thinking of relocating to lehigh valley (Allentown, Bethlehem: transplants, apartment, renting)

[rocky7879]

Hello all , My wife and I have 2 small children ages 2 and 4 and live on Long Island. We are seriously thinking of relocating to Bethlehem area as I have an opportunity to transfer with my job. We currently are concentrating in east penn and parkland school districts as that is the # 1 area of concern for us ( schools ) and we heard those were the two best , does anyone have any recommendations on towns we should concentrate on?

[movingtolhv]

Have you considered the Southern Lehigh district? It is also a good school district and close to Bethlehem. The school district is also smaller, similar to what you have on Long Island.

[toobusytoday]

From an earlier post: Relocating to Lehigh Valley with Wife & Baby

When are you moving?within the next 2 years
Where are you coming from? long island
Why are you moving? more property , less taxes better schools
Where will you be working? around pa
Have you been here yet? no

Will you buy or rent? buy
If buying, are you looking for a house or a condo? How much can you spend? house between 150k and 250 k
If renting, are you looking for an apartment, a townhouse or loft? How much can you spend?
Do you prefer hi-rise or walk up?

Are you married or single? Do you have children? married with 2 kids ages 2 and 4
Do you prefer public or private schools? public
Do you have pets? no
Do you want or need a yard? yes
Are you keeping a car? yes
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? calm and quiet

What do you want to be closest to?
Work - not important
Shopping- notimportant
Basic services (supermarket, drugstore, etc.) yes
Nightlife no
Near Bus stop? Please note that there is NO rail service in the Lehigh Valley.

Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood? similiar race

Phillies or Mets? Yankees

[rocky7879]

i havent thought about southern lehigh , are the towns more rural or suburban?

[toobusytoday]

Southern Lehigh school district consists of the townships of Upper Saucon, Lower Milford and the town of Coopersburg. Lower Milford is pretty rural, but I like it because it realizes the value in not allowing over-development. LOWER MILFORD TOWNSHIP Upper Saucon has a park, the library and four of the six schools in it's area. Welcome to Upper Saucon Township Coopersburg is a great small walkable town, not as nice as Emmaus but I like it. Coopersburg Borough

I think you really need to come over and see what you like and what you can afford. Southern Lehigh is known as one of the more expensive areas to live in the Valley.

[rocky7879]

we took a ride in on saturday , looked at upper and lower macungie and also parts of north whitehall, i loved all 3 areas

[benlilmom]

we are also moving to LHV soon with 2 small children and focused on the 2 school districts you mentioned as well as the upper and lower macungie and north whitehall areas. seems like those areas are close to everyday conveniences and have nice homes. the southern lehigh areas had nice houses, but were too rural for me. also the school district did not have the curriculum and activities we wanted for our children. however, we've been looking for 2 months and still have not found a house. we are coming from pittsburgh and the house prices in LHV are a lot higher than pittsburgh which has made house-hunting challenging. good luck!

[toobusytoday]

Southern Lehigh rural?? Welcome to The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley The majority of residents live within 15 minutes of Bethlehem, Allentown and Quakertown, which is not true of the residents of the Macungie area.

[Pa Dutch]

To be fair, a lot of southern Lehigh is rural. Yes, tbt is correct, you are 15 minutes from everything, but a lot of it is subdivisions and farmland. But still, a very beautiful area.

I live and have kids in east penn, great schools, but overcrowding is only getting worse. If you have decided between parkland and east penn, I would say parkland.

That said, if you are working in Bethlehem, you might be better served living in the saucon valley school district, which is also very good, but rural, except for Hellertown.

If you want a more urban setting and good schools, look into Salisbury School district. Very decent schools, situated between Allentown and Bethlehem.

[KristyLiz]

We relocated to Lower Macungie almost 5 years ago. Our 3 boys attend school in the East Penn district - I can tell you that are very happy here!

I am originally from Long Island (Suffolk County) so I feel very at home here with so many other people who have also relocated from NY and NJ. It's very easy to make friends here, since there are so many transplants, and there are lots of very active MOMS groups, etc.

I would be happy to answer any questions you might have regarding schools, preschools, youth athletics, etc.

We live in a development off of Sauerkraut Lane, and I feel like you can't go wrong with any of the developments in this area.