Doylestown suburbs? (Willow Grove, Washington, Horsham: apartment, elementary schools, subdivision)

[familymom]

All the towns around Doylestown confuse me. They all feed into the Central Bucks High schools and there are just so many areas to look at. Is there much difference in housing and desirable elementary/mddle schools. We don't want to be in a area with a lot of apartment buildings or commercial industry. Our budget is up to 450k for a newer home. We also don't want a lot much under 1/2 acre. So being a little removed from Doylestown just to get a more private backyard is ok with us. Can anyone suggest a specific suburb around Doylestown that would offer this. Also to have parks and bike trails near by would be a plus

[ooodsie]

Yes definitely, I suggest searching for things in the following areas: Buckingham, Mechanicsville, Washingtons Crossing, New Hope, Doylestown Borough, Chalfont.. That should help you out some. As far as schools go the only difference will be some elementary schools will vary in size/# of students but generally all in Central Bucks are good.

[familymom]

Thanks, it sounds like the Northeast areas are more desirable than the western areas outside Doylestown. What about Jamison? Any info on this area?

[kelb]

Jamison is ok, but I agree with ooodsie - stick to places near the Delaware River and you will really appreciate the recreational opportunities. It is only 15 min from Doylestown to New Hope.
If you really want the outdoors, look for places near Lake Nockamixon, which is northwest of Doylestown.

[ooodsie]

Jamison is alright.. I feel like it's one big subdivision though. Theres not really a lot of parks/recreation, tends to be a bunch of mcmansions near golf courses that all look alike From what you've said regarding wanting a larger sized yard, walking trails etc, I would really focus on the Washingtons Crossing/New Hope areas - Washington Crossing State Park is huge, lots of activities and trails, and New Hope has a lot of nightlife/artsy type things going on.

[renlouis]

How far of a commute would it be from New Hope to Horsham? What about Yardley to Horsham? We are looking at either Doylestown, New Hope or Yardley. I've been told D-town will be about 30 min. because traffic will be quite heavy during rush hour. Husband will be working in Horsham and will likely be working "regular" hours, i.e. - will have to deal with rush hour traffic. I've done the googlemaps estimates, but they don't take traffic into account. Thank you so much!

[ooodsie]

611 and 202 are some of the worst roads traffic wise.. so New Hope to Horsham is not going to be fun. I'd say 30 minutes w/o traffic, and about an hour with traffic. Doylestown will be closer.. probably 15 minutes w/o traffic and 30 with traffic. Yardley will be the most non-traffic roads, because you will jump on I-95 which doesnt get backed up by Yardley too badly at all, take it to the turnpike and get off one exit later in Willow Grove. A few minutes on 611 and you're in Horsham. Yardley w/o traffic is a half hour, and honestly even during rush hour probably won't be too much more than that, maybe 45.

So in terms of rankings I would say Doylestown or Yardley are your best bets, and New Hope will not be as nice of a drive.