Moving to LV Spring 2014 (Allentown, Northampton: condo, how much, houses)

[happyinnewengland]

Hello all -

When are you moving? Spring 2014
Where are you coming from? Connecticut
Why are you moving? New job for my husband
Where will you be working? He will be working in Allentown, at both LVHN Cedar Crest and offices near the new hockey arena (don't know the exact address).
Have you been here yet? Just driven through once - will be visiting in Jan/Dec

Will you buy or rent? Buy
If buying, are you looking for a house or a condo? How much can you spend? House $500,000-$600,000

Are you married or single? Do you have children? Married with two children at home (elementary and middle school) and one in college in NYC.
Do you prefer public or private schools? Public
Do you have pets? Dog and Cat
Do you want or need a yard? MINIMUM 1 ACRE
Are you keeping a car? yes (2 actually)
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? really torn on this one - I'm really okay with either

What do you want to be closest to?
Work - WITHIN 30 MIN - less would be preferable
Shopping - not so important
Basic services (supermarket, drugstore, etc.) - less than 15 minutes preferable
Nightlife - interested in theatre/arts/cultural events - 30 min or less preferable
Near Bus stop? Please note that there is NO rail service in the Lehigh Valley. Not important

Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood? I would enjoy a diverse neighborhood, but not absolutely necessary.

I’m looking for information on the choral and performing arts curriculum in the high schools. I’ve been going through the schools websites but am not finding much curriculum information in these areas…. The school districts on our preliminary list are: Southern Lehigh, East Penn, Salisbury, Northwest Lehigh and Saucon Valley (Right now we're thinking Parkland is just too big.)

We currently live in a suburban town of 24,000, and the high school has 1600 students. This is what our high school offers:

Theatre:
4 different year-long theatre classes.
Performance opportunities (rehearsals in the evening):
Festival of One Act Plays
Dinner Theatre
Winter Musicial
Spring Play
Senior Theatre Class Black Box Performance

Choir:
5 different year-long choir classes.
Non-auditioned freshman choir
By audition and increasing selectivity :
Concert Choir, Choral, Songbirds and Singers
One male and one female a capella group – extracurricular/after school
National competitions twice a year; international every other year (last year Italy).

Do any of the schools in the Lehigh Valley offer similar opportunities? I know about the Freddy Awards, so there must be some good theatre happening! What about choir? Any information is appreciated.

[alexiskai]

If you have a Netflix subscription, check out "Most Valuable Players," a documentary about the 2008 Freddy Awards. It gives some good examples of the performing arts culture in local high schools. One potential land mine is that, given the amount of time before your kids enter the HS programs, you won't really be able to make decisions based on the personnel in charge of the programs because they could easily change before your kids enroll. Sometimes an otherwise good program can be hamstrung by an ill-suited faculty member. So you'll have to take a calculated risk.

[toobusytoday]

It sounds like the theatre program is a big priority. I would check out the schools websites and Patch to see if you can get an idea how supportive the schools are of their arts program. My kids attended Southern Lehigh and all were involved in some sort of arts program in their years there. My oldest was a theatre/choir kid and was in every play and musical and, in fact, was a participant in the first Freddy awards, mentioned above. Our district is a small one but affluent and still has music and art in every school.

You might check this school out too:Home | Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts

[PacoMartin]

PA Shakespeare Festival (PSF) attracts up to 30,000 patrons from 20 states and was founded in 1992. PSF is a professional theater company in residence at DeSales University.

Most people with your interests try to settle in Southern Lehigh School District in Lehigh County, or Saucon Valley school district in Northampton County.

In general you are in the upper levels of home prices in the Valley, but it is a common misconception from people from the more expensive areas of the country that one acre is easily purchased for half a million dollars. Houses are much cheaper than CT, but you may want to think hard about this requirement as it will certainly limit your selection.

Center Valley home
$519,900 4 beds :3 baths:3,190 sq ft Lot:1 acres Year Built:1994 Last Sold:Feb 1994 for $298,369

[Gettingouttahere]

not public, but moravian Academy has a substantial music program.

[PacoMartin]

Originally Posted by happyinnewengland

I’ve been going through the schools websites but am not finding much curriculum information in these areas…. The school districts on our preliminary list are: Southern Lehigh, East Penn, Salisbury, Northwest Lehigh and Saucon Valley (Right now we're thinking Parkland is just too big.)

You probably want to add Nazareth Area SD to that list.

The two counties have a total of 3 cities, 27 boroughs and 32 townships. But the four townships that make up Northwest Lehigh school district are the most rural in the region. It is a major lifestyle decision to move there (although there are some new subdivisions around Weisenberg Elementary).

[blazerj]

I would think bigger SDs are more likely to have more extra curricular activities, so maybe you want to include Parkland?

[happyinnewengland]

Thanks everyone for the replies -

Alexiskai I will check out that documentary - sounds interesting.

About Parkland - some of my husband's future coworkers told him that while Parkland has lots of academic and extra-curricular activities, the sheer number of students makes it pretty competitive to get involved in things that are based on try-outs/auditions. Any have some insight on that? My girls love theatre and choir, and have some natural ability, but probably aren't super duper talented - I'd like them to have a fighting chance of being involved in the things they enjoy.

I understand what PacoMartin is saying about my 1 acre requirement limiting our selection... I have been realizing that as I've been looking over what's currently on the market. I live in a neighborhood now on 1 acre, and feel like my neighbors (wonderful though they are) are right on top of me. Maybe I should consider that "lifestyle decision" - how is the Northwest Lehigh school district?

[PacoMartin]

Originally Posted by happyinnewengland

I understand what PacoMartin is saying about my 1 acre requirement limiting our selection... I have been realizing that as I've been looking over what's currently on the market. I live in a neighborhood now on 1 acre, and feel like my neighbors (wonderful though they are) are right on top of me. Maybe I should consider that "lifestyle decision" - how is the Northwest Lehigh school district?

The three school districts that you should avoid in Lehigh County are:
ALLENTOWN CITY SD
CATASAUQUA AREA SD
NORTHERN LEHIGH SD
The other six are all pretty good, but Southern Lehigh usually gets the best scores.

I don't mean that it is impossible. A sum of $500K-$600K is in the upper percentage of home prices in the Lehigh Valley. But people want newer homes, and most of them were built in subdivisions with less than one acre plots.

Besides Northwest Lehigh school district, the Nazareth area school district has a good reputation, and includes more remote areas where large home plots are more readily available
Northampton School Districts

[PacoMartin]

I was going to send you a private message, but you have your account blocked. It was a very tiny home on a very large private lot that could be built out.