Media vs. Cheltenham vs. Bala Cynwyd/Ardmore? (Philadelphia, York: real estate, insurance)

[suebeeheubee]

Hello Philly area experts,
My husband and I are considering a move to the Philadelphia area and I'm trying to get a local's sense of the similarities and differences between a few communities that seem appealing: Media Borough, Cheltenham (including Elkins Park, Wyncote), and Bala Cynwyd/Ardmore. We have flexibility because we both work from home, and are trying to get a better sense of these areas. Things we value include:
- sidewalks and, even better, some fun stuff to walk to (parks, shops, restaurants) - would like to see neighbors and not have to get in the car every time we leave the house
- very good public schools - we have two young kids
- racial diversity - we're coming from the Bay Area, and don't want to live somewhere that's 90% white (which many of the "desirable" inner suburbs seem to be)
- easy access to Center City
- variety of housing types, including older stone houses and Victorians, front porches, small yards -- not McMansions and please not all 1950s ranch houses
- safety

My research on this board has led me to see some appealing aspects of each of these communities. Much of the housing in the Cheltenham area seemed lovely and less expensive than the other two area -- why is that? What info can you share about the personality/vibe or community feel of any of these areas? Chetenham seemed most racially diverse -- any input on how integrated these groups are? Any and all input appreciated!

(And yes, I know that Mount Airy fits most of what we're looking for, but we really do want great schools and sounds like it's a bit of a crapshoot there, especially after 5th grade.)

THANK YOU!

[maf763]

Parts of Cheltenham will fit all of your wants. The area around the Elkins Park train station and up York Rd. will have your best walking access to parks, shops and restaurants, though not every street has sidewalks. The schools are good - the knock has always been on the junior high, but they are in the midst of changing the orientation of the schools. It used to be K-4, then 5-6, then 7-8, then the high school. Now they are eliminating the 5-6 school to make for fewer transitions.

Not every neighborhood will be completely racially integrated, though the schools generally are. As far as housing prices, the lower prices may be for a variety of reasons - older houses that are expensive to heat, proximity to areas that may flood. I don't know how they compare to Media and Ardmore, but real estate taxes are much higher in Cheltenham than in the surrounding communities like Abington and Springfield.

[FrankInPhilly]

Originally Posted by maf763

As far as housing prices, the lower prices may be for a variety of reasons - older houses that are expensive to heat, proximity to areas that may flood. I don't know how they compare to Media and Ardmore, but real estate taxes are much higher in Cheltenham than in the surrounding communities like Abington and Springfield.

After last year's floods, the cost of flood insurance shouldn't be omitted from the purchasing equation - multiple 100-year floods in a single year must mean we're making up for lost time or something :-(
In addition to the real estate tax disparity (about 51 mils in Ch'ham v. 30+ in Media), you also have local wage or earned income taxes. Just what's subject to the tax varies by location, and is generally in the neighborhood of 1%, so it may be a wash. Still, worth considering (and it lowers the difference in total tax burden when comparing anywhere to Philly's approx 4% tax and generally lower real estate tax rates).

[HeavenWood]

Cheltenham's the clear winner by virtue of its diversity, although Ardmore and Media (the borough proper, not so much the surrounding areas) are worth conside ring too.

[njames331]

If you're looking for diversity, Cheltenham is the clear winner hands down!

[maf763]

Nice article in today's paper about Cheltenham:

In Elkins Park, enthusiasm blooms for native plant meadow

[suebeeheubee]

Thanks to all for the input. I hadn't heard about the flooding in Cheltenham -- good to know and certainly one more thing to add into the equation. What are the shopping areas in Cheltenham like? I imagine it doesn't have a "downtown" area like Media does (which I really like), but are there a few distinct areas/blocks with shops (accessible by foot), or are they really scattered, or are they centralized in "shopping centers" that people drive to, big parking lots, etc? Trying to get a sense of where this falls on the spectrum between town and suburbia. And racial diversity aside, does anyone have opinions on how these three areas measure up on the other areas of importance listed in my original post? Thank you so much for all of your help!

[HeavenWood]

Originally Posted by suebeeheubee

Thanks to all for the input. I hadn't heard about the flooding in Cheltenham -- good to know and certainly one more thing to add into the equation. What are the shopping areas in Cheltenham like? I imagine it doesn't have a "downtown" area like Media does (which I really like), but are there a few distinct areas/blocks with shops (accessible by foot), or are they really scattered, or are they centralized in "shopping centers" that people drive to, big parking lots, etc? Trying to get a sense of where this falls on the spectrum between town and suburbia. And racial diversity aside, does anyone have opinions on how these three areas measure up on the other areas of importance listed in my original post? Thank you so much for all of your help!

In my opinion,
Walkability: Media proper > Ardmore > Bala-Cynwyd > Cheltenham [Media proper is a compact town, making it the easiest to travel by foot; Ardmore and Bala-Cynwyd are mostly walkable; Cheltenham varies according to area]

Fun Stuff to Do: Ardmore > Media proper > Cheltenham > Bala-Cynwyd [lots of stuff always going on in Ardmore and Media; the Glenside area of Cheltenham is pretty hopping, but the rest of the area is fairly sedate; there are decent shops and restaurants in Bala-Cynwyd, but it's quieter than the other areas]

Public Schools: Ardmore/Bala-Cynwyd (same school district) > Media proper > Cheltenham [all districts are of high quality; Ardmore/Bala-Cynwyd are simply "tops," whereas Cheltenham is merely "good"]

Access to Center City: Bala-Cynwyd > Ardmore > Media proper > Cheltenham

Housing Stock: Bala-Cynwyd > Ardmore > Media proper > Cheltenham [fairly minute differences here; all quality older construction (note, however, that the expanded Media area has quite a bit of newer construction (but you also have to sacrifice walkability and diversity, so it's definitely a tradeoff)]