Job Transfer- Kop (Chester, Pottstown, Collegeville: house, new construction, schools)
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if your looking for new construction around 300K, i'm sorry to say you are not going to find it in downingtown or anywhere east of downingtown, unless you are looking for a townshouse and even then it will be tough. For a KOP cummter Upper Pottsgrove is a better option than East Fallowfield. I agree collegeville would be optimal, but again new construction will be upwards of 400K for a single family home. Good luck.
Where did you end up? Just caught this thread by accident. I can help....if you still need any suggestions! I have lived in the Pottstown, Berks, Chester, Montgomery Counties all of my life. These folks mostly have it right..I didn't see any mention of more northern areas...Boyertown, Gilbertsville, New Hanover Township, Perkiomenville....Beautiful more rural yet same distance to the shopping.
-Amber
So sorry you have to move here from Colorado! But, you should like it here. I would look into the Limerick/Collegeville area - both off Route 422, which will take your husband east to KOP on the slow, daily trek on a road that is in need of expanding due to the huge increase in traffic in a hugely growing area.
The schools are good, as are the shopping options. There is actually a high-end outlet mall due to be completed near Limerick by November 2007. There are many young families, parks, walking paths, at least 5 golf courses, etc.
I live in Limerick township (Royersford to be exact), and it is a great community! The Spring-Ford school district is great, and the community is growing in all the right directions.
You don't want to live in Pottstown, and you certainly don't want to live in Coatsville - don't even bother visiting, it's bad! Plus, theya re both too far from KoP.
I don't know your price range, but there are some really nice new developments going up around here in the $400 - $500 range. Unless of course you want to buy our house - its on the market because we have to move for my husband's job.
Instant message me if you have questions about the area.
I just want to thank everybody for the info given. We are also looking to move into the great state of PA. We have a child that will be in Middle School so I am looking for the best school district possible. You all have been a great help.
Hi Southern Girl!
We are moving from AZ back to PA in late Oct or early Nov We moved from the Collegeville Trappe area to AZ ten yrs ago. Our children went to Perkiomen Valley School District. It is still not one of those mega districts and yet it is big enough to have attracted and kept some wonderful teachers. I urge you to look at it carefully. We are moving back to that exact area even though we could be moving to anywhere in the US!!
It is a pretty central location and very family oriented.
Another area I can reccomend is the Hatboro-Horsham School District. Great Schools. The area is quite pricey if you are looking for a new home but you can still get an older home, do a bit of renovating and, when the market picks up, sell it for a bundle since the area is almost built out. Great parks, kids sports and shopping, close to turnpike entrance, access to the New Jersey coast etc
The places to stay away from are the cities of Pottstown ,Spring City, and Norristown. Parts are nice of course but many more seedy areas. Before you choose to move to one of those you should live in PA for a while so you know exactly what you are really getting.
I live in West Chester and love it. I also think Malvern and even King of Prussia are nice areas to live. Personally, I would not want to live in Coatesville. Don't get me wrong I think it is a nice area and I don't think crime is that bad there. However, I work with someone who lives there and he always complaines about it. I think it is mostly related to the fact that it further away than some of the areas and traffic in the morning on 20 or the turnpike can be rough.
I have heard some mixed reviewes on it's school district. From what I understand although the school district is not that great, Coatesville has a very high tax (income tax I think?) compared to the other nearby areas.
As for Limerick, the area seems pretty, but the nuclear towers always sort of freak me out. However, I think you can still get houses there for good prices. However, the 422 traffic is horrible going to KOP (worse than 202) and there are accidents on it everyday.
My family and I are relocating from beautiful Colorado to PA. My husband will be working in King of Prussia. We like the Rouse/Chamberlin homes in Summer Grove- Pottstown, or Providence Hill in East Fallowfield. Ive heard conflicting things about Coatesville, but Pottstown crime rate is worse. I would like to stay with a new home, but not alot of homebuilders to choose from. Im looking for a young community with young children, homes in the 300,000 range. People sre saying for us to stay near 422 straight shot from KOP to Pottstown. I like East Fallowfield feel and they have a tot park, but my shopping will be in coatesville? Any suggestions? Also what is the ethnic blend in these towns?
Anybody help?
Have you looked at Morgantown? Morgantown is about 25 minutes away from King of Prussia. You simply take the PA turnpike west from KOP, and 2 exits down is Morgantown. It is an up and coming town and pricing is still very affordable. Housing in the $300,000's is doable. I can help you with information on local builders.
Pottstown is ghetto - You do not want to live there. There was a shooting at the Walmart on Route 100 recently. I agree with rainrock - much better communities closer to KOP - Collegeville/Limerick, Exton/Chester Springs etc
Who are you all talking to? The OP posted in April and hasn't been back since. Southern girl posted in May and also hasn't been back - at least not on the PA forum.
Who are you all talking to? The OP posted in April and hasn't been back since. Southern girl posted in May and also hasn't been back - at least not on the PA forum.
Hi, I see this question was asked about 8 months ago so at this point it may be too late to help them. I answered a similar question below last night so I'll add it below.
I've lived most of my life in Chester/Montgomery County so I know the areas you're talking about. I have relatives in Coatesville but I would never send my children to school there. I know other people who have been satisfied with the education their children have received in the Coatesville SD, but I think they are in the minority. There's too much crime, drugs and HIV issues in that school to make me want to risk it. If homes are much cheaper in a certain area it is usually a red flag of some sort.
Likewise I wouldn't live in Pottstown if it was in the Pottsgrove School District. You can have a Pottstown mailing address though and be in the "OJR" (Owen J Roberts) school district which has a solid reputation. My children were there before we relo'd recently and we were very happy with their education.
Something to note: The OJR and Downingtown school districts are undergoing re-districting so you can check out their websites for current status.
From my other post:
My husband and I have lived most of our lives in this general area and both worked in KOP & Wayne, PA until a relo took us away recently (for a couple of years). We have a family too and school districts are important to us, so I can relate.
First of all as a school reference, you can check out the Philadelphia Inquirer (newspaper) online. Annually they do a "report card on the schools" and you can reference the current as well as previous years results. It provides data on SAT scores, teacher salaries, spending per student, etc. for Public and Private schools in PA and NJ.
The Main Line is a wealthy area, so you will get little for your money compared to some other areas nearby within a 30 minute drive. People live there more for the prestige and address than they do a nice home in that price range. So its up to you how important it is to say I'm from such-and-such town. For me I'd rather live in a nice home than name drop a town and live in something that's old and outdated, but that's me.
Immediately around KOP you have the "T/E" school district (Tredyffrin-Easttown) which is EXCELLENT, likewise the Radnor School District but the latter is in the Main Line area. Also, you have Great Valley SD, West Chester SD, Phoenixville SD, Downingtown SD (D-East schools have better reputation then D-West, but both are good) and "OJR" (Owen J. Roberts) SD. These are in Northern Chester County. Heading into Montgomery County, you have Methacton SD, Spring-Ford SD. These are good. The "Report Card on the Schools" has some interactive maps that will give you a feel for where these School Districts are located in reference to each other.
When we move back to the area we also want a 30 minute or less commute and these will satisfy the criteria. We have lived in West Chester, Royersford, and Spring City, PA. They are a 25-30 minute commute from KOP.
Another good web resource is prufoxroach.com. It's a local real estate website that you can create a free profile (and decide for yourself if you want to receive updates on properties that you save as your "favorites"). One of my favorite things about this website though is that you can type in an address to your profile (like your husband's new work address) and each property that you view will automatically calculate the driving commute from the selected property to your specified address. Knowing the area I've found these calculations to be reliable. (But you should cross reference with mapquest or a drive it yourself to be sure.)
If you want to see at a quick glance what you can get for your money in different school districts (or towns) in this area, go to http://everyhome.com/us/home.htm (broken link) and request the username/password ("special" and "guest"). Then you can search by school district, township, etc and price. You will see thumbnails of homes and a quick overview of price, bed/baths, etc. A nice quick way to get a feel for what your dollar will buy you. I use this in combination with pru fox roach to get a good feel for properties.
One last thing, property taxes are high (esp. new construction) so factor that into your monthly mortgage fees too. On a 300k new house I'd say easily $6k/yr or more.
Hope this helps!
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