How's Doylestown for gay people?

[danwxman]

Originally Posted by SpanArtist

OK, now I'm a little confused. Are you guys talking about Harrisburg in Philadelphia County or Harrisburg in Dauphin County?

Thanks.

Harrisburg in Dauphin county.

[SpanArtist]

Thanks Danwxman!

[aquakttn]

I don't know if its because I've been out of the area for two years. But I really don't think Doylestown has a reputation for being unfriendly to gay/lesbian couples.

There may not be a booming subculture, but I doubt it'll be that big of an issue around town.

Bucks County is a beautiful area - but pretty expensive. You'll get more bang for your buck up in Bethlehem. I really can't speak for the Harrisburg area.

The best to you and yours wherever you decide to settle.

[geos]

Originally Posted by SpanArtist

How's the Doylestown area as far as being accepting of a lesbian couple and also, is the housing available and affordable (we'll be buying in the $150,000-$350,000 range, and looking for a house w/ 3-4 bedrooms, at least 2 baths and studio space...we need a mother-in-law space and I'm an artist)?

Thanks!

PS: I also ride a road bike...how's the area for paved bicycle trails, if anyone knows? And is the terrain generally flat or hilly?

I'm a gay man who just moved from NYC. I'm building a house in Norwalk, CT but I may just wind up in Milford, PA. 2 hours to NYC, relatively rural but without the bitter cold of places further north and still reasonable prices with lower taxes than NY, NJ and CT. Has a reputation as a gay friendly artsy community as well. You might want to investigate E. Stroudsburg as well. It's a little closer to NYC but more bland suburban from what I hear.

[Duderino]

This thread is moderately outdated, but I just wanted to comment to set the record straight (no pun intended) just in case some board trolls my throw you off.

As far as the social atmosphere goes, overall the Philly 'burbs (Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, and Delaware Counties in Pennsylvania) are pretty much the most socially liberal part of the state. I've seen plenty of gay couples around, and while not everyone may be perfectly comfortable with it (you're not going to find that anywhere, however), people are generally so caught up in their own lives that you're hardly going to be noticed. That said, the more notable areas -- other than pricey New Hope -- for gay couples would be West Chester (Chester County), which definitely has an artsy vibe, by the way, and King of Prussia (Montgomery County).

I guess my overall point is, you shouldn't really feel like you have to isolate yourself to one town in order to be accepted, being that there are gay couples scattered around the area - and for your art fix you may take a short drive or train to the city, where you will find plenty of world class amentities.


Good luck!

[Astrfreak]

Doylestown is a great walking and bicycling town. Rather upscale, many gay couples and single people live there. Housing might be too high for the type of home you need. I would check maybe Ingham Mews in Solebury, older but large townhomes near New Hope. You have to drive though, it's in Solebury of of rte.202. There maybe a fixer upper in the 300 range in Doylestown you can find. Stay out of Jersey way too expensive and anything west of Douglassvile, PA. Harrisburg is good but not Bucks County... You know try Bristol Borough, mixed area of older families' ,ethnics', lower middle class but near everything, and housing is allot cheaper.old homes though may need work but you can find something in the 200's there.

[RobInBucks]

My partner and I have lived in Doylestown Station for 4-years.. .there are many gay families here ..

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by RobInBucks

My partner and I have lived in Doylestown Station for 4-years.. .there are many gay families here ..

Surprisingly enough Wilkes-Barre, PA has a much higher LGBT population than I ever would have imagined several years ago too!

[bingoismynamo]

I realize this post is a bit old, but maybe someone else is interested in moving to the area. If you are I can tell you that I have lived in Doylestown Boro. with my partner for over 4 years, and have worked here for many years.

My experience has been that Doylestown is extremely welcoming to gay people. That's not to say that there is anything "gay" to do here. Before we moved here from Montgomery County we would drive 30 to 40 minutes to New Hope where there are gay bars, restaurants and stores. Now we're about 15 minutes and rarely bother driving the distance when we can walk to great bars and restaurants here where regulars and bartenders alike know us and always make us feel welcome. We love Monday night rib night at "Chambers the other side" and sitting at the bar at "The Freight House"

However, Doylestown is an extremely pricey place to live, especially in the boro. And is probably not the best place to be if you are looking for gay culture. But again, we're only about 15 minutes from New Hope so it's close when we feel we need a fix. Also, Doylestown feels more like a "hometown" rather than the "tourist town" feel you get in New Hope.