Camden Employers Incentivizing Middle-Class Homeownership

"The assistance is relatively modest compared to what's available in some cities, but it does represent a new kind of boosterism for Camden. Instead of simply pining for changes that would lure a middle class back, city leaders are actively recruiting.

"We have a lot to be proud of and we need to talk about it in order to move Camden up on the list of desirable places to live," said David Foster, president of Cooper's Ferry Partnership, a planning and redevelopment agency.

Some of the attractions: being in a city with an array of public transportation making for easy access across the Delaware River to Philadelphia; low housing costs and property taxes -- at least by New Jersey standards; quick access to concerts at the city's Susquehanna Center."