Visiting Philly area next week (Philadelphia, Allentown: renting, how much, house)

[Aiden11]

We are going to be coming to PA next week to check out the areas we might want to move to. We are in our mid 30's with an almost 2 yr old son. We don't care for night life. We prefer a quiet, diverse, family friendly neighborhood in the suburbs. My husband is in the IT field, so he will probably work in downtown Philly (based on our research). We would prefer to live in an affordable suburb that is a little bit further away from the city, but still reasonable for commuting.

We are also going to check out Harrisburg, Reading, Allentown, and Bethlehem.

Is it reasonable to think you can live in the Lehigh Valley and work in Philly? How is the public transportation? How is the traffic?

[pman]

no, it's not reasonable. there is no longer a train to allentown. harrisburg has a frequent train to philly (also paoli and exton) but it's 95-105 minutes to philly (subtrant 22-27 for paoli, where a lot of the jobs are). I'm going to bet that your husband will get a job in the western suburbs.

[toobusytoday]

Agree with pman. There is no rail service between the Lehigh Valley and Philadelphia and it's an hour drive without traffic, accidents or bad weather. The schools surrounding Philadelphia are some of the best in the state. I would suggest looking there first.

[rainrock]

The small suburban towns I would recommend around Philly are Doylestown,Chestnut Hill,Phoenixville/valley Forge,West Chester,Wayne,Ardmore,Narberth,Merion,Media,Swarth more. There is alot of suburban sprawl connecting those towns.

Good luck.

[Aiden11]

Thanks to you all. This is a big help! One of the reasons we want to move to PA. The friendly, helpful people! Well, at least most of them.

[AppleTree2009]

If you like a quiet walkable neighborhood, parts of Willow Grove are nice. Makes for a short commute down 611, avoiding the "blue route"

Abington and Horsham/Hatboro also worth considering. Much lower housing cost than Media!

[TehStone]

Eastern/southern Chester County, Eastern/southern Montgomery county, and delaware counties are your main options for a reasonable commute (1hr or less). However Delaware county is a bit more congested and closer to the city than the previous two, but with a shorter commute. If you husband likes the idea of easily commuting on rails, the outer reaches of the R3 and R5 Septa train lines are prime ("Main Line" area west of the city is great). Media is great and has a trolly that runs right through town, plus access to regional rail and I-95. Southern Chester county and Delaware counties are close enough to Wilmington, DE that you're in that job market too (banking and chemical companies are big there). Drexel hill is a cheaper option in DelCo where you can get a great house, but the school district isn't the greatest.

If a quality public school district is a priority then let us know and we could probably give more specific recommendations that would balance out all your needs.

[skajkat]

We are selling our house in Chalfont, PA down the road from Doylestown. The schools are great. We are on a private 3 acre lot with a beautiful stream in back of our house - great neighbors. My husband lost his job in Philly (Orthedox Ave. 40 min commute) so we are planning to relocate for his new job.

[maestro]

if your husband is in IT, he could get a job in a lot of Philly-area places: King of Prussia, Ft. Washington, West Chester, etc. Lots of companies throughout the burbs.

RE: areas of town, it really depends on how much $$$$$$ you want to spend. Based on that answer, I'd suggest several different towns/neighborhoods.

[Aiden11]

Thanks to everyone for your posts. We have returned from our visit to Philly. We, of course, loved it! We got to Philly on Sunday and were planning to leave on Thursday, but ended up staying until Saturday...and only came home then because my husband had to work on Monday.

We explored several areas in Montgomery County and a few in Bucks. I think that Montgomery County is going to be our focus, simply because of it's affordability and accessibility. We liked Horsham, Blue Bell, Lansdale, etc. We are looking forward to having the ability to visit areas close to Philly (all of the NE states). My son (almost 2 y/o) LOVES trains, so the train museums are going to be great.

Of course, now are problems are going to be renting our home (that won't sell right now because of the housing market) and finding a good paying IT job for my husband. Since we'll be renting our home, we will more than likely be renting for quite a while.

Looking forward to moving!!!