best neighborhoods in parkland SD & east penn SD (Emmaus: for sale, how much) - Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton - City-Data Forum

benlilmom · 05-06-2012, 07:18 PM

after returning from our 2nd house-hunting trip in allentown, we are still undecided on which house to make an offer. we think we've narrowed it down to a home in millbrook farms (east penn), a home on fieldstone dr - pointe west subdivision (parkland), or a home on belmont circle (parkland). does anyone know anything about these neighborhoods?

movingtolhv · 05-07-2012, 08:08 PM

Do you have any school age children? If you do, check out the schools. That might help you decide. I'm somewhat familiar with Millbrook Farms. It was one of our top neighborhoods when we were househunting. They seemed to have an active HOA. Some people don't like that type of thing but it didn't bother us.
I know some folks on Fieldstone. It is a beautiful neighborhood. A new Weiss is supposed to be going up nearby. As for the Belmont location, I know someone nearby off of Palomino and it seems like a young neighborhood, also nice. It's in a convenient location too. Parkland is so big there really doesn't seem to be a 'best' neighborhood, just lots of options. I don't know East Penn very well.

toobusytoday · 05-07-2012, 08:11 PM

I think KristyLiz may live in Millbrook Farms. She posts on here sometimes, you may want to send her a DM.

docb51 · 05-09-2012, 06:04 PM

Parkland offers the best choice for my family. Nice new high school, not too crowded. East Penn about to build new high school -- higher taxes.
As for neighborhoods Millbrook Farms is getting older with all associated issues of home maintenance and streets, etc. Point West is much newer and more luxurious homes at fair prices in my opinion. Seems as though the housing market is heating up in the area with lots of new for sale signs popping up. Road system in Parkland is superior to East Penn -- Rt 100 through Emmaus and Macungie is a nightmare at times due to over building recently. (I've lived in Parkland for about 30 years and have no complaints

docb51 · 05-09-2012, 06:13 PM

Point West is a large development that has about three main sections, be careful of the quarry just off Rt 100 north. Stay to the west of Rt 100 in Point West if you can. Also the section by the old Penn State campus is a little up in the air due to the sale of the campus -- no-one seems to know what is moving in there. But there are lots of areas of Point West away from the quarry and away from the old campus. A good realtor will guide you throiugh this and just check the listings in the Parkland 18051 zip code (Fogelsville).

KristyLiz · 05-11-2012, 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toobusytoday

I think KristyLiz may live in Millbrook Farms. She posts on here sometimes, you may want to send her a DM.

I live in Graymoor - it's one of the development off of Sauerkraut Lane. I love it here! We have been happy with the East Penn SD

toobusytoday · 05-14-2012, 06:51 AM

We've moved a lot and our last move was from Garnet Valley School district in Delaware county, an area a lot like Parkland. We moved there primarily for the excellent school district. In fact, Garnet Valley is rated among the top ten in the state. Our oldest child went through grades 1-6 there and we were satisfied with her education. We were kept busy with local scouts, sports and kid centered activities. What was missing however, was a real town. There was a farmers market, churches but no real town. The importance of that did not become apparent until we moved to Coopersburg, and I'm sure it might not be a priority for many people, but there's something about having an actual town with a main street that became important to us.

In the towns of Coopersburg, Macungie, Emmaus, Nazareth, etc. there is real history, streets to walk on, places to have parades, community events and things to do for adults without children and things that all are welcome to do.

When you are looking for a place to live, think about the bigger picture. Not just test scores in schools and taxes or how much house you can get for your money. Think about how you want to spend your whole life. We could have afforded a bigger house in East Penn when we moved but we wanted a school district that was small and a neighborhood where our kids would be able to make friends quickly. (The irony is that now the avg. house in Upper Saucon township is more then the homes we looked at in East Penn.}

We also wanted a real town that we could connect to and I feel fortunate that we were able to figure that out. Our kids are smart, but they are not gifted or super athletes. I knew that as involved parents our kids would do well in a good school district, but we wanted, not just good scoring schools, we wanted a friendly community where we could grow roots. I think that's just a little harder if you live in a school district like Parkland that is pretty much just developments with no real town at all. Of course, that was our own family priority, and it may not mean much to those of you searching now, which is okay.

benlilmom · 05-23-2012, 01:46 PM

thanks for all of the info. yes, we have small children (baby & toddler). i have looked at school districts and narrowed it down to parkland and EP. our realtor did not mention that EP is about to build a new high school.

since i originally posted, the offer we gave on millbrook farms home did not work out and belmont home has trees in middle of backyard that cannot be moved per govt official due to conservation area. fieldstone house is not perfect, but might be as good as we can find.

getting frustrated with search. looking for central location near shopping/restaurants, hope nursery school/st thomas church, downtown allentown for reasonable commute for husband, swimming pool, parks, library. see some nice homes in parkland SD, but they seem out in the "country" to me (i'm coming from a robust suburb of pittsburgh). any recommendations for neighborhoods that i haven't already mentioned? what is grist mill/apple valley like? on a map it looks a little remote. thanks for your help!

movingtolhv · 05-23-2012, 03:34 PM

I think they are more remote but still nice and not too far from 100 and 309. Have you taken a look in Green Hills? It is a little closer to the highways and amenities if you are looking in that direction anyway.

movingtolhv · 05-23-2012, 05:29 PM

I thought of another area you might want to consider, the neighborhoods off of Springhouse by Trexler Park and Wegmans. That is a popular area too because it is so central but still in Parkland if you want to be in Parkland.