The practicality of commuting (Philadelphia, Bethlehem: real estate, foreclosed, renting) - Lehigh Valley - Pennsylvania (PA) -Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton - City-Data Forum

RockyMtnBoy · 11-12-2009, 02:03 PM

My wife and I are looking to relocate to the Bethlehem area with our 4-month-old son. What I am wondering about is how long, approximately, will the commute into Philly take me? I commute about 40 minutes now and don't really mind it.

Additionally, does the mass transit system (train/rail system) reach out as far as the Bethlehem area or would I need to jump on somewhere else, and if so how reliable and/or affordable is this?

Thanks for the help..

toobusytoday · 11-12-2009, 03:55 PM

Quakertown is as far North as I would possibly go and consider it a do-able commute. I live just North of Quakertown and South of Bethlehem and CC Philadelphia in an hour without traffic, construction or snow for me, add another 15 minutes or more from Bethlehem. The northermost rail line goes to Colmar, Doylestown or Lansdale- all at least 15 minutes south of Quakertown. There is a bus service but it's expensive and does not run hourly. You can look at the Transbridge, Greyhound and Bieber websites for bus. Here's the SEPTA site - you'll want the R-5 line. SEPTA

JohnZ963 · 11-12-2009, 03:57 PM

I don't think it's too bad compared to a NYC commute. Assuming you're working in center city, you could take 378 to Coopersburg-area backroads and get on 476 in Quakertown, follow that south to the Schuylkill (76) into Philly. Traffic is generally pretty reasonable until you get on 76. I've driven from Bethlehem to Conshohocken (around where 476 meets 76) during rush hour in a little under an hour, but have no firsthand rush hour 76 experience.

The train goes as far north of Lansdale. You'll have to drive at least 40 minutes to get there from Bethlehem. There may be bus service, I don't know.

It's still a long commute, and I wouldn't do it unless I were making big money in Philly yet for some reason (relatives, etc.) had to live in the Lehigh Valley.

RockyMtnBoy · 11-12-2009, 04:33 PM

Thank you both for the input. It was very helpful! We actually are trying to "split" the difference for work and family since the family is in NEPA.

Matt_PSU · 11-12-2009, 10:04 PM

No one commutes from this far to center city philly. No one. BUT, people do live in emmaus or saucon and commute to the drug companies for sure. It totally depends on where you work in philly.

toobusytoday · 11-13-2009, 04:52 AM

I do have Philadelphia rush hour experience which is why I said it was not a good commute from Bethlehem. We lived in Delaware County for six year and Chester County for four. Living in those area's one quickly learns NOT to hit any of the major highways (especially the blue route (Route 476 section south of Plymouth meeting) or the Schuykill (route 76) during rush hour. MY husband did a comparable distance commute from Quakertown to Delaware county before we sold our house and he was miserable - and that didn't even include CC Philadelphia traffic.

LifetimeLocal · 11-13-2009, 10:39 AM

Something to consider is the state is going to be working on the the turnpike which is going to create a major congestion issue for YEARS. I know a few people that tried the NYC, NJ commute and that was not a nice thing. They might as well have never moved here because when you are spending 4 or 5 hours commuting(it's that bad try it and you'll see) along with the costs associated with that distance of a commute you are actually spending more money and have no life for the payoff. You might as well become a OTR truck driver and stay out on the road a week at a time because you will have no use for a home when all you do is sleep there.

urban analysis therapist · 11-13-2009, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LifetimeLocal

Something to consider is the state is going to be working on the the turnpike which is going to create a major congestion issue for YEARS. I know a few people that tried the NYC, NJ commute and that was not a nice thing. They might as well have never moved here because when you are spending 4 or 5 hours commuting(it's that bad try it and you'll see) along with the costs associated with that distance of a commute you are actually spending more money and have no life for the payoff. You might as well become a OTR truck driver and stay out on the road a week at a time because you will have no use for a home when all you do is sleep there.

The commuters to NYC/NJ tend not to be singles or even young childless couples; rather, they tend to be younger parents. These younger parents feel that the LV offers larger houses and lower prices, safer neighborhoods, better schools, a better environment to grow up in, etc. In other words, they will state that they are "moving for their children" so that they'll grow up in a more ideal and controlled environment.

In many ways, they're right. The LV offers less expensive real estate as well as lower taxes, and the schools and environment that their children grow up in is what the parents feel is ideal. But the flip side is that the commuters, who spend all those hours at work and all those hours on the road, will have less time to spend with their children.

Personally, I think this factor is as important in a child's development as the child's physical environment. After all, don't a lot of teenagers do crazy things, supposedly, as a cry for attention? When the commuting parent comes home exhausted from work and travel, how much time does he/she really want to spend with his/her children? For a lot of parents who aren't truly committed to parenting, not much. And worse - what happens when both parents commute?

I don't think a lot of commuters really think about that when they make the move. They probably assume that they will have the energy to spend time with their kids, and hey - look at all the money we're saving and the great big backyard we have. And you all get to have your own rooms! But then, reality sets in as they keep getting up at 5 AM and coming home at 8 PM, every single day. They realize they're just plain exhausted by the end of the day, and they really couldn't give a rat's ass about their second grader's macaroni pictures. It may be okay when the children are still young and can be herded to after-school programs and the like, but it will be hell when they're all teenagers who are stuck in some boring suburb with nothing to do.

LifetimeLocal · 11-13-2009, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by urban analysis therapist

The commuters to NYC/NJ tend not to be singles or even young childless couples; rather, they tend to be younger parents. These younger parents feel that the LV offers larger houses and lower prices, safer neighborhoods, better schools, a better environment to grow up in, etc. In other words, they will state that they are "moving for their children" so that they'll grow up in a more ideal and controlled environment.

In many ways, they're right. The LV offers less expensive real estate as well as lower taxes, and the schools and environment that their children grow up in is what the parents feel is ideal. But the flip side is that the commuters, who spend all those hours at work and all those hours on the road, will have less time to spend with their children.

Personally, I think this factor is as important in a child's development as the child's physical environment. After all, don't a lot of teenagers do crazy things, supposedly, as a cry for attention? When the commuting parent comes home exhausted from work and travel, how much time does he/she really want to spend with his/her children? For a lot of parents who aren't truly committed to parenting, not much. And worse - what happens when both parents commute?

I don't think a lot of commuters really think about that when they make the move. They probably assume that they will have the energy to spend time with their kids, and hey - look at all the money we're saving and the great big backyard we have. And you all get to have your own rooms! But then, reality sets in as they keep getting up at 5 AM and coming home at 8 PM, every single day. They realize they're just plain exhausted by the end of the day, and they really couldn't give a rat's ass about their second grader's macaroni pictures. It may be okay when the children are still young and can be herded to after-school programs and the like, but it will be hell when they're all teenagers who are stuck in some boring suburb with nothing to do.

Prices have always been and always will be historically higher in larger cities than smaller ones. The small amount(it wasn't as big as used house salesman want you to believe) of people who came during the housing bubble years were people who simply thought "They will be priced out forever" and wanted to get in on the housing market. Now they are finding out what a mistake they made. All the excuses/lies from the NAR are coming true and getting worse.

We are already having trouble in the suburbs because of this. Crime is up in areas 8 years ago had hardly anything. These new McMansion suburbs that are sitting with many homes empty or foreclosed on will soon become more crime infested because of the negative equitity which will force more and more people out of their homes and create small little new home developments into disaster. Look at the amount of HUD homes already started to show up in these places. It can only get worse.

toobusytoday · 11-13-2009, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RockyMtnBoy

My wife and I are looking to relocate to the Bethlehem area with our 4-month-old son. What I am wondering about is how long, approximately, will the commute into Philly take me? I commute about 40 minutes now and don't really mind it.

Additionally, does the mass transit system (train/rail system) reach out as far as the Bethlehem area or would I need to jump on somewhere else, and if so how reliable and/or affordable is this?

Thanks for the help..

This thread is about commuting, not the housing market.... I think urban analysis has a great point about the quality of life when the majority of time is spent traveling on busy highways for a job. We visit family as often as we can but when we looked at a place to live our primary considerations were schools and location to our jobs - not where relatives lived. Don't get me wrong, I love my folks but in our family, it's not really customary to live close to immediate family. Instead we vacation together and when we get together it's usually for a couple of days. That way during the week we had time for the kids activities and meals together. That might not work for everyone but it's been working for us.