Relocating from Florida to PA, don't know where to live (Philadelphia: middle-class, low crime)

[laudato_a]

My husband and I are looking to relocate to Pennsylvania soon. My husband has a lot of family around Allentown. However, we would like to be 30 mins to an hour away from Allentown. Any suggestions?

1. Affordable housing (we're average middle class people)
2. I like hills, green scenery
3. close to restuarants/shopping/movie theatre
4. good school district
5. low crime rate
6. I have a BA in Health Services so maybe close to hospitals/assisted living/ physician offices

Thanks so much for any input!

[Enacra]

Im not from the Allentown area so I cant give too much input, but I know Allentown has a large retail area with a mall, outside shopping, movie theater. At least from the last time I was there, the area was really nice. I dont know how long your trip in FL now takes you to get to those venues, but in PA a half hour is the general average for traveling to a retail area, some people travel 45 mins. Fortunately for you, most of PA is green hills and nice scenery, just look anywhere beyond the city limits of Allentown and you're bound to find an area that is picturesque and pleasant within 30-40 mins. The schools are going to be pretty decent wherever you go. Likewise with the shopping, medical facilities are pretty frequent in eastern PA, you should be able to find something not too far from where you live. And as far as crime is concerned, just stay away from inner city of Allentown. The further you get away from the city, the lower the crime rate will become.

But being around there gives you great access to the turnpike which can bring you south to Philadelphia or north for outdoor activities in an hour and a half either way. Thats pretty convenient.

[toobusytoday]

Originally Posted by laudato_a

My husband and I are looking to relocate to Pennsylvania soon. My husband has a lot of family around Allentown. However, we would like to be 30 mins to an hour away from Allentown. Any suggestions?

1. Affordable housing (we're average middle class people)
2. I like hills, green scenery
3. close to restuarants/shopping/movie theatre
4. good school district
5. low crime rate
6. I have a BA in Health Services so maybe close to hospitals/assisted living/ physician offices

Thanks so much for any input!

I would suggest finding a job first and then finding a place to live. Healthcare is the #1 industry in the Lehigh Valley so there's a good chance you could find a job here. The largest hospital is the Lehigh Valley hospital but I think it does have an Allentown address. You could always commute from Kutztown though if you really do want to live further away. What's affordable?

Any of the towns surrounding the city's of Allentown, Bethlehem or Easton have good schools, low crime and shopping. The affordable part is subjective.

[three yutes]

I suggest Emmaus and surrounding areas. Great area and closer to a major hospital and health networks. If you want great schools make sure what your looking at is in East Penn school district or Parkland school district. Also nice and quiet, no crime, and away from all the riff raff of Allentown.

Stay away from living in city limits of Easton, Bethlehem, Allentown, and Reading.

[toobusytoday]

If test scores are one of your metrics, I would also include Southern Lehigh: SchoolDigger.com - Compare Emmaus High School to other Pennsylvania schools We're also rocking the sports scene right now and have won district titles in Field Hockey, Soccer (against Parkland and Emmaus) and Football.

[SteelCityRising]

Anything that's south of the Lehigh Valley, towards Philadelphia, starts to noticeably increase in cost-of-living.

Kutztown was mentioned as a possibility, and I'd like to second that one. It's a small middle-class college town enshrouded by bucolic scenery that's approximately midway between the cores of the cities of the Lehigh Valley (30 minutes to Allentown; 45 minutes to Easton) and Reading (30 minutes). Outer suburban areas of both metro areas that have hospitals and medical offices will be closer than that.

I wouldn't head north of the Lehigh Valley, as that would put you into the Pocono Mountains of Carbon County, which could make your commute much snowier in the winter. Anything east is obviously in New Jersey, so look west!

[laudato_a]

Thank you so much

[CHAIN5]

You might check out Nazareth as well.

[c5rose]

There is a beautiful development in Allentown called Treetop Estates. I walk my dog through it and marvel at the new houses and tall trees. Super close to major hospitals, etc. I think the houses start around 300K.

[cangus]

In the same vein, I'd like to know what communities are commutable to Allentown that will have a high resale value, if/when we decide to retire to FL! We're looking to move to PA for work (Allentown) but do not want to live in the city. Would prefer a higher-end (more desirable) community with low crime rates and lovely homes--don't know the Lehigh Valley area but it sounds like that's locationally where we need to be.