Much Differences in Counties? (Philadelphia, Chester: homes, find a job, neighborhoods)

[DouglasK919]

Like many NJ residents I'm a looking to get out! I'm a teacher, but pursuing Principal/Supervisor positions now. The climate in our field has gotten very bad, pension system is absolutely scary. My wife and I have a 5 year plan to have a kid and then relocate across the river to PA. Seems like Bucks, Montgomery, Delaware, and Chester counties have very nice areas and some great schools.

It's hard to tell, but are there much differences between these counties? I like having things convenient to me, just not to the umpteenth degree like we have in NJ. I mean I can drive 20 minutes and hit 3 malls. I have supermarkets galore within 5 miles...I don't need THAT much convenience. Does any county stick out more than another in terms of good schools, good housing, reasonable taxes (I pay $7,000 for a 3 bed, 1.5 bath ranch, .25 acre---not large by any means), and convenience to downtown Philly for an occasional night out? To be honest, I like townie bars anyway, but knowing you are fairly close to the city is nice.

Thanks board!

Doug

[frankgn87]

All three counties are very nice. I grew up in Bucks county and went to Council Rock. I now work in Montgomery county. Also very nice. Chester is also very nice with good schools but pretty far from philly. Me and my wife both work in pa education and I can tell you that the teaching climate is no better then in nj. Good schools have a long wait list to get into for any position. Stay away from lower bucks, which have average schools at best. lso taxes are the same (aprox) in comperable homes in Bucks and Montgomery counties then in South Jersey.

[PhillyViaBoston]

I've always thought the "county" designation in Pennsylvania was an awkward way to think about the area. Counties are large, and there's a too much variation within each to make a generalization about any one county as a whole.

I'd suggest - particularly since you're involved in public education - that you look more at the differences between individual school systems than counties. That might not narrow things down as quickly & easily as you'd like, but there's it's a more meaningful difference than county name.

Good luck!

[Avalon08]

Originally Posted by DouglasK919

Like many NJ residents I'm a looking to get out! I'm a teacher, but pursuing Principal/Supervisor positions now. The climate in our field has gotten very bad, pension system is absolutely scary. My wife and I have a 5 year plan to have a kid and then relocate across the river to PA. Seems like Bucks, Montgomery, Delaware, and Chester counties have very nice areas and some great schools.

It's hard to tell, but are there much differences between these counties? I like having things convenient to me, just not to the umpteenth degree like we have in NJ. I mean I can drive 20 minutes and hit 3 malls. I have supermarkets galore within 5 miles...I don't need THAT much convenience. Does any county stick out more than another in terms of good schools, good housing, reasonable taxes (I pay $7,000 for a 3 bed, 1.5 bath ranch, .25 acre---not large by any means), and convenience to downtown Philly for an occasional night out? To be honest, I like townie bars anyway, but knowing you are fairly close to the city is nice.

Thanks board!

Doug

Right, I agree there is too much variation within the counties to generalize, but that said, I'd generalize as follows:

Delaware Co. is very convenient to the city; known for having high taxes; many working-class neighborhoods.

Montgomery Co. is not as convenient to the city; some areas have high taxes; very large county with diverse housing; many suburban 60's bedroom communities; KOP has low taxes due to all the commercial areas.

Chester Co. is also not as convenient to the city unless you're near the train; I think of it as more upscale and "country"; I think taxes are reasonable.

Bucks Co. also has many '60's bedroom communities as well as country estates; again, not so convenient to the city; not sure about the taxes there.

OK, don't everyone flame me, I'm just giving very broad generalizations based on my knowledge of the counties, and having lived in three of the four.

[cpomp]

All of the counties have great areas for a family. The least affordable county overall I would actually say is probably Delaware County. I would suggest looking in Delaware county first because of its easy access to the city, and the large variety of townships and neighborhoods to choose from.

[Angus215]

The 4-county area in general is very nice. obviously some areas are nice than others, and some areas are more expensive than others. I honestly think that where you live will be determined by where you can find a job, as is usually the case in this economy. There honestly aren't very many areas in suburban philly that aren't decent and, with the exception of eastern delaware county, most of the school districts are very good.. You can go pretty far outside of the city and be still be in nice areas with very good schools that are relatively less expensive. I don't blame you for wanting to leave NJ.

[BPP1999]

Spotswood NJ - in Middlesex County?

Anywhere you move in the PA 'burbs will probably be a little less congested and a little cheaper. However, this is a broad generalization and there are towns in PA that are very expensive and some areas have very high taxes. Depending on where you move, you could have tons of shopping and convenience nearby, with relatively high taxes, and some congestion. Or, you could move further out from Philadelphia, and have less congestion and cheaper homes and taxes. It depends where you want to go, but be aware that it's not going to be easy to get a job in the suburban school districts.

[DouglasK919]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I asked generalizations about counties because I didn't know if things were drastically different or not from place to place. In NJ, you have nice towns and crappy towns in each county, but in NJ the more north you go of Middlesex County (Union, Bergen, Essex, etc) the more taxes you typically pay and the more congestion you also tend to run into.

I agree that where you find a job would determine what area you would probably choose to reside in, but again, I don't want to live in the sticks and I want to be fairly close to the city.

Thanks again!

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by Avalon08

Right, I agree there is too much variation within the counties to generalize, but that said, I'd generalize as follows:

Delaware Co. is very convenient to the city; known for having high taxes; many working-class neighborhoods.

Montgomery Co. is not as convenient to the city; some areas have high taxes; very large county with diverse housing; many suburban 60's bedroom communities; KOP has low taxes due to all the commercial areas.

Chester Co. is also not as convenient to the city unless you're near the train; I think of it as more upscale and "country"; I think taxes are reasonable.

Bucks Co. also has many '60's bedroom communities as well as country estates; again, not so convenient to the city; not sure about the taxes there.

OK, don't everyone flame me, I'm just giving very broad generalizations based on my knowledge of the counties, and having lived in three of the four.

And yet, Lower Merion is probably the most convenient suburb to Center City.

[frankgn87]

Originally Posted by Angus215

. You can go pretty far outside of the city and be still be in nice areas with very good schools that are relatively less expensive. I don't blame you for wanting to leave NJ.

to make it clear. He wants to leave NORTH Jersey. Its a whole nother world then South Jersey. South Jersey has everything the 4 counties in Pa have.. and more.. I grew up in Bucks so I have something to compare.