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North Wales is much closer to Horsham than Eagleville. North Wales essentially sits two townships over from Horsham.
From Avenal - That's simply getting on 309 for a few minutes and onto 63 for about 10-20 minutes depending on traffic. And yes, there's traffic in Horsham during rush hour, but it is drastically better than it used to be. But the commutes are night and day. You will basically live close to your work in Horsham by living in North Wales. When its not rush hour and the lights are working with you, you can make it in 15 minutes.
As for your wife's commute, its probably a similar distance from both places, but much different in terms of how much traffic and how long it will actually take. Taking 422 and 76 especially during rush hour makes whatever the real time of the commute much longer than you might think, which is likely how she would go from Riverview. The only advantage for her commute from Riverview would be a more direct route, but it likely wouldn't matter since she'd be sitting in traffic.
Your commutes - Of the places you've mentioned liking, nothing is going to be a better split option than the Elkins Park apartment, keeps both of your commutes under 30 min. Its also the best option for being closest to your wife's work.
Area I'd prefer - North Wales, hands down.
Other places to look into - both in East Norriton - DeKalb Apartments and Madison at Dogwood. I've driven past DeKalb, they did construction recently along with newer homes and condos communities on the same road, so they probably have some nice looking apartments.
If you want another area to look in for better commutes for you and your wife that could have newer apartments, look to see if there's anything in Feasterville, its convenient to NE and to Horsham.
North wales is much closer and it seems to be in a better area. I notice that north wales has a Whole foods store which is a big plus for us. Plus avenel is very close to a mall we liked that also.
I love the location of elkins park apartments but the prices and management werent to my liking. They seem to charge extra for everything.
I checked Dekalb apartment they are packed no room till next year. so i guess everyone knows about them.
Checking madison at dogwood
But I agree with you North wales is better than eagleville for us. i will check feasterville on apartment guide.
I think i'm going to check where there are whole foods stores. usually their stores are in good locations.
Okay i see there are whole food stores in: Plymouth Meeting, wynnewood, jenkinstown and North wales. plus two in philly one in south street and callowhill. this is where i will be focusing my apartment search LOL!!!!!
I also notice Chiplote mexican has a store in north wales another plus for north wales
Last edited by Aimewitue; 06-19-2010 at 04:22 PM..
North Wales is a nice area. It includes different parts, including the parts near Whole Foods and the mall. I actually tend to call Whole Foods by the name of Fresh Fields, its the original name and North Wales was the location of first one in the area. The next one was in Jenkintown. The North Wales Whole Foods sits in a shopping center at 309 & 63, Whole Foods is the main attraction there, there's also a movie theater (one that used to be busy like you wouldn't believe (that was before stadium seating!), a few other stores and a restaurant or two. Across the street (highway) from Whole Foods is a very, very nice shopping center (called Shoppes at English Village), its fairly new, and it has a Trader Joe's, Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, Kitcken Kapers,Talbots, JoS Bank, JJill, and a few other stores along with Iron Hill Brewery and one or two other restaurants.
Now, another nice thing, besides the mall, is that there's other stores and shopping centers, opened in the last 10 years or so, that make the area even better. Like there's a shopping center with a B&N, Target, Michael's, Giant (grocery store), Bed, Bath & Beyond, Baby's R'Us. Like that. And then there's still other stores that are up further, across from the mall. Its a convenient area for this alone. And what North Wales doesn't have, and their mall is a nice one, but doesn't have necessarily everything you would want, you can likely find 20 minutes away in Abington/Willow Grove. Or 30 minutes away in KoP.
There's a few Chipotle's in the area. There are also Qdoba's, which is the exact same thing, its actually better in some ways since it has a wider menu. But, like burritos and tacos are carbon copy, lime cilantro rice and all. In general, if you keep to the Abington/Willow Grove/North Wales/Plymouth Meeting areas, you will likely have access to most of the stores and places to eat that you like that have national and regional chains here. Many of the areas are targeted by these companies. Like the first Trader Joe's in the area was in Jenkintown, the first Panera was in Willow Grove and then in Whitemarsh (Plymouth Meeting).
Now, order of areas, first, none of the areas is a bad area.
From those listed, I'd probably live first in Lafayette Hill, second in Horsham, a close third in North Wales, fourth in Blue Bell, and distant fifth in Lansdale.
Nothing wrong with Lansdale, but its far out, further out than I'd want to be, but also further than what you would want for your commutes. For my personal preference, I also never like being that inaccesible to the city, and while there's a train that runs from Lansdale, its basically the end of the line to give you an idea, its just further out than I'd want and I don't love the area enough to overcome that.
Blue Bell. Nothing wrong with Blue Bell, but its basically a step further out than you need to be for your commute. And the location of these apartments, the actual placement in Blue Bell, isn't the inner part of Blue Bell near Ambler, its a mile out further than Montco CC, so this is a little further out than I'd want, its closer to Ambler. That's not a happy commute for your wife, and really for you in some ways either.
North Wales technically isn't that much closer in than Blue Bell, but the location of these apartments changes that, they allow getting on to the main roads very easy and to take away travel time (and annoying traffic lights).
Horsham, I preferenced over North Wales because its slightly closer in, though not a huge difference. If you love the location and the apartments in North Wales more than the Horsham one, than I'd go for what I love here. The distance isn't much and will likely make you happier in the long run to enjoy your apartment and your area more.
Lafayette Hill is just a great area that I've always enjoyed. The apartments sit in a nice park like setting across from Chestnut Hill College, its like 3 minutes from Chestnut Hill, 10 minutes to main stores in Plymouth Meeting, 15 minutes to KoP, its got great access to many areas, the city, Abington/Jenkintown, and its 10 minutes or less to get on the major highways in the area, its just a good location.
Okay, I have to run, sorry I forgot to check the boards in the last couple of days. I'll check back in a bit to see if I need to expand what I wrote at all.
East Falls is a neighborhood in Philadelphia, so this would mean you are living in the city. It sits next to Manayunk and on the other side is North Philly. Its a nice area and this area would offer a nice commute to work for your wife, very quick trip up Roosevelt Blvd. The only thing is, the area where these lofts are (and that's why they are lofts to a certain) is somewhat industrial or formerly industrial and what I would consider a fringe area. I don't know the technical boundaries for East Falls, I'm sure this is in them, but the area where these lofts are, isn't the area of East Falls that people talk about for the most part, its not where you'll run into the former mayor and senator, that area lies west of the Blvd closer to MCP and Midvale, the lofts would be closer to the side that borders North Philly. But, that doesn't mean it couldn't work for you and that the area surrounding the lofts isn't similar to the other side of East Falls, this is one area, if you are considering it, that you would have to visit in person and see how you feel about the area and get a feel for it. I'd also suggest not just visiting the apartments during the day, but going there in the late evening (9-10pm) to see if you feel comfortable with the area. Comfortability with different areas of the city really depends on the individual.
Hatboro, many people like, its just okay to me. It has a walkable small downtown that people like. Hatboro is a place that could offer your wife a slightly better commute than she would get from North Wales, its a little more direct, probably taking Byberry or County Line towards the Blvd and would likely make her commute something close to 30 minutes. Hatboro is situated in a way that its not far from NE Philadelphia, so that's why the commute is a little better. Hatboro is also close to Horsham, they neighbor each other actually and are a part of the same school district. Hatboro is sort of the more working/middle class sister to the more upper middle class Horsham and despite being so near each other, have different feels. Hatboro doesn't have a ton going on in the way of stores that you have said you like, but its not that far from them either, its only 5 minutes to Horsham, like 8 minutes to Willow Grove, and less than 15 minutes from the stores in Warrington.
If you are going to now entertain living in the city, like in East Falls, which for the sake of commute would work well for your wife, then there might be other options in East Falls or Manayunk that fit as well. Since I know you'll have cars, do not get lulled in by any nice looking place in Manayunk that leads you to believe you'll find street parking easily. You won't. It needs to be included, like 2 designated spaces or something similar. Manayunk also has very skinny, steep hills, the less you need to get on to get in and out of there, the better, it will pay off come winter.
North Wales is a nice area. It includes different parts, including the parts near Whole Foods and the mall. I actually tend to call Whole Foods by the name of Fresh Fields, its the original name and North Wales was the location of first one in the area. The next one was in Jenkintown. The North Wales Whole Foods sits in a shopping center at 309 & 63, Whole Foods is the main attraction there, there's also a movie theater (one that used to be busy like you wouldn't believe (that was before stadium seating!), a few other stores and a restaurant or two. Across the street (highway) from Whole Foods is a very, very nice shopping center (called Shoppes at English Village), its fairly new, and it has a Trader Joe's, Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, Kitcken Kapers,Talbots, JoS Bank, JJill, and a few other stores along with Iron Hill Brewery and one or two other restaurants.
Now, another nice thing, besides the mall, is that there's other stores and shopping centers, opened in the last 10 years or so, that make the area even better. Like there's a shopping center with a B&N, Target, Michael's, Giant (grocery store), Bed, Bath & Beyond, Baby's R'Us. Like that. And then there's still other stores that are up further, across from the mall. Its a convenient area for this alone. And what North Wales doesn't have, and their mall is a nice one, but doesn't have necessarily everything you would want, you can likely find 20 minutes away in Abington/Willow Grove. Or 30 minutes away in KoP.
There's a few Chipotle's in the area. There are also Qdoba's, which is the exact same thing, its actually better in some ways since it has a wider menu. But, like burritos and tacos are carbon copy, lime cilantro rice and all. In general, if you keep to the Abington/Willow Grove/North Wales/Plymouth Meeting areas, you will likely have access to most of the stores and places to eat that you like that have national and regional chains here. Many of the areas are targeted by these companies. Like the first Trader Joe's in the area was in Jenkintown, the first Panera was in Willow Grove and then in Whitemarsh (Plymouth Meeting).
Now, order of areas, first, none of the areas is a bad area.
From those listed, I'd probably live first in Lafayette Hill, second in Horsham, a close third in North Wales, fourth in Blue Bell, and distant fifth in Lansdale.
Nothing wrong with Lansdale, but its far out, further out than I'd want to be, but also further than what you would want for your commutes. For my personal preference, I also never like being that inaccesible to the city, and while there's a train that runs from Lansdale, its basically the end of the line to give you an idea, its just further out than I'd want and I don't love the area enough to overcome that.
Blue Bell. Nothing wrong with Blue Bell, but its basically a step further out than you need to be for your commute. And the location of these apartments, the actual placement in Blue Bell, isn't the inner part of Blue Bell near Ambler, its a mile out further than Montco CC, so this is a little further out than I'd want, its closer to Ambler. That's not a happy commute for your wife, and really for you in some ways either.
North Wales technically isn't that much closer in than Blue Bell, but the location of these apartments changes that, they allow getting on to the main roads very easy and to take away travel time (and annoying traffic lights).
Horsham, I preferenced over North Wales because its slightly closer in, though not a huge difference. If you love the location and the apartments in North Wales more than the Horsham one, than I'd go for what I love here. The distance isn't much and will likely make you happier in the long run to enjoy your apartment and your area more.
Lafayette Hill is just a great area that I've always enjoyed. The apartments sit in a nice park like setting across from Chestnut Hill College, its like 3 minutes from Chestnut Hill, 10 minutes to main stores in Plymouth Meeting, 15 minutes to KoP, its got great access to many areas, the city, Abington/Jenkintown, and its 10 minutes or less to get on the major highways in the area, its just a good location.
Okay, I have to run, sorry I forgot to check the boards in the last couple of days. I'll check back in a bit to see if I need to expand what I wrote at all.
Lansdale really isn't that far out of the way and there is a turnpike entrance in Lansdale (Northeast Extention) that can get you to the city fast.
In terms of Plymouth Meeting being closer, its closer in to the city and close to many areas that are nice in the region, its more central and that's why it isn't a cheap area, never has been. That being said, its a slightly worse commute to Horsham, and probably about the same commute for your wife, but Plymouth Meeting would probably have a more direct commute. Now, in general, I would say, this perception is correct, but because of the location of the North Wales apartments, being a second from getting onto 309, that's what makes it feel closer in. You get to Ambler in 10 minutes, to Horsham in 15, to Willow Grove in 20 minutes, and this is the case because you can do 50 mph on 309 with minimal lights. If you were in a different part of North Wales that wasn't so close to off of 309, I would probably classify this as being not as accesible to other areas, but since it is, not as much of an issue. However, when you visit, let's say you go further out on 309, then yes, I completely agree, you get the feel that its further out indeed. But the immediate area of the apartments has most everything you were looking for. That being said, so does Plymouth Meeting.
I've already said I like Plymouth Meeting. Plymouth Meeting sits next to Lafayette Hill and its hard to distinguish one from the other if you don't know the areas, I've already spoken of how much I like that area, so the same is basically true for Plymouth Meeting. Norristown? Not so much! Lol! But, that's not to say all of Norristown is bad, Norristown proper is what's really non-desirable, and as long as you stay away from that, as well as don't have kids to worry about attending school, its not that big of a deal. Many parts that are technically in Norristown, look more like they are in Plymouth Meeting and East Norriton.
In response to Lansdale not being that far out. That's a matter of opinion. I think it is. Its further out than I would want to live, that its exit is on the Northeast Extension says it all for me, its not the direction I want to go. I had friends who lived in North Wales, and found a nice place in Lansdale thinking it wouldn't be that much further out, they went from being 20 minutes away to being 45 minutes away, they used to always host dinner parties our group of friends would have, but people just had trouble going out that far, they've since moved to Melrose Park and are happy to be closer in again. Maybe things are better in the last year or two and I'm not aware of it, but the traffic on the single lanes into Lansdale hampered the commute in and out last time I checked. It definitely depends on the person and the situation, if you like areas like Jenkintown, Abington, Elkins Park, I do think Lansdale is further out than you want to be. Like with Phoenixville and Collegeville. I've worked with people who live there and worked in the city and were fine with the commute, I worked with others, who gave notice because they couldn't bear the commute any longer and found something closer to home. Depends on the person. But I would never say you get from Lansdale to Center City "fast". I'd say its a direct route (but good luck with traffic).
Last edited by JasmineFlower; 07-01-2010 at 10:23 AM..
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