What is the difference between various towns on Main Line? (Media: kitchens, transit)
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Does Wayne have some of the other things we're looking for? A good supply of other people our age, close to shopping and restaurants and is there easy train access to Philadelphia from Wayne?
We also don't want an uber expensive location - looking for a nice house for around $400 - $425K
Yes to the first four things.
As to your price requirement, that depends on your definition of "nice." If you don't mind something older and cozier, you should be perfectly satisfied. If "big and new" is what you're after, however, you won't have much luck anywhere on the Main Line.
Hi Mike, welcome to the Philly area. I'm no expert and I'm sure others will chime in, but all of the Main Line towns are nice. I know there is a larger Jewish presence in Lower Merion. I didn't quite get your question about Russians -- I know there's a large Russian population in Northeast Philly, which isn't anywhere near the Main Line, but perhaps there are Russian Jews in the Lower Merion area....again, I'm sure someone here will know.
As for Media, first off, it's not on the Main Line, and second, I got the impression it was more of a blue-collar town, which is why I didn't look there. I don't know anything about Wallingford, but that's not Main Line either. Yes, Rt. 30 is busy, but the Main Line towns are close to many major highways such as 202, 76 and 476.
I'm in Berwyn, which I absolutely love for its accessibility, character and charm. I don't think a decent single home here can be had for less than 700K. And are the temps in Philly that much warmer than Boston? :-) Some homes do have in-ground pools, for sure, but by no means are pools the norm here.
Good luck with your search and relocation.
Media is not blue collar by any means. I think for a family the media area would be a better choice than lower merion. The media, rose valley, upper providence, edgemont areas possibly have more overall wealth than the mainline.
Media is not blue collar by any means. I think for a family the media area would be a better choice than lower merion. The media, rose valley, upper providence, edgemont areas possibly have more overall wealth than the mainline.
They don't have more overall wealth, but your dollar definitely does stretch further there, making it appear as such. I do agree that the Media area is not ble collar though (save perhaps the borough proper to a small extent).
And why would you say the Media area is better for families?
And although the post you were addressing was quite old, I'll confirm that Lower Merion, while very Russian-Jewish in terms of ancestry, is not at all Russian in a cultural sense (mostly 3rd/4th generation families who only really identify with the Jewish portion of their Russian-Jewih heritage).
There are more Russian Jews in the Northern suburbs.
Last edited by HeavenWood; 03-20-2012 at 06:28 PM..
They don't have more overall wealth, but your dollar definitely does stretch further there, making it appear as such. I do agree that the Media area is not ble collar though (save perhaps the borough proper to a small extent).
And why would you say the Media area is better for families?
And although the post you were addressing was quite old, I'll confirm that Lower Merion, while very Russian-Jewish in terms of ancestry, is not at all Russian in a cultural sense (mostly 3rd/4th generation families who only really identify with the Jewish portion of their Russian-Jewih heritage).
There are more Russian Jews in the Northern suburbs.
I know the mainline is very wealthy, but there a lot of middle class parts in it, those towns i mentioned are primarily upper middle class. Also, Im not sure what year exactly, but for a time period upper providence/gradyville area surpassed the main line for highest home prices and income rates, which is the 19063 zip.
Media is smaller, smaller school district, very community oriented area, which is why i think its better for families. Lower merion is a great area, i just prefer other towns before it. And i didnt see that the post was from 2010, i thought it was 2011 thats why i commented.
They don't have more overall wealth, but your dollar definitely does stretch further there, making it appear as such. I do agree that the Media area is not ble collar though (save perhaps the borough proper to a small extent).
And why would you say the Media area is better for families?
And although the post you were addressing was quite old, I'll confirm that Lower Merion, while very Russian-Jewish in terms of ancestry, is not at all Russian in a cultural sense (mostly 3rd/4th generation families who only really identify with the Jewish portion of their Russian-Jewih heritage).
There are more Russian Jews in the Northern suburbs.
would agree from Huntington Valley (porbably even many portions of the far Northeast) to Holland, Richboro, Newtown and even upper Makefield (Washingtons Crossing) there is absolutely a much stronger concentration, whole areas where russian is commonly spoken
I know the mainline is very wealthy, but there a lot of middle class parts in it, those towns i mentioned are primarily upper middle class. Also, Im not sure what year exactly, but for a time period upper providence/gradyville area surpassed the main line for highest home prices and income rates, which is the 19063 zip.
Media is smaller, smaller school district, very community oriented area, which is why i think its better for families. Lower merion is a great area, i just prefer other towns before it. And i didnt see that the post was from 2010, i thought it was 2011 thats why i commented.
Because of the much higher cost of living on the Main Line, people need to earn a notch above their desired lifestyles (eg, lower upper class to live upper middle class, upper middle to live middle, etc). A 300k split in Middletown would cost 500k in Bala. Look at the median/mean/per capita income figures. The Main Line is definitely wealthier. But like I mentioned before, there's something to be said for getting bang for one's buck.
I can certainly understand why someone would prefer the Media area, but the Main Line is all about community orientation. Also, given that LMSD is split into two high schools (both of which are smaller than Penncrest), along with two middle schools and six elementary schools, I don't see why district size is an issue. Besides cost, I would say the real downsides to the Main Line are the small, (but still rather annoying) "jet set," and relatively little to offer in the way of new construction.
300k to 500k is exaggerated. I looked up homes all throughout 19063 for sale and the prices between 19063 and lower merion are comparable, overall lower merion is more expensive, but my point someone making 100k in 19063 would have the same lifestyle as someone living in lower merion, with the exception being gladwyne, and parts of Bryn Mawr.
300k to 500k is exaggerated. I looked up homes all throughout 19063 for sale and the prices between 19063 and lower merion are comparable, overall lower merion is more expensive, but my point someone making 100k in 19063 would have the same lifestyle as someone living in lower merion, with the exception being gladwyne, and parts of Bryn Mawr.
Again, just not true. The most recent Census data has not been fully released for zip codes, but looking at the zillow estimates, we can see that the Media area is considerably cheaper than both Lower Merion and the Main Line in general. I don't see why this is such a huge issue for you. The fact that the Media area is a considerably better value is a point in its favor.
Just my two cents: Zillow is often very off the mark - unless you are talking about public records which they can't fudge. While I'm certain the the main line is considerably more expensive, I could NOT find a good single home in Media (after looking for over a year) for under 350K; they simply do not exist. And by "good" I mean a home on a quarter-acre lot with 3 bds, 2 baths that do not need a huge amount of upgrading (kitchens, baths). If you bought a single for under 300K in the Media area, then it would likely be a very small Cape Cod on top of your neighbors. Trust me on this
Location: Wynnewood, PA/Philadelphia, PA (Temple U)
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Originally Posted by cpomp
Media is not blue collar by any means. I think for a family the media area would be a better choice than lower merion. The media, rose valley, upper providence, edgemont areas possibly have more overall wealth than the mainline.
lolwat
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