Moving to Lehigh Valley - Interested in New Tripoli

[toobusytoday]

I think cp123 has a point. It might take awhile but if you really want to live in the country then you cannot expect the shopping convienences of less rural areas. I think the trade off is pretty good though. You just change the way you shop. When my kids were little and each shopping trip meant taking them with me, I shopped less often and when I did shop I tried to do it when my husband was home so I went kid-less. Now that my kids are mostly grown I stop at the grocery store almost daily on my way home from work.

[moving2lehigh]

Wow, thanks cp123! And also to toobusytoday. I had no idea how helpful this forum would be for our move to Lehigh Valley and the New Tripoli and you've all been so helpful. I feel armed and ready to go house hunting once we arrive. We have found some beautiful old homes in New Tripoli and I feel much more comfortable knowing about the area from locals.

We've been researching more and more for shops around New Tripoli and didn't know about the ones in Trexlertown. I did know about the shops in Whitehall and Slatington. Those aren't terribly close, but you're right that you sacrifice convenience for countryside.

New Tripoli is also close to the mountains - anyone know about hiking trails and other outdoor activities that are close by?

[graysmom8]

Bear Creek Resort in Macungie has skiing, snowtubing and snowboarding in the winter, as well as mountain bike trails and possibly hiking in the summer. It would probably be about 40 min or so from New Tripoli.

Not super close, but Jim Thorpe has lots of beautiful hiking and biking paths to explore, as well as kayaking. You can google Jim Thorpe or the Lehigh Gorge to get an idea of what is there.

If you're looking for biking trails in the area, let me know and I'll ask my husband (he rides road, moutain and cyclocross).

[Soccer25]

There are plenty of outdoor activities in the New Tripoli area and in the Lehigh Valley in general; graysmom8 touch on some of them. As far as hiking goes, two of my favorite are Hawk Mountain and the Appalachian Trail (or the AT as the hard-core hikers call it). Hawk Mountain has plenty of trails and also has beautiful scenery, and of course in the fall you can see the hawk migrations. The part of the AT that I usually go on is around Bake Oven Knob. I always thought it was exciting to know that the trail you're hiking on leads all the way up to Maine and all the way down to Georgia. Also at the Game Preserve, there are some small trails to hike, along with a small creek to wade in (a great place for little ones). There are also picnic benches there.

Those are just a few, but there are plenty more in the surrounding area. There is another major skiing place, Blue Mountain Ski Area, which is in the Palmerton area. The area also has a small lake, Leaser Lake, which at the moment is drained. However, in the next year they are finally going to refill it. This is a nice place to either go fishing, or canoing, or other small boating activities. It is also a nice place to have a picnic. It's nothing spectacular, but still a nice area, even though not alot of people go there anymore.

[eyzinf]

Hi, New Tripoli is a very nice place. My stepdaughter has been in the local daycare system from 1997-2001 and currently going to 6th grade in the Northwestern Lehigh School District. They are currently renovating both Elementary Schools, and I think the Middle School is only about 8-10 years old. My stepdaughter has really liked all of her teachers so far, and they seem to show a genuine interest in her well-being.

[doxielover]

A new grocery store will be built above the LaMar Center in Fogelsville. I believe they are breaking ground this fall. As for traffic in the area, you might encounter an occasional tie up for an accident, but otherwise the traffic is nothing at all.

I am a teacher in another district and my children went to Northwestern. 99% of the teachers were good or great. The few they encountered who weren't have since retired. My children did make use of AP courses, independent study, and took additional courses at the two neighboring community colleges. Northwestern is a small district and simply can't offer everything that a larger disctrict can offer. But we liked the small community atmosphere and felt they were wewll prepared for college.

[Lv'n in New Tripoli]

I've lived in New Tripoli for 30 years. I love it! New Tripoli is a quiet area overall. Unfortunately, more developers are moving in all the time changing the whole feel of the area. Yes, there are still plenty of open spaces, but the growth has affected our schools and our roads. "City" people moving to the country still want city amenities and don't want to live with the inconviences of country life. Example: When I first moved here, from Allentown, if I need a loaf of bread or a quart of mile, the thought of driving "all the way to the store" was a hassle. You have to learn to write down items as you need them and take a list with you when you go out if you do not want to be wastiing both precious time and fuel. Another example of "City" people would be school bussing. Everyone seems to think that their child needs to be picked up at the door. You rarely see children walking to the bus stop. Parents drive them. Society tells us kids are getting fatter and need more excercise. It also tells us that we need to use less fuel and leave less of a carbon impring on our planet. Parents could accomplish both by having their kids walk to the bus stops.

One very large drawback to living in New Tripoli would be things to do for children. There is a good athletic program put on by the NYAA, however, if you have a child that is not into sports, there is nothing for them to be involved in. I feel that the schools are just ok. My son went to the NW schools all his life and if I had to do it over again, I would consider private schools. NW talks a good talk but I don't feel they offer the children what they need to be successful in college or in life. The school provides little in the way of sports that can be played throughout life, limited golf, no swimming, tennis. Sports like football, basketball and soccer are played little by adults. There is no place for kids to hang together. Drugs and alcohol become a big part of the party life of our teenagers. This is unfortunate but true. You can always pay for camp, dancing lessons, etc. but there are no playgrounds for kids to just go to and play, be kids.

I know this comes across as being negative, and I don't mean it too. However, I feel it is necessary to tell you like I see it. That being said, New Tripoli is a wonderful place when you consider the options of crowded cities. I would suggest you look in Weisenberg Township or Lowhill Township if you don't want to be too far from Fogelsville. Lynn Township is more rural than, and less developed, but you will have to travel a bit further, however not more that 30 minutes. The Northwestern Lehigh school district is made up of 4 townships, Weisenberg, Lowhill, Lynn and Heidelberg.

If you have any questions I would be happy to answer them if I can. I'd be interested to know what you decide.

Happy Home Hunting

[Bryans123]

I just read this post some how i got to this webpage. im currently 17. living in newtripoli and going to northwestern lehigh highschool.

I have to say. after living in allentown till i was 10. living in this area is a blessing. The school has a small poplation. roughly 1000 kids. compaired to allentowns allen highschool = pop 4000.. Dieruff 3500 -_-.

I do very much enjoy the freedoms of living in the country aswell. Its quite but really its not that far from anything. we thought when we first moved here driving everywhere would take forever.

but in all honesty. allentown is about 15 miles. and once you start driving there it doesnt feel long at all.

Asfor traffic. rt 100 has become very popular in the last 10 years. And occasionally you do get stuck behind a truck whos doin 40mph. But very rarely does rt100 get slowed beyond that.

As for 309. theres really never any problems with 309, unless there is an accident or something of the sort.

I-78 is usally not bad if your going east. but coming west around rush hour can be treacherous .

They are currently working on putting a grocery store on rt 100 across from the park near applewood. They have been doing exscavation recently.

There is now a bank also , near the rt100/309 intersection . that was recently built , aswell as markets / gas stations for your simple grocery needs.

Again, the schools are really awsome, the people actually care , ive never seen teachers who are willing to stay at school till 7pm to help me pass a class. As for drugs / violence. Id say northwestern has 1 fight a year on average. and is usally not even on school grounds. And the school does infact push the students to do good. the classes are challenging . and the 7-point grading system makes it even harder ( 93+ = A 87-93 B 80-87 C ect)
Compaired to allens 90+ A 80+ B 70+ C

I also attend LCTI ( Lehigh career and technical institute ) And i have to say it has made my last 3 years in highschool a breeze. Going there im gaining so much experiance. And i really enjoy my class. I even go to LCCC the college across the street to take classes for free!

When i leave NWLHS to go to LCTI it makes the day fly by. And at lcti they treat you like an adult. So you get alot more freedoms, But you need to remember. your not being forced to go there. its a PRIVLAGE. and they do not hesitate to kick you from it.

All in all, newtripoli is a graet place. The schools are nice , The elementary schools just got huge additions , theres very little bullying , the middle school is new. and teh highschool is currently getting redone.

I hope i helped ^^ .

[Bryans123]

Sorry i missed something , the sports at NWLHS are . well mediocre, id say our football team sucks, and mostly everything elese. one cool thing introduced in the last 2 months . we were introduced as the first school district in the world to have a skate park !!

They installed a large slap of mecadum and are currently putting ramps and stuff on it. its great for me, because living in new tripoli . you cant really skateboard / bike any where. theres no where to go .

So we resorted to skateboarding @ Ther highschool . on the steps and such. well they didint like that very much , so we moved from building to building getting kicked out . and even sometimes hit. or had our items broken by ***hole people.

But its very awsome! Another thing is NITC ( night in the country ) Which is coming up this weeking. Probbaly the best fireworks youl ever see. Way better than any ive seen. and your almost underneath them.

Also , i have to admit , theres not much to do here. and alot of kids resort to partying , drugs , alcohol. Me personally being one of those kids. ive pulled away from it. and trying to skateboard to keep my mind off it.

Its easy to get here, and theres very little police. so its easy to hide. Now im not saying theres alot of drugs, mainly marijuana, whcih i consider my self to not be a drug. After smoking it daily for almost a year. and still managing straight A's in a 7point grading system. I would have to say it doesnt hurt you that much..

Anywho... Yeah. Its still 100x better than allentown / bethlehem / catasaqua / easton / emmaus and all other surrounding citys.

[Bryans123]

Also bluemountain ski resort is in palmerton * bout 30 min drive *

Its a very nice ski resort. and also has great summertime activites.