Help! Relocating and very confused! (Philadelphia, Allentown: crime, how much, house)

[schellh]

My husband is being transferred from NC to NJ for work, but because of home choices, taxes, and quality of life, we would really prefer living in PA. We are very torn between Allentown and somewhere in the Pocono's. Can someone clue me in on where would be the best place for us to go. We have children school age, so that is important. Of course, traffic to and from NJ is important..crime, etc. Also, anyone have suggestions as to which areas are good to find a home within the town you suggest? I keep hearing a lot about gang activity within the Poconos, but is that info jaded? Any info you could give me would be great! Thanks!

[Fiddi]

I live in Upper Macungie Township. That's about as far from the Jersey border you can get in the Lehigh Valley. But I wanted to say that this area is wonderful for a family.

My children would go to Parkland Schools if they were in public school system. My friends say they are extremely happy with the schools. The middle and high schools have so many options available for children. My children would probably go to Parkland High School after graduating from the Catholic School they are in simply because of all the amazing things the high school has available. It's hard to pass up, even to send the kids to the Catholic High School. Actually, a friend of mine has free tuition all through high school in the Parochial School System due to her being a teacher. Her husband is a VP at Parkland HS. They have decided to send their children to Parkland HS based on the husbands knowledge of the school.

I don't know if you have little ones, but if you do and you will be a stay at home parent for any length of time we have very active Moms Clubs. I was part of the Allentown West chapter 10 years ago and met so many other moms and have many good friends from back then. In addition, there are organizations/activities all over the place. It's actually hard to pick and choose what to let your children be involved in. These activities include sports, drama, art, dance, etc. Just about anything you'd want.

We have wonderful restaurants, including the best Italian restaurant I have ever been to. In the last 10 years there has been enormous growth when it comes to shopping and restaurants. You can find just about anything here.

We have great parks. I actually just returned from taking my dog for a walk in Trexler Park. There is a pond there and is popular with walkers, bikers, and joggers. It is clean, safe and beautiful. It is only one of a few nice parks I know of.

We have great hospitals in this area. That is one thing we have always liked. I believe you can even call them world class. At least that's what I hear. We have the Lehigh Valley Hospital system here and St. Lukes in Bethlehem. Can't go wrong. Plus, if you need anything more extensive, we also are in very close proximity to Philadelphia.

Really, I can't say enough nice things about living in the Lehigh Valley. And this is coming from someone who has spent the last 20 years trying to leave. I came here from out of state for college and got married and started a family. I've always wanted to go back "home". We just put our house on the market because we finally have the opportunity to return to my home state. I never realized before how much I had grown to love it here - despite my best efforts to hate it. It will be very difficult to leave.

The only thing I don't like is the snow/ice. But that's just personal preference. Actually, I despise snow & ice unless I am sitting in front of a fireplace enjoying how beautiful it makes everything outside.


If you have any add'l questions, feel free to ask!

[loose cannon]

"the best Italian Restaurant I've ever been to" Whatever the restaurant Im very skeptical of this boastful statement.

[Fiddi]

How can you be skeptical? It is a very personalized statement saying it's the best Italian restaurant *I've* ever been to. It may not be the best one you've been to or that the OP has ever been to. But, it is definitely the best Italian Restaurant I've ever been to. It's not my restaurant so there's not much to boast about for me personally. In my opinion, the chef/owner has plenty to boast about, though.

[theshan]

I'll bite--what restaurant is it?

[Fiddi]

Hmmm. Really, I was just trying to explain my favorite things about living in the Lehigh Valley. I didn't want to appear boastful or like I'm a food critic or anything. All I know is what I love and what I don't.

I'll post the restaurant name, but just remember it's only my opinion. If you do a search on the net for other opinions of this restaurant you'll see I'm not the only one who loves it. So, please don't flame me if you don't like the place. It's Paolo's Italian Restaurant in Northampton.

[mczabe]

Moving past the restaurant controversy, I would have to ask where in NJ your husband will be working before recommending a place in PA. Commutes vary widely and you would really want to figure out the time/distance he (and you) are willing to commit to his commute before zeroing in on a locale.

If you know the town he'll be working in, I'd love to share some thoughts for what they're worth.

[schellh]

Thanks for the response! He will be working in Parsippany or Morristown. The office will relocate to that area and anywhere that is approximately 45 minutes away would be best. I would love to hear your ideas!

[toobusytoday]

What we did ten years ago when we were relocating was we drew a circle around where my husband was going to work with his office in the epicenter and the circle at 30 miles, knowing that he didn't want to drive any further then that. Then we eliminated any areas that we plain didn't want to live in and then focused our research on finding out what school districts were good in the rest of the areas.

Some things that eliminated school districts were if they were very large (area-wise) districts - thinking that we didn't want to have to deal with play dates or school functions far away. We also realized that we didn't want a large High School, we wanted a small one where the teachers would know our family and where I could get involved in Parent groups. Test scores were important too. Being so picky narrowed our search to just a couple of districts and then we started visiting the schools and getting a feel for the areas.

There was one district that we really liked in Montgomery County was crossed off the list after a Principal at a school told us that they were growing so fast that their classrooms were becoming overcrowded and the situation wasn't going to be solved anytime soon.

Where we ended up was Southern Lehigh School district, which fulfilled all of our criteria. We're on the Southern most end of Lehigh County but I think it's a little far away for you, and besides your priorities may be different. Two websites that are very helpful are SchoolMatters - Home and Search for Pennsylvania public schools.

By eliminating places right off the bat you can then concentrate on what's left. Good luck and happy hunting!

[jeffvivian]

When it comes to relocating. Here is the best advice I can give, develop a list of what you want out of a community (not crime and schools but price, preferrable payment, size, and ammenities surrounding you, etc...) then look as to what each area has to offer and that is the best way to determine what works for you. This will give you a great idea of were your dollar is best spent.

Your really not looking for a home yet, you are more or less trying to evaluate an area. Once you have the area then project School Districts, Style of house, etc. Any other way will just cause you to run ragged.

Thanks
Jeff