Doylestown? (Philadelphia, King of Prussia, Lehighton: condo, credit, townhomes)

[OregonGurl]

Hello everyone, I was hoping you could help a west coastian out with some info about Doylestown, PA.
My husband and I are both from Cali. but have been living for the past few years in a beautiful city in Oregon. He has a job opportunity that would be a large increase salary-wise in Doylestown, and he's ready to go but I'm the one dragging my feet because I know nothing about the East Coast or Pennsylvania. I know culture wise (at least stereotypically) Pennsylvania is supposed to be much more conservative in dress and behaviors, but also more educated (I'm getting my Masters in History so that's a huge plus for moving to Pennsylvania).

I'm basically worried that since we have no kids and are used to hiking, biking, rafting, mountain climbing and enjoy going downtown that I will be bored in Doylestown. We are making a trip in a few months but I'd like to get some natives' opinions on the area and what I could expect as far as cultural differences.

Thanks so much....

[toobusytoday]

Doylestown is the county seat of Bucks County and is a lovely town. Will you be living in Doylestown? If so, then you will have to go out of town for the hiking and rafting and mountain climbing but none of that is too far away and you will enjoy our hills as long as you realize that our East Coast mountains are quite a bit smaller then what you are used to!

Have you checked out http://doylestownalive.com/ ? I know you said you don't have schools but the Doylestown area has a great reputation for schools and that usually means a good community. Good luck!

[rainrock]

Doylestown has a nice little downtown and its close enough to some great towns that you should never get bored.

When you visit check out these areas. You should like them. I enjoy Doylestown but there is much more going on the further south you go.

New Hope
Chestnut HIll(NW Philadelphia)
Valley Forge/King of Prussia
Mainline towns that are just west of Philly that run along Route 30. Lots of good colleges here including Villanova,Haverford,Bryn Mawr,Rosemont,St Josephs,Cabrini.
Center City Philadelphia is a terrific downtown. Its well worth a visit.

For white water rafting and mountain climbing check out the areas north of Doylestown like Jim Thorpe, Lehighton, Whitehaven.

Here are some photos of the Wissahickon Gorge(Forbidden Drive) to give you an idea of one of the recreation areas around here. Forbidden Drive is located in Chestnut Hill which is in the NW corner of Philadelphia. Great hiking, biking,running, fly fishing area. 15-20 miles south of Doylestown.

Photos credited to phillyskyline.com

[BeenAroundTheBlock]

Ok, these pictures officially made me living in PA, near Doylestown...

Oregongurl, you will love living in Bucks County. It's beautiful. I lived in CA for 14 yrs, and the whole time I lived there, I missed PA. Now, I live in FL... I still miss PA, mostly only in the fall! Awesome. Good luck moving there, you won't regret it.

[rainrock]

Originally Posted by BeenAroundTheBlock

Ok, these pictures officially made me living in PA, near Doylestown...

Oregongurl, you will love living in Bucks County. It's beautiful. I lived in CA for 14 yrs, and the whole time I lived there, I missed PA. Now, I live in FL... I still miss PA, mostly only in the fall! Awesome. Good luck moving there, you won't regret it.

The only thing you shouldn't miss is this lousy weather. They are calling for 3 inches of snow tomorrow in south jersey. Maybe a coating to an inch up here.

April 7? Yikes

The thing that alot of westerners don't realize about the east coast is the density of the forest. Basically the entire stretch from Ga to Maine is one continuous forest. Those pictures above are less than 10 miles from the craziness of center city Philly.

The suburbs immediately outside of Philly are basically like living in villages. Black Forest type of settings with gothic english tudors, victorians and stone mansions. Alot of people are taken aback by the age and character of this area. Some love it, some hate it. I'm not that well educated on Doyletown but I assume it is the same type setting.

[jjj]

D

Originally Posted by OregonGurl

Hello everyone, I was hoping you could help a west coastian out with some info about Doylestown, PA.
My husband and I are both from Cali. but have been living for the past few years in a beautiful city in Oregon. He has a job opportunity that would be a large increase salary-wise in Doylestown, and he's ready to go but I'm the one dragging my feet because I know nothing about the East Coast or Pennsylvania. I know culture wise (at least stereotypically) Pennsylvania is supposed to be much more conservative in dress and behaviors, but also more educated (I'm getting my Masters in History so that's a huge plus for moving to Pennsylvania).

I'm basically worried that since we have no kids and are used to hiking, biking, rafting, mountain climbing and enjoy going downtown that I will be bored in Doylestown. We are making a trip in a few months but I'd like to get some natives' opinions on the area and what I could expect as far as cultural differences.

Thanks so much....

Doylestown is a very nice area. Nice small town with sidewalk cafe's and a few trendy bars and places to eat. To the east is the town of New Hope, another nice area. As far as recreation , about 18 miles north of Doylestown is Nockamixon state park. It has a large lake (about 7 miles long) fising, boating, marked hiking and biking trails, picnic areas etc.etc. The area has many old stone buildings that have been turned into country inns and B and B's. You will not be dissapointed in the area.

[OregonGurl]

Thanks so much for all your responses especially the gorgeous pictures, rainrock! So happy to see that I won't have to give up my love of the great outdoors. So... for Been Around the Block and others who are familiar with both the east and west coast, do you guys think there's a huge difference in culture, or that it will be hard to adjust? Thanks again for the input, especially those pictures and the suggestions for nearby towns. The actual job is in Doylestown so I assumed we'd live there, but if there's a considerably better place to live within 20 minutes I wouldn't be opposed to checking other areas out.

[jjj]

Originally Posted by OregonGurl

Thanks so much for all your responses especially the gorgeous pictures, rainrock! So happy to see that I won't have to give up my love of the great outdoors. So... for Been Around the Block and others who are familiar with both the east and west coast, do you guys think there's a huge difference in culture, or that it will be hard to adjust? Thanks again for the input, especially those pictures and the suggestions for nearby towns. The actual job is in Doylestown so I assumed we'd live there, but if there's a considerably better place to live within 20 minutes I wouldn't be opposed to checking other areas out.

[/i]Don't think you will have any problems with a difference in culture. There isn't that much. We travel to the west coast often and really don't find that much of a difference. As far sa living near Doylestown there is a diverse selection of housing in the area from Condo's, Townhomes, Farms, estates, just about anything you can think of. Depends if you prefer intown living or would rather be out in a rural area. Its all within a 30 minute drive.

[toobusytoday]

Oregongurl,
I think you are just going to find it different - not especially better or worse but different. People say that "East Coast" people are not as friendly but I've found that people are friendly wherever you go if you start off with a smile. When we moved into our neighborhood here (I'm about 40 minutes north of Doylestown) we had neighbors coming to our house with food and introducing their whole families. We've lived in PA for the last 20 years and really like it.

[L.K.]

we are moving to Doylestown in June and came out for the first time 2 weeks ago.We loved it and everyone we encountered seemed very nice.Even though we only had acouple days there,there really seemed to be alot of potential for much to do and see.We are the ones who lived in Wi all our lives and love it here,but I think Doylestown/bucks co and pa will be a great place to live.Looking forward to getting there!