Can you tell me about the Ardmore, PA area? (Mainline) (Lancaster: apartments, rent)

[Kelliott]

What can anyone tell me about Ardmore, PA?

I have posted several threads about looking for a SAFE, charming, walkable suburb with good public transportation to relocate to. Due to responses from other members as well as some friends I've spoken with, I've decided that I want to focus (for now) on the Mainline area.

So, with that said, what is Ardmore like?
Does it have a good school system? Are there good stores, restaurants, cafes, etc? Is it easy to take public transportation or walk to areas that have these things? Are the people generally friendly? Is it more of an older population or a young to middle-age crowd?

Thanks so much for any helpful responses

[thesixth]

Ardmore is very nice...excellent school district - Lower Merion School district - one of the best in the state. Nice business area with many shops, restaurants, etc. People are overall nice, but reserved.
Not sure of the age demographics, but I'd think it would skew to middle-aged, families & older population. There are some younger kids around due to the many colleges along the main line, but they may not make a permanent residence there.

[Kelliott]

Are there any parks nearby?

[orrmobl]

Maybe its just me, or the sections of the mainline down that way, but I always think of that area as inner city grungy, kind of unsafe feeling. Many houses on top of each other, congested main roads, some bad sections, close to the city...maybe I'm wrong but thats the impression I get. For more homey areas I would look to Haverford/Havertown or up the main line Radnor and above. I really love the Wayne/Devon/Berwyn/Paoli area. More pastoral, bigger pieces of green space, safe and clean looking and feeling, and Tredyffrin has the 8th best HS in the country, 2nd best in the state of PA. For reference, Radnor is 5th in state, Lower Merion somewhere below that.

On the other side of Delco, Media is "everybody's hometown". Its walkable, quaint, safe, good schools, little restaurants and cafes, mall nearby, good public transportation. Wallingford/Swarthmore has even better schools, but is apparently crunchy granola liberal, has nothing going on 'cept being near media, is bordered by ghetto Chester on one side. All 3 of these areas have expensive homes and high property taxes.

Which is why I'm looking in the Tredyffrin-Easttown school district. I think it will provide the main line education with a country feel and no snoot factor.

[ladydisdain]

the op probably already made their decision, but I couldn't resist chiming in anyway for future searchers.

I've lived in Ardmore for eight years and honestly don't see how anyone could describe it on a whole as "inner city grungy." Yes, there's a decently sized lower middle class section of the town with a large minority population. Yes, it's one of the only towns in the area (and certainly the only town on the Main Line) where people of many different incomes can afford to buy a house. Yes, a lot of students rent apartments here. But in eight years, the only time I ever feel unsafe is when I'm trying to cross the street and some idiot in a Hummer is on their phone running the stop sign. We live right off Ardmore Ave in a lovely single-family house that we just sold for over its asking price. We've got two beautiful parks, the neighborhood pool, and a brand new elementary school within walking distance. A comfortable twenty-minute stroll has us up at Suburban Square or any number of other shops and restaurants around. We're a quick drive or train ride into the city.

Our neighbors are old and young, single and coupled, childless and not, black, white, Asian, Hispanic, Jewish, Christian, you name it. I look around and I don't see ninety million people that look like me, which certainly isn't true in Bryn Mawr.

Media is walkable if you live in a very small section of town, otherwise it's stuffed with chains and not very attractive. Swarthmore is pretty liberal, but the whole Main Line's swinging blue these days. Swarthmore is also unbelievably expensive to live in.

Haverford and Radnor, Wayne and Devon are lovely if you're sitting on a giant pile of money and Berwyn and Paoli are far enough away that you'd better not care about going into the city regularly if you live there. Good ice cream in Berwyn, though. Paoli has absolutely nothing to recommend it as far as I can tell except being far, far away from people without much money.

We're moving to St. Louis in two months and while I won't miss the hell that is Lancaster Avenue or the inability of people to stop at the crosswalk in front of Ruby's, I will definitely miss living in Ardmore.

[veejayy]

Originally Posted by Kelliott

What can anyone tell me about Ardmore, PA?

I have posted several threads about looking for a SAFE, charming, walkable suburb with good public transportation to relocate to. Due to responses from other members as well as some friends I've spoken with, I've decided that I want to focus (for now) on the Mainline area.

So, with that said, what is Ardmore like?
Does it have a good school system? Are there good stores, restaurants, cafes, etc? Is it easy to take public transportation or walk to areas that have these things? Are the people generally friendly? Is it more of an older population or a young to middle-age crowd?

Thanks so much for any helpful responses

I lived in Wynnewood for 7 years which is next to Ardmore. Ardmore is very safe and is very walkable with a "downtown" that has shops and places to eat. It also has suburban square which is one of the first malls that is not a mall at all. So many cities have tried to replicate this type of integrative shopping but have failed. It really is a great place to go. The housing in Ardmore varies from crappy to VERY expensive.
If you are looking for that "suburban" feel yet very close to the city without feeling like you are in the city you cannot go wrong.

[DIDIW]

My parents my sister and I lived in Ardmore years and years ago. Does anyone know if there is a Humphrey st or rd that still exist in Ardmore Pa. Thats where we lived. I think it was close to a train station Thanks DW