Relocating from Ann Arbor with 2 young kids (Philadelphia, Chester: middle-class, rent)

[Linh1978]

Mixed-ethnicity family seeking advice on Philadelphia suburbs including Ambler (and surrounding area) and Yardley. (I know these aren't close to one another, but they are the only two strong recos we have so far.) Looking for a sense of the vibe of these towns and others that you'd recommend based on the info below. Priorities are: great quality public schools; ethnically/culturally diverse; safe, friendly neighborhoods; vibrant community. We love Ann Arbor for its blend of all these qualities and are hoping we can find something similar in the Philadelphia area. Thanks!

When are you moving? Spring 2011
Where are you coming from? Ann Arbor, MI
Why are you moving? Job relocation
Where will you be working? 1 spouse in Fort Washington, the other is tbd-possibly NJ

Looking to buy or rent a house or townhouse, in the 250-350 range.

Married, two kids ages 2 and 5
Public schools
No pets

[Avalon08]

Hmmm, I don't know specifically about those two towns, but the "ethnically/culturally diverse" thing may be a problem. When I think of an area with that description, I think of Mount Airy, which is in Philadelphia and of course doesn't meet your criteria for public schools. I can also think of towns with large Jewish populations, but not sure how diverse they are otherwise. The towns in the best-quality school districts do not strike me as being ethnically diverse, but I'm sure others with more expertise can chime in.

[maf763]

Ambler is fairly diverse for a suburb and Wissahickon is a good school district. The main street in Ambler (Butler Pike) has an independent movie theater, a semi-professional theater and a number of bars and restaurants, as well as a symphony that usually performs at the high school. It's very close to Fort Washington but going to Jersey could be a pain. There are some brand new townhouses near the train station that are in your price range.

Don't know as much about Yardley.

[Avalon08]

According to the 2000 Census:

AMBLER: 83.29% White, 12.03% African American, 0.25% Native American, 2.47% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.50% from other races, and 1.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.13% of the population.

YARDLEY: 93.63% White, 3.44% African American, 0.08% Native American, 1.20% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.52% from other races, and 1.08% from two or more races. 1.76% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Neither seems particularly diverse to me.

And just for comparison purposes....

ANN ARBOR: 72.8% White, 8.3% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 14.7% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 1.0% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3% of the population. 14.9% were of German, 8.5% English and 7.9% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. 79.2% spoke English, 3.2% Chinese or Mandarin, 3.1% Spanish, 1.9% Korean, 1.2% German, 1.1% Japanese and 1.0% French as their first language. Because of the pull of the university, the city has one of the highest foreign-born populations in the state, at 17.4%.

[maf763]

The Wissahickon School District latest annual report (2009-2010) shows 68% white, about 5% Latino, and the rest divided between Asian and African-American, which reflects more accurately what I have seen when I've been at the high school. In contrast, Yardley is part of Pennsbury, a much larger district, which breaks down as 88% white, about 2% Latino, and most of the rest split between Asian and African-American.

[FindingZen]

Per Avalon08's statistics, Ambler is actually fairly diverse by Philly suburban standards. Abington/Cheltenham/Upper Dublin may be the best example while offering fairly desirable amenities. That area would also be a reasonable compromise for commuting, albeit favoring the spouse working in Fort Washington.

linh1978, if you're comfortable with well-maintained older homes in solid middle-class communities, you should be able to find something in your range in what I call the "greater Abington" area.

Note: roughly speaking, I imagine that Ann Arbor shares a lot of qualities with Madison, WI and Evanston, IL. You may not find all of those in one town in the Philly burbs. Other areas that I can think of that may offer some aspects - Swarthmore, Media, West Chester and New Hope, off the top of my head - would be too inconvenient or beyond your preferred budget.

[Avalon08]

The school district isn't necessarily reflective of the town "vibe", since the district covers 25 square miles and the ethnicity stats don't include kids in private schools. I thought the OP wanted to live in a diverse area. What about NJ? Sounds like one spouse might be working there. I thought perhaps some of the Jersey suburbs might be more diverse? Just an observation from visiting there. I know property taxes are supposedly higher there. However, I guess it depends where 'diversity' ranks on your list of criteria. But regardless, even if your specific town isn't particularly diverse, you will find plenty of racial diversity and ethnicities in the metropolitan area....restaurants, places of worship, festivals, etc.

[Linh1978]

Thanks everyone for your comments and advice - I appreciate it!

[maestro]

as the previous poster noted, it's tough to get everything you're looking for in one suburb. Based on my knowledge of Ann Arbor (I lived in neighboring Ohio for 12 years and I've been through Michigan a ton, including Ann Arbor) I would definitley take a look at Ambler. Very good schools, nice downtown "strip" of restaurants and shops, easy access to all the main roads/highways. The big X factors for you would be 1) is a commute to NJ needed; if so that would be tough and 2) how big of a house you are looking for for the $$$ spent.