Collings Lakes offers private waterfront living in South Jersey
Before there were lakes in Collings Lakes, there were cranberry bogs in southern New Jersey's pine barrens. Seeing potential in this rural pocket of Atlantic County’s location almost exactly between Philadelphia and Atlantic City, developers dammed the bogs in the 1950s, creating chains of recreation-ready lakes and a private community that combines classic suburban planning with the more vacation-style amenities needed for laidback lake living. “Collings Lakes used to really be a second-home community for people from Philadelphia to own a place on a lake,” says Susanna Philippoussis, a broker associate with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox and Roach Vineland who’s served South Jersey for 21 years. “Now, it’s turned into a real year-round community.” Long after summer traffic dies down between shore points and southwestern Pennsylvania, Collings Lakes offers family-friendly events and scenic waterfront views year-round through the efforts of dedicated resident volunteers and the Collings Lakes Civic Association.
Private recreation in Collings Lakes, exploring the NJ Pinelands
Several placid lakes offer marsh-dotted waterfront views throughout Collings Lakes, although most recreation happens on Cushman Lake and Braddock Lake. The CLCA maintains three beaches, named First, Second and Third Beach. Beyond offering sandy, lifeguard-protected areas for lake swimming through the warmer months, these private beaches are also home to wooden park benches and playgrounds for kids. Launches around the lakes offer access for kayakers and anglers. Collings Lakes is also surrounded by the vast New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve. Within 10 miles of home, residents can hike through more than 8,000 acres of pine barrens at Winslow Wildlife Management Area or launch a boat into the Great Egg Harbor River from Penny Pot County Park. Atlantic City’s beaches and boardwalk are about 30 miles down the Black Horse Pike.
Events with the CLCA and Our Lady of the Lakes
Beyond maintaining lakes, dams and beaches, the Collings Lakes Civic Association also helps organize annual events. Plastic eggs poke from the sand at First Beach during the annual Easter egg hunt and Easter flower fundraiser. The Collings Lakes Fire Department escorts Santa through the community each December. Neighbors also volunteer together during regular beach clean-ups. Outside regular religious services, Our Lady of the Lakes Church hosts chicken barbecue dinners where neighbors can chat, craft and enter to win prize basket raffles.
Suburban streets of midcentury, lakefront homes
Ranch-style homes and split-levels built from the 1950s through 1970s line quiet, winding streets throughout Collings Lakes. This classic suburban setup is common throughout South Jersey, but buyers choose this private community for down-the-street or just-out-back proximity to scenic waterfronts. “I sold a house right there on the water in Collings Lakes that’s one of my favorites; if my buyer didn’t buy it, I would have,” Philippoussis says. “The homes all surround the lakes, but they’re not all on the lakes.” While only some properties have backyard lakefronts, mature pines and grassy lawns are more constant throughout the community. Prices can range from around $110,000 to $450,000. Residents pay monthly fees to the Collings Lakes Civic Association and fall into three tiers depending on whether they live on a lake, away from the water or north of Black Horse Pike. While dues may change from year to year, those living across Black Horse Pike in Tier Three have the lowest rates, and those living directly on the water in Tier One pay the most.
Attending the Buena Regional School District
Collings Lakes is served by the Buena Regional School District, which earns a C from Niche. Collings Lakes Elementary serves prekindergarten through second grade and earns a C from Niche, as does Dr. J.P. Cleary Elementary School, which serves third through fifth grades. Buena Regional Middle School also scores a C. At C-plus-rated Buena Regional High School, students can work toward learning a private pilot’s license through a partnership with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Business life on Black Horse Pike, in nearby Hammonton
Black Horse Pike connects Collings Lakes to locally owned businesses and larger nearby commercial districts. Just outside the community, locals can stop for convenience items at Collings Lakes Food Market or grab Chinese takeout from Krystal Vy. Bears Country Custard serves classic sundaes and soft serve from a small roadside stand. Many other restaurants, wineries and specialty businesses line major highways and country roads within several miles of home, but residents drive nearly 10 miles to Hammonton for larger shopping trips. There, they might walk between small downtown businesses along state Route 54 or browse big box stores like Walmart and ShopRite in nearby strip malls.
Traveling between AC, Philly and Atlantic County hubs
Commuters start down the Black Horse Pike on the roughly 30-mile drive to Atlantic City, or head to the Atlantic City Expressway on the nearly 35-mile drive to Center City Philadelphia. Cross County Connection’s Rt. 54/40 Community Shuttle stops in Collings Lakes between Buena and Hammonton. Less than 10 miles away, Hammonton is also home to AtlantiCare Health Park Hammonton Campus and an NJ Transit train station on the Atlantic City Line. Atlantic City International Airport is about 25 miles from home.
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Written By
Julia Szymanski
