Richboro vs. Holland vs. Newtown (Philadelphia, Washington: townhouses, neighborhoods, best school)

[Cold Up North]

Where would you prefer to live and why? I know they are All council rock
Schools but there must be differences in the lower elementary & middle schools. We haven't had any luck in Newtown and were thinking of searching in Holland & Richboro but didn't know if there are advantages in one vs the other especially when it comes to the schools. Any suggestions?

[frankgn87]

my old stomping grounds. Graduated CR too. If I had to pick one now it would be Newtown. I grew up in Holland and you can't go wrong in any of the 3

[NovaDragon]

As a current Richboro resident, I have to agree with the above post. You really cannot go wrong with any of them. They all feed into CR and are great.

There are some slight differences though, which are reflected in the schools. While they are all pretty affluent, Newtown (and ultimately CR North) tends to be slightly more so than Northampton Twp (Richboro & Holland), which has its positives and negatives. If you are looking for more of a town-like feel, I'd stick with Newtown. If that doesn't matter and a good neighborhood or development will do, any three will work just fine as you can find all types of housing in all three towns (except if you're looking for townhouses, there are none in Richboro).

I will say this about the schools though. From what I have heard and seen (both from talking to friends who went through the system as well as working in it the last few years), Newtown and Richboro seem to have slightly better schools than Holland. While I cannot speak to the elementary schools, I have heard and seen better things in Newtown & Richboro MS' than Holland. The elementary schools that feed into Newtown MS are Goodnoe, Newtown, Sol Feinstone, & Wrightstown. The schools that feed into Richboro Middle are Richboro, some of Churchville, some of Welch; & Holland MS: Rolling Hills, Holland, & Hillcrest. I would also say that CR North has a more community feel for students than does CR South (mainly because South is still relatively new).

As I mentioned above, you really cannot go wrong with any three. But if your looking for something to help you pick one town over the other, I would choose 1. Newtown, 2. Richboro, 3. Holland.

[jpeebs]

I'm also interested in Bucks County. I love the downtown of Newtown. Does Richboro or Churchville have walkable downtowns or are they mostly strip malls spread about? Yardley is charming too, but I just love Newtown's downtown area.

[jpeebs]

Originally Posted by frankgn87

my old stomping grounds. Graduated CR too. If I had to pick one now it would be Newtown. I grew up in Holland and you can't go wrong in any of the 3

Who better to ask? My daughter, son-in-law, 2 pre-schoolers, my husband and myself are looking to move to Bucks Cty in 2 yrs after I retire and live in one house. We currently live in Burlington Cty and Union Cty, NJ. Schools are therefore very important and a nice community. Looking between 600K-700K. Absolutely love the downtown area in Newtown, even though Yardley is nice as well. My question would be about Churchville or Richboro. Are either of these towns walkable and nice or are they mostly strip malls scattered about with no real feel of a downtown community?

[maf763]

No, the downtowns of Richboro and Churchville don't come close to Newtown for walkability.

[NovaDragon]

What downtowns, haha? Churchville's "downtown" is quaint as in, "this is what a rural downtown looked like 150 years ago" quaint with a defunct train station and some nice victorian homes but no stores on a busy road with no sidewalks.

Richboro technically does have a downtown and, in my opinion, is underrated. It is walkable, though most neighborhoods are too far to walk to it. And it is in NO WAY as quaint or nice as Newtown. It is pretty much two strip malls (with a potential 3rd coming) connected by a four-lane road. But for those that actually have walked it (mostly middle & high school students without cars) its not terrible. But if you want Newtown quality, you won't find it elsewhere in Council Rock.

For good, walkable downtowns in Bucks Co, Newtown, Yardley, New Hope & Doylestown really take the cake, with places like Langhorne, Chalfont, & maybe Washington Crossing as 2nd tier.

[Cold Up North]

What do they have there? Also, is there flooding in some of the newer neighborhoods (less than 10 yrs old) in Washington crossing? It's so close to the river.......

[kidphilly]

Originally Posted by Cold Up North

What do they have there? Also, is there flooding in some of the newer neighborhoods (less than 10 yrs old) in Washington crossing? It's so close to the river.......

The extreme lower part of Wash Crossing may flood - others may know better


In terms of a DT Wash Crossing really has none, a few stores. The main DT would be Newtown or Yardley for this this area. Also depending on which part New Hope while unorthodox is quite interesting and definately walkable with many restaurants/cafes etc. Almost a tourist destination with an eclectic/artsy vibe. Oxford Valley has all the mall and box stores that are not too far but not that close either.

[chrissyg]

I've lived in all 3, Holland, Richboro and Newtown. Holland is closer to Northeast Philadelphia border so I didn't feel as safe as I would have liked. Some how in my brain I equated septa buses being in close distance to my home as criminals can get to me easier. I also lived on the edge of Holland though.

Richboro was very nice, was rated one of the safest cities to live in US. They are going to build a huge shopping plaza and traffic will be an issue. It's already dangerous for kids to walk on the streets from the "downtown area" home (far walk). I wouldn't want my daughter walking there.

Newtown I loved, it was super close to the bypass which led me qucikly to 95 or 202. Traffic is not an issue. Lots of great shopping with beautiful new buildings with old feel charm mixed in with old buildings. They have a road dedicated to the student drivers in highschool so they are not crossing over the bypass (makes a parent feel safe, also helps with traffic when HS lets out).

As a former teacher, I agree Newtown has the best school out of the three. However, they are all superior schools to most in country.

If you are thinking of Yardley, just know taxes will be high and watch which school district. You would want Pennsbury, not Morrisville. Yardley is also known for its flooding b/c of the river. I believe traffic is more congested on the main strip and to be honest there really isn't much of a draw to the stores in their downtown area like their is in Newtown. Newtown has so many family fun days and cool things they do all your like Beer Fests and such. Its just a wonderful community town. Yardley has close public transportation such as the train. Again to me, I feel like it's an easy way in and out for criminals. Where Yardley is like the disfunctional underdog.