Abington (Philadelphia, York, Springfield: middle-class, real estate, crime)

[manny1031]

My family and I are considering moving to the Philadelphia area for employment reasons. One of the towns we're thinking of looking at in terms of buying a house is Abington. I read in Money magazine that Abington was #21 in terms of best places to live. Can anyone on this site give me their take on Abington? What are the schools like? Is it safe? Is it a nice place to grow up? Thanks.

[juniperbleu]

I grew up nearby, and Abington always seemed like a good place. It's safe, nice, and fairly convenient. It's an older suburb, so it doesn't have big new developments or anything like in other areas (which, to me, is a good thing). I knew people in the public schools there, and they all seemed to like it, although I can't speak from personal experience on that.

[maf763]

If you're looking online at real estate, you can use zip code 19001. Also parts of 19038 and 19046 are Abington. The neighborhoods range from working class (Roslyn, Crestmont, parts of Elkins Park) where you can find a lot of homes below 300K, and even some below 200K, to exclusive areas like parts of Meadowbrook and Rydal, where homes can run seven figures, to areas in between like Noble and Glenside. It is an older suburb, so you will find a variety of housing types and not much in the way of cookie-cutter subdivisions.

For the most part, it is a pretty safe area, though crime figures may skew a little higher because of the Willow Grove Mall, where things like shoplifting, car break-ins, stuff like that get reported on Abington rolls. I don't think there are any areas I wouldn't walk through by myself at night, though some people are leery of Crestmont.

The schools have a good reputation and are quick to promote that they are Blue Ribbon Schools, for whatever that is worth, but it's one of the bigger suburban districts in the area and the junior high and high school are pretty huge. The junior high runs grades 7-9 and the hs is grades 10-12. Like any district, you have some great teachers and some not-so-great teachers, and the experience for your kids can vary from year to year. Over the last decade or so, they have been rebuilding all the elementary schools, which now look like great facilities. I have to believe the junior high and high school will undergo a serious renovation before too long.

A couple of nice features are Alvethorpe Park, which technically is only open to Abington residents, the Abington Library, and a number of regional rail stations with service to Center City. Abington Hospital has grown huge and is a big employment center, and there is a second hospital, Holy Redeemer, so there are a lot of health care options. Because there is a lot of commercial space in Abington, the real estate taxes run somewhat lower than neighboring towns (like Cheltenham), though I've always felt that a lot of Abington residents are pretty cranky about politics and taxes.

One other note, while many Abington residents will identify themselves as living in Abington, there are also people who identify with the neighborhood they are in, like Roslyn or Rydal or Glenside. It can get confusing because some neighborhoods are partly Abington, partly another township - like parts of Glenside are claimed by Abington, Cheltenham, and Springfield townships.

[PA2UK]

Originally Posted by manny1031

My family and I are considering moving to the Philadelphia area for employment reasons. One of the towns we're thinking of looking at in terms of buying a house is Abington. I read in Money magazine that Abington was #21 in terms of best places to live. Can anyone on this site give me their take on Abington? What are the schools like? Is it safe? Is it a nice place to grow up? Thanks.

#21 in the country? State? Or Philly area?

As mentioned, Abington is one of the older suburbs so your housing choices will tend to be older. If you're looking for newer housing, this may not be the area to look in. My parents grew up in Abington but of course this was a long time ago - my mom hated the high school because it was large and you easily got lost in the crowd. But that is the only bad thing I've heard either of them say about the area.

[alohagirl444]

It must be in the country. I live across the street in another township and they have been putting up signs everywhere as being one of the best places to live.

I think any place around there is good. Depends on what you are looking for. I wouldn't limit yourself. I would stay away from Crestmont section of Abington though.

Maybe even look into Upper Dublin- esp if you have school aged kids.

[MoorestownResident]

Originally Posted by manny1031

My family and I are considering moving to the Philadelphia area for employment reasons. One of the towns we're thinking of looking at in terms of buying a house is Abington. I read in Money magazine that Abington was #21 in terms of best places to live. Can anyone on this site give me their take on Abington? What are the schools like? Is it safe? Is it a nice place to grow up? Thanks.

The town is not very impressive, even for PA. I suggest you look elsewhere in the area like Blue Bell, PA. I recommend looking in NJ as well.

[kelb]

It's a good area with lots of conveniences. The Willow Grove Mall is good. An extra advantage is immediate proximity to a very good hospital.
I lived nearby for 10 years, and the down side I see in the area is that traffic is an issue, especially as you go a little further south toward the city.
If you want something a little more laid back and in the same vicinity, try Horsham. Wide range of housing, lots of convenience, just a tad slower pace.

[manny1031]

Thank you all very much for the information on Abington. I appreciate it. Below is the link in Money magazine I read regarding Abington.

Best places to live 2008 - Top 100 City details: Abington, PA - from MONEY Magazine

[ajb842]

I would definately recommend Abington for the convenience and affordable housing. You are close to malls, grocery stores. I'm surprised that some people would not like it. As with almost anywhere in Montgomery county, there may be an area that is less desireable. In this instance, Crestmont is the part that gets a bad rep, but the actual area that doesn't look too hot is quite small and concentrated. Take a drive and you'll see it's nothing to worry about. I even have friends that techinically live in Crestmont but it looks nothing like what some may describe Crestmont to be. Roslyn is probably the most affordable area, but there also parts near Abington Hospital that are gorgeous. Rydal and Meadowbrook are pricey, yet beautiful as well(be careful because some of those 2 areas are Jenkintown which is actually a different township with different schools, so it could be confusing). Almost anywhere off of Old York Road in Abington is nice, and it's all pretty safe. The schools are good as well and you're never more than 5min from a Starbucks!

[Tone509]

As I've mentioned every so often, I grew up in Abington between the mid-70s and mid-90s; I still visit family who live "next door" in the Lower Moreland side of Willow Grove. (Gotta love how they split up neighborhoods between townships around there. ) I pretty much agree with everything that is said here.

It's an older, fairly high-density generally middle-class bedroom community with some working-class and upper-class neighborhoods that balance each other out. It's one of the more diverse suburbs in the area which I happen to see as a good thing.

Crestmont is a predominately black neighborhood of working-to-middle class households; there won't be "entrepreneurs" greeting you at the community entrance but I wouldn't walk home tipsy with money hanging out of my pockets either.

I believe the schools still have an excellent reputation but may have been outpaced by many of the school districts on the Main Line and other western suburbs that are mentioned here regularly. That said, I graduated with many people who went on to the Ivy League and other "top" universities and colleges.

Unless you're content to take in a movie in Jenkintown, hangout at a bookstore or patronize one of many chain (and a few homegrown) restaurants, the closest thing to nightlife may be found in Glenside around Keswick Avenue.

In short, it's not as shiny new or ritzy as some of the newer developed suburbs but it's got character, all the shopping you could want and I would consider it a safe and friendly area to live.