Worth moving to Upper Pottsgrove twp? (Philadelphia, Reading: crime, townhome, buyer)

[Peripatetic]

Hello,
We are considering some properties in Upper Pottsgrove, just north of Pottstown. We currently live in Warminster, Bucks county.
The thing is, the property prices and quality of properties in Upper Pottsgrove are very appealing, however, the maps and crime statistics are a bit confusing. Upper Pottsgrove is supposedly pretty safe, going by published crime data (township wise), and Pottstown seems horrendous. But both are very close, on the map, and it seems one cannot do without going to Pottstown even if one is living in Upper Pottsgrove township, since most of the daily grocery shopping seems to be there..
So, the issue is: Statistics lie, or tell the truth - but there is no way of knowing the difference! If anyone is living in Upper Pottsgrove, and can shed some light on the conundrum, that would be immensely helpful!

[Memphis]

We have recently purchased a townhome in Upper Pottsgrove, that is one block from the Upper Pottsgrove/Pottstown Borough line.

Since we have been here, we have not experienced this horrible crime scene you portray. This is what I consider rural even though the city of Pottstown is only a few miles away. I work in King of Prussia and this location works well. Our subdivision is very nice even though it is in phase 1 and we have all the main shopping outlets within a few minutes.

There is a new outlet shopping mall being builded off 422 a few miles away. We are an hour from Philadelphia where the real crime is (100+ homicides in less than 100 days into the year), but close enough to enjoy all the benefits of a big city. We go to the major sports events and we're going to the circus next Friday. Also Reading/Exeter area offers family events too.

We have been in PA for about a year. We lived in Oaks/Norristown area and loved the location, but the housing and property taxes are out of control. We paid $263K for 2900 sqft here, which would have cost us ~$350K plus another $9K a year in taxes. We pay about $4.5K a year here. My wife doesn't work, so cost of living really drove us out here. Initially, I wasn't excited about it, but it's not bad at all.

Crime is everywhere and I have lived Northern VA, San Diego, outside of Detroit, Bahrain, Nashville and of course Memphis. Living here is most like when I lived within San Diego city limits. You have a mix of older housing areas mingled in with new housing. Wherever developers can find land to build they do. Our subdivision sticks out in the community, but I go running and walking all around and I see nothing but hard working middle class families and lots of older residents.

Best of Luck,

Memphis

[marcelle]

so what would you type in on realtor.com maybe "upper pottstown?"

[firefighter6686]

I understand this is an old thread but just as an FYI to everyone i am a firefighter for upper pottgrove, and have recently moved from pottstown into the township. the crime and everything is dramatically less than in pottstown, and upper pottsgrove itself is a beautiful place to live

[seeya]

We've lived in Upper Pottsgrove for 6 years now and every year taxes have increased. This year out municipal bill went up by 60%...yes 60%, thats not a typo. Taxes this year are expected to go up 30% for school and 60% for county. This is all to fund the townships shortcomings for approving stupid things like open space and upgrading sewer lines for builders. Then they also increased the building specs to a two acre lot for residential after building three new schools based on old information and estimates. Now we have to pay for all this.. Upper Pottsgrove has become a place where people from places like Eastern Montgomery County, New York and Chester County come to move because they work in the KOP or Malvern area. All this did was bring in a bunch of wealthier people with big mouths that know nothing about government that became townships reps and now we're stuck footing the bill for these idiots. I feel very sorry for the elderly people that live here that have owned their farms for generations and are being forced to sell because their social security does not even cover their taxes. When we moved here our taxes were $3800/yr. Last year they were $5600 and for 2008 we are expecting them to be over $7000! Drive around and you'll see how many people are moving out, now you know why!

[twinmma]

We lived in East Coventry...right around the corner from Pottstown and that was a major reason it took so long to sell our home...Our home was worth too much for the area. We had to wait for that perfect buyer-8 months.
I HATED the area. Really hated it. Felt like nothing was close and that it was just a very depressed area. Just my opinion. If you like not being near stuff then it may be perfect. But if yu want to be close to a lot of shopping and dining, then Exton area may be better.
Good luck!