Professional wants a professional 'burb (Lancaster, Chester: neighborhoods, school district, to live in)

[GatorDude]

If you were to work at a professional job in downtown Philly and wanted to live (rent) in a low-crime, professional, community and were trying to balance commute time, safety, and community amenities where would you live?

[kimrocktherealtor]

If price were no object? Rittenhouse or Washington Square area.

[kyle19125]

Society Hill or Queen Village

[FindingZen]

I would agree with all of the choices above, except that it looks like the OP wants to live in the suburbs.

Even then, there's almost too many choices. For one, there's the area I like to call the "V" near the nexus of Northwest, Northeast and North Philly. This would include areas such as Abington, Jenkintown, Cheltenham, Upper Dublin, Lower/Upper Moreland, Hatboro and Horsham. These are generally middle-to upper-middle class neighborhoods.

There's also the Main Line, a collection of upscale communities that head NW from the city and have Lancaster Avenue/Route 30 as a common "main street". Bryn Mawr, Haverford, Villanova, Radnor and Wayne are some examples.

Even though Delaware County is sometimes seen as the "redheaded suburban stepchild", it also has its gems, among them Swarthmore, Media and West Chester.

While I don't mean to short shrift Bucks County, I have to admit not being too knowledgeable about it. The majority of the most popular towns would seem to be in Central Bucks and points north which would be quite a commute into town.


And my list certainly isn't exhaustive. Your budget, the number of people in your household and the importance of the local school district may make a minor to moderate difference in your choices.

[newmarlig]

I would add Haddonfield, Moorestown, Mt. Laurel and other parts of New Jersey that have easy access to the High Speed Line.

[LibraGirl123]

Originally Posted by Tone509

Even though Delaware County is sometimes seen as the "redheaded suburban stepchild", it also has its gems, among them Swarthmore, Media and West Chester.

West Chester isn't in DelCo...it's the county seat of Chester County. (Just as Media is the county seat of DelCo.)

But you're right...it is a gem of a little town.

[rainrock]

Wayne
Bryn Mawr
Merion
Wynnewood
Haverford
Ardmore
Narberth
Media

[PhillyViaBoston]

Check out the Media area. Welcome Home: Media, PA
You can get into Center City on the Septa R3 train in less than 30 minutes from either the Media, Moylan/Rose Valley, Wallingford, or Swarthmore stations (which gives you a few options for towns that meet the criteria you've listed). It's very popular with commuters. Good luck!

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by LibraGirl123

West Chester isn't in DelCo...it's the county seat of Chester County. (Just as Media is the county seat of DelCo.)

But you're right...it is a gem of a little town.

Whoops I had a brain fart there.

I'm glad we agreed on one thing there.