Tell me about your favorite suburban neighborhood (Philadelphia, Lancaster: for sale, apartment)

[Slowgal]

My husband and I will be moving to Philadelphia's western suburbs and are looking for a safe, walkable neighborhood with beautiful architecture and trees. We can spend up to 1.5M, but obviously we prefer to spend way less rather than more! We're hoping for a 2500 - 3000 sq ft house in a historic (1930s or older) neighborhood with sidewalks. The town that we are leaving has a small lake with walking trails around it. It would be a bonus to find something similar. For the past year we have lived near a busy street, and we know that we don't want to hear sirens and honking in our backyard. Schools don't matter - we are past that age! Main Line and Media/Swarthmore are possibilities, even further west or south is ok. But not as far as West Chester, which we love, but is just too far from Philadelphia for our purposes. And nothing farther north of the Main Line. We are excited to be moving to beautiful Pennsylvania, and thanks to your helpful forum, we have learned a lot about your favorite towns. But we would love to know about your favorite streets or neighborhoods. Thanks for your help!

[Slowgal]

I've heard good things about Chestnut Hill. I just checked and there's not much for sale. I think that's a problem everywhere! How does it compare to Ardmore or Drexel Hill in terms of city noise and difficulty of parking?

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by Slowgal

I've heard good things about Chestnut Hill. I just checked and there's not much for sale. I think that's a problem everywhere! How does it compare to Ardmore or Drexel Hill in terms of city noise and difficulty of parking?

Chestnut Hill is also north of the Main Line (if that is, in fact, a dealbreaker for you), but it definitely checks off your other boxes.

At your budget, you will have no issue affording a house your size with off-street parking. Street parking can be tight, but it’s permit parking for the most part, so you should be able to scope out spaces if you do like a house that lacks a garage or driveway.

Off of Germantown Avenue, it’s not terribly noisy (similar to Lancaster and Montgomery Avenues in Ardmore, I think). Parking should be similar. There’s a mix of houses that do and don’t have off-street parking, but I believe it’s also mostly permit-controlled.

[TLC1957]

My daughter lives in an apartment in Chestnut Hill. The Septa lines runs behind her apartment definitely can hear it when it goes by. Just another thing to add to your list to check when looking for a place. She loves the area as a young person. Parking on the street can be a problem particularly when it snows. After you spend an hour digging out after the plows have gone by only to return to someone in your space!

[NewtownBucks]

Originally Posted by Slowgal

My husband and I will be moving to Philadelphia's western suburbs and are looking for a safe, walkable neighborhood with beautiful architecture and trees. We can spend up to 1.5M, but obviously we prefer to spend way less rather than more! We're hoping for a 2500 - 3000 sq ft house in a historic (1930s or older) neighborhood with sidewalks. The town that we are leaving has a small lake with walking trails around it. It would be a bonus to find something similar. For the past year we have lived near a busy street, and we know that we don't want to hear sirens and honking in our backyard. Schools don't matter - we are past that age! Main Line and Media/Swarthmore are possibilities, even further west or south is ok. But not as far as West Chester, which we love, but is just too far from Philadelphia for our purposes. And nothing farther north of the Main Line. We are excited to be moving to beautiful Pennsylvania, and thanks to your helpful forum, we have learned a lot about your favorite towns. But we would love to know about your favorite streets or neighborhoods. Thanks for your help!

Narberth maybe? I would think you should be able to find older homes in your price range in that area, and it's a good proximity to the city. As long as you are not right on Montgomery Ave or near the Septa tracks, the noise shouldn't be an issue, but of course, pay attention to any specific location.

[Duderino]

Narberth and Chestnut Hill are both really good suggestions for the type of neighborhood you've described.

I'd also suggest looking into Wyncote, Elkins Park and Wyndmoor, which are suburban communities immediately North/NW of the city, for some fantastic historic housing stock at a much better value than the Main Line.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by Slowgal

I've heard good things about Chestnut Hill. I just checked and there's not much for sale. I think that's a problem everywhere! How does it compare to Ardmore or Drexel Hill in terms of city noise and difficulty of parking?

Chestnut Hill and Ardmore are close cognates.

And yes, inventory of houses for sale is tight all over Greater Philadelphia and has been for nearly two years now. Interest rate hikes to combat inflation may change this picture in the coming year.

I think that parking will be equally (in)convenient in either community; you may want to check for properties with on-site parking in either neighborhood.

The trains will make noise as they pass by, but since the lines in both Chestnut Hill and Ardmore are entirely grade-separated, you won't hear the blasting of horns that you might hear elsewhere, including some other Philadelphia suburbs. I don't consider the sound of steel wheels on steel rails all that disturbing (the lines are fully electrified, so there's no diesel engine noise, either), but YMMV.

Drexel Hill is nice, but it doesn't have a "town center" along the lines of Germantown Avenue in Chestnut Hill or Lancaster Avenue in Ardmore. I think the houses cost less there, but the property taxes are higher.

Edited to add: Mt. Airy, just down the hill from Chestnut Hill, also checks off most if not all of the boxes you specify, and house prices are lower than in Chestnut Hill. The neighborhood has a reputation for racial integration born in the 1950s, and its business district along Germantown Avenue is as lively if not as chi-chi as Chestnut Hill's (it's home to the only professional theater company in Northwest Philadelphia, for instance).

Something worth noting about the three neighborhoods that comprise pre-consolidation Germantown Township (Germantown, Mt. Airy, Chestnut Hill): Their west sides are more affluent than their east sides are, and the houses are larger to boot (though in the northern part of East Mt. Airy, the houses are comparable in size and price to those in West Mt. Airy).

[Tweb66]

I didn't mention Mt. Airy because while I don't know the OP's age other than being too old to care about schools, I was thinking of walking distance to amenities. Mt Airy, especially W Mt Airy definitely has the homes they are looking for but I think they are further from Germantown Ave, than similar homes in Chestnut Hill. I think that small distance makes a difference as they age. Heck, I think there are homes that fit the bill right behind The Fresh Market in Chestnut Hill, including some townhomes under construction literally adjacent to their parking lot. On the topic of grocery stores, The Fresh Market is more boutique and is not full service, if you want Cheerios and a roll of toilet paper, I don' think they have either. Mt. Airy has an Acme.

[Slowgal]

This has been amazingly helpful!! Thank you everyone for taking the time to share your thoughts. I actually don't mind the sound of trains and especially love train whistles (but probably not right in my back yard!) What I don't love is ambulance/fire truck sirens all day long while I am outside gardening. And 18-wheelers actually are quite loud as they rumble along.

Coming from the south, snow is going to be an adjustment for us. Someone told me not to get a house with a long driveway to shovel. I think that I would prefer not to park in a street. My grandmother's Delaware house had a garage in an alley behind her house. That makes the street look so nice.

I do enjoy walking and it would be great to run errands on foot in a neighborhood shopping area. It's nice to know that Ardmore has a good one. I wouldn't mind walking several blocks, but probably not a mile! I'm going to check a map for some of the other communities y'all have mentioned.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by Tweb66

I didn't mention Mt. Airy because while I don't know the OP's age other than being too old to care about schools, I was thinking of walking distance to amenities. Mt Airy, especially W Mt Airy definitely has the homes they are looking for but I think they are further from Germantown Ave, than similar homes in Chestnut Hill. I think that small distance makes a difference as they age. Heck, I think there are homes that fit the bill right behind The Fresh Market in Chestnut Hill, including some townhomes under construction literally adjacent to their parking lot. On the topic of grocery stores, The Fresh Market is more boutique and is not full service, if you want Cheerios and a roll of toilet paper, I don' think they have either. Mt. Airy has an Acme.

You won't find those at a Whole Foods Market store, either. The Fresh Market is a Whole Foods competitor.

For food, Fresh Market's quality matches Whole Foods', though I think you may find products there that wouldn't pass muster at WFM because of disallowed ingredients. Whole Foods, however, beats it on produce prices, believe it or not. Fresh Market also runs a very attractive sale on boneless chicken breast and 80/20 ground chuck every Tuesday.

There's also an Acme in Chestnut Hill, on its east side near the bottom of the hill. It's in the Market Square shopping center at 7700 Crittenden Street.