Opinions on Blue Bell, West Chester and Wyndmoor for young family (Philadelphia: cul-de-sac, apartments)

[CandyDog1]

Greetings! This is my 3rd post on here, we're leaving in one week on a "house hunting" trip to the Philly area, moving in about 3 weeks. (I know, not much time!) We've narrowed our search down to 3 places, and we're going to be renting for at least a year. Schools are important (we have 2 young kids) as well as safety and an overall family friendly atmosphere (I know, that is subjective) So, here's what we're considering, any opinions on the specific apartments/towns would be greatly appreciated!:

1. Blue Bell (Amberely at Blue Bell - a Gambone property)

2. West Chester (Highgate - a Baxter property)

3. Wyndmoor (private listing on a cul-de-sac)

[kelb]

Don't know the developments, but we have a daughter at WCU and we have just fallen in love with that town. Looks like a cool place to live.

[rainrock]

West Chester is outstanding. Even if that specific community isnt available there are plenty of other apartment communities in the West Chester/East -West Goshen/Westtown area.

Blue Bell would be next Then Wyndmoor imo.

[Kayee]

Our daughter just graduated from WCU on Sat. and she has decided to stay in the area. She loves it there! She just moved into a townhouse last week on West Chester Pike, I believe it is a Highgate property. The townhouse is lovely and it is an easy commute to her job in Exton. I wish she would have moved out there sooner. The houses around the campus are a bit run down, and most are rented to college students. Good luck!

[BPP1999]

Blue Bell is in the Wissihickon SD; it's a very good district. Blue Bell was actually rated something like #7 in one of Money Magazine's recent "best places to live" rankings. It's a nice area, though has no real downtown and is somewhat countrified, IMO.

Wyndmoor is very close to Chestnut Hill and probably a 5-minute drive to either of 2 SEPTA train stations which will have you downtown in about a half hour train ride. Chestnut Hill is a leafy, wealthy neighborhood in Philadelphia. I believe you'd be in the Springfield (Montgomery County) SD which is good but not as highly rated as others. Taxes might be higher than in Blue Bell.

Neither Blue Bell nor Wyndmoor are known for having lots of shopping but they are both close to tons of shopping. Additionally, there's lots of mom-and-pop and chains located along Germantown Avenue in Chestnut Hill. In Plymouth Meeting (also close to Blue Bell and Wyndmoor), there's probably all the shopping you need, including a Whole Foods under construction adjacent to the Plymouth Meeting Mall. Also, Blue Bell has some decent restaurants, and there's plenty of chains in Plymouth Meeting. Chestnut Hill also has quite a few good restaurants.

I don't know much about West Chester, except that the town itself is great. Areas outside West Chester are generally very wooded and not overbuilt. Also, another benefit of the WC area is that you would be able to look for jobs in Wilmington DE as well.