Manhattan to Connecticut now Philadelphia! Need Advice (York, Chester: new home, construction)

[dptp5961]

Hello all,

Family of 6 in need of advice as to where in the Philadelphia area is best for us.. My husband works in marketing for large Pharmaceuticals companies and will be re-located in the Newtown Square area. My husband is from Northern Delaware so we are not totally clueless, but would still like some advice.

Currently works in Manhattan, we lived there for 9 years, and moved to Darien Connecticut about 6 years ago, and now plan to make a another move, hopefully our last to Philadelphia.

We have 4 children, two girls ages 13 and 10 and twin 6 year old boys, and 2 dogs and 2 cats, a large family. We moved out of Manhattan because we wanted a more suburban lifestyle for the family, but still wanted close access to new York, so we would like the same for Philadelphia. I hear good things about the city, but hear the schools are bad close to the city, which is why suburbs are the best for us.

Darien has a small village center, known to be upscale, and surrounded by large properties and close to the Long Island sound, which was great in the summers. So we are looking for something similar, would love a village center with some dining and shopping attractions, and close access to malls, town center type places, and parks, biking trails. We would like to be in a top school district, open to private schools as well, my husband does not mind a commute of 30-45 minutes. I am an interior designer, therefore a lot of my work used to be local, but for the time being I will not be working until we are settled in our new home.

Fairfield County Connecticut is very expensive I do not really know how the prices compare to the Philadelphia area, but we are also looking for a bigger home, something in the 5000-7000sqft range 5-6 bedrooms to fit everyone, newer construction, would enjoy a large yard too, 1/2 acre on up. We are still working out numbers but for now we would like to keep it capped at around 2 million and we will see what comes up from there. This move is happening next summer, so we wanted to get a good head start!

Thanks you all for your suggestions!

[nuhusky11]

with your budget you have a ton of options. Try the mainline corridor from Wayne to Ardmore. Wayne has a very cute mainstreet so I'd say start your search in the Radnor area. Lot's of money in the area. Husband has a good commute and you and family are close to 1) excellent schools (some of the best in the state); 2) KOP mall; 3) you have easy access to Center City via rail and cars.

[nuhusky11]

I would add that the Wayne-Ardmore corridor is pretty similar in terms of affluence and demographics are Darien.

[dptp5961]

Thank you, and we noticed some very large parks near Newtown Square. Ridley Creek, and Tyler Arboretum? There village center of Media looks quaint as well. Would those towns suit as well, as far as finding a home to fit our needs and price point?

[nuhusky11]

media would be a good option to explore. quite frankly you should go up and down the mainline and see which area best fits your lifestyle.

you can also go out a bit further to Blue Bell, Ambler area that also fits the bill and where you would get massive homes and new build with land/country club amenities. But that would be a longer drive for husband.

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by nuhusky11

I would add that the Wayne-Ardmore corridor is pretty similar in terms of affluence and demographics are Darien.

Much, much, much more Jewy in Haverford, Gladwyne, Bryn Mawr, Rosemont, and Villanova, though I assume this won't be an issue for them.

Gladwyne might fit the bill. Ultra-affluent, huge houses on huge lots, and not far from more bustling village centers like Narberth, Ardmore, Bryn Mawr, and Wayne (plus the bonus of a small and quiet, but charming, little village center of its own).

[Ms_Christina]

The main line is closest however they are are not as "pretty" as Darien. Newton Square and the surrounding have a bit prettier scenery.

[RightonWalnut]

If you want a great downtown area, try West Chester. You'll love that. You could pretty much live anywhere. Don't hesitate to live somewhere close to a SEPTA Regional Rail line that can take you into Center City Philadelphia whenever you please as well. Plenty of great museums and attractions for the kids in Center City (Zoo, Please Touch Museum, Franklin Institute, Academy of Natural Sciences (currently has a huge Dinosaur exhibit), Dave and Busters, Old City and Society Hill attractions like the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall).

You could also try Garnet Valley, Glen Mills, and of course the Main Line towns like Villanova, Bryn Mawr, Wayne, Radnor, Rosemont, Haverford, Ardmore, Gladwyne, etc.

[Clark Park]

Originally Posted by HeavenWood

Much, much, much more Jewy in Haverford, Gladwyne, Bryn Mawr, Rosemont, and Villanova ...

"Much more Jewy ..."

Sounds like a slur to me.

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by Clark Park

"Much more Jewy ..."

Sounds like a slur to me.

While I suppose it theoretically could be, my experience is that "Jewy" is usually used by Jews themselves in an objective to positive light:

See, e.g., Are You Jewy Enough? | Raising Kvell

Darien's a community that managed to hold on to its anti-Jewish restrictive covenants well after places like the Eastern Main Line, Palm Beach, Scarsdale, Bethesda/Chevy Chase, etc. etc. etc. became thoroughly Jewified (how's that for a word?) As a result, for a long time Darien did (and to a significant extent, still does) have a reputation for being hostile to people of the Hebraic persuasion (see also [anti-Semitic] Bronxville). Hence, it is quite pertinent to distinguish Haverford/Gladwyne/Bryn Mawr/Rosemont/Villanova on these grounds when another poster calls them demographically similar (again, NOT trying to suggest the OP feels these way).