Retirement Move from Newton, MA to PA (Philly Suburbs) (Philadelphia: appointed, how much)

[Avalon08]

You have tons of options available since you don't care about school districts. But in any event, I'll recommend the Lansdale area. It's within an hour (depending on traffic) of PHL. It's also along the Northeast Extension of the PA Turnpike, which means you can easily shoot up to Bloomsburg. It's close to all amenities but also has a bit of a rural feel. Lansdale itself has a little Main Street. I personally lived in Upper Gwynedd Township, which was super-convenient to the Turnpike. I think that would be a great starting point for you to look.

[MarketStEl]

I'd second Avalon08's recommendation of Lansdale, which is one of the more affordable of our many walkable suburban towns. (I went to college in Cambridge, and I know that Boston doesn't lack for such suburbs either, but I think the ones around Philadelphia are much better.)

Lansdale is smaller than West Chester (which is a county seat — county government still matters in Pennsylvania), so its downtown doesn't have as much going on, but it has several nice shops and restaurants plus a craft brewery that operates a performance venue across the street from it, under a coffee house. And it has Regional Rail service to Center City and (as has been noted) is close to some major highways.

Also worth considering is Newtown in Bucks County. This is a very charming historic town (it was the original Bucks County seat before it moved to Doylestown) that has a great Main Street and a great local supermarket chain (look up McCaffrey's online) on its fringe. It's located just off I-295 (I-95 before it was rerouted over the PA/NJ Turnpike Bridge), and you can catch Regional Rail trains in Yardley, about a 10- to 15-minute drive away. Getting to PHL is a straight shot west (south) on 295 to 95 and should take about 45 minutes. I think, however, that you may have some trouble finding houses in your price range there. But I'd recommend you scope it anyway.

Oh, and: Go Royals!

—MSE, native Kansas Citian (born there 1958, lived there until he went off to college in 1976. Of course, I'm talking about the real one, the one in Missouri. )

[Avalon08]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

I'd second Avalon08's recommendation of Lansdale, which is one of the more affordable of our many walkable suburban towns. (I went to college in Cambridge, and I know that Boston doesn't lack for such suburbs either, but I think the ones around Philadelphia are much better.)

Lansdale is smaller than West Chester (which is a county seat — county government still matters in Pennsylvania), so its downtown doesn't have as much going on, but it has several nice shops and restaurants plus a craft brewery that operates a performance venue across the street from it, under a coffee house. And it has Regional Rail service to Center City and (as has been noted) is close to some major highways.

Also worth considering is Newtown in Bucks County. This is a very charming historic town (it was the original Bucks County seat before it moved to Doylestown) that has a great Main Street and a great local supermarket chain (look up McCaffrey's online) on its fringe. It's located just off I-295 (I-95 before it was rerouted over the PA/NJ Turnpike Bridge), and you can catch Regional Rail trains in Yardley, about a 10- to 15-minute drive away. Getting to PHL is a straight shot west (south) on 295 to 95 and should take about 45 minutes. I think, however, that you may have some trouble finding houses in your price range there. But I'd recommend you scope it anyway.

Oh, and: Go Royals!

—MSE, native Kansas Citian (born there 1958, lived there until he went off to college in 1976. Of course, I'm talking about the real one, the one in Missouri. )

Not saying your suggestion of Newtown is a bad one. But two of the OP's main priorities were close to the wife's family in Bloomsburg, and close to the airport. Newtown puts them a half-hour further from Bloomsburg as well as about 15 minutes further from PHL. If the housing is also going to be unaffordable for them, there's not much sense in including that in their initial search. I traveled to Williamsport every week for years when I worked (passing the Bloomsburg exit of I-80) and I can't tell you how convenient it was to be right off the Lansdale entrance to the Northeast Extension. Get off the Turnpike and boom, you're home.

[Angus215]

I like the Lansdale suggestion as well. Just make sure to stay in a convenient distance to the I-476 exit.

[greenjuice]

I've lived in Fountainville (Doylestown) for the past 22 years, and I would agree with both the Lansdale area and Lehigh Valley suggestions. An hour's drive from me, I spend time in the Lehigh Valley frequently. It's so pretty there! Both locations are worth your exploration, OP. Good luck to you!

[BikerForPaws]

Thanks Avalon, we will check Lansdale out. Not much on the market atm. Upper Gwynedd looks like a nice quaint place......looking via Google maps anyway. The location is great. Myself, I do like a rural feel!!

Originally Posted by Avalon08

You have tons of options available since you don't care about school districts. But in any event, I'll recommend the Lansdale area. It's within an hour (depending on traffic) of PHL. It's also along the Northeast Extension of the PA Turnpike, which means you can easily shoot up to Bloomsburg. It's close to all amenities but also has a bit of a rural feel. Lansdale itself has a little Main Street. I personally lived in Upper Gwynedd Township, which was super-convenient to the Turnpike. I think that would be a great starting point for you to look.

[BikerForPaws]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

I'd second Avalon08's recommendation of Lansdale, which is one of the more affordable of our many walkable suburban towns. (I went to college in Cambridge, and I know that Boston doesn't lack for such suburbs either, but I think the ones around Philadelphia are much better.)

Lansdale is smaller than West Chester (which is a county seat — county government still matters in Pennsylvania), so its downtown doesn't have as much going on, but it has several nice shops and restaurants plus a craft brewery that operates a performance venue across the street from it, under a coffee house. And it has Regional Rail service to Center City and (as has been noted) is close to some major highways.

Also worth considering is Newtown in Bucks County. This is a very charming historic town (it was the original Bucks County seat before it moved to Doylestown) that has a great Main Street and a great local supermarket chain (look up McCaffrey's online) on its fringe. It's located just off I-295 (I-95 before it was rerouted over the PA/NJ Turnpike Bridge), and you can catch Regional Rail trains in Yardley, about a 10- to 15-minute drive away. Getting to PHL is a straight shot west (south) on 295 to 95 and should take about 45 minutes. I think, however, that you may have some trouble finding houses in your price range there. But I'd recommend you scope it anyway.

Oh, and: Go Royals!

—MSE, native Kansas Citian (born there 1958, lived there until he went off to college in 1976. Of course, I'm talking about the real one, the one in Missouri. )

Thanks MarketSt, Sandra did like the feel of Newtown when we went on Google maps. Seems homes are up there in price as you mentioned.

I lived in Shawnee, Kansas for most of my 12 years out there. I worked various jobs like truck driving and blackjack dealing and went to night school until I graduated in 2000 then moved back to the Boston area. Everything was Jayhawks, Tigers and Chiefs! I still go back to visit friends.

No one really mentioned west of Philly such as Exton and Malvern. Were not concerned in losing an hour of drivetime to the Bloomsbury area....since we'll probably only be visiting 3-4 times a year. We'd rather be in an area that allows us with a little newer house with a yard.....maybe some rolling hills. Were not a fan of flat.

[BikerForPaws]

Doylestown seems like a great area with a beautiful downtown. That would probably be as far north from the airport that we would go.

We're going to stay a few nights in the Philly area during Thanksgiving.....after we visit with family. There's a vast area to look at. Maybe a B&B in somewhere between Doylestown and west of Philly such as Media. Just looking for a nice area that we can use as a command post while we do a lot of searching in a small amount of time. Any recommendations from anyone would be helpful. Of course were more concern with the location/logistics than the quality of the B&B. Thank you!!

Originally Posted by greenjuice

I've lived in Fountainville (Doylestown) for the past 22 years, and I would agree with both the Lansdale area and Lehigh Valley suggestions. An hour's drive from me, I spend time in the Lehigh Valley frequently. It's so pretty there! Both locations are worth your exploration, OP. Good luck to you!

[BikerForPaws]

Question on taxes: Do all towns have a school tax? I looked at a home in Sinking Springs/Reading and the school tax was outrageous:
Tax Information
City/Town Tax: $1,501
County Tax: $1,904
School Tax: $6,879
Tax Assessed Value: $248,700
Tax Year: 2021
Tax Annual Amount: $10,284
Assessments Information
Year Assessed: 2021

I then looked at a home Media and it was:
Tax Information
City/Town Tax: $141
County Tax: $418
School Tax: $1,972
Tax Assessed Value: $139,230
Tax Year: 2021
Tax Annual Amount: $2,530
Assessments Information
Year Assessed: 2021

I"m not comparing homes. Just the taxes. Seems higher school tax, lower home price. Makes sense. In Mass, we don't break down the taxes by County, City and School. For example in Newton, MA for a $850k home:
ax Information
Taxes: $6,813.23
Tax Year: 2,021
Tax ID: 694807

For a 1,300,000 Home:
Tax Information
Taxes: $11,264
Tax Year: 2,021
Tax ID: 707073

I'm sure property taxes are going to go up even more when a new home is bought since they usually get reassessed after the purchase. Who knows in this market!!

I'll do some research in the forum. I'm sure there is a topic on this.

[Angus215]

The assessed value is a somewhat meaningless formulaic number that the tax assessment is based on and is not equal to the home’s market or appraised value. I’d compare taxes to current market value. I think you will find that they are generally 1.5% - 2.0% of market value.