Phoenixville for young family? Need to make a decision ASAP... (Chester: transplants, house)

[snwshro]

I'm relocating for a job in KOP. Most of the places we're finding that fit our criteria (good school, enough bedrooms, newer, in my budget) are in Phoenixville. Is this a good area for families with young children? Is it friendly? I have to make a decision either today or tomorrow on a place and I'm in Texas and have never been to PA, so any input or comments to set my nerves at ease about the area would be greatly appreciated! And if we should run the other direction let me know that too - thanks!

[orrmobl]

It's really a tough call. P-ville is up and coming, great for post college crowd and young families and the schools are actually pretty good. That being said, there is still a sizable population of locals from the bad old days - blue collar at best, thugs at worst. Most of this is not an issue as long as you move to a new development. Have you considered Catholic school? If it's in the budget, you can move where ever you like and have your kids go to school with a less rough crowd as it were...it really depends on what you're used to.

Also ironically I think Collegeville is slightly more civilized if you will but the schools are actually just a hair below Phoenixville. Go figure!

For better districts check out Owen J. Roberts, Methacton, Downingtown, West Chester. I personally would give up on the newer house thing and move to the best district I could afford. Your neighbors will be infinitely better, the kids in school better behaved, and your property will only appreciate faster...

[maestro]

orrmobl is correct, Phoenixville is up-and-coming but "old Phoenixville" still exists. (that's why the housing costs are lower than most every other town in Chester County).

[lititzman2003]

If you're considering Phoenixville stay south of Route 23. There a few nice developments along Route 113.

[kidphilly]

There are many areas that are in that area that would likely meet your needs. You may want to stay just outside the town as that may slightly different from which you are used to (but maybe I am reading into this). Also Collegeville area may be an option or even a little further on 422 toward Limerick. But that would add a bit to the commute. Maybe Limerick, Upper Providence, and Pheonixville area would be good choices.

Best of Luck and welcome to the Philly area

BTW all of the areas mentioned are mostly filled with young families etc.

[snwshro]

Thanks all! It seems like some of you think it's up & coming and good for young families and others think it's still seedy and blue collar. I guess I'll just have to take my chances...

[pman]

Originally Posted by snwshro

Thanks all! It seems like some of you think it's up & coming and good for young families and others think it's still seedy and blue collar. I guess I'll just have to take my chances...

no worries, it's a good place. I'm not sure these folks even know what a thug is, I had friends grow up there before it was up and coming, and most were friendly people even if the downtown was dead then. the school is fine, collegeville sucks, and home prices are lower there because job access is worse than a lot of other places, though it does have good access to the great valley corp center. It's also a bit further from the established areas with no train service. one issue that will continue to put downward pressure on both p-ville and especially collegeville are the layoffs coming from the pfizer-wyeth merger.

[orrmobl]

Phoenixville is cheaper because it was a needle strewn drug den as of 10+ years ago - downtown was a place to score drugs, not go out to dinner.

Also be aware you are in the evacuation zone for the Limerick nuclear power plant. So is Collegeville for that matter but just wanted to make you aware.

Collegeville was so rural it has all new businesses YMCA and the people are mostly transplants...it is rough around the fringes.

Phoenixville is having a renaissance but it's core is rough - those people couldn't afford to leave so they didn't. Now it's a decent place to live so they stay. But they make the quality of life less. Sad, but true.

That's why it's a hard call. Collegeville feels so out there I don't care for it. Phoenixville has closer proximity to the city but more lowlifes. Take your pick.

"I have to say, I'm really not going to miss this place too much. With bad schools, horrible traffic, poor parking (now they are charging for said bad parking), and a pathetic police force more worried about traffic tickets (but surprisingly not when you ram a bunch of cars on Bridge Street) then controling the drunks down town and the drug dealers over the bridge, Phoenixville has become a nice place to visit but a lousy place to live. "

From a guy posting comments on http://www.phoenixvillenews.com/arti...d859704767.txt

[pman]

Originally Posted by orrmobl

Phoenixville is cheaper because it was a needle strewn drug den as of 10+ years ago - downtown was a place to score drugs, not go out to dinner.

wow, talk about hysteria. it wasn't all that bad at all, even 10 years ago, let alone 15. It was dudsville, there were some problem areas, but hardly a needle strew drug den. you need a dose of reality.

Originally Posted by orrmobl

Also be aware you are in the evacuation zone for the Limerick nuclear power plant. So is Collegeville for that matter but just wanted to make you aware.Collegeville was so rural it has all new businesses YMCA and the people are mostly transplants...it is rough around the fringes.

if something actually happened, it's likely King of Prussia would also be affected. nonetheless, places like royersfrod, the new outlets, collegeville has been developing in the

Originally Posted by orrmobl

Phoenixville is having a renaissance but it's core is rough - those people couldn't afford to leave so they didn't. Now it's a decent place to live so they stay. But they make the quality of life less. Sad, but true.

eh, not really, the core is fine. it was mostly the other side of the river that had the bad rap, and even that isn't anything like norristown. there are some oddballs, but hardly that rough.

Originally Posted by orrmobl

That's why it's a hard call. Collegeville feels so out there I don't care for it. Phoenixville has closer proximity to the city but more lowlifes. Take your pick.

there's little to sell collegeville. it's town center sucks, it's main job center is shrinking, it has worse job access than Phoenixville. at least Phoenixville might actually get train service to the city and conshohocken (allowing a bypass of 422/202/76 traffic) and it's in chester county, perhaps the best county in the state. people probably said the same things about west chester which was rough around the edges when I was growing up, but over time those run down homes were restored and west chester is a nice place, bam margera notwithstanding.

Originally Posted by orrmobl

"I have to say, I'm really not going to miss this place too much. With bad schools, horrible traffic, poor parking (now they are charging for said bad parking), and a pathetic police force more worried about traffic tickets (but surprisingly not when you ram a bunch of cars on Bridge Street) then controling the drunks down town and the drug dealers over the bridge, Phoenixville has become a nice place to visit but a lousy place to live. "

From a guy posting comments on http://www.phoenixvillenews.com/arti...d859704767.txt

which is funny, because what he hates, is attractive to new residents, some of whom I know. they like the bars downtown, which I'm sure are the drunks he's complaining about. life's full of tradeoffs but if you're under 40, Phoenixville is a much better place to live than it used to be. if those "drunks" weren't in phoenixville, they'd be spending their money in king of prussia or wayne. Sure, there didn't used to be anything but old man bars and it was quiet and sleepy and some people probably preferred it that way. you'll note "over the bridge." there's nothing over the bridge but a neighborhood, hardly something you have to go through.

[orrmobl]

Hey I got the drug info from an article on Phoenixville's Renaissance about 3 years ago. So either the local paper is lying, or you're wrong...hmm...

That part of Bridge St was sketchy in 1995, is still sketchy today. And those sketchy people still live around there.

I looked at homes near downtown 3 years ago and the neighboring properties had Sanford and Son type yards and lots of shady characters just hanging around.

You can defend all you want but even Maestro, who moved to P-ville after hearing about it, moved away soon after...too sketchy for him.

Collegeville is way better in all ways except proximity to KOP and the cooling towers. Other than that, Collegeville has all new businesses and better class of people.

My friends ended up sending their kids to Catholic school in Collegeville because they felt the local kids were a tad rough - they would have flipped out if they had seen the Phoenixville locals.