Best Area for a Young Couple? (Allentown, Bethlehem: new home, where to buy, school districts)

[iamcoko]

Hi Everyone:

My husband and I will be moving to the Allentown area within the next few months and are still debating about where to buy a house.

I know that Parkland and East Penn have great reputations as far as school districts, but I was wondering if Bethlehem or Quakertown would be a better area for us. Or some other town in the surrounding areas.

We are 25 years old and enjoy being close to restaurant, shops, and night life. Which towns/cities/communities offer this?

Thank you!

[toobusytoday]

No kids? Bethlehem, hands down. I live in between the two areas. I go to Quakertown for close by shopping at Target (just opened a month ago), Staples or Kohls, but it has no night life to speak of, and not many cool shops, cafe's or things oriented to non-families. Quakertown has the Q-mart which is a quirky but sort of sleazy farmers market.

Because Bethlehem hosts two colleges and wants to bill itself as a tourist destination it has quite a few restaurants, bars, cafe's and entertainment venues. The setting is also prettier with hills instead of the flatlands of Q-town.

[karen_s]

If I were young or single, I'd choose either Bethlehem or West End Allentown. Both Bethlehem and Allentown have the night life and restaurants. Bethlehem has an awesome shopping district on Main Street too.

[EternalNomad]

currently i live in pennsburg, Pa. which is just west of quakertown and south of allentown.

i love this area. it is one of the last green spaces that has not been built up yet. i have access to allentown and bethlehem (historic bethlehem is really nice) but i also like living in a peaceful, serene area with rolling hills and unspoiled vistas.

There are a lot of young couples moving here, with either small children or plans to start a family soon. Everyone really loves it here.

Macungie, Pa is also worth considering.

[iamcoko]

Thank you for the advice. We currently do not have any kids, but will hopefully in the future.

Is it realistic to be able to buy a house within walking distance of historic Bethlehem for about $300,000? Also, how is the school district? I have heard that it does not have the best reputation compared to Parkland or East Penn. Does any one have children who attend the school?

Thank you!

[toobusytoday]

Bethlehem schools have a bad reputation, period. Not just compared to any other district. Today's paper just came out with the 2007 stats. Here's the link to the article More schools may get an 'F' as bar raises -- themorningcall.com but I didn't see the actual numbers on-line like you can get in the hard copy.

There are several good school districts in the area. You can compare them at Schools, High School, Public Schools, School District, Public High Schools - SchoolMatters The areas surrounding Allentown and Bethlehem are Saucon Valley, Southern Lehigh, East Penn, Parkland, Whitehall-Coplay, Nazareth. There are some more just a bit farther out. Oh, and when you are comparing schools do not look at just the elementary numbers. Most schools have good elementary schools. Crunch time are the 8th grade and 11th grade scores.

[McUnG]

Macungie/East Penn Schools have a good reputation (and they ARE very good), but beware, because with the influx of new homes/families, there's a baby boom growing here and it's going to burst at the seams...

[graysmom8]

Emmaus was recently named one of the 100 best places to live. We have a nice, safe downtown and there are quite a few events that take place throughout the year. Emmaus is also located in the East Penn SD, so we have great schools too. It has a nice small town feeling, the new Promenade Shops are about 20 min away, as is the Lehigh Valley Mall and King of Prussia is about 45 min away.

[theshan]

iamcoko,

we are youngish newcomers to bethlehem and were initially put off by the bad reputations of the schools. our neighbor goes to one and is doing well, another sent all their kids to catholic school. but yes, you can find decent housing in the 300s close to downtown and there is always something going on in bethlehem. i'm glad we made the choice we did. we have family in quakertown and it's too strip-mall-y for me. good for a shopping trip, but not for us. good luck!

[valentine92]

My son attends a public school in Bethlehem and we have no problems. Parental involvement is the key to success!