Lively towns around Perkasie in Bucks County? (Allentown, Bethlehem: real estate, rentals)

[perkasiebound]

Hi! My husband is from Perkasie in Bucks Co, and we are seriously considering a move to the area to be around family. We are currently living in Denver, CO, and we really love it here. It's hard to leave, but I think it would be good for my son to be around his extended family.

We're looking for a town with great schools, walkability/biking, and the chance to walk to shops, restaurants, parks, and bars. We joke that we are "looking for flavor" rather than the standard platter restaurant or pizza/hoagie shop. We tend to be more liberal than conservative in our thinking.

My favorite so far is Doylestown. I'm hoping to find a home rental, but it's not easy to find. So, my questions:

1) What towns do you recommend that are near Perkasie? We're hoping to be close enough that we can visit often, but not so close that my mother-in-law is pounding on the door in the early morning. Haha.

2) Where do you recommend I look for home rentals in the area? The only site that seems helpful is hotpads. It has rentals listed with real estate offices, but surely there must be somewhere to find listings from the landlords? Craigslist has been helpful in Denver, but not so much in Bucks.

3) If you live in the Perkasie area, do you find the drive to Doylestown and shopping areas like North Wales to be a pain? We've visited often, and I just get dizzy with all of the windy roads and commuting times. Very different from Colorado.


Thanks, and I really look forward to moving to such a beautiful area!

[kelb]

You don't want to be close to Perkasie...that area is dullsville. Doylestown is a good choice if you can hack the home prices. Lansdale and Ambler are closer to shopping malls, but they are small towns that are just not going to stand up to your Denver experience. Ambler always seems to be just on the edge of becoming a real hot spot, but never quite gets there.
New Hope is funky and on the river and full of restaurant choices, but you are getting pretty far from Perkasie if you go there, and again the home prices might shock you.
You might at least take a look at Hatboro because of lower home prices, though there again we are talking very small town with just a couple of good restaurant choices right in town.
Look around and be picky...Bucks County (and Montgomery) is not Denver, but those of us who love it would find it very hard to leave.

[perkasiebound]

Thanks for the response! It does seem like I'll have some adjustment going from Colorado to PA. We're digging Doylestown, maybe Ambler. I just don't know how far is too far from Perkasie, physically and psychologically.

We both work from home, but we need some local entertainment.

[niceguy19125]

Just a thought, but since you're afraid you'll be wanting to blow your brains out in sleepy little suburban towns (I think you might want to after living in Denver), you might consider the Lehigh Valley which is just 20 miles north of Perkasie...close but not too close. Bethlehem has had a renaissance over the past 10 years and might really blow away your husband if he hasn't been there in awhile. It has a great walkable area downtown which is more historic and the more fun Southside neighborhood filled with shops, galleries and restaurants...and more of a liberal edge thanks to the folks who have moved in and done much of the fixing up, and a pretty good school system though not hyper-competitive like many of the suburban Montgomery County schools. Bethlehem is the home of Lehigh University which helps keep the town active. Bethlehem's population is just 75,000 but feels larger thanks to the presence of nearby Allentown and Easton. Easton is another nice option. The College Hill neighborhood (near historic Lafayette College) is beautiful. Rental prices are quite reasonable and you'll find your dollar going much further here than in Montgomery County which is a bit much in most areas.

Charming Brick Colonial in N. Bethlehem
Beautiful 4BR Single in Fountain Hill!
Spacious College Hill Home