Looking for Philly suburb

[Cato the Elder]

Oh, one final thing. When we looked, we focused within walking distance of the Ardmore Junction station as it is (was?) an express stop during rush hour that takes you straight to 69th st. From there, I was planning on taking the Blue Line into the city.

[Gracie2001]

Unfortunately, $250K may be a little low for "walkable" in the western suburbs. The Septa R5 goes all the way out to Thorndale in Chester County (with two "express" trains stopping at Paoli, Malvern & Exton) but the commute is a solid 90 minutes each way what with driving to a station, parking, waiting, and walking to the job in the city. Malvern is great, with excellent schools but you can't touch it for below $325K - even in this market. All of the Main Line communities are above that with the exception of the occasional row home but all of those towns are pretty "walkable." However, the schools are pretty great in the western suburbs and people put up with a lot to have their kids out here. $250K gets you a townhouse in Exton, Downingtown, or Thorndale.

[nikmasteed]

Just to update everyone, yesterday my fiancee and I had the chance to drive through Abington Twp a little bit after visiting relatives. Didnt really have much time so we basically just drove up Old York Rd (611) through Elkins Park and Jenkintown. We didn't see much of EP, just ventured down one side road with a bunch of ranch houses, so we didn't really get a feel for the town-- does it have a "town center" or Main St the way Jenkintown does?

We both liked Jenkintown and how it had some taverns, a movie theater, and library all on the main road. Drove by the high school quick as well and it looks nice. Having two rail stations is great too, so we'll definitely keep that on our list of possible locations-- we really are looking for a close suburb where we don't have to be completely car dependent and can still walk to some things.

Thanks for everyone's advice so far!

[twista6002]

Anywhere in Montgomery County.

[MPC2000]

Originally Posted by Gracie2001

Unfortunately, $250K may be a little low for "walkable" in the western suburbs. The Septa R5 goes all the way out to Thorndale in Chester County (with two "express" trains stopping at Paoli, Malvern & Exton) but the commute is a solid 90 minutes each way what with driving to a station, parking, waiting, and walking to the job in the city. Malvern is great, with excellent schools but you can't touch it for below $325K - even in this market. All of the Main Line communities are above that with the exception of the occasional row home but all of those towns are pretty "walkable." However, the schools are pretty great in the western suburbs and people put up with a lot to have their kids out here. $250K gets you a townhouse in Exton, Downingtown, or Thorndale.

My friend paid 150 for her place in Exton, so ....