Philly: Walkable Suburbs (Philadelphia, Chester, Springfield: cul-de-sac, for sale, new construction)

[Michigan12345]

Is West Chester a safe, family friendly area?

[KansastoSouthphilly]

Originally Posted by Michigan12345

Is West Chester a safe, family friendly area?

Yes and yes. However, it is also a college town so proximity to student housing is something you may want to consider while looking in West Chester.

I think you will be very pleased with what the Philly area has to offer based on your preferences.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by Michigan12345

When an area is called a borough, does that mean it has its own downtown? I’m very unfamiliar with Pennsylvania!

"Borough" is a legal distinction. It's a type of municipality.

Pennyslvania has four types of municipalities: cities, townships, boroughs and home rule municipalities (most of these used to be boroughs and opted for this newest form to have more leeway in how they operate and make laws).

Boroughs have a little more control over their operation and territory than townships do. Home rule municipalities are for all intents and purposes the same as cities.

The places I referred to as "communities" are recognized places but not legally incorporated municipalities themselves. All of them lie in one or more townships.

Parts of Ardmore and Bryn Mawr lie in Lower Merion Township, Montgomery County. Narberth Borough is surrounded by this township.

Parts of Ardmore and Bryn Mawr lie in Haverford Township, Delaware County. To add some confusion to this, "Haverford" is also one of those unincorporated Main Line communities that straddles the LMT/Montco and Haverford/Delco line. The part of Haverford Township that isn't part of this "Haverford" is called "Havertown."

Part of Bryn Mawr and all of Wayne lie in Radnor Township, Delaware County - which is the most affluent municipality in that largely blue-collar, middle-middle-class (and below) county.

Not all boroughs have "downtowns" or "town centers" or anything like them. By contrast, all of the communities I named do, and so does Narberth. Some Main Line communities, however, do not; those include Villanova, Radnor and St. James.

PennDOT marks community and county boundaries with white signs with blue lettering. The signs bear the words "<municipality type> of" above the name of the place. The unincorporated communities are marked with signs reading "Village of <community name>"; villages are not legal municipalities in Pennsylvania.

[Michigan12345]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

"Borough" is a legal distinction. It's a type of municipality.

Pennyslvania has four types of municipalities: cities, townships, boroughs and home rule municipalities (most of these used to be boroughs and opted for this newest form to have more leeway in how they operate and make laws).

Boroughs have a little more control over their operation and territory than townships do. Home rule municipalities are for all intents and purposes the same as cities.

The places I referred to as "communities" are recognized places but not legally incorporated municipalities themselves. All of them lie in one or more townships.

Parts of Ardmore and Bryn Mawr lie in Lower Merion Township, Montgomery County. Narberth Borough is surrounded by this township.

Parts of Ardmore and Bryn Mawr lie in Haverford Township, Delaware County. To add some confusion to this, "Haverford" is also one of those unincorporated Main Line communities that straddles the LMT/Montco and Haverford/Delco line. The part of Haverford Township that isn't part of this "Haverford" is called "Havertown."

Part of Bryn Mawr and all of Wayne lie in Radnor Township, Delaware County - which is the most affluent municipality in that largely blue-collar, middle-middle-class (and below) county.

Not all boroughs have "downtowns" or "town centers" or anything like them. By contrast, all of the communities I named do, and so does Narberth. Some Main Line communities, however, do not; those include Villanova, Radnor and St. James.

PennDOT marks community and county boundaries with white signs with blue lettering. The signs bear the words "<municipality type> of" above the name of the place. The unincorporated communities are marked with signs reading "Village of <community name>"; villages are not legal municipalities in Pennsylvania.

Thank you for this explanation!

[Michigan12345]

Originally Posted by KansastoSouthphilly

Yes and yes. However, it is also a college town so proximity to student housing is something you may want to consider while looking in West Chester.

I think you will be very pleased with what the Philly area has to offer based on your preferences.

Are most of the homes in the areas listed in this thread on a city grid or in a subdivision? We are not interested in subdivision living.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by thedirtypirate

There are a number but my personal favorites are Doylestown or West Chester.

Good choices but Doylestown is not within an hour of the city.

[Pilot1]

Originally Posted by kyb01

Good choices but Doylestown is not within an hour of the city.

Neither is West Chester, especially during rush hour, and there is no train stop there so you have to drive up to Exton, which isn't that far. Still even with the train, when you count drive to the station, wait time, etc is over an hour into center city. Not the end of the world, but some people find that too long.

[rowhomecity]

Originally Posted by banjozac

Seconding Haddonfield and adding Collingswood. They’re both a much quicker ride to center city Philly than a bulk of the other suggestions.

I would not consider Collingswood to have A + schools. More on the line of B/B-

[rowhomecity]

I would highly recommend any of the Main Line towns MarketStEl recommend in addition to West Chester and Doylestown.

Doylestown is an extremely beautiful area and on the fringe of an hour from Philadelphia. But Upper Bucks County is one of the most beautiful places in the entire Mid Atlantic. I think Doylestown will offer precisely the grid/town feel with larger single family homes walkable to the town center you are seeking. For example this home is just a few blocks from the vibrant Main St. and train station.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2.../8987628_zpid/


Ambler is also a beautiful area with a nice downtown.

Also please consider Media. It is the most vibrant suburban town in the Philadelphia region. It is the county seat, and home to many restaurants, shops, cafes, bars and a theater. And also has a trolley that runs down its Main St.

[tall oaks]

Yardley, Langhorne, and Newtown in Bucks County are within your hour commute time, have walkable downtown areas, historic homes (all settled in the late 1600's) and have excellent schools (Pennsbury, Neshaminy and Council Rock). Yardley and Langhorne have train stations to Philly. But, if you drive, the Interstate 95 commute might just do you in.