Opinions on Levittown (Philadelphia, Chester, Plum: low income, section 8, apartment complex)

[mm415]

My husband and I are preparing to move to PA in August, and we are looking for a suburb in between Philadelphia and Princeton - I will be attending UPenn, and he will attend Princeton. We have identified Yardley and Levittown as suburbs that would be a liveable commute for both of us - and we are leaning towards Levittown because as graduate students, it seems more affordable than Yardley.

Does anyone have advice on good apartment complexes in Levittown (we'd like a two-bedroom for around $900 - $1000). Also, is Levittown generally a safe place to live?

Any other recommendations for suburbs to look at? I will be commuting by train to UPenn, whereas my husband plans on driving to Princeton, as parking's not an issue for him.

Any input will be greatly appreciated!

[babychix]

levittown is a safe place to live i lived there for a few years and moved to bensalem,pa worst mistake ever i prayed for the day i would move back close to the levittown area most apts there are within your range on new falls rd there's newport village apts there nice and people there are grate i still have many friends that have lived there for years.the house are pretty high in price there i would stick with apts.there are many stores there good schools too close to evreything check out 8590 new falls rd area good place.good luck

[hollygolitely]

Originally Posted by mm415

My husband and I are preparing to move to PA in August, and we are looking for a suburb in between Philadelphia and Princeton - I will be attending UPenn, and he will attend Princeton. We have identified Yardley and Levittown as suburbs that would be a liveable commute for both of us - and we are leaning towards Levittown because as graduate students, it seems more affordable than Yardley.

Does anyone have advice on good apartment complexes in Levittown (we'd like a two-bedroom for around $900 - $1000). Also, is Levittown generally a safe place to live?

Any other recommendations for suburbs to look at? I will be commuting by train to UPenn, whereas my husband plans on driving to Princeton, as parking's not an issue for him.

Any input will be greatly appreciated!

yes they are both nice areas, i lived in levittown for a while and then i moved to bensalem. levittown is nicer and you can definately find apts for that. even cheaper probably. i can't remember names of places off the top of my head. it's a safe area. quiet. typical suburban area. it gets congested near the oxford valley mall but otherwise it's ok. your also right on with being in between the two place. when i lived there and worked in princeton i could get there in 25 mins with no traffic. maybe 45 with. and i took the train into philly and that was just under an hour trip.

[bryson662001]

This post of mine from a previous thread will help you to understand Levittown....which can be very confusing for those who don't know.

Lower Bucks County geography is very confusing and not understood too well by outsiders. For instance Levittown is not a town at all. It is a huge planned community that was built over several years with several different types of houses from economy to luxury and it covers portions of three townships including three different school districts and each with it's own police, fire and administration. The oldest part of Levittown is located in Bristol township and it is the portion that sometimes gives the whole area a bad name. There are also levittown neighborhoods in Falls Township which is more socially acceptable. Then there is the portion of Levittown located in Middletown Township which is actually a pretty decent place to live with a 1st rate school system. All levittown houses were built in the 1950's but those in Middletown have almost all been rebuilt, added on to and remodeled so they are hardley recogniseable. Unfortunatly that is also the area furtherest from the train to Trenton and NY. All three of these towns also have neighborhoods that are not Levittown. The key is to know which township you are in. Bristol Twp is all bad. Falls Twp is mostly good and Middletown is all good. Then there is Bristol Boro which is different from Bristol Township and more respectable with a few upscale pockets although still a mostly low income area with many minorities and renters. It is directly on the river and has the Bristol train station. Yardley was developed much later and is still developing so it is much more expensive although there are older neighborhoods there as well which are pretty nice. For Townhouse condos you might want to look in Bensalem township which is south of Bristol and has a huge park and ride at Cornwell heights on the North South train line to NY. You can go ahead and use the search engine to find about Bensalem.

[GeorgiaGirl2]

You are absolutely right, bryson662001. Levittown is a huge area with many phases. I was born in that area. I remember our family living in a house in the Levittown area near Bristol off of Plumridge Drive. My parents bought the house band new in 1955. It was considered a nice neighborhood back in those days. I'm sad to hear my old neighborhood is not such a nice place to live anymore.

[LMR422]

My sister and her family live in the Raquet Club Apartments in Levittown on New Rodgers Road (or Veterans Highway, whatever they're calling it now). They have two small kids (8 and 6) and send each to a Catholic school. That's not a knock on the schools, it's just that they started preschool there and wanted to remain.

They are all very happy there. They rent a 3 bedroom townhouse for $1550 per month. The complex has smaller units for a more reasonable cost.

The area has everything you'd need. All the stores you can imagine, good restaurants. And generally it's safe. I was mugged and assaulted in Willow Grove which is supposed to be so nice, so I'm a little put off by something that's supposed to be good, or bad - either way.

Good luck in your search. I think you will be happy in Bucks County. We are (we're in Central Bucks).

[kelb]

Go with Levittown, and stay as close as you can to Rt 13...that will put you close to the Levittown train station, and also will give your husband an easy jump over to NJ and Princeton.

[TracySam]

I lived in an apartment complex in Levittown for about 9 years all through my 20's. It's called Chesterfield, and it's on Route 413, which was called New Rodgers Rd when I lived there, but now it's been renamed Veteran's Highway. The address of the complex is 1338.
They are right down the road from "Raquet Club" which another poster wrote about, but Chesterfield is in Middletown Twp, while Raquet Club is in Bristol Twp. If you care about school district and crime, Middletown is preferable.
Raquet club looks a little nicer from the outside, but it is very close to a complex of section 8 apartments. Chesterfield looks more generic from the outside, but seems to be a little safer. I used to jog at night with no fear.
The apartments are really big, and have HUGE walk-in closets. I still miss the closets!
The management company when I was there was Home Properties Inc. They were very responsive to tenants. I never had to wait for any maintenance request. Nothing major ever broke, but even for minor things, they fixed them within one day. When I told then I planned to stay longer, they let me have 2-year leases so my rent wouldn't go up each year. Not sure what they charge now for rent but you can check.
Oh wait, hey, here's the website:
Levittown apartments - Chesterfield Apartments

You see what I mean about the outside of the buildings, but if you take a tour, you'll see the big space.
Poke around the website. Home Properties owns Raquet Club too.

[Bored2Day]

Originally Posted by bryson662001

This post of mine from a previous thread will help you to understand Levittown....which can be very confusing for those who don't know.

Lower Bucks County geography is very confusing and not understood too well by outsiders. For instance Levittown is not a town at all. It is a huge planned community that was built over several years with several different types of houses from economy to luxury and it covers portions of three townships including three different school districts and each with it's own police, fire and administration. The oldest part of Levittown is located in Bristol township and it is the portion that sometimes gives the whole area a bad name. There are also levittown neighborhoods in Falls Township which is more socially acceptable. Then there is the portion of Levittown located in Middletown Township which is actually a pretty decent place to live with a 1st rate school system. All levittown houses were built in the 1950's but those in Middletown have almost all been rebuilt, added on to and remodeled so they are hardley recogniseable. Unfortunatly that is also the area furtherest from the train to Trenton and NY. All three of these towns also have neighborhoods that are not Levittown. The key is to know which township you are in. Bristol Twp is all bad. Falls Twp is mostly good and Middletown is all good. Then there is Bristol Boro which is different from Bristol Township and more respectable with a few upscale pockets although still a mostly low income area with many minorities and renters. It is directly on the river and has the Bristol train station. Yardley was developed much later and is still developing so it is much more expensive although there are older neighborhoods there as well which are pretty nice. For Townhouse condos you might want to look in Bensalem township which is south of Bristol and has a huge park and ride at Cornwell heights on the North South train line to NY. You can go ahead and use the search engine to find about Bensalem.

Hi. I'm bringing up an old post. This is great info. I've been looking in Levittown and it can be very confusing. You mentioned that Falls is "mostly" good. What areas would you say to stay away from? I noticed many little neighborhoods. This signs stated whether they were Bristol or Falls, but I didn't see Middletown. I'm a single mom looking for safety first. Family friendly with lots of kids in the neighborhood. I will be commuting to South Brunswick, NJ.

Thanks!

[bryson662001]

Originally Posted by Bored2Day

Hi. I'm bringing up an old post. This is great info. I've been looking in Levittown and it can be very confusing. You mentioned that Falls is "mostly" good. What areas would you say to stay away from? I noticed many little neighborhoods. This signs stated whether they were Bristol or Falls, but I didn't see Middletown. I'm a single mom looking for safety first. Family friendly with lots of kids in the neighborhood. I will be commuting to South Brunswick, NJ.

Thanks!

Falls is ok. The Morrisville area is kind of "low rent" I think Middletown is a slightly higher socioeconomic area but it doesn't really matter. Google Falls township and Pennsbury school district and Middletown (Bucks County, PA has a lot of Middletowns)) and Neshaminy school district for info. Falls is the northern most area adjacent to Trenton and Yardley. It is north of Levittown Parkway. Middletown is west of New Falls Rd and includes Oxford Valley Mall and goes south toward Langhorn and Neshaminy (the high school is near the Neshaminy Mall) The area behind the "Dump" furniture store on Rt 1 is Middletown Levittown.

The important thing is to stay out of Bristol Township which is east of New Falls Rd until you get to Rt 13 as the schools have a bad reputation. Bristol Boro between Rt 13 and the river is a seperate area not part of the township.