Levittown, Yardley, Bristol, Which is best ? (school district, taxes, to live in)

[hed11877]

All of this depends on Money, of course Yardley is nicer than Levittown and Bristol. The only down side I see in Yardley is that its closer to Trenton and of course the Housing costs.

Bristol borough is getting better, we moved there in 2006 and a lot has changed for the good since then. We live on Radcliffe Street and its probably the nicest street in the town. Has a lot of history and as soon as they weed out all the ________ the town will be mint.

Levittown is from the 50's and there isn't much of a town center or anything. The township schools stink, I graduated from Truman in 95 and they basically would pass students are long as they didn't cause trouble and the college rate is loooooow.( BTW, I ended up Joining the Navy and Graduating college) So if you can afford it go to Yardley or Newtown, if not visit the borough.

[LookinatMass]

I grew up near Yardley and it is very nice but very, very expensive now. Morrisville is pretty nice now, nicer than Levittown and Bristol. It is close to the train station 5 minutes away or so. The cost of housing is less than Yardley and it has a lot of character and older homes. Pennington is close to Princeton and that is a pretty area. Good luck in your search!

[brittany493]

I would recommend yardley if you can afford it. Makefield Glen is really nice for condos, has a pool, tennis courts nearby etc. Also yardley commons is very nice. If you were to commute to NYC you can walk to the train station from there, (you have to change trains in trenton). Yardley is the most upperclass of the three with a nice downtown area. Levittown and Morrisville are different in a way. Levittown was built years ago for workers at the steel mill and is encompass of a bunch of different "sections" as people here refer to them. The sections are all named, Birch Valley for instance, and the streets in them all start with the same letter, B. The houses were all built to look the same and the majority of them are still one story ranchers though there have been some additions. It does not have a downtown area, nice parks, and is not astheically pleasing in my opinion. Bristol also has a historic feel to it, with alot of row style homes. Also the area around bristol has ALOT of traffic congestion. I will say that I do not believe Bristol is that safe. As there was a rape on the canal right behind my friends home. I know of several incidents involving weapons (this does not happen in yardley). Anyway I hope that is helpful.

[bryson662001]

Lower Bucks County geography is very confusing and not understood too well by outsiders. For instance Levittown is not a town at all. It is a huge planned community that was built over several years with several different types of houses from economy to luxury and it covers portions of three townships including three different school districts and each with it's own police, fire and administration. The oldest part of Levittown is located in Bristol township and it is the portion that gives the whole area a bad name. There are also levittown neighborhoods in Falls Township which is more socially acceptable. Then there is the portion of Levittown located in Middletown Township which is actually a pretty decent place to live with a 1st rate school system. All levittown houses were built in the 1950's but those in Middletown have almost all been rebuilt, added on to and remodeled so they are hardley recogniseable. Unfortunatly that is also the area furtherest from the train to Trenton and NY. All three of these towns also have neighborhoods that are not Levittown. The key is to know which township you are in. Bristol Twp is all bad. Falls Twp is mostly good and Middletown is all good. Then there is Bristol Boro which is different from Bristol Township and more respectable with a few upscale pockets although still a mostly low income area with many minorities and renters. It is directly on the river and has the Bristol train station. Yardley was developed much later and is still developing so it is much more expensive although there are older neighborhoods there as well which are pretty nice. Yardley has many NY commuters but the train isn't very close. For Townhouse condos you might want to look in Bensalem township which is south of Bristol and has a huge park and ride at Cornwell heights on the North South train line to NY.

[Daytonadelphian]

Bristol and Levittown have higher crime rates. Newtown holds its value because of the school district. Yardley, Newtown, Richboro, Churchville, Holland, Ivyland are areas that I would suggest looking into. Bensalem is better than Levittown or Bristol.

[hed11877]

You gotta remember the difference between Bristol Township and Bristol Borough, I would say 90% of the crime in Bristol happens in the Township and happens in a 1 mile radius of Venice Ashby, Bloomsdale and Fleetwing. In other words the ghetto. I live in the Borough and feel 100% safe. And Brittany when was this rape???? I never heard about it unless it was 4 years ago. Can you provide more info cause I'm sure that would be big news.

[peters1996]

I have to say that I disagree with some of the posts on here about Levittown. I find it odd that someone would say Bensalem is better than Levittown (although I know this is just an opinion and that is okay, just not necessarily a fact). I won't go into anything to bash either town, but these posts are for people that aren't familiar with the area so they don't realize that Levittown encompasses several different areas. In addition, there are many different areas of Bensalem and when you look at home values one needs to look at the school district and that would affect the opinions of the areas.

Parts of Levittown are Falls Twp, some are Bristol Twp and others are Middletown Twp. If you want to compare areas for crime and home values, you need to be more specific than just Levittown (it is such a large area). You need to look at each specific part of Levittown based on which township it is in, as some parts may be a little stronger than others.

For example, Falls Twp kids in Levittown go to Pennsbury School District-same district as Lower Makefield Twp (Yardley), while Bristol Twp kids go to Bristol Twp schools, Middletown Twp-Levittown go to Neshaminy School District. While Bensalem is in the Bensalem School District.

You can check out the school districts listed to determine their desirability, which I would recommend. Anytime you are thinking of moving to an area, one should look at the schools as a factor due to the fact that school districts make a big difference in home value and appreciation, especially in this area.

Just wanted to add this information b/c I know that this site is for people trying to get clear information on different areas and sometimes people are posting information that can be misleading.

Thanks!

[brittany493]

Originally Posted by bryson662001

Yardley has many NY commuters but the train isn't very close. For Townhouse condos you might want to look in Bensalem township which is south of Bristol and has a huge park and ride at Cornwell heights on the North South train line to NY.

Just wanted to say that the train station is directly in the center of Yardley Boro. To get to NYC you have to change trains at the first stop, but it is very easy. Many communters walk to the train station here everyday. It is very accessable.

[brittany493]

Originally Posted by hed11877

And Brittany when was this rape???? I never heard about it unless it was 4 years ago. Can you provide more info cause I'm sure that would be big news.

I couldn't find an article on the exact incident I was refering too, but it was at least two years ago. Below is a link to crime stats in Bristol. There were 3 reported rapes in 2006. Property crimes in larceny are also on the rise. And there was 11 assaults involving weapons as well in 2006. All I'm saying is if you're looking for a safe place, this happens FAR less frequently in Yardley.

Bristol Profile | Bristol PA
Yardley Profile | Yardley PA

[aquakttn]

I live in Levittown (Bristol Township). And while I don't think its anything to write home about - I certainly don't feel unsafe in my neighborhood. We do hope to move out of this area before my husband and I have children, mainly because of the school district. That and we really enjoyed living life in warmer weather - and that's just our personal preference.

I'd say parts of Levittown are good for those starting out. But, if you can afford it, you can easily find something that better suits your tastes.