Job in Boyertown PA- where to move? (Reading, Pottstown: travel, housing)

[grassisalwaysgreener]

My husband is getting a job in Boyertown PA - it's a huge raise and he really wants the job, plus huge growth potential. I am a Philly native - tho have spent 10yrs moving around. I was thrilled with the idea of getting to live near home again (and getting to leave OH - finally), then found out how much the area is Lacking! (I have been spoiled with living in areas with nice homes & lots of things for the kids to do - without huge expenses and travel time).

I have read other threads on avoiding Reading and that Pottstown is rough. I am not thrilled about moving to the area, but as described above - I don't think I have much say on the matter.

I am trying to take several factors into account (in order of importance).
1. Schools are VERY important (elementary) - ratings even in the Pottstown area don't compare well with the state as a whole (I'd have to say that schools outrank drive time to work).
2. Sports - Gymnastics, Dance & Soccer (for starters) - Gymnastics seems to be the most difficult to find.
3. 30 min or so drive to work (2214 Farmington Ave, Boyertown, PA)
4. Shopping - Sams Club, Super Walmart & some Office supply store (like Staples or Office max)
5. House around $250 with 1/2 acre or so.
6. YMCA nearby (they seem to be plentiful)
7. Church - but they seem to be very spread out - so driving seems to be inevitable

So.... in case you can't imagine - i'm in tears b/c I don't know how to get it all, have spent hours mapping the above, can't pull the kids out of school and come see it all for myself, and have no idea what the areas are like (except that I couldn't stand Reading 10yrs ago).

I've pretty much lost hope and want to refuse to move, even though I really don't like where we live now. Our YMCA here offers the three sports above plus many other things. It's a drive across town (max 10 mins). Work is max 10 mins and church is 20. The Sams is about 35mins, but at least we have a superwalmart.

There is a slim possibility the company would allow him to work near Avon Lake OH ("The mistake by the lake"). Yet again - don't know the area, but can it be worse than Pottstown PA?

I appreciate all help!

[dcris]

Hi. I have lived in the Reading area (Fleetwood) for a little over a year. There are places in the area I would avoid, but there are many that seem really nice but get a bad rap because they are close to Reading.

My children are in the Oley Valley school system and the only issue we have has to deal with a special ed situation in the high school. Otherwise, there are no complaints.

My wife had done a lot of research on the area school systems and there are some that could be recommended over others.

Let me know if I can help further.

[Duderino]

Hello,

I just stumbled upon this thread, and having grown up around B-town, I felt the need to add some imput.

The main towns you will likely be looking at to be in proximity to Boyertown and to be near commercial activity are either the Reading or Pottstown areas. No, those aren't necessarily the best places to live in directly because of a variety of reasons, but there are plenty of very nice smaller towns outside those places (Wyomissing, Pottsgrove, Gilbertsville, Coventry Township, Oley, and B-town itself, just to throw some names out there) that can accomodate everything you're looking for:

- The surrounding school districts, including Boyertown itself, have very good reputations. (That was actually a big factor for my family when we first moved here about 15 years ago, and it's the reason why many families settle here). Also, as a fairly recent graduate of Boyertown, I remember that the district was in the process of achieving "blue-ribbon" status. Other school districts within 25 min. of B-town (Owen J. Roberts, Wilson, Governor Mifflin, and Oley Valley, to name a few) are all also excellent public schools.

- Sports programs are very highly regarded around here. You would not have to look too hard to find a dance studio or soccer league.

- Strip malls are everywhere. Wal-Marts can be found in Pottstown, Boyertown, and Reading. I know of a Staples in Pottstown and an Office Depot in Reading.

- Due to the sprawl of the Delaware Valley region, middle-to-upper-middle class housing developments are also everywhere around this area and are continuing to be built. $250K is certainly a feasible price tag.

- There are YMCAs also in Pottstown, Boyertown, and Reading.

- My experience has been that churches, of virtually any denomination, can be found all over the place -- especially in Pottstown.

I hope that my spiel somewhat helps and that your search process ends well.

[Icy Tea]

First, relax. Don't let Reading scare you. You can live 10 minutes from the city and be a world away. The same with Pottstown. Exeter and Oley are very nice townships and you can get great houses for 250k. My only complaint about Boyertown is that restaurants in that area and shopping are lacking but along route 100 there are plenty of places. Schools are excellent and a big reason why people are moving west from the closer Philly suburbs.
Come here and you'll soon find there are reasons why the area is growing and people are moving here, although maybe that isn't 100% good. Sprawl is becoming a problem.

[UrbanQuest]

God, you are in a great predicament. Boyertown has all of the necessary attributes you are looking for. And imagine not having to deal with any kind of commute at all. Live,Work,Play,Love in Boyertown.

[mountain family]

My family lives in the Gilbertsville area. We moved here from the Pottsgrove area because of the crime and schools. Boyertown schools are very good, although we only have experience at the elementary level at this time. A house at $250 with a 1/2 acre could be tough if you stay on the Montgomery county side like us. Berks County could have that but the county taxes are double the millage of Montgomery. We commute from here to King of Prussia and Plymouth Meeting so working here would be much better for you. Shopping is a drive but Superwalmart is in Colebrookdale and Target is now in Limerick. There are THREE YMCA's in Boyertown all providing various activities. There are dance places and soccer leagues. Sprawl is happening but if you aren't commuting like the rest of us, you can enjoy it.

[g_mom_2006]

You might want to check into the Green Lane, Red Hill, Pennsburg area. Those towns are a 20 minute drive to Boyertown. Small family friendly towns, low crime rate, school district is good (Upper Perk School District). A super Walmart just opened in East Greenville (neighboring town to Pennsburg). There is also a dance studio on Main Street in East Greenville, YMCA also there.

If you go 15 minutes down the road from Pennsburg into Quakertown you will find almost any store you could want (Target opening soon, Walmart, Staples, Kohls, Kmart, the list goes on and on....). There is also a very good gymnastics studio and dance studio in Quakertown. Quakertown also has its own soccer club that I believe any child can join without being a Quakertown resident. Several churches within 5-15 minute ride of this area. Good luck.

[grassisalwaysgreener]

Thanks to all who have replied. Since my post my control-freak tendencies took over :-) I have mapped the areas that have Sams, Super walm, gymnastics & dance. (I did look into alternatives like costco and bjs). I have also slimmed down my criteria - since ymca's seem to be very plentiful, churches plentiful, and schools all seems to rank better than nowhere Ohio :-)


I've also looked further into house prices and have just a few questions:

1. What is Temple PA like? (north of reading) - homes seem very affordable but are also a lot of new builds. How about around Oley (tho not many homes available).

2. Another person recommende Douglassville, another place that I'd originally thought might be a good location. A lot of the homes seem to be new builds here too.

1&2 - is the area growing that much?
I actually prefer somewhat rural. This is part of what scares me about all the new builds popping up. Are these areas all cookie cutter neighborhoods?

3. Know anything about Collegeville, Spring City or Phoenixville? A friend of mine recommends this area b/c of home appreciation value and school stats.

4. Do any of the areas out there have Community Centers or Parks & Rec Dept's that do gymnastics?

5. Is Target the "super walmart" of PA? There seem to be plenty of walmarts, but w/out the food. I am slowly adjusting to the idea of dragging kids to two separate stores for shopping :-)

One post recommended Pennsburg area - it's actually the first area I wanted to live in, but I haven't been able to find gymnastics, sams, or superwalmart.

6. In real drive time - how long is the drive from Pennsburg to Quakertown (approx 17 mins?), and Pennsburg to Boyertown (approx 24 mins?)?

Thanks again!!!

[dcris]

I'm in Fleetwood, where there's gymnastics about 5-10 minutes away, there's a Super WM in Temple, again, about 10 minutes away, open 24 hours. Sometimes the smell from the mushroom farms is a bit much, in Temple, but people still live there.

There's an Office Max within a reasonable distance too.

I'd look around Oley. You'll get your rural requirement, and close proximity to Boyertown as well as Reading, and there's plenty to meet your shopping needs there.

[lyonharted]

My family just moved into Gilbertsville within the past year. Although we have opted to homeschool, I have heard good things about the school system. My daughter attends a gymnastics club in Lower Frederick on Big Road called Silvia's Gymnastics (www.silviasgymnastics.com) (broken link). It is run by Silvia Mitova (former Bulgarian Olympian Gymnast) and having been a gymnast for many years, I've been very impressed. We love the area and although it is a bit of a drive for shopping, it is nice, quiet and I feel safe.

One thing to watch - since we just did the same search - is the taxes. The tax rates from Douglassville out towards Reading is crazy. I'd rather pay a slightly higher one time fee up front then spread it over a high tax rate for many years!

You might want to check out http://www.myboyertown.com it is a new site but contains information about the Boyertown area and might prove helpful as to when events are happening, etc.

Good Luck