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Old 02-20-2018, 08:29 PM
 
4 posts, read 3,099 times
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Hi,

My husband will be working at Temple University and wants to commute using the train. We have five kids and need a nice kid friendly suburb to live in close to ice hockey, shopping, and swimming pools/recreation centers.

He wants to keep his commute to about 30-45 min on the train. We can spend up to $625K. We probably need at least 3000 S.F. Which suburbs would you recommend?
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Old 02-20-2018, 08:37 PM
 
Location: Philadelphia
2,539 posts, read 2,311,222 times
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With that budget and price range I am going to recommend Abington Twp. and Jenkintown, Pennsylvania as your #1. FYI Bradley Cooper is from Jenkintown, PA

The housing stock is older, with TONS of character, and you get WAY more for your money than some of the other inner ring suburbs without sacrificing space/size. Jenkintown is a lovely community, with a great school district and very much family focused. The commute is within the preferred time and the school district is TOP NOTCH!
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Old 02-20-2018, 11:14 PM
 
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If you watch The Goldbergs, they are from Jenkintown.
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Old 02-21-2018, 01:58 AM
 
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
23,814 posts, read 34,670,113 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sares22 View Post
Hi,

My husband will be working at Temple University and wants to commute using the train. We have five kids and need a nice kid friendly suburb to live in close to ice hockey, shopping, and swimming pools/recreation centers.

He wants to keep his commute to about 30-45 min on the train. We can spend up to $625K. We probably need at least 3000 S.F. Which suburbs would you recommend?
Are you looking for traveling teams for hockey or just an ice rink?
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Old 02-21-2018, 04:40 AM
 
Location: Germantown, Philadelphia
14,155 posts, read 9,047,788 times
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The problem from where I sit is this:

Most of this region's ice rinks, whether or not they have hockey programs or offer hockey lessons, are not located where the Regional Rail stations are.

Montgomery County has a very nice indoor rink complex at Valley Forge Sports near Oaks. Oaks is nowhere near Regional Rail.

Our health and wellness channel at Phillymag, BeWellPhilly, ran a list of great local rinks in December. Remove the outdoor rinks in the city (Blue Cross RiverRink, Rothman Rink), and what you're left with is a bunch of really good indoor rinks, most of which are nowhere near Regional Rail.

You could, however, try to find a house in University City (you have plenty to choose from in your price range, though finding a house with 3k sf of interior space may be a challenge) and use Penn's Class of 1923 Rink, listed here. Pluses: Your hubby's commute to Temple would in all likelihood involve either a trolley and a subway line or two subways (cheaper) or a short jaunt through the Commuter Tunnel (pricier but a little faster). You will also find all the amenities you want for your kids in this area too. Minuses: Good luck getting your kids into Penn Alexander. (Wage tax isn't an issue for you, as the differential between the resident and non-resident rates isn't so great as to make the 'burbs a clear choice.)

Two other rinks on the list are in communities served by Regional Rail. One is in Ardmore, the other in Chestnut Hill.

Chestnut Hill's in the city but is suburban in form, and it has a really cool and urbane business district. (You can read the love letter I wrote to it in the summer of 2016 to get a feel for what that business strip is like.) But: 3k sf for <$625k in that neighborhood? You can find one or the other, but not both. (Check listings in ZIP code 19118 anyway in case I'm wrong.) Chestnut Hill East trains stop at Temple University Regional Rail station on their way into Center City; Chestnut Hill West trains do so after emerging from the Commuter Tunnel. If you don't want to send your kids to the local public school - I'd suggest you give it a try, but (1) I'm a big proponent of choosing integrated schools, and many parents remain resistant to it for reasons that are less valid than they think (2) people get scared off by the generally mediocre-at-best scores Philly public schools get from the rating sites, when the truth is closer to "if the school is clean and well-run, your kid will get a good education in it even if it doesn't get an 8 or better from GreatSchools.org, for the faculty and staff at such schools do put a good deal of time and effort into giving kids a good education"; if you like, I could introduce you to the (openly gay, childless) man who owns half of Chestnut Hill's commercial real estate and is a big financial supporter of Jenks and let him make the case for me - there are several good private and charter schools in and near the neighborhood, and the charters won't cost you a dime.

Ardmore is the Main Line's "downtown," and most of it is located in one of the most highly regarded and honored school districts in this region, Lower Merion. (The part that isn't is in the School District of Haverford Township, which doesn't enjoy LM's exalted reputation but is nonetheless good.) You will be able to find the kind of house you want at the price you want here or in nearby Narberth, the hometown-y borough completely surrounded by Lower Merion Township whose kids also attend LMT schools, but it looks to me like its local ice rink has no hockey programs.

After that, you're SOL in your attempt to find a rink with ice hockey and a Regional Rail station in close proximity.
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Old 02-21-2018, 06:21 AM
 
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OP, these are some rinks I'm aware of:

Skatium, 1002 Darby Rd, Havertown, PA

Phila. Skating Club, 220 Holland Ave, Ardmore, PA Past Olympians have trained there.

Laura Sims Skate House, 210 S. 63rd St, Phila. The Phila. Flyers have been sponsors of this rink.
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Old 02-21-2018, 06:29 AM
 
273 posts, read 206,875 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MarketStEl View Post
Ardmore is the Main Line's "downtown," and most of it is located in one of the most highly regarded and honored school districts in this region, Lower Merion. (The part that isn't is in the School District of Haverford Township, which doesn't enjoy LM's exalted reputation but is nonetheless good.) You will be able to find the kind of house you want at the price you want here or in nearby Narberth, the hometown-y borough completely surrounded by Lower Merion Township whose kids also attend LMT schools, but it looks to me like its local ice rink has no hockey programs.

After that, you're SOL in your attempt to find a rink with ice hockey and a Regional Rail station in close proximity.
Haverford Township runs a local ice rink, the Skatium, which is part of the Flyers Learn to Play Program.

The Township of Haverford, Pennsylvania / Skatium
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Old 02-21-2018, 09:15 AM
 
752 posts, read 459,343 times
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Probably further out than you want to be but near Exton (about an hour into Center City via Regional Rail and then you would still need to transfer to the Subway to Temple) is this impressive ice complex:

Home Page | Ice Line Quad Rinks Website - Pointstreak Sites
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Old 02-21-2018, 10:02 AM
 
Location: Germantown, Philadelphia
14,155 posts, read 9,047,788 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PHL10 View Post
Probably further out than you want to be but near Exton (about an hour into Center City via Regional Rail and then you would still need to transfer to the Subway to Temple) is this impressive ice complex:

Home Page | Ice Line Quad Rinks Website - Pointstreak Sites
Correction: you would not need to transfer to the subway to get to Temple from Exton.

You just ride all the way through the Commuter Tunnel and get off at the first stop outside it, Temple University. It's at the eastern edge of the campus, at Ninth and Berks streets. Your Paoli/Thorndale train that enters the tunnel leaves it as a Lansdale/Doylestown train. We used to have numbers that referred to the through routes; this was route R5. You'll still hear the occasional Philadelphian use these.

I swear, neither SEPTA nor many of the riders seem to understand the importance or significance of the Commuter Tunnel. There is nothing else like it in North America.
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Old 02-21-2018, 10:28 AM
 
712 posts, read 701,151 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sares22 View Post
Hi,

My husband will be working at Temple University and wants to commute using the train. We have five kids and need a nice kid friendly suburb to live in close to ice hockey, shopping, and swimming pools/recreation centers.

He wants to keep his commute to about 30-45 min on the train. We can spend up to $625K. We probably need at least 3000 S.F. Which suburbs would you recommend?
I grew up playing hockey in the area. If you are looking for areas with good youth hockey programs and school districts that sponsor hockey given your needs in terms of distance, home price and train access I would suggest looking in the following school districts:

Abington, Upper Dublin, Upper Moreland, Colonial (Plymouth and Whitemarsh Townships), Wisahickon, Hatboro-Horsham and possibly North Penn (Good schools but may be a little further from Temple than you want).

All of these school districts offer good schools, sponsor hockey and would give you access to trains that offer direct service to Temple.
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