Is Lansdowne as good place to be with a young family? (Drexel Hill: hardwood floors, for sale)

[Kerenwhite]

We currently rent in University City which is very close to where we work and we haven't needed a car, but the crime rate is really driving us out - I was mugged and our house was broken into in the last month. We are a young family with a 10 month old, and planning to have another child in about 2 years. We're looking to buy our first home but can only afford $190K.

Lansdowne has some beautiful 4 bedroom homes, hardwood floors, backyards etc, and it's pretty close to where we are now. But can anyone tell me what the sense of community is like, and the level of crime. Where we are now we know all our neighbors and have block parties etc. Is Lansdowne friendly? I like to walk a lot and jog - would I feel safe around here? I don't feel safe in University City/West Philly much of the time and would never go out after dark.

The public elementary schools don't look too good but there is a Catholic school that is affordable and since our baby is so young we do have 4 years to figure that out...so this is less important right now.

Thanks in advance,

K

[rainrock]

I 'd keep going further west if I were you. There is a good reason you can get a 4 bedroom house for$190K. Landsdowne is better than West Philly but its no paradise . Go Another 20 minutes west and you are in Springfield,Ridley Township,Media etc. Its a whole different world. You can find nice houses in Media and Ridley Township for under 200K. You'll get less house than you could in landsdowne but safety should always be priority #1 especially after your experience in U.City.

Good luck

[Ellyanne527]

I just wanted to let people know, that although Lansdowne has seen its fair amount of changes within the past few years, it is still a very nice place to live. As a 25 year native and a young mid-20's adult, I lived here with my family all my life and I am currently seeking to possibly buy my own home here with my fiance. My family and friends continue to live here and although we have seen regression, it has be followed by huge progression. The town itself has increased in diversity, which has as a result, created many new activities and organizations. There is a very active Girls and Boys Sport Club with many children and active parents as coachs, Holiday Parades, etc. There are many parks and creeks to explore, as well as a public pool, library, and quaint shopping. Since the progression has started, there have been many new additions to the town...you can definitely see the push for Lansdowne to be a very urban-ish but in the burbs/yuppie-type/organic town, if that makes sense, which I see as a positive thing - a weekly Farmer's Market, Arts Festivals, Folk Concerts, Bike Trails, Neghborhood-wide Yard Sales. If I would say one negative thing about Lansdowne, is that it is surrounded by neighborhoods on the East side that are seeing some trouble. I would suggest looking towards the West side, closer to Drexel Hill. I take nightly runs through my town and see more and more improvements here. People moving in are taking care of their properties more as well. The school system is not the greatest; however, most of the kids here attend either Catholic schools or other private institutions...don't know if that is what you are looking for. All in all, Lansdowne has a great sense of community, pretty tree lined streets, many activities, and affordable housing. More and more people are moving here from the city. The convenience to the city is unreal. I take a 10 minute train into University City every morning with no trouble. There are 2 train stations, one in the heart of Lansdowne that has lots of parking and one in Gladstone, a small, beautiful section of Lansdowne that boasts community Tree Lighting, Outside Movies, etc in their small little area.

Hope this helps your decision making. If you are looking for your stereotypical same houses everywhere suburbs, try Springfield. Media is also nice...a lot like Lansdowne in its urban style, but further away from Philly.

[thesixth]

I agree with the above...Lansdowne can be nice for a young family. Most people have concerns about the school system,so you may need to think that carefully.
Also agree that overall safety is pretty good in Lansdowne, but that you will find it to be very safe if you look toward Drexel Hill, Springfield, Media as mentioned above.

[Kerenwhite]

Thanks for all your responses . The feeling that I had after we visited Lansdowne on a Sunday was similar to what you describe, Ellyanne527. We passed many play parks and wooded areas, and saw children playing soccer in the school fields. I know the schools are not good, but yes we would be looking into Catholic and private schools when the time comes - we already wanted to do that and the cheaper real estate cost would make this more feasible financially for us. I do work in University City so the easy commute is a definite plus. And the farmers market, neighborhood yard sales and boys and girls clubs all sound really appealing.

I totally take your point about Media, Springfield etc - we actually wanted to live in Media since we have family (read: babysitting!) there, but we have been looking and found absolutely nothing with 3 beds (which we need for our growing family) in our price range. We also think that since this is our first home-buying experience we can view this as a 'starter home' and we could always move further West in 5 years time when our incomes will have grown (we are in our mid-twenties).

So thanks all - we'll look into Drexel Hill, but you helped me feel better about Lansdowne!

Originally Posted by Ellyanne527

I just wanted to let people know, that although Lansdowne has seen its fair amount of changes within the past few years, it is still a very nice place to live. As a 25 year native and a young mid-20's adult, I lived here with my family all my life and I am currently seeking to possibly buy my own home here with my fiance. My family and friends continue to live here and although we have seen regression, it has be followed by huge progression. The town itself has increased in diversity, which has as a result, created many new activities and organizations. There is a very active Girls and Boys Sport Club with many children and active parents as coachs, Holiday Parades, etc. There are many parks and creeks to explore, as well as a public pool, library, and quaint shopping. Since the progression has started, there have been many new additions to the town...you can definitely see the push for Lansdowne to be a very urban-ish but in the burbs/yuppie-type/organic town, if that makes sense, which I see as a positive thing - a weekly Farmer's Market, Arts Festivals, Folk Concerts, Bike Trails, Neghborhood-wide Yard Sales. If I would say one negative thing about Lansdowne, is that it is surrounded by neighborhoods on the East side that are seeing some trouble. I would suggest looking towards the West side, closer to Drexel Hill. I take nightly runs through my town and see more and more improvements here. People moving in are taking care of their properties more as well. The school system is not the greatest; however, most of the kids here attend either Catholic schools or other private institutions...don't know if that is what you are looking for. All in all, Lansdowne has a great sense of community, pretty tree lined streets, many activities, and affordable housing. More and more people are moving here from the city. The convenience to the city is unreal. I take a 10 minute train into University City every morning with no trouble. There are 2 train stations, one in the heart of Lansdowne that has lots of parking and one in Gladstone, a small, beautiful section of Lansdowne that boasts community Tree Lighting, Outside Movies, etc in their small little area.

Hope this helps your decision making. If you are looking for your stereotypical same houses everywhere suburbs, try Springfield. Media is also nice...a lot like Lansdowne in its urban style, but further away from Philly.

[needanswers]

I grew up in the area down the street from MOnsignor Bonner. I know the area is changing so looking in Drexel Hill may be better than Lansdowne but not as affordable. What about looking in Havertown? You may be able to find something you can afford there? Good luck

[Ant$]

We just moved into Lansdowne in July. Actually, it's considered Drexel Hill (something abuot zoning...but i still have a lansdowne zip code). Our public high school is considered Upper Darby High, as opposed to Penn Wood. I actually like it here. My neighbors are Caucasian, Caribbean, Asian, and Asian Indian.

I do notice a few homes with white families in the surrounding areas with FOR SALE signs on their property. We were actually concerned that this was a sign of white flight, but the homes are beautiful and affordable. The particular home that we bought was just flipped, so the fiancée fell in love with the house.

I guess we would be a classified as a typical yuppie couple who would have moved into Fishtown/Northern Liberties. However, our jobs brought us here and we don't regret it...so far.

ask us again in 5 years.

[SweetDerbyGirl]

HI,
I too am looking to purchase my first home. My finace and I are in our upper 20's and wanted to move to an area like northern libs or fishtown. Sadly we cant afford those areas. were looking for a safe, neighborhood area. The way you explained Lansdown seems to be just what we are looking for. Are there certain streets and or sections we should look into or avoid?

[Ant$]

hmm...the farther away from Baltimore Pike/Ave, the better, I think...

meaning the closer to Garrett Road and away from the city, the better

[mi26]

I would say no. It's a bad area and you'll never be able to re-sell your home. If you do, you'll have to take a hit on it.