Possible Job in Chadds Ford (Philadelphia, Chester: real estate, affordable houses, neighborhoods)

[aaron3]

There is a possibility that I will get a job in Chadds Ford. My family would move from the Midwest. We are looking for a house in the 250-350 range. We have a daughter in 2nd grade in public school, so quality school system is important to us.

We are certainly willing to live further out from Philly if we can find better properties, although I would prefer to keep commute to less than 1/2 hour if possible.

We are interested in newer neighborhoods and they seem to be popping up all around Coatesville. I have seen on these boards that Coatesville is maybe not the most desirable location, yet that seems to be where all of the houses are going up.. Is the airport there something to worry about as well. We saw some interesting new developments around Parkesburg, which seems to be pretty well liked here. What about Delaware?

We are pretty open to suggestions. I've only been to the area for an interview and thought it was really pretty. I love the thought of being near beaches, historical sites, skiing, NY, and DC!

[toobusytoday]

Garnet Valley has lots of new homes. Sprawl only hit there ten years ago so most homes are newer and the schools are great. All of the schools there have been built or renovated in the last ten years. Seriously, all of the schools. And no commute!

Plug in Coatesville, Parkesburg and Garnet Valley here: Schools, High School, Public Schools, School District, Public High Schools - SchoolMatters to see the numbers. My Sister and brother in law moved from a very nice house in Parkesburg to get their kids into a better school.

[BPP1999]

Chadds Ford is already pretty far out from Philly, even though it's only about 20 miles or so south of the city via Route 1. One reason sprawl started only about 10 years ago (as pointed out above) is because there's really no expressway/interstate service to that area. 20 miles isn't that far on a highway, but on Route 1, it's pretty far.

The City of Coatesville is not very desirable, though some suggest it's going to be up and coming in the near future. Many homes are being built in the cornfields surrounding Coatesville. Generally, you can't even see Coatesville from many of these locations. The Coatesville area is much more sprawled out if you ask me, and it's because there's better highway service. From Center City Philadelphia to Coatesville via Routes 76W to 202S to 30W is around 35 miles or so.

[toobusytoday]

If I'm reading the post correctly, aaron3 is talking about working in Chadds Ford, not Philadelphia. Not quite sure why he mentions Philadelphia in the post at all.

[rainrock]

I agree that Garnet Valley would be an excellent choice.Check out West Chester,Westtown,West Goshen as well. Now if you like the country feel,open space and all of that then Kennet Square,Oxford,Avondale might be the way to go.You will defintely get more house for your money the further west you go from Chadds Ford.

Good luck.

[aaron3]

Originally Posted by toobusytoday

If I'm reading the post correctly, aaron3 is talking about working in Chadds Ford, not Philadelphia. Not quite sure why he mentions Philadelphia in the post at all.

I do not plan to drive to Philadelphia very often-- my concern is getting stuck in traffic with all of the people that are making that drive! If living further away from the city gives me good housing and less bumper-to-bumper, I'm all for it!

[aaron3]

By the way, I can't find Garnet Valley on any maps or real estate sites. Does it have another name? One sent me to Marcus Hook, which did not look like a very appealing area.

[toobusytoday]

When we lived there it shared a zip code with Boothwyn and Marcus Hook. Wikipedia's explanation for the change is pretty good: Garnet Valley, Pennsylvania - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Here's the school districts website: Garnet Valley School District
At the very top of the site there is a drop down menu where you can view each schools website.

When we lived in that area we really didn't go into Philadelphia often. My husband went to the Eagles games and we used the airport south of the city. More often we would go South into Delaware for tax free shopping.

I just found this website that has a good map and indicates school locations: Garnet Valley School District Schools on Yahoo! Real Estate - School Information, Reviews and more!

[aaron3]

Thanks for the info on Garnet Valley. I looked at real estate sites and it seems like it exceeds my price range. Are there affordable houses in the 250-300 range there?

[rainrock]

Originally Posted by aaron3

By the way, I can't find Garnet Valley on any maps or real estate sites. Does it have another name? One sent me to Marcus Hook, which did not look like a very appealing area.

Excellent info by toobusy.

Garnet Valley consists of Concord Township,Bethel Township and Chester Heights.

Obviously its a buyers market , you should be able to find a previously owned house for $300K which would get you in the excellent Garnet Valley Schools.

Neighboring towns like Boothwyn ,Upper Chichester are very nice communities but you get tied up with a less than stellar school district so be careful to stay in the Garnet Valley district if you look into this area.

Good luck.