Need to be near I-476 (Philadelphia, Allentown: daycare, how much, house)

[overdog76]

My girlfriend and I are thinking about moving to Lehigh Valley. We have a newborn so good daycare is definetly needed. What town would be best for us? She works in the Poconos and I work in Philly. We want to be close to I-476 and our budget affords us something within the $250-$300k range. No new developements (need my space) and good fishing is a plus!!!

[JohnZ963]

Lower Macungie (northern part), Upper Macungie, or South Whitehall. All of these could get you a home where you could be on 476 in 10 minutes or less. 250/300k should get you a 1960s/1970s house on 1/3 acre or so. Not sure how much space you need, but if you want acreage, you're going to have to go further out into the rural townships.

[toobusytoday]

As John suggests, it would be good to look West of 476 into the more rural areas of the county to get some land with your house. New Tripoli is a beautiful rural area.

[bobsmith]

I would definitely second the New Tripoli recommendation. I used to work not far from there (Fogelsville) and I always thought of it as a nice rural area that was still just minutes away from the urban and suburban areas of the Valley.

[CHIP72]

Depending on where your girlfriend works in the Poconos, you may want to live further south than the Allentown area. The commute into Philadelphia, especially on the Surekill, I mean Schuylkill Expressway, will be a pain. The next exit further south on the NE Extension is at Quakertown.

If you do live near Allentown, I also recommend living west of I-476 not too far from the interchange. Incidentally, you can access the NE Extension without getting on US 22; Tilghman Street has a back entrance to the turnpike at the same location where the US 22/I-476 interchange is located.