Looking to move to Reading area - tired of work, work, work just to pay bills (Philadelphia: home, employment)

[Negotiator75]

Originally Posted by dcris

Check Ruscombmanor Township in your searches if you like a rural atmosphere. The Oley Valley school district serves us and the use the State Police as we do not have our own PD. We have a Fleetwood zip code, some other areas of the township share other zip codes such as Oley's. We do have a fire department as well as Chinese and Italian restaurants that provide delivery. The city of Reading is about 10 minutes away.

There are a few homes for sale in the area and being a buyers market, you should be able to find something that suits you.

Some tax info here: Municipal News News - Reading Eagle Newspaper

A note: The Oley Valley school district does not have a football program.

How good is the State Police in responding? Also do they maintain a visible presence?

[JDUB2002]

Just one note for your job situation.

Me and my girlfriend live in Reading, PA. She works in Malvern, which is still about 30 minutes from Philadelphia. She goes through 1 hour and 30 minutes of driving each morning to get to work and 1 hour to get home. For that reason we are moving to the Royersford area.

If you are looking for jobs that are in Philly, that will require you getting on route 76, which anyone can attest is a nightmare at all times of day. Going from Reading to center city Philly during normal business hours would require at the very least 2 hours there and home.

Now if your ok with that, then yes move to Exeter, great place, great new homes, high taxes though. Otherwise, you might want to consider moving more in the Valley Forge area. Home prices will be higher but probably still considerably less then what you pay now.

Just my two cents. When driving that far everyday, a normal 8 hour work day turns into 12 every day.

[JDUB2002]

One other note, if you do decide to stick with Reading. Search for homes on Hill Road, area code is 19602. It is like living in the suburbs but is literally right in the city, nice tucked away area with some very nice homes. Another street like that would be Hamden Blvd.

[ChrisatDuke]

Originally Posted by JDUB2002

Just one note for your job situation.

Me and my girlfriend live in Reading, PA. She works in Malvern, which is still about 30 minutes from Philadelphia. She goes through 1 hour and 30 minutes of driving each morning to get to work and 1 hour to get home. For that reason we are moving to the Royersford area.

If you are looking for jobs that are in Philly, that will require you getting on route 76, which anyone can attest is a nightmare at all times of day. Going from Reading to center city Philly during normal business hours would require at the very least 2 hours there and home.

Now if your ok with that, then yes move to Exeter, great place, great new homes, high taxes though. Otherwise, you might want to consider moving more in the Valley Forge area. Home prices will be higher but probably still considerably less then what you pay now.

Just my two cents. When driving that far everyday, a normal 8 hour work day turns into 12 every day.

I agree. 76 (Schuylkill Expressway) is awful....2 lanes all the way in and out of Philadelphia. If you're seriously considering the Douglassville area, you can shave 20-30 minutes (depending on traffic) off of your travel time from Reading to Philly, since it's located in Southern Berks County. From Douglassville, it'll probably take 45-50 minutes to get to Philly with little to no traffic. Rush hour traffic has the potential to double that. I would recommend working in King of Prussia or Reading, again if you're leaning towards Douglassville. In other words, Philly is a great and relatively close option for weekend trips, but I wouldn't recommend working there if you live in Berks County (although it is not uncommon).

[JDUB2002]

If you have no choice but to work in Philadelphia, you should do some research on
SEPTA - That is the mass transit in the area. I would definately try to find areas near a main line into Philly like the R5 line if working in Philly is a must. They were supposed to have a rail system from Reading to Philly down by 2007, but it has now been pushed back to 2011, and who knows if that will ever even happen. 3 different companies own the railways between the two cities and the company that handles only freight doesnt want any part of it.

[JDUB2002]

Also, you may want to check jobs in the King of Prussia & Malvern areas. They have a wealth of global companies headquartered in those areas such as: Glaxo Smith Kline, Wyeth, Vanguard, Siemens, and a bunch others.

[Negotiator75]

Originally Posted by JDUB2002

Just one note for your job situation.

Me and my girlfriend live in Reading, PA. She works in Malvern, which is still about 30 minutes from Philadelphia. She goes through 1 hour and 30 minutes of driving each morning to get to work and 1 hour to get home. For that reason we are moving to the Royersford area.

If you are looking for jobs that are in Philly, that will require you getting on route 76, which anyone can attest is a nightmare at all times of day. Going from Reading to center city Philly during normal business hours would require at the very least 2 hours there and home.

Now if your ok with that, then yes move to Exeter, great place, great new homes, high taxes though. Otherwise, you might want to consider moving more in the Valley Forge area. Home prices will be higher but probably still considerably less then what you pay now.

Just my two cents. When driving that far everyday, a normal 8 hour work day turns into 12 every day.

Thank you SO much for being straight up. This is the sort of information that I needed to know.

[Negotiator75]

Originally Posted by JDUB2002

If you have no choice but to work in Philadelphia, you should do some research on
SEPTA - That is the mass transit in the area. I would definately try to find areas near a main line into Philly like the R5 line if working in Philly is a must. They were supposed to have a rail system from Reading to Philly down by 2007, but it has now been pushed back to 2011, and who knows if that will ever even happen. 3 different companies own the railways between the two cities and the company that handles only freight doesnt want any part of it.

Great advice Thank you!!

[hc7612]

I guess it really comes down to where you are going to work. People commute from Reading/Exeter/Douglassville to Philly everyday. Obviously, you will have a commute and the commute times very greatly. I mean, 1 accident and there is a major tie-up. Isn't that the same everywhere? So I guess it comes down to where you want to work or where you feel the best job prospects will be for you. With your young ones, I know being with them for 2 more hours a day, sounds a lot better than being stuck in a car.

[JDUB2002]

Yeah, and unfortunately with the all the new people still moving to the 'Main Line' area and also looking to work in Philly it will only get even worse. Something seriously needs to be done with 422 & 76 in the area. Either expand it to 4 lanes on each side, or another highway needs to be built or better mass transit options.