Does the eastern half of Pennslvania offer what I'm looking for? (Philadelphia: low crime, neighborhoods)

[Sherbet]

Is there anywhere in the Eastern half of Pennsylvania that offers my kind of place?

I'm looking for a nice place that's at least a "medium" sized place with at least 50,000 people (can be slightly under that though, or it can also be a full big city), that at least offers most of the essential amenities.

I'd also like to not have to use a motor vehicle unless I leave the area itself (like a vacation for example, the only other time I'd use it is for the few times of the year when the weather is harsh). A bus system like the one in Kent would be nice but it's optional and not overly needed for me.

I'd also like it to have plenty of things to do for people of all ages (kids, teens, and adults). Where I live now is somewhat covered on things to do for kids, but non-"jock" teens mostly play video games and adults only have bars, sports to watch, a small mall, and a couple hiking trails everyone's been through plenty of times.

Of course I don't want to live in a overly dangerous area.

Good schools too please!

I'm mostly liberal both socially and economically, but I usually keep my mouth shut on politics unless someone else throws first pitch.

The reason why I choose the eastern half of Pennsylvania is so I can be a one day drive from my family in Ohio and Cedar Point, while also being really close to East Coast cities as well as my other relatives in Asbury Park, NJ. I'd also be able to take weekend (not every weekend of course, but definitely more than twice a year) trips to beaches in New Jersey, Delaware, etc. Eastern PA is probably also more dense than Western PA.

Where I live now is a small 12,000 Midwestern town that was built and developed with entirely the "jock" crowd in mind, so everyone else that wasn't crazily into sports was pretty much ignored out entirely. The nearest place with even over 50,000 people is over 30 minutes away with car being the only option, but that place has a higher crime rate than most major cities. At least in most non-ghetto places with a higher population, there's something for more different groups for people.

Also, with each of your suggestions can you also post how costly it is (You don't even have to post numbers)? I know I probably won't be moving from from my current town with in at least 4 years, and I'm not entirely sure if this will be my spot yet.

Thank you and Peace!

[Gettingouttahere]

Philly is the only place in eastern PA that could even remotely accommodate your desire to not have a car and be within range of everything. Philly is very nice but I don't live there and can't really address your other questions. It's not as cheap as a small town, however, and I'm pretty sure the schools are not uniformly great.

[toobusytoday]

I think you are going to have to prioritize because the place you are looking for does not exist, as far as I know unless you are willing to put your kids in private schools and have an unlimited bank account for the safety issue. Philadelphia has great public transportation.

[pman]

west chester would come pretty close (though it's pop 18k with an 11k student university). what about bethlehem? there's lancaster (no idea about schools but crime has been on the decline and there are nice neighborhoods, very walkable, ~60k. train service to ny and philly).

[ThreePumpChump]

You knocked out a lot of places by asking for a safe, but urban place. There are a lot of Urban places in Eastern Pa, Reading, Lancaster, Allentown, Pottstown, etc but they are not what you described.

[toobusytoday]

Bethlehem has very limited public transportation and not very good schools. The words safe, urban and good schools are the problem.

[pman]

Originally Posted by toobusytoday

Bethlehem has very limited public transportation and not very good schools. The words safe, urban and good schools are the problem.

transit wasn't requirement, certain parts of bethlehem are very walkable. odd that a place like bethlehem that doesn't really have huge problems with crime woudl still have bad schools. anyway, like i said, west chester may be the closest thing to it. sure, it's not huge, but it's very dense...it's probably a helluva lot more urban than where the op is coming from and has a good school system. phoenixville (~14k) might also be a good option with a decent school. these places are all in heavily populated areas so even if the pop numbers are lower than desired, they're a lot more lively than if they were the regional town centers. also, check out ardmore, a relatively urban suburb near Philadelphia. there are also a handful of good schools in philadelphia, chestnut hill and center city plus the merideth school in the queen village neighborhood. I'd consider them safe enough.

[toobusytoday]

I was thinking of this part of the OP's requests,

I'd also like to not have to use a motor vehicle unless I leave the area itself (like a vacation for example, the only other time I'd use it is for the few times of the year when the weather is harsh). A bus system like the one in Kent would be nice but it's optional and not overly needed for me.

There is public transportation in Bethlehem but it's not anywhere near as extensive as those found in larger cities and it's buses only. Most people, even within city limits, have a car. I would say the same is true about West Chester, which is one of my favorite towns.

[pman]

Originally Posted by toobusytoday

I was thinking of this part of the OP's requests,

There is public transportation in Bethlehem but it's not anywhere near as extensive as those found in larger cities and it's buses only. Most people, even within city limits, have a car. I would say the same is true about West Chester, which is one of my favorite towns.

if you reread the post it says nice but not necessary...id bet people in.west.chester are able to get around without a car a good deal more than their neighbors in west chester. west chester is a fairly urban and walkable large town with good schools, low crime, and reasonable access to trains going to.ny and philadelphia.

[toobusytoday]

Originally Posted by pman

if you reread the post it says nice but not necessary...id bet people in.west.chester are able to get around without a car a good deal more than their neighbors in west chester. west chester is a fairly urban and walkable large town with good schools, low crime, and reasonable access to trains going to.ny and philadelphia.

Okay, I'll quibble a bit. Yes, you CAN get around WC without a car, but most people don't and the nearest train is nowhere near walking distance. I believe the grocery stores are located outside of the borough. If one has kids, you will need to drive, if only to do the regular school carpool driving thing, to go to local orchards, farmers markets, etc. I'm guessing that the OP just wants to be able to walk to local stores, the library, etc without gassing up, and I very much agree that WC would be fine for that. West Chester would also satisfy the activities for all ages, partly because of the proximity of WC University.