Looking for info on SE PA (Philadelphia, Allentown: house, employment, school districts)

[Sleddog905]

Hello! DH and I are considering a move back to the east coast, and are just starting to consider PA as a possibility. We were initially set on moving back to New England, but I'm getting cold feet (pun intended) after seeing the recent snowfall and temps up there! I'll be honest and say that I know very little about PA, other than the Lancaster area (have visited there many times). We'd probably look at being within an hr of Philly, for the sake of jobs and entertainment. We don't know enough about the area to want to move there at this point, but it helps to have some towns to look at to see what they're like. It's nice to have a starting point! I'm going to copy the post I made in the general U.S. board, but I'll try to cut out most of the stuff that isn't pertinent. Thanks!!

A little background: We have one son who is 5, and two extra large Alaskan Malamutes . DH and I are originally from CT, but moved to CO over ten years ago. We love CO, but with our parents aging we'd like to move back to the east coast; at least for a while. DH is in IT (computer programming), and I'm a certified athletic trainer. We will look for work first, but if we're within driving distance of a city/large town, then at least one of us should be able to find work. We'd just like to narrow down a region first, to see if this is even the right decision.

DS is highly advanced academically, so a good school is a must. We're not adverse to private schools, but they tend to be very expensive on the East coast. We've also considered homeschooling, but that isn't our first choice. Ideally, I'd like to get him into a school with a gifted program. It doesn't appear as if gifted education is mandated in NH (haven't looked at ME), so schools might be more of a challenge there.

We'd like to have conveniences relatively close by, and would like to be within a reasonable distance to a city. We're used to living within an hr of Denver, so we like being able to visit museums and zoos occasionally. We have to travel quite a distance to get to most places in CO, but we're kind of over it. Access to high speed net is important due to DH's job. We also prefer homes with a bit of land. We currently have nearly 4 acres, but are willing to have a smaller lot than that. We just don't want our neighbors to be on top of us. We're not quite sure what we'll be able to afford as far as a home goes, but we'd like to stick to about 500k (less would be better, of course).

We love to hike, so access to decent hiking trails (or at least parks) is important to us. We'd also like to have some sort of recreation center (gym with a pool for the kiddo would be nice).

Any recommendations on specific towns to look at, or at least a general region?

I should add that we'd like to remain within 4-5 hrs of my parents (north of Fairfield County), since that's the primary reason we're looking to move back.

Oh, I should also add that we prefer medium sized towns (or smallish), and aren't really suburbia people. I suppose that could be self explanatory since we're looking for a house with land, but I figured I'd add that. We will not live on a tiny lot with neighbors all around us; it's just not for us!

[rainrock]

West Chester, Downingtown,Phoenixville areas place you about an hour wnw of Center City Philly and 20 minutes to the suburban employment hubs along route 202. Nice combination of countryside//woodsy just outside the towns themselves.

Just Off the beaten path, villages/ small towns that come to mind. Pickering Valley,Kimberton,,St Vincents,Coventry Township, Willistown,White Horse,Sugartown,Newtown Square etc etc. The closer you head towards the city the $$$$$ it is.

[toobusytoday]

You might also look in the Lehigh Valley. We're an hour from Philly and less than 2 hours from NYC. We also have some nice smaller cities - Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton. There are good school districts and rural land that will be less expensive than the Philadelphia suburbs. We moved here from the Delaware Valley almost eighteen years ago and are so happy we did. While we liked where we lived, the traffic and congestion was a constant. In the small town that we live near, Coopersburg, traffic means waiting five minutes. My daughter, who lives in DC, remarked one time when she came home that it took moving from the area for her to realize what a great place we lived. We're close to major and minor cities but also minutes away from the country where you can still pick your own fruit and vegetables.

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