Doylestown or Buckingham?? (Mercer, New Hope, Penn: house, buying, school district)

[irismom]

I am still confused and afraid to move and make a mistake because I am not from the area. I love both Doylestown and Buckingham and I suppose it will come down to a house we love, but which area do you prefer??? and why???

Is there any difference between the people? the two schools (West vs East)?

I love old homes with built ins, land, but I must say when you see a new open floor plan that is very enticing as well...any thoughts???? I am so very confused!

Will I want to be 5 minutes or 15 minutes from Doylestown. I will mention I am a bit of a gym rat and love the idea of the local Y in Doylestown (though I haven't seen it yet). Is there a great gym in Buckingham???

Thanks!

[MoorestownResident]

Neither, go to Lambertville, NJ or New Hope, PA. Both are within 12 miles of Doylestown. You'll be far better off to the east of Buckingham, where there is more to do plus you'll find better schools in the towns of Hopewell, Princeton, Pennington, etc. You'll have reasonable access to 295 and the NJ turnpike which will take you anywhere you want to go.

There is absolutely nothing to do in the Doylestown area outside of the Main Street area and you will be locked into an area where there is little economic development and relatively less wealth. The NE corridor runs right up 95/295 through the Princeton area on up to the NYC burbs. You can be west of there but you want reasonable access to that area, especially in the this part of the greater Philly region that is in 'no man's land'.

Your kids will be far better off in the areas I am discussing. If it means buying a smaller house or paying more property tax that's a small concession that will pay off in the long run. To sum up - don't move or buy anything in the areas you are looking, look farther east. New Hope is a far superior location if you must be in PA.

[maf763]

Have you visited both locales? The silliness of the above post aside, both are solid places and you won't be making a mistake in terms of safety, schools, etc. You know what's more important to you than anyone on here does.

[renlouis]

What's wrong with living in an area with "relatively less wealth"? (from what I've read, it seems just fine in terms of that anyhow!) Is that what we should all strive for? Living with the wealthy?? Doylestown seems like a gem of a town to me! If I wanted to have the "cachet" of living with the wealthy, I'd move to the mainline, not NJ.

[pcity]

Originally Posted by MoorestownResident

Neither, go to Lambertville, NJ or New Hope, PA. Both are within 12 miles of Doylestown. You'll be far better off to the east of Buckingham, where there is more to do plus you'll find better schools in the towns of Hopewell, Princeton, Pennington, etc. You'll have reasonable access to 295 and the NJ turnpike which will take you anywhere you want to go.

There is absolutely nothing to do in the Doylestown area outside of the Main Street area and you will be locked into an area where there is little economic development and relatively less wealth. The NE corridor runs right up 95/295 through the Princeton area on up to the NYC burbs. You can be west of there but you want reasonable access to that area, especially in the this part of the greater Philly region that is in 'no man's land'.

Your kids will be far better off in the areas I am discussing. If it means buying a smaller house or paying more property tax that's a small concession that will pay off in the long run. To sum up - don't move or buy anything in the areas you are looking, look farther east. New Hope is a far superior location if you must be in PA.

I know I shouldn't feed the troll, but seriously? So your message is: Don't go to Doylestown because there's nothing to do, but do go 12 miles away to Lambertville, NJ, which of course is a bustling metropolis, because it's slightly closer to I-95? My head is spinning.

To the OP: Both places are fine choices. Don't know about the gyms, but I think it comes down to a lifestyle choice. If you like the concept of a town, go Doylestown. If you want more of a country, exurban feel, go Buckingham. Either way, you're not far from the other: you can always go into town from Buckingham or into the country from Doylestown.

[kelb]

I lived in Doylestown 25 years ago, and definitely suffered from the nothing ever happens here feeling. The town is more vibrant today, but you will run out of things to do there. The good news is that there is a shopping corridor running south of town along 611...and downtown Philly is within strking distance, though a bit of a drive.
I also lived in Buckingham for a couple of years, and got tired of having to drive five miles just to buy milk and bread.
You seem to favor older homes with character. Plenty of those in Doylestown, though prices for nice older homes have gone way up in the past ten years. Your degree of shock probably depends on where you are coming from.
Being close to New Hope is good. No need to live there.

[LMR422]

Originally Posted by MoorestownResident

Neither, go to Lambertville, NJ or New Hope, PA. Both are within 12 miles of Doylestown. You'll be far better off to the east of Buckingham, where there is more to do plus you'll find better schools in the towns of Hopewell, Princeton, Pennington, etc. You'll have reasonable access to 295 and the NJ turnpike which will take you anywhere you want to go.

There is absolutely nothing to do in the Doylestown area outside of the Main Street area and you will be locked into an area where there is little economic development and relatively less wealth. The NE corridor runs right up 95/295 through the Princeton area on up to the NYC burbs. You can be west of there but you want reasonable access to that area, especially in the this part of the greater Philly region that is in 'no man's land'.

Your kids will be far better off in the areas I am discussing. If it means buying a smaller house or paying more property tax that's a small concession that will pay off in the long run. To sum up - don't move or buy anything in the areas you are looking, look farther east. New Hope is a far superior location if you must be in PA.

Not to be rude, but this post is completely RIDICULOUS. Relatively little wealth in the Doylestown area? That is not true. At all. The Central Bucks School District is very highly regarded, much more so than the ones this poster quoted. There is plenty to do in this area, and plenty of growth. Seems to me this poster hasn't been to the Doylestown area in a long, long time.

There are a few gyms in the area (Cornerstone, the Y, one in Buckingham, the name escapes me). Within a short distance you are on your way to either Philly or to NYC (via train station in Hamilton, NJ) via I-95.

We have lived in this area for seven years and love it. We lived in the Mercer County area of NJ for twelve years and also loved it there. Bucks County is the place to be. MUCH more reasonable taxes than NJ, though it's still expensive. Two of my three kids graduated from Central Bucks High School East, and did very well.

Nothing but GOOD things to say about the Doylestown/Buckingham area from me. Please don't let unsubstantiated posts sway you away from us.

[andreaspercheron]

Dtown and Buckingham are about 10 mins from each other (borders), so I can't imagine it would make such a huge difference that you feel you would be making a mistake by moving to the 'wrong place'.
Doylestown would be your choice if you like to walk around town and have easier access to shopping, eateries, pubs, galleries, etc. Vs, Buckingham, lots of land, horse farms, wineries, and crickets... like listening to the grass grow and the crickets strumming their tunes, then Buckingham might be more your pace. I agree with the poster about heading over the bridge to Lambertville, which is a lovely little town, bustling etc... but.. taxes in NJ are beyond ridiculous via several friends who are currently living that nightmare.
Bucks county is also on the pricier side but it's a lovely county.

Good luck in your decision - I'm in Doylestown all the time, if I weren't already living in a good place I'd live there with no qualms.

[MoorestownResident]

Originally Posted by LMR422

Not to be rude, but this post is completely RIDICULOUS. Relatively little wealth in the Doylestown area? That is not true. At all. The Central Bucks School District is very highly regarded, much more so than the ones this poster quoted. There is plenty to do in this area, and plenty of growth. Seems to me this poster hasn't been to the Doylestown area in a long, long time.

There are a few gyms in the area (Cornerstone, the Y, one in Buckingham, the name escapes me). Within a short distance you are on your way to either Philly or to NYC (via train station in Hamilton, NJ) via I-95.

We have lived in this area for seven years and love it. We lived in the Mercer County area of NJ for twelve years and also loved it there. Bucks County is the place to be. MUCH more reasonable taxes than NJ, though it's still expensive. Two of my three kids graduated from Central Bucks High School East, and did very well.

Nothing but GOOD things to say about the Doylestown/Buckingham area from me. Please don't let unsubstantiated posts sway you away from us.

I was in Doylestown last year. I don't like the location, if you do, that's fine. I prefer to live closer to the NE corridor for a variety of reasons. I never said the schools were bad. I like parts of Bucks County, though I much prefer Hunterdon County. If pushed, I would live in Hopewell in Mercer County where I could get pizza, go to Princeton, go to restaurants, go to a ballgame or concert, go to NYC and live in NJ which I much prefer. I guess it's a matter of preference and relative comparison. If you can tell me there is as much to do in Doylestown as there is in NJ and can say it with a straight face, then I tip my hat to you. You indicated property taxes were a major concern. I understand but you get what you pay for. Part of your property tax goes to maintain the highway system in NJ which is far superior to the highway system in PA. It allows me to get down the shore and back or go to another location for lunch easily in one afternoon. Sounds like the tradeoff is one you are comfortable with. I think that's good. I guess in general I dislike locations where you must drive to everything and even a short drive is a pain in the buttocks.

[thesixth]

But this person is asking about living in two places in PA....NOT new jersey. If she asked about NJ, your comments have meaning.