Moving our from NYC to PA (Philadelphia, Reading: ski resorts, 2013, rent)

[bunnny]

Hey guys, as the title says..We are planning on moving out from to NYC to either Nazareth or Gilbertsville, PA.
We're getting mixed opinions from friends and co-workers and we'd like to hear form the locals which one should we choose to live. So far, our only concerns are school system, property taxes and cost of living. Which one is better? Please. Thank you.

[PacoMartin]

Originally Posted by bunnny

Hey guys, as the title says..We are planning on moving out from to NYC to either Nazareth or Gilbertsville, PA.

Gilbertsville (outside of Pottstown). For starters you added at least a half hour-hour if you want to go back to NYC. From Nazareth you drive 6 miles and get on a bus (dozens per day) and it's 2 hours to NYC. Cheaper than gas, particularly if you are over age 62.

I'm told the traffic is so bad from Pottstown, that it may not be appreciably closer to Philadelphia than Nazareth. As the distances are 42.5 miles and 75 miles that may be a stretch, but traffic is really bad.

Can you give us some clue as to how you narrowed it down to these two choices, and what you are looking for (ages of children | going back to the city, etc).

[bunnny]

We are new homes hunters and one of the crucial criteria was following our developer's construction sites. I don't want to advertise his name, at this moment. However, as I said earlier the schools and taxes were our second benchmark. I'll be working for quite a year or so in Bronx, NY and the only silly thing I'm worry, is the GWB traffic. Later on, I'm hoping to transfer myself to one of the local employers. My wife will be entirely located in Gilbertsville(if so), so it's only me pushing the gas pedal for 200miles or so, a day. It's all about our kids's future.

[PacoMartin]

I don't like Gilbertsville, Boyertown area. It is very difficult to get anywhere. The ski resort is Bear Mountain. You can drive 27 miles to Hellertown and catch the bus, but you probably will just want to drive to Bronx rather than spend that much time on the road.

From Nazareth you can ski nightly at Blue Mountain which has a lot more vertical drop than Bear Creek. Your kids will love it. Nazareth Area School District is highly rated. If you would be in another SD, then reconsider. From Nazareth you can connect to I80 or I78. Usually traffic is slower in I80, but considering you work in the Bronx it may be faster.

You're estimate of 200 miles (or so) can be refined to about 100 miles from Nazareth, and 125 miles from Gilbertsville to the Bronx (one way). But you need to envision a lot of that at a crawl.

There are 15 buses per day from WILLIAM PENN HIGHWAY Park & Ride Rt. 33 (5-8 miles from Nazareth Area) to Port Authority Bus Terminal (if you can take subway to the Bronx). The first 8 buses leave at 4:20 4:50 5:00 5:20 5:45 6:05 6:25 7:00 . The first three buses take 95,100, and 105 minutes and then they begin to slow down to 115 minutes or more. Try to get a beater to leave at the Park and Ride.

Most people take the bus as the tolls, gas, parking, and wear and tear cost a lot more. Also dedicated bus lanes usually means quicker time. Frequent commuters try to nap on the bus. Books of 10, 20, 30, 40 one way tickets (used in one month) are $166 $309.25 $429.25 $528. There is a short grace period of about 2 business days if you don't use the 40 one ways in a month.

Personally, even if you plan on doing it for one year, I would much rather go from Nazareth than from Gilbertsville. There are a lot of people out here who planned to commute for one year and switch to a local job. Guess how many are still commuting?

[bunnny]

PacoMartin, I really appreciate your detailed comment, but as I mentioned above, one of the reasons we're moving to Gilbertsville, is the very good SD system they have. If you compare both(Nazareth & Gilbertsville) school ratings, You'll notice a significant and advantage of Gilbertville ones. Therefore, I don't think that I should weight my judgements, based on ski resorts and etc. We're all have personal opinions and I appreciate the fact that you posted yours. However, I'll be really thankful to see more opinions and suggestions.

[PacoMartin]

Originally Posted by bunnny

PacoMartin, I really appreciate your detailed comment, but as I mentioned above, one of the reasons we're moving to Gilbertsville, is the very good SD system they have. If you compare both(Nazareth & Gilbertsville) school ratings, You'll notice a significant and advantage of Gilbertville ones.

Therefore, I don't think that I should weight my judgements, based on ski resorts and etc. We're all have personal opinions and I appreciate the fact that you posted yours. However, I'll be really thankful to see more opinions and suggestions.

I wasn't so cavalier as to suggest that you should move somewhere based on ski resorts. I was only trying to be thorough.

My main complaint about Boyertown and Gilbertsville is how hard it is to drive anywhere, let alone commute to NYC. BTW this is not just a personal opinion, I hear people complain about how crowded those roads are all the time.

I am not sure where you are getting that comment on the school districts. Nazareth usually does very well. As a matter of fact if you look up the latest PSSA results, Nazareth outranks Boyertown in advanced Reading and Writing by a small percentage, while Boyertown outscores Nazareth in advanced Math and Science by a small percentage.


%Adv %Proficient %Basic %Below Basic

READING
NAZARETH AREA SD All Students 2365 45.8 36.1 11.9 6.3
BOYERTOWN AREA SD All Students 3679 43.8 38.8 11.3 6.1

WRITING
NAZARETH AREA SD All Students 1050 12.6 70.5 15.7 1.2
BOYERTOWN AREA SD All Students 1580 9.2 76.3 13.7 0.8

MATH
BOYERTOWN AREA SD All Students 3698 62.6 26.4 7.2 3.8
NAZARETH AREA SD All Students 2416 61.5 26.9 8.1 3.6

SCIENCE
BOYERTOWN AREA SD All Students 1497 36.6 38.5 19.9 4.9
NAZARETH AREA SD All Students 1035 35.6 37.1 22.9 4.4

Since I don't know the exact location of your LV development, are you possibly in the Easton School District? If you are, then I would agree that you are better off commuting to Gilbertsville.

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I also think you should post in Philadelphia sub-forum. Gilbertsville is a Philadelphia suburb. Perhaps you can get comments from someone who lives there.

I should mention finally, that many people move to Lehigh Valley intending to commute for a while and then move their business or employment for a shorter commute. We had one woman on this site that weeped and wailed that her husband's plans fell through and he was still commuting 6 years later. They finally sold their house and moved back closer to the city.

If you intend to work in downtown Philadelphia, then Gilbertsville looks like the better option. I have seen postings on this forum that says the commute to Philadelphia down that corridor is a really nasty.

[bunnny]

We're getting the school reviews from greatschools and schoolscout websites. We we're told that the same are independent and not affiliated with any Gov supported agencies. I agree with you that both SD are good with may be some pro's and con's but since we're comparing them with 11235, I'd say..they are great. The new home address is approximate because is still in developing progress but the location is this
It is Boyertown SD.

Also, one more thing to mention...There's nothing bad than Brooklyn traffic, so my Tuesday area visit was peace a cake. However, I clearly understand your point and I really appreciate the helpful info you serve.

[PacoMartin]

Originally Posted by bunnny

We're getting the school reviews from greatschools and schoolscout websites. We we're told that the same are independent and not affiliated with any Gov supported agencies. I agree with you that both SD are good with may be some pro's and con's but since we're comparing them with 11235, I'd say..they are great.

You had better do an honest cost of commuting. A bus from Northampton county 20 days per months is $528 +$112 for MTA pass in NYC is $640. As salaries could be higher by $2K-$3K /month in NYC, it is usually worth it as long as you can stand the pain. Some people take the first three buses as transit time is much lower (95 minutes for first bus).

The GWB bridge toll EZ pass is $11*20=$220 per month + $21*20=$420 gasoline. That is $640 already. Plus incidental tolls depending on route, the wear and tear of putting 50K miles on your car in a year plus parking in the Bronx.

Usually if you purchase a beater car or an electric bike that can get you the 5-10 miles to the Park and Ride it is much cheaper than a car that can reliably drive you 50K miles a year commuting. The ultimate in savings is to have a spouse drop you off.

The closest point in the Nazareth Area School District is 2.1 miles to the Park and Ride. I don't know the exact location of your development, but a cheap bicycle is not totally out of the question.



GREAT SCHOOLS RATING
10 Nazareth Area Middle School
8 Nazareth Area High School

8 Boyertown Area JHS West
9 Boyertown Area JHS East
8 Boyertown Area High School

You can commute by bus from Gilbertsville as well, but it is probably 28 miles to the Hellertown Park and Ride. Between the drive, the bus, and the subway it sounds like 2.5-3 hours one way

Jacobsburg State Park is only about 4 miles from Nazareth, and it has hiking trails, horseback riding, picnicking and mountain bike trails.

Unless I am missing a significant factor, the commute would push me towards Nazareth. Frankly, if I had to commute from Gilbertsville to the Bronx, I would rent a room and see my kids on weekends.

[toobusytoday]

I think a commute from Nazareth or Boyertown would be horrible, but school score-wise Boyertown is slightly better than Nazareth. SchoolDigger.com - Compare Boyertown Area Senior High School to other Pennsylvania schools If I were in your shoes I would focus more on schools and the commute and less on houses, but that's my own preference.

[blazerj]

I live in the NASD, but my son is still pre-K. However, my neighbors all speak highly of the NASD and moved to the area (it's actually like 3-4 towns) specifically for the school district (we partially did).

Commuting to the Bronx from Nazareth would be at least 3 hours each way, even with moderate traffic. I'd add another hour from Gilbertsville. Personally, I think that's crazy, but it's your choice.

The issue with school digger is that it's just an autopull of statewide data and averages are very misleading, especially for smaller schools (smaller sample size, more variation).

Just look at the 1 year variation for Nazareth High School from 2012 to 2013 (or any year). The NASD They went from being better than 86.4% of PA High Schools to being 48.1% better in 2013. That kind of 1 year change is insane.

In 2010, 2011, & 2012, the NASD was better than 80-85% of schools in PA.