Doylestown vs Newtown vs Main Line vs Other Suggestions (Philadelphia: condo, how much)

[JM4439]

Hi All, first posting here- appreciate the advice and guidance ahead of time! My wife and I have been doing a lot of research in preparation for a potential move in the upcoming year and are struggling with the vast options that we have available to us. We have visited many of the cities (mostly in passing tho) and lived in Pennsylvania at points in our lives (Lehigh Valley and Northampton County respectively but have limited knowledge of the Southeast outside of short visit or hanging out in Philly during our HS and College days. (Early 2000s)

When are you moving? Within 6-12 months
Where are you coming from? - currently live in Boca Raton, FL. I moved to the Lehigh Valley in middle school and graduated from ESU and my wife moved to Northampton County also in middle school.
Why are you moving?- My wife’s entire family is in Northampton county and south jersey area and my family dispersed throughout NJ (Bergen county), and NY (Bronx, Brooklyn, upstate)- furthermore my company floated a promotion by me that allows me to work in any city so Both being from the NE and have full families it makes sense to take advantage.
Where will you be working?- philly and remotely (I can make own schedule)
Have you been here yet? - Yes
Will you buy or rent? Buy
If buying, are you looking for a house or a condo? How much can you spend? House - $700k- $1mm with some flex.
Do you have a preference of living in a NJ or PA suburb? PA, I actually like NJ but wife wants PA. In fairness it makes more fiscal sense to go to PA side, better options, stronger schools, property tax And income tax advantages and the times I do have to go into the offices it will be in Philadelphia.

Are you married or single? Do you have children? Married. Wife and I are in our mid/upper 30s- we have a 2 year old with another on the way
Do you prefer public or private schools? Open for either but a strong public school would be fine. School quality important though.
Do you have pets? - yes, 2 French bulldogs
Do you want or need a yard?- yes
Are you keeping a car?- yes
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? Quiet and calm is preferable but would look some amenities esp. for children, proximity to philly for occasional nights in the City. Restaurants are important and like a nice downtown area. Safety is key for us.

What do you want to be closest to?
Work- can work from home as needed so not overly concerned about work and commute. Maybe sub-45 min into philly when needed.
Shopping- yes
Basic services (supermarket, drugstore, etc.)- yes, even better if there’s a trader joe or Whole Foods nearby. Not a deal breaker tho.
Nightlife- restaurants (we are foodies) but don’t need bustling nightlife.
Train or subway stations- accessible sure but not dealbreaker.

[GuyBucks]

I live in Solebury Township, Bucks County. It's a beautiful, safe area with a top school district. You can get to Philadelphia or New York easily, and there are great downtowns with restaurants in nearby New Hope, Doylestown and Princeton. I'm thinking this would appeal to you because we are easily accessible to the Lehigh Valley and all of the places you have mentioned in New Jersey. All basic services are nearby, and there's a Trader Joe's 30 minutes away.

I looked into moving to the Princeton area a few years ago, and decided to stay where I am because of the taxes, which are obscene. I would strongly consider you choose Pennsylvania instead of New Jersey. Murphy is already talking about new taxes as a result of coronavirus. I can literally walk to New Jersey from where I live, but my taxes are a whole lot less.

[thedirtypirate]

Originally Posted by GuyBucks

I live in Solebury Township, Bucks County. It's a beautiful, safe area with a top school district. You can get to Philadelphia or New York easily, and there are great downtowns with restaurants in nearby New Hope, Doylestown and Princeton. I'm thinking this would appeal to you because we are easily accessible to the Lehigh Valley and all of the places you have mentioned in New Jersey. All basic services are nearby, and there's a Trader Joe's 30 minutes away.

I looked into moving to the Princeton area a few years ago, and decided to stay where I am because of the taxes, which are obscene. I would strongly consider you choose Pennsylvania instead of New Jersey. Murphy is already talking about new taxes as a result of coronavirus. I can literally walk to New Jersey from where I live, but my taxes are a whole lot less.

I agree with this and think the area around doylestown and new hope fits the criteria well. However, I will say, northampton county is kind of difficult to get to from central bucks. You could take 611 but it isn't really a highway. NJ-29 and PA-32 are more of leisure roads than highways also.



Then again, I am not sure living towards the mainline would be faster at all. 476 and 309 are the fastest connections between Philly and the Leigh Valley.

[TownDweller]

I don't know how the OP would get from Doylestown to central Philadelphia under 45 minutes, though. An hour is probably more realistic.