Empty-nesters-where to live? (Philadelphia, Morrisville, Northampton: apartment, renting, condo)

[Whippetcat]

We are taking our time deciding where we want to "land" in PA once we sell our house in New Jersey. However, we are not looking for sell our house immediately. We want to pick the area of PA that fits our needs and then when the time is right, sell our house and concentrate on one or two areas. The problem is, there are several areas we are thinking about, and that's why I am putting out this request so far ahead.

We would like to find a townhouse/condo in a nice area, with easy access to shopping, and even better yet, to a downtown area which is vigorous and not run-down. We have had our fill of being owners of a single-family house, and are ready to give the upkeep over to an association.

We are somewhat familiar with Bucks County, Montgomery County and Northampton County for various reasons. Bucks--we live about 25 miles from Bucks and enjoy New Hope and Lahaska. Montgomery: our son lived in Glenside after college, and we're only vaguely familiar with where he lived--Glenside is not exactly where we'd choose to live, but maybe some of the surrounding towns? Northampton: we have friends that live in Palmer Township and friends that used to live in Forks Township.

We really like Bucks for many reasons, not the least of which is that it would be closest for work and family. When we travel out to Bucks, we see a lot of communities along the way that look very attractive (i.e., newer), though obviously lacking the "downtown" that we'd truly like to have.

Montgomery County is very suburban, it appears, with some nice enclaves. Which of the Montgomery counties would you recommend that has a little downtown area?

Northampton County is easily accessible for us via 78, not all that familiar with the area, though we do have friends in Palmer and had friends that lived in Forks Township which looked about the same--nice communities built up over the years. Not sure if any towns in Northampton fit our bill--are there any townhome communities, or any community that boasts a little downtown area with shops?

So, if we had to prioritize, it would be this:

Townhome
Walking distance to downtown
Low crime (don't think any of these areas are a problem, but an obvious "must"
Sidewalks (we have none by us--yes, this is important!)
Access to major shopping
Closer to New Jersey than not


Not sure I am offering up enough information for a response, but sure hope to hear from anyone who can offer some suggestions on where to live
When are you moving? Two to three years
Where are you coming from? Central New Jersey
Why are you moving? Empty nesters
Where will you be working? If still working, wife is working in Somerville, New Jersey
Have you been here yet? Yes, son lived in Glenside for a short while.

Will you buy or rent? Buy
If buying, are you looking for a house or a condo? How much can you spend? Would prefer a townhouse/condo. Maximum $300,000.00.
If renting, are you looking for an apartment, a townhouse or loft? How much can you spend?
Do you prefer hi-rise or walk up? Either

Are you married or single? Do you have children? Married, empty nesters
Do you prefer public or private schools? A good school system for future resale
Do you have pets? Yes
Do you want or need a yard? Would prefer a yard, but understand a townhouse/condo most likely won't offer that
Are you keeping a car? Yes
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? A mix. Would like to live near a nice downtown area.

What do you want to be closest to?
Work As close as one can be in PA, yes
Shopping Yes
Basic services (supermarket, drugstore, etc.) Yes
Nightlife
Train or subway stations Yes

Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood? We would like to live with people of our socio-economic status, that being "middle class".

Phillies, Pirates or Mets? Yankees

[pman]

newtown is in bucks and has a nice downtown. glenside has a nice little downtown as does nearby keswick. If you're son went to college at beaver (or arcadia as its known now) it's only technically in glenside not in the town. although it's generally not good policy to have too many yankee fans, you might want to look into phoenixville, west chester, and media...doylestown as well if not bigger places like easton/bethlehem

[Whippetcat]

Originally Posted by pman

newtown is in bucks and has a nice downtown. glenside has a nice little downtown as does nearby keswick. If you're son went to college at beaver (or arcadia as its known now) it's only technically in glenside not in the town. although it's generally not good policy to have too many yankee fans, you might want to look into phoenixville, west chester, and media...doylestown as well if not bigger places like easton/bethlehem

I've read about Newtown, but have not seen it. It seems to have a nice downtown...any townhome communities that I should look for on Trulia?

[Whippetcat]

How about Nazareth? I was recommended to look at Nazareth for a nice downtown and a nice collegial feeling to the area. Anyone?

[teachbeach]

I would second the recommendation for Doylestown and Newtown. Charming downtowns, great school systems, and easy access to both NJ and Philadelphia.

[haywiremac]

I grew up in Newtown. It's a charming little place, and certainly has a vibrant downtown area for a town of its size. Highlights include dozens of high end boutiques (if you're into that), some very good restaurants and bars, and of course local/historic favorites like the Newtown Theater, the Book and Record Exchange, and the hardware store (yes, there is a historic hardware store). Even though you are Yankees fans, I'll permit you to live there seeing as how you seem like you want to actually engage with the locality where you live. Unfortunately, many of the newer Newtown residents don't seem to do this...

Be warned though: property values in Newtown Borough are ludicrously high. If you were OK with renting, you'd probably be able to find something, but if you'd rather own for 300K you might need to look at one of the more modest, less charming coul-du-sacs in the township... which aren't really waling distance from downtown, unless you like walking 3-4 miles along the shoulders of winding Bucks County roads (hey, I've done it). Also, there is no longer a train station in Newtown; there used to be SEPTA service to Philadelphia, but it shut down in the 1980s and most of us have been scratching our heads ever since trying to figure it out why they don't bring it back. SEPTA does run a bus through the borough, however, which travels from the Bucks County Community College to Franklin Mills Mall in Northeast Philly. The closest train station is the SEPTA R3 line stop in Langhorne, about 3 miles south.

NJ is a very easy drive. It takes 10 minutes to get across the Delaware River, 20 minutes to Trenton (where the nearest NJ Transit station is located), and about 40-45 to get to Somerton. New Hope and Lahaska are each about a 20 minute drive away.

You might also want to check out Yardley, Langhorne, and Morrisville, all of which are authentic and healthy small towns in the same area but where one would be more likely to find a decent property under 300K. At least, one would back in the good old days.