiggins Park and Marina, The Victor Lofts, an arts center and children’s garden.

The Victor Lofts provide a breathtaking view of the city and are a legacy left behind from the famous “Nipper Building.” RCA’s “His Master’s Voice” trademark still sits stately on the tower windows.. The New Jersey Transit’s River Line light rail system provides public transport to the Waterfront, while the RiverLink Ferry is the mode of transport for those coming from Philadelphia.

Listed on the state’s registry of historic places, Harleigh Cemetery and Crematorium rests peacefully on the Cooper River right here in Camden. With over 130 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds, it is one of the oldest cemeteries in the state. Its moniker is “Camden County’s most exclusive gated community.” Get it? Huh-huh.

Cooper University Hospital, a nationally recognized leader in the arena of trauma, calls this city home. As far as education goes, you’ll find plenty of public school offerings, several parochial elementary schools, universities and a community college. Most notably is the renowned Rutgers University, a well-respected research school.

Some interesting things you may not know about Camden are that in 1933, it was the birthplace of Richard Hollingshead’s invention, the drive-in theater. Mass murderer Howard Unruh lost it on a killing spree in his own Camden neighborhood after which thirteen people were left dead. He is still confined to a state psychiatric facility.

The 70s were all about making love not war, so it’s no surprise that a radical group of activists, dubbed the Camden 28, raided the Camden draft board in attempts to thwart additional U.S. troops being sent to Vietnam. They were later exonerated. The Bruce Willis movie Live Free or Die Hard, the 4th movie in the “Die Hard” series, had the initial shoot-out filmed here.

Parts of Camden have successful Urban Enterprise Zones. The zones encourage businesses to set up shop in blighted neighborhoods for 100% exemption from sales tax. Another federally funded program, The Empowerment Zone, focuses on growth and progress in healthcare, housing, education, human services, community safety and outreach and employment. The focus of the outreach programs is to promote civic pride, unity among citizens and foster varying forms of individual achievement.

Some notable residents were born here in Camden are Phil Zimmerman who created the encryption software PGP, Janaye Ingram was 2004 Miss New Jersey USA, Prince Badi Ajamu who was nicknamed the Boxing Prince and former pro tennis player Pam Casale-Telford.

Others who were born or lived her are former president and CEO of NAACP Bruce S. Gordon; Kansas City Chiefs’ defensive lineman Claude Maurice “Turk” McBride; winner of season 4 of The Next Food Network Star, Aaron McCargo, Jr.; actress Tasha Smith; gospel music powerhouse Tye Tribbett; leader of a new religious movement, the Children of God, Karen Zerby; Senate Watergate Committee chief counsel during the Watergate hearings, Samuel Dash.

Available real estate runs rampant in Camden. Single- and two-story single family homes, townhouses, condos, and modern retirement communities for ages 55 and over. There are lots of row homes, condominiums and townhomes in need of repair in the range of $12,000 to $40,000. Very nice, ready-to-move-in row homes in the coveted Parkside subdivision start at $39,900.

It appears that the terms “row home,” “condominium” and “townhome” are oftentimes interchanged. Actual single-family homes start at around $95,000 in the Fairview subdivision. The most expensive home that showed up on a search of current listings is one for $199,999!

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