SCOTT ANDERSON/Courier-Post Stately homes and trees (above) line W. Walnut Street in Merchantville where traditional Dutch Colonials and Victorians are available from $120,000 to $400,000.

Median home value 1990: $115,400 2000: $122,200 Change: 5.9% Source: 1990, 2000 Census

Mary Frances Giordano, 43, fell so much in love with Merchantville's tree-lined streets and quaint downtown 10 years ago that she had to live there.

"My sister moved to Merchantville, then I followed," said Giordano, a yoga studio owner and instructor. "I lived in Cherry Hill for awhile, but it didn't have that feel-good community thing going for it. Merchantville has an amazing style."

Giordano loves living in the town because "there's not a lot of fences in the backyards. Everyone talks to each other." She believed in the town so much, she opened a Rama Yoga studio downtown.

One of Merchantville's many attractions is its neighborhoods rather than groupings of developments, many residents say.

Mayor Patrick Brennan said the majority of Merchantville's Victorians were built between 1870 and 1940 in the area surrounding downtown. Victorian houses are very popular right now, he said.

"Housing stock in Merchantville is strong and selling for higher than its assessed value," Brennan said. "It hasn't become over-priced."

Traditional Victorians and Dutch colonials are available, ranging from $120,000 to $400,000.

The town, which was incorporated 129 years ago, has many different housing styles - row houses, twins, large Victorians, bungalows, traditional Dutch Colonials and "fixer-uppers" - are part of the stock, Brennan said.

Brennan said many young professionals from Philadelphia are moving to the borough.

Although open space is rare in Merchantville, some builders have found room for new housing.

Five new town houses are 90-percent completed on Alexander Avenue, said developer Rich Vassey, 61, of Voorhees.

The three-story town houses, priced at about $175,000 each, have three bedrooms, two full bathrooms, basement, gas heat and central air. The houses don't have yards and the exterior is brick, making them virtually maintenance free, he said. Buyers have time to select tiles and rug colors, Vassey said.

"I felt there was a need for that kind of housing in Merchantville," Vassey said. "There was nothing new in town and I thought it was worth the challenge."

"These houses are great for young married couple working in Philadelphia without children or with small children," said Dave Hargrave, a real estate broker associate from Weichert-Realtors in Cherry Hill.

Penny Trost, co-owner of Aunt Charlotte's candy shop, grew up in Merchantville and said the small town feel is hard to beat.

"It was a great place to grow up. Everyone knows each other."