Can you please tell me about Media, PA?? (Dublin, Unionville: school district, to live in)

[Kelliott]

Is Media on the train line into Philly? Can you walk to the station? If so, how long is the ride into the good parts of Philly? I won't be working in the city but I would like to take rides down there for shopping and culture.

I am also looking for a place to live in the Philly suburbs but I am looking for a place with charm, walkable neighborhoods, good supermarkets (health food and regular), and good restaurants, cafés, etc. I do like the fact that Media has a Trader Joe's and I like that Wayne, PA has a Whole Foods and a Farmer's Market.

Right now I am trying to decide between the Mainline and Media. So far I've heard that the Mainline has excellent public transportation and walkable towns. Is there anything to walk to though? Are there good restaurants, bars, shops within walking distance? Does Media have this? I do like the fact that the mainline is so close to King of Prussia mall but I obviously don't want to base my whole move on that.

Basically the more amenities that are close by (within walking distance or public transportation) the better. I have decided to cut back on the use of my car so if I can walk, take the train, or bus it would be better.

[thesixth]

Media has all the things you ask for (walkable, train, trolley access, shops, good schools) it's just a bit smaller than the main line communities.

[Tone509]

There's a few ways to take transit from Media to downtown Philly. But the most direct would be to take the R3 Regional Rail. It's about a 40-45 ride to Center City.

State Street is the main drag in Media. I've been there a couple of times and found it cool in a "town square" type of way. I googled State Street to find some more info and wouldn't you know, I found a City Data link.

Media, PA : Another view of shops on State Street in downtown Media, Pennsylvania photo

[rainrock]

You'll get a much better house for your money in Media than you will on the Mainline imo. The train station in Media is probably 3/4 of a mile from the center of town, its walkable but there are a few hills here and there. As far as KOP , Media is only 10 minutes further to KOP than the Mainline towns. There are also two smaller malls within 2 miles of Media(Granite Run mall+ Springfield Mall.)There is also an Acme in Media and Genuardis and Giant in Springfield. Tons of restaurants in Springfield but its an autocentric type town.


One of the best things I enjoy about Media is Ridley Creek State Park, its 2 miles NW of downtown Media. There is a hilly 5 mile paved biking/jogging/walking trail that loops alongside Ridley Creek. There are also like 50 miles of wooded trails but watch out for the ticks if you go hiking. Media is a very nice underappreciated area. Then the very nice West Chester area picks up on the western side of the Park.





Pennsylvania State Parks - Ridley Creek - PA DCNR

[Dave M.]

Originally Posted by rainrock

Chadds Ford is a great area to raise a family but lets keep it real here. Every superintendant of a prestigious school district makes that same exact claim ,some angle that proves they are the best school district in the state.That pdf you gave was from 2004, psts,sat scores change from semester to semester. Great school district-lets not get carried away though.This is like the 7th poster who has claimed that their school district is the top ranked one in the state. .

I'm sorry, but you are wrong. The best barometer of a good school district is high test scores on standardized tests. You want your kid to be in a school with a lot of high achievers, not slackers and delinquents. You didn't read my link, it said.."With a mean scaled score of 1557, the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District scored the highest of 501 school districts in the state of Pennsylvania."" This is the PSSA test, the state standardized test. And for being three years old data, well, 2000 kids in the school district don't get stupid in three years do they?

Let's examine if you were "keeping it real". You said..."It has a couple dozen bars and restaurants along a modest walkable downtown. ""

That's not true. There's hardly more than 10-12, but if you want to count fast food and pizza and take-out, then yes. Keep in mind that the center of downtown is only about 5 blocks long!

"There is a mall a mile to the East(Springfield)""

That's not true either. Much more than a mile.

"and Ridley Creek State Park great wilderness area 10 miles from center city Philly."

That's not true either. Surely you must know it is much farther than that.

[rainrock]

Originally Posted by Dave M.

Let's examine if you were "keeping it real". You said..."It has a couple dozen bars and restaurants along a modest walkable downtown. ""

That's not true. There's hardly more than 10-12, but if you want to count fast food and pizza and take-out, then yes. Keep in mind that the center of downtown is only about 5 blocks long!

48 results found, displaying 1 to 48

Media Dining options

Apollo Pizza
40 E State Street, Media, PA 19063
610-565-3883 pizza, sandwiches, take-out, delivery
Azie Restaurant
217-219 W State Street, Media, PA 19063
610-566-4750 Asian
Brodeur's On State Street
1 W State Street, Media, PA 19063
610-566-5515 continental, catering, bar
Coffee Beanery
100 W State Street, Media, PA 19063
610-566-2857 coffee shops, fair trade, Second Saturday
Coldstone Creamery
21 W State Street, Media, PA 19063
610-627-1111 ice cream, Second Saturday
Court Diner
140 E Baltimore Avenue, Media, PA 19063
610-566-4403 diner
Custom Bagels
15 S Olive Street, Media, PA 19063
610-891-6761 bagels
D'Ignazio's Towne House
117 Veterans Square, Media, PA 19063
610-566-6141 fine dining, banquets, seafood, lunch, dinner
Dunkin Donuts
400 E Baltimore Avenue, Media, PA 19063
610-566-1071 fast food, fair trade
Fast & Fancy Restaurant and Catering
211 W State Street, Media, PA 19063
610-565-5856 breakfast, lunch, catering
Fellini's Café Trattoria
106 W State Street, Media, PA 19063
610-892-7616 Italian, fair trade, Second Saturday
HOUSE
110 South Jackson Street, Media, PA 19063
610-566-2505 sandwiches, soups, take-out, desserts, coffee, pastries, fresh bread, gourmet prepared foods, Second Saturday
Iron Hill Brewery
30 E State Street, Media, PA 19063
610-627-9000 bars and pubs
Joclyn's
109 W State Street, Media, PA 19063
610-627-2102 bars and pubs
John's Grille
116 S Monroe Street, Media, PA 19063
610-565-1492 bars and pubs
John's Place
113 S Olive Street, Media, PA 19063
610-565-7794 breakfast, lunch
Koffee Korner
15 S Jackson Street, Media, PA 19063
610-566-1558 diner, fair trade
La Belle Epoque Café
38 W State Street, Media, PA 19063
610-566-6808 French
La Na Thai French Cuisine
33 W State Street, Media, PA 19063
610-892-7787 Thai
Little Anthony's Pizza
8 W State Street, Media, PA 19063
610-565-1117 pizza, sandwiches, take-out, eat-in
Manhattan Bagel
502 E Baltimore Avenue, Media, PA 19063
610-891-7790 bagels
Margaret Kuo's Media
4-6 W State Street, Media, PA 19063
610-892-0115 Chinese, Japanese, bar, Second Saturday
McDonalds
220 E Baltimore Avenue, Media, PA 19063
610-565-1560 fast food
Media Gourmet Cafe
300 W State Street, Media, PA 19063
610-566-0444 Mediterranean, sandwiches, salads, desserts, coffee shops, cheese, catering, breakfast, lunch, dinner, BYOB, fair trade, Second Saturday
Mrs. Marty's Deli
11 W State Street, Media, PA 19063
610-566-2888 deli, eat-in
Nadia Thai Cuisine
42 E State Street, Media, PA 19063
610-892-8710 Thai
O'Malley's Ice Cream Pub
109 W State Street, Media, PA 19063
610-891-0920 ice cream, Second Saturday
On a Roll Restaurant
11 S Orange Street, Media, PA 19063
610-892-7979 sandwiches
Picasso Restaurant & Bar
36 W State Street, Media, PA 19063
610-891-9600 bars and pubs, Second Saturday
Pinocchio's Restaurant
131 E Baltimore Avenue, Media, PA 19063
610-566-4870 American, pizza, eat-in, carry-out, delivery
Planet Hoagie
30 W State Street, Media, PA 19063
610-891-1919 sandwiches
Plumstead Inn
26 W State Street, Media, PA 19063
610-566-2212 bars and pubs
Pretzel Boys
415 E Baltimore Avenue, Media, PA 19063
610-565-9520 pretzels
Quizno's Subs
441 E Baltimore Avenue, Media, PA 19063
610-566-9004 sandwiches
Quotations
37 E State Street, Media, PA 19063
610-627-2515 bars and pubs
Rita's Water Ice
220 S Providence Road, Media, PA 19063
610-566-2283 snacks, water ice
Salad Stop
108 W State Street, Media, PA 19063
610-566-8227 salads
Seven Stones Cafe
22 S Plum Street, Media, PA 19063
610-627-2077 coffee shops, fair trade, Second Saturday
Shere-e-Punjab
208 W State Street, Media, PA 19063
610-891-0400 Indian
Sligo
113 W State Street, Media, PA 19063
610-566-5707 bars and pubs
Starbucks Coffee
443 E Baltimore Avenue, Media, PA 19063
610-627-9092 coffee shops, fair trade
Stephen's On State
105 W State Street, Media, PA 19063
610-891-8900 bars and pubs
Sweets N Stuff
19 S Olive Street, Media, PA 19063
610-566-5363 pastries, sushi, Second Saturday
The Coffee Club
214 W State Street, Media, PA 19063
610-891-6600 coffee shops, fair trade, Second Saturday
Wawa Food Market
100 E Baltimore Avenue, Media, PA 19063
610-566-9663 convenience stores
Wendys
294 E Baltimore Avenue, Media, PA 19063
610-566-4533 fast food
Yangtze Inn
211 W State Street, Media, PA 19063
610-566-6829 Chinese, take-out, eat-in, delivery
Zac's Hamburgers
301 W State Street, Media, PA 19063
610-627-ZACS

[rainrock]

Originally Posted by Dave M.

"There is a mall a mile to the East(Springfield Mall)""

That's not true either. Much more than a mile.

You sure are an picky son of a gun.

Sorry for the monumental distortion of facts that I was off by 3/4 of a mile.

From:5300 Baltimore Ave. Media, PA
To: 1250 Baltimore Pike, Springfield Mall

Total Distance:1.8 miTotal Time:6 min

Start in Media, PA going towards Springfield
Turn RIGHT on S Providence Rd 0.1 mi
Turn LEFT on E Baltimore Pike 1.7 mi
Arrive in 1250 Baltimore Pike, Springfield, PA 19064-2797

[rainrock]

Originally Posted by Dave M.

"and Ridley Creek State Park great wilderness area 10 miles from center city Philly."

That's not true either. Surely you must know it is much farther than that.

Got me again. Ive got to work on my map estimating skills especially if Dave M is going to be around cracking the whip.

Ridley Creek State Park: 610-892-3900
1023 Sycamore Mills Rd, Media, PA 19063, US
Revise | New Directions


4500 Walnut St
Philadelphia, PA 19139-4503, US
Revise | New Directions

Total Est. Time: 31 minutes
Total Est. Distance: 13.56 miles

[rainrock]

Originally Posted by Dave M.

I'm sorry, but you are wrong. The best barometer of a good school district is high test scores on standardized tests. You want your kid to be in a school with a lot of high achievers, not slackers and delinquents. You didn't read my link, it said.."With a mean scaled score of 1557, the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District scored the highest of 501 school districts in the state of Pennsylvania."" This is the PSSA test, the state standardized test. And for being three years old data, well, 2000 kids in the school district don't get stupid in three years do they?

So you are saying Radnor,Lower Merion,Great Valley,RoseTree-Media, Garnet Valley,Central Bucks,Wallingford-Swarthmore,Solebury-New Hope are full of slackers. I gave Unionville-Chadds Ford their just praise but they are no better or no worse than a dozen other blue chip school districts in the region.To proclaim that Unionville-Chadds Ford is the preeminent school district in the region is a bit arrogant and incorrect imo.

[ApartmentNomad]

I don't know much about Media (especially what it's like currently, since I have spent almost no time there in the past twenty years), but, for what it's worth, I've always been fond of it, and when I've considered moving back to the suburbs, I've definitley considered Media as a possibility. I like the fact that it has its own recognizable look and feel (or at least it did back when I used to pass through it), and it's small but has a decent selection of amenities for its size (in addition to its close proximity to Philadelphiade). I think it's fairly walkable, which is actually true of lots of other older suburbs outside of Philadelphia. My parents used to occasionally take me to an old-fashioned genuinely big-screened movie theatre there, I think it was called the State Theatre (?). (Or am I just imagining that name because of State Street?)