suggestions on Philly suburbs for young family (Philadelphia, Norristown: condos, house)

[selhars]

ha I think you meant Media.

No. Maybe I had it in the wrong county, but I meant Manoa. Didn't know whether it was in northern DelCo or, in MontCo near the DelCo line...in any event Manoa is near Rte 3/West Chester Pike and Eagle Road area.

[frankgn87]

Originally Posted by movingtoPA333

Thanks frankgn87. Yes I have heard about Cherry Hill, just not too sure about paying the toll for the bridge every day. We do not want to live IN Philly, but were hoping to be close by, without being too rural. I'm from Toronto which is a pretty safe, fast paced place, so I keep searching for that here. Maybe there isn't such a thing in PA?

Yes there is.. Look into Newtown, Jenkintown and maybe Abington.

[templeu]

I'm not sure that any of the suburbs are going to be as fast paced as a city like Toronto (or Philly). But I would second suggestions like the eastern most parts of the mainline (Bala, Narberth, Wynwood, Ardmore, etc). There is a lot of activity (and traffic and these areas will be close to the city. This area is expensive though (something I'm sure you're not unfamiliar with) so even a $475,000 budget will be stretched in the mainline. Folks are always hesitant about NJ and doing the bridge, but in terms of proximity to the city, it's really hard to beat. And you can get a nice-sized home (compared to comparable burbs on the PA side). Areas like Collingswood, Haddon Township (Westmont or Haddon Leigh), or Haddon Heights) are all quite close to the city (25 minutes or less) on a typical day and very quaint neighborhoods - not a subdivision, cookie cutter feel. You'd definitely find a 4 bed / 2 bath home with a yard in your price range. I'm personally less of a fan of Cherry Hill b/c the town is just so sprawling - but the school district is great.

Have you considered a Philly neighborhood like Chestnut Hill or W. Mount Airy? Both areas are very family friendly and you'll find lots of young families here. School districts will become an issue - most folks I know pay for private.

Immediately over the border of Chestnut Hill (and out of Phila Border) is Wyndmoor (Montgomery County. Great schools, close proximity to amenities in Chesntut Hill/Mount Airy.

[Angus215]

It's funny how virtually every person looking for advice says they want a downtown area, yet the vast majority of middle to upper-middle class families end up living in suburban housing developments. just the reality of raising children in suburban america, i suppose. there are excellent suburbs with excellent schools throughout the entire philadelphia region, so it really comes down to commute/location and housing prices more than anything. there are a handful of small towns that have SOME cultural offerings however the vast majority is in the city itself so i'd priortize access to the city (ie. via SEPTA).

[PhillyViaBoston]

You should really take another look at the Media area. Focus on the highly regarded Wallingford-Swarthmore and RoseTree-Media school districts. There's a huge population of young families with kids, many pre-schools, family events, sports teams, summer camps, etc. Plus you get the benefit of the downtown area of State Street in Media with all it's nice restaurants & cute shops.

Access to 476, 95, and Center City are great for commuting (including the Media/Elwyn regional rail line and the route 101 trolley line).

[PhillyViaBoston]

Originally Posted by rainrock

You wont find many young families in the older towns like Media.... To find the younger families in the Media area you would have to take a windy back road out of town which would eventually lead you to a dozen subdivisions hidden in the woods.

With due respect, this couldn't be further from the truth. I live in "Media" (Nether Providence township, W-S school district, walking distance to downtown State Street). There are a ton of young families with babies & toddlers in the area, myself included.

[rainrock]

Originally Posted by PhillyViaBoston

With due respect, this couldn't be further from the truth. I live in "Media" (Nether Providence township, W-S school district, walking distance to downtown State Street). There are a ton of young families with babies & toddlers in the area, myself included.

I agree the overall Media area has very healthy growth but the town of Media itself being so small, tends to limit the growth potential. Houses in Media + Swarthmore tend pass down from generation to generation.You are 100% correct that nearby boroughs like Nether Providence,Wallingford,Middletown and Upper Providence have plenty of young families but those boroughs are so spread out that the growth seems somewhat muted.

MovingtoPa333 asked for an area with alot of young families and shopping. That describes the outer suburbs, places like Garnet Valley(Concord,Bethel,Chadds Ford,Thornbury) perfectly.

I would prefer Media + Nether Providence to Garnet Valley but thats just me.Others like newer amenities and housing.

[rainrock]

Originally Posted by Angus215

It's funny how virtually every person looking for advice says they want a downtown area, yet the vast majority of middle to upper-middle class families end up living in suburban housing developments. just the reality of raising children in suburban america, i suppose. there are excellent suburbs with excellent schools throughout the entire philadelphia region, so it really comes down to commute/location and housing prices more than anything. there are a handful of small towns that have SOME cultural offerings however the vast majority is in the city itself so i'd priortize access to the city (ie. via SEPTA).

Most of Philadelphias peer cities are sitting on either a coastline or a very large Lake. The fact that Philadelphia is surrounded 360 by very livable land contributes to its sprawling suburbia nature.

Once you get 8-10 miles out from the city the region becomes incredibly sprawlish.

IMO The livable urban areas in this region for families are Center City/University City , Chestnut Hill/West Mount Airy/East Falls, Main Line Towns.

Then you have isolated small towns like Doylestown,West Chester,Media,Swarthmore,Ambler,Haddonfield NJ, Moorestown NJ among others which are mostly surrounded by newer suburbia.

[Angus215]

Originally Posted by rainrock

I agree the overall Media area has very healthy growth but the town of Media itself being so small, tends to limit the growth potential. Houses in Media + Swarthmore tend pass down from generation to generation.You are 100% correct that nearby boroughs like Nether Providence,Wallingford,Middletown and Upper Providence have plenty of young families but those boroughs are so spread out that the growth seems somewhat muted.

MovingtoPa333 asked for an area with alot of young families and shopping. That describes the outer suburbs, places like Garnet Valley(Concord,Bethel,Chadds Ford,Thornbury) perfectly.

I would prefer Media + Nether Providence to Garnet Valley but thats just me.Others like newer amenities and housing.

In general, to find neighborhoods where everyone has kids, you have to go to places with new construction, as you suggest. That often means moving WAY out to places like Downingtown, West Chester, and Warrington. New construction in the closer-in suburbs generally consists of McMansions, which attract older families with more money and older children, and townhouses. I'm sure a lot of us grew up in new suburbs and that's what we think of as an ideal place to raise a young family. However, at some point the commute and lack of convenience offsets the benefit of having a new house and homogeneous families.

There are some areas that were built out several decades ago where the houses are turning over and you have more younger families. However, it's always going to be a mix of the old and the new.

[cpomp]

If you are looking for brand new homes, you will rarely find any new construction in garnet valley chadds ford, or thornbury for 475k. Its mostly 500k upward, especially chadds ford. It want cheaper new contruction you need to move farther out like downingtown. Toll is building a subdivision right outside of Media, starting in the mid 600s, and one in GV in the mid 500s, just as an example.