Any good towns in Berks County? (Philadelphia, Allentown: crime, homes, neighborhoods)

[jeny305]

I know there are some bad places in Berks county. My husband and I are moving to PA soon due to job relocation. His boss is moving to Temple. It is too close to Reading for me so I am looking for a small town in Berks County that is livable. We may move to Fredericksburg but if we find something better in Berks county that would be great. I have never even been to PA so I have no idea where to look. We are a couple in our mid thirties with no children. Please help! Thank you!

[toobusytoday]

Jeny,
I'll bump this up for you so your post will have another day for people to view it. I don't know much about Berks county except that most of it is pretty and that Reading is good for 1) the Reading Phillies 2) outlet shopping and some areas are a little scary. Kutztown seems to be a nice college town (except for the recent murder) and has a cute main street.

[Icy Tea]

Berks has many different places that appeal to many differetn people. If you want a bucolic, rural, historic town, try Oley. A nice suburb, try Exeter. An older suburb, Mount Penn or Shillington or West Lawn. Kutzown, Fleetwood, Lyons, all have mennonite populations in and around nearby. Wyomissing is very upscale. Older towns along 422 west are more victorian, more rural. Small towns and farms increase north past Leesport and Kutztown. Rolling hills and farms dominate the northeast north of Boyertown.
Just remember that crime drops dramatically even a mile outside the city of Reading.
Places I would avoid are Temple( mushroom farm odors, some crime, but not bad), Muhlenberg/Laureldale near the Exide plant due to cancer concerns. Morgantown, due to the landfill odors. Amity/Douglassvile went crazy with sprawl but still has some very beautiful farms left. Birdsboro always seems to lose its water service when it gets flooded.

[jeny305]

I wasn't getting much response and was getting panicky cause we are moving soon. Your responses were VERY helpful. Thank you!

[hc7612]

Jeny,
I currently live in Berks. Co. ( Exeter Twp.) There are alot of nice "small" town areas around Reading itself. I have loved living in Exeter, but we are relocating to Delaware at the end of this year. I saw you mention Fleetwood. We know some people who moved there from Chicago a couple of years ago, they like it. Good luck with your search.

[kf70]

I've been wanting to add my thoughts for at least a day, but didn't know what to say to where to start. Icy Tea's post is thorough and pretty much covered much of what I wanted to write.

Here are some of my thoughts on the areas surrounding Reading ... These areas really are an extension of the city and many times it is referred to Greater Berks, because these boroughs and townships really are branches of the downtown.

Fleetwood/Blandon/Temple - lots of newer development, used to be rural farm area. Convenient to Allentown, route 222 - busy, busy intersection of 222/73 nearby could be a morning and afternoon headache. New highway construction completed just north of here in Trexlertown just south of Allentown if you need to access route 78
Oley - some development, mostly rural and farm area north and east of Reading, convenient to Allentown, Reading, Philadelphia, route 73, but near 222 for easy commutes.
Exeter Township - suburban area east of Reading, lots of development, convenient for commuters to/from Philadelphia, situated along 422 - busy corridor. Some shopping but mostly housing and some farmland
Wyomissing - upscale suburbs, but some older housing as well. Shopping and restaurants abound on this side (west) of Reading. Easy access to 422 and 222. Routes 183 (& Reading airport), route 61 are just a few minutes away. Turnpike exit (Reading) about 15 minutes south on 222.
Sinking Spring - mostly older neighborhoods, but some newer development has replaced farmland. Easy access to 422, 222 and 724. Mix of housing, shopping and services. Somewhat near Lancaster County.
Grill/Kenhorst - mostly older suburban neighborhoods just outside Reading city limits, near routes 222, 724 and 10. About 15-20 minutes to the Turnpike, either Morgantown or Reading interchanges. A mix of shopping and residential areas
Cumru/Brecknock Townships - rural and farmland, but growing with new residential development, south of the suburbs - closing in on Lancaster County. Access to all major routes within 15 minutes. The completed 222 southern section is finally completed and I expect more development along this corridor between Reading and Lancaster County.

Shillington, Mount Penn, West Reading and Laureldale are the suburbs immediately surrounding downtown Reading. Lots of row homes, but also some nice older singles as you continue away from the city limits.

[Summering]

My favorite town in Berks is Doylestown.......for the outskirts Furlong ( rural) or
Newtown.
Doylestown has the cobblestone streets, outdoor eating, quaint stores.......a grand reputation. It is a well respected town, with plenty for kids to do. Great for the parents too..........Just a classy place to live, if you need a location in that area.

[CosmicWizard]

Check out the Bally-Barto-Bechtelsville metro area. Three small towns running together in a rural setting. Boyertown is less than a 5 mile drive for basic necessitiies. Pottstown in Montgomery County is just another 7 miles away for more shopping options.

Doylestown is a very nice little town, but it is actually located in Bucks county. People often get Bucks and Berks confused.

[kf70]

Originally Posted by Summering

My favorite town in Berks is Doylestown.......for the outskirts Furlong ( rural) or
Newtown.
Doylestown has the cobblestone streets, outdoor eating, quaint stores.......a grand reputation. It is a well respected town, with plenty for kids to do. Great for the parents too..........Just a classy place to live, if you need a location in that area.

These towns are in BUCKS County, but sound like nice places to live. However, the OP is asking about BERKS County and towns around Reading.

[I love the Bears]

Originally Posted by Summering

My favorite town in Berks is Doylestown.......for the outskirts Furlong ( rural) or
Newtown.
Doylestown has the cobblestone streets, outdoor eating, quaint stores.......a grand reputation. It is a well respected town, with plenty for kids to do. Great for the parents too..........Just a classy place to live, if you need a location in that area.

That's Bucks county