Best town to live in with children? (Philadelphia, Levittown: home, school districts)

[mandybux]

Hello,
My husband and I currently live in Levittown, Pa. It is an ok area, but it is not where I want to raise my family. We are looking to move within the next year and are having trouble decided where to move to. My husband works in Philadelphia, so we can't move to far from the city. He is willing to do a 45-1 hour commute if needed. We want a small town feel, community oriented, good schools, some property, and basically a nice town to raise our children. Our budget is around $400,000. Any help would be wonderful. Thank you in advance!

[lhfranklin]

I'm not at all an experienced voice for you but I'm in the exact same spot as you. My husband will be working north of the city, but we don't want to get too far from Philly.

This upcoming weekend we're going to drive through a bunch of towns (to hopefully eliminate a bunch) but this is our current list:

Downingtown
Chester Springs
Malvern
West Chester
Glen Mills (might be a bit too far)
Wallingford/Swarthmore (might be a bit too far)
Media (might be a bit too far)
Ambler
Wayne (might be a bit too pricey)
Hatboro/Horsham

[frankgn87]

look to newtown, Doylestown... Both wonderful areas

[LibraGirl123]

Originally Posted by lhfranklin

I'm not at all an experienced voice for you but I'm in the exact same spot as you. My husband will be working north of the city, but we don't want to get too far from Philly.

This upcoming weekend we're going to drive through a bunch of towns (to hopefully eliminate a bunch) but this is our current list:

Downingtown
Chester Springs
Malvern
West Chester
Glen Mills (might be a bit too far)
Wallingford/Swarthmore (might be a bit too far)
Media (might be a bit too far)
Ambler
Wayne (might be a bit too pricey)
Hatboro/Horsham

If your husband works north of the city, why are you looking at towns (except for Hatboro/Horsham and Ambler) that are considerably west of the city?

[templeu]

Originally Posted by mandybux

Hello,
My husband and I currently live in Levittown, Pa. It is an ok area, but it is not where I want to raise my family. We are looking to move within the next year and are having trouble decided where to move to. My husband works in Philadelphia, so we can't move to far from the city. He is willing to do a 45-1 hour commute if needed. We want a small town feel, community oriented, good schools, some property, and basically a nice town to raise our children. Our budget is around $400,000. Any help would be wonderful. Thank you in advance!

Some of the towns in Southern NJ would fit your description and budget very nicely. Take a look at Haddon Township (focusing on Westmont, and Haddon Leigh sections of Haddon Township), Haddonfield, Moorestown, Haddon Heights, and Collingswood. Both Haddonfield and Moorestown can be pricey - but depending on the type of home you are looking for (# beds/ baths) you can find something in that price range. Commutes from these towns to center city Phila shouldn't be more than 30 minutes (and in some cases less). There is also a high speed line that is reliable and convenient if one lives in Collingswood, Haddon Township, or Haddonfield.

I'm sure folks will get on here and deter you from considering NJ because of property taxes - but the home prices tend to be lower. So in the end once you consider what you pay for a home + taxes things balance out. I've recently checked out the property taxes in a few places in PA, and it looks like they are starting to catch up with parts of NJ.

[lhfranklin]

LibraGirl - he'll be in Collegeville and according to Google maps (which I do realize isn't necessarily the most accurate) all of those towns are under an hour commute.

I'm focusing on better school districts above all else.

If you have towns that are worth considering, I'm all ears.

[LibraGirl123]

Originally Posted by lhfranklin

LibraGirl - he'll be in Collegeville and according to Google maps (which I do realize isn't necessarily the most accurate) all of those towns are under an hour commute.

I'm focusing on better school districts above all else.

If you have towns that are worth considering, I'm all ears.

OK, those towns make more sense now that you've given his location as Collegeville. {When you said he was north of the city, I thought you meant lower Bucks County.)

I think you've got a good base with which to work with in any of those towns. Good luck!

[lhfranklin]

Its probably just shows that I don't exactly have my bearings with the area referring to Collegeville north of the city. I should have said north-west.

[cpomp]

Originally Posted by lhfranklin

I'm not at all an experienced voice for you but I'm in the exact same spot as you. My husband will be working north of the city, but we don't want to get too far from Philly.

This upcoming weekend we're going to drive through a bunch of towns (to hopefully eliminate a bunch) but this is our current list:

Downingtown
Chester Springs
Malvern
West Chester
Glen Mills (might be a bit too far)
Wallingford/Swarthmore (might be a bit too far)
Media (might be a bit too far)
Ambler
Wayne (might be a bit too pricey)
Hatboro/Horsham

i think your alittle confused with the location of some of the towns.

[cpomp]

If your planning on working in the city then media wallingford/swarthmore are some of the best choices you could think of. There are both well under an hour drive to the city even during rush hour unless there is some disaster on 95. also there is regional rail which is a 30-45 minute ride from the media stations right into market east or suburban stations in philadelphia. On top of that media and Swat have excellent schools, there are both in different districts equally strong. They are both very family oriented communities, media has a great downtown with great restuarants, a great place to get out with family or friends. the general area is pricy, but you can still find a good deal and its worth it. You cant go wrong with either.