Main line in Phili- where to live? (Chester, King of Prussia: best town, real estate)

[Mimifio]

My husband and I are relocating to King of Prussia, PA. I have an 18 month old so I'm looking to live in a safe, kid friendly area close to King of Prussia. I've heard about Collegeville and Phoenixville, but what about Lansdale, Malvern, Paoli, Wayne, Devon, Radnor, etc... Do these areas have good schools and are they affordable? I prefer to live south of King of Prussia so the drive back home to Richmond isn't as bad. Any advice would be appreaciated. Thanks!

[ajb842]

Well, Collegeville I hear is nice as there are many newer homes for a relatively reasonable price. It's not too far from where you need to be, though I'm not sure how developed the area is. I'm not at all familiar with Pheonixville, though I suspect much of the same. Lansdale isn't my favorite place, though I know there are some cute areas. If you're looking there, check out North Wales which is the next town over. It's close to everything and the homes are very cute and usually with land. Wayne/Radnor/Devon are probably quite expensive for a single home(I would imagine about 400K at least, probably more). Check out Wynnewood which is the Main line but you can get a nice single for about 325K. Also, to be close to King of Prussia, check out Lafayette Hill and Plymouth Meeting. It's very nice there, especially in Lafayette Hill. There's tons of shopping and restaurants and in general, most areas of lafayette hill and plymouth meeting are very nice and friendly, with plenty of families and excellent schools. The real estate taxes there are pretty reasonable, running about 2500-3500/year.

[Awesomo.2000]

Please notice that the Mainline is expensive.

Also, King of Prussia is very suburban as urban sprawly suburban.

The mainline is one of the oldest suburbs in America. So, they are suburban, but they are actually urban. Very walkable, tight distinct central business districts, all located on the "mainline-R5" railroad. I loved the mainline, just very expensive, and you got to deal with some snobby people.

Although, one thing I noticed is I know the mainline towns closer to the the city like Ardmore, Narberth, Havertown, etc. I have less knowledge on the ones further out that you mentioned, but I still think they are expensive(well atleast more then King of Prussia)

[orrmobl]

Phoenixville has slightly better schools than Collegeville. It has a walkable downtown which is on the way back up after being down for decades. It still has some shady looking sections, along with new construction. It is the new hip hot spot.

Collegeville was recently named "best town for your school buck" but my friend is sending his kids to Catholic school there because he was not impressed with the teenagers attending the high school. It is rural, development central, still developing amenities...

From south to north:
Unionvill Chadds Ford - great schools, semi rural, far from KOP, great place to live

West Chester - Very good schools, family oriented, walkable downtown, becoming yuppie central

Downingtown/Exton/Lionville/Chester Spring - Dtown schools are even better, there is a wide range of affordability in this area, Chester Springs is Main Line wannabe central and the taxes are high - why people want to pay more for the same schools, I have no idea

Malvern - Great Valley schools are even better, also a pretty affluent semi rural area

Wayne/Paoli/Berwyn/Devon - Tredyffrin schools are the best on this side of the state and the high school is in the top 100 in the country - pretty affluent area but you can find a 3 bedroom in the high 300,000s...yes I know...

Other parts of Wayne/Devon/Villanova et al - Radnor schools are also really good but the high school has a bad rep for snobby kids, cheating, grade fixing, etc. Not the environment I would want to raise my kids in

Haverford schools - Above Collegeville and Phoenixville schools, below West Chester schools, family oriented area, but its delco so you have a bit of a city attitude

Lower Merion - most affluent area around 3rd best schools in the area (after Tredyffrin and Radnor), mix of all kinds of people but depending where you live you will encounter super snobs...

King of Prussia area Upper Merion schools are not as good as either Phoenixville or Collegeville.

So just pick how much house you need, how far from work, and how much you can afford...

[Mimifio]

Thanks for great input everyone! Last question- what do you think about West Chester, PA compared to Collegeville?

[orrmobl]

West Chester all the way - much much better area...