Non Snobby Phila Suburbs (Levittown, Fairless Hills: houses, school district, town)

[kimrocktherealtor]

Maybe try Langhorne/Fairless Hills/Levittown?

[Clark Park]

My guess: Clifton Heights, Springfield, Drexel Hill?

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by Duderino

Your post makes me think of the Media area. It really is diverse in so many ways (socioeconomically, racially, religiously, etc.) While proximity to areas like Swarthmore and Newtown Square may give off a bit of a snobbish vibe, I've found Media to be remarkably friendly. It has a great sense of community, good schools and would likely not be as much of a "culture shock" moving from the city as many other suburbs. I think there are some great housing deals to be had, as well.

The catch is that taxes are not exactly the cheapest, but that tends to go hand-in-hand with better schools/amenities.

The Media Area is fairly hoi palloi as a whole. Upper Providence, Middletown, Edgmont, etc. are fairly upscale. IE, Media is to Media Rose Tree what Narberth is to Lower Merion.

I don't think any of these areas are per se unfriendly. I just think the OP is looking for a middle class area that's not too much on the "highbrow" side.

The alternative, of course, is to compromise on a "mixed" area within your budget (Media would definitely be one) in which you can have your preferred conventionally middle class/blue collar culture at your fingertips while accepting the fact that some of your children's classmates may come from different backgrounds.

[NovaDragon]

I'm gonna give a plug for my town & suggest Horsham twp. It's definitely all burb but the taxes are pretty low compared to other townships, schools are great and there is a relatively decent mix of blue/white collar residents. There are certainly new developments of McMansions (they're building a new one by the library) but there are also a decent amount of older, more down to earth neighborhoods as well. Heck, our one neighbor next door has a new Benz & Infinit SUV in their driveway while across the street is a handyman with his work-in-progress van in his driveway. Not very diverse ethnically though, if that's what you're looking for as well.

[llanoestacado]

I second Springfield in Delaware County. It's well-established with a good school district that is virtually contiguous with the township. Also, it is adjacent or close-by very nice 'burbs like Swarthmore and Media. Another possibility is parts of Ridley Township or Ridley Park in Delco. I am not personally familiar with the latest on their school district, but regarding possible attractiveness as a community, a number of scenes in the movie Silver Linings Playbook with Bradley Cooper included homes and streets in Ridley Township (home with garage apartment) or Ridley Park (jogging scenes).

[FindingZen]

I'll throw in my hometown bias of Abington, particularly west of Old York Road/Route 611 and north of Susquehanna Road. For that matter, throw in Upper/Lower Moreland, Hatboro, Horsham and most points north and west except maybe Doylestown. Taxes may be an issue in some cases; you can't have it all.

[pman]

It sounds like the OP is looking for is most often found in towns. for example, media borough vs upper and lower nether regions and the like.

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by pman

It sounds like the OP is looking for is most often found in towns. for example, media borough vs upper and lower nether regions and the like.

I suppose the issue being that these towns often feed into the same schools as the upper/lower/nether regions (love the way you put that btw ).

[Fallsergirl]

Hello,
I am not sure if you are still house hunting but I came across your thread because we are also looking to move from Philly (East Falls) to Mt. Laurel NJ and looking for the same vibe to a neighborhood. I would also recommend Jenkintown (being a teacher I love the tiny, yet excellent school district). The town is small with lots to do in walking distance. I grew up in the close, yet much larger town of Abington. I would also recommend looking into Glenside, although I am not as familiar with it. I think it filters into Abington, Cheltenham and Springfield Township in terms of school districts. I have heard to avoid "North Hills" section. The town has that cool Keswick Theater and "city" feel. If anyone has any recommendations of where to live in Mount Laurel for myself, 2 dogs and 4 year old in the $300,000 range we would love to hear it. I work in Cherry Hill and my husband in Bensalem. I am new to this site and will be starting my own thread shortly. Good Luck!

[FKD19124]

Conshohocken, Plymouth Meeting.

Originally Posted by port1234

Which areas in the Philadelphia suburbs are the most down to earth?

I currently live in the Port Richmond section of Philadelphia and we are thinking about moving our family to the suburbs. We have been looking in Mount Laurel NJ but I'm not sure if we will fit in there personality wise. Hoping to find an area with ok taxes, good schools, great community and great people.

Are there any suburban areas with all of the above that are still blue collar/white collar and the people are cool?