Gladwyne/Villanova area instead of Haddonfield NJ? (Philadelphia, Windsor: neighborhood, high schools)

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by cpomp

Keep in mind that nearly all suburbs on the Pa side have Septa regional rail access directly to center city, Paoli/Thorndale line serving lower merion.
All school districts around and including lower merion rank on par or above that of Haddonfield.
Walk-ability really only works if you live right in the small downtown's. However, much of lower merion is very walk-able, or a very short drive to all the destinations along Route 30.
Sense of community though I think is much better in the Media area still exists on the main line. And housing stock in lower merion has an exceptional variety.

Im just being bias again, but wanted to point out that Southeastern Pa has it all really.

Lower Merion is pretty evenly split between walkable and auto-centric areas. Gladwyne and Villanova are decidedly car-dependent, however. Gladwyne does have a cute (albeit small) village center that's pedestrian friendly, but the back-roads housing the huge estates are not. It's interesting the OP has narrowed it down to Villanova/Gladwyne on the Main Line side, considering that Bala-Cynwyd, Merion, Narberth, Ardmore, Bryn Mawr, and especially Wayne, far more closely compare to Haddonfield.

[cpomp]

Or the Media/Swarthmore area.

[Jwaterford]

Originally Posted by HeavenWood

Lower Merion is pretty evenly split between walkable and auto-centric areas. Gladwyne and Villanova are decidedly car-dependent, however. Gladwyne does have a cute (albeit small) village center that's pedestrian friendly, but the back-roads housing the huge estates are not. It's interesting the OP has narrowed it down to Villanova/Gladwyne on the Main Line side, considering that Bala-Cynwyd, Merion, Narberth, Ardmore, Bryn Mawr, and especially Wayne, far more closely compare to Haddonfield.

Hmmm. Well I guess that Villanova/gladwyne is most like where I grew up, and I've never been to the other places. I just found a realtor website that is more clear about the school zones so I will look, thanks. I would prefer harriton to lower merion high school.
I normally don't like cute little town centers like haddonfield, lol, but I did like it when I was there once.

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by Jwaterford

Hmmm. Well I guess that Villanova/gladwyne is most like where I grew up, and I've never been to the other places. I just found a realtor website that is more clear about the school zones so I will look, thanks. I would prefer harriton to lower merion high school.
I normally don't like cute little town centers like haddonfield, lol, but I did like it when I was there once.

Harriton's IB program is the only real reason to be picky between the two. But just to make sure you're getting up-to-date information, here's an official map from the District itself:
http://www.lmsd.org/data/files/galle...ery/high_1.pdf

[Jwaterford]

Originally Posted by HeavenWood

Harriton's IB program is the only real reason to be picky between the two. But just to make sure you're getting up-to-date information, here's an official map from the District itself:
http://www.lmsd.org/data/files/galle...ery/high_1.pdf

Wow! Thank you.

[Jwaterford]

Originally Posted by mikec717

We moved to Haddonfield from Center City in 2008. We spent nearly a year and a half looking at communities on both sides of the river, and ultimately chose South Jersey due to:

1. PATCO - Train commute to Center City is about 35 minutes, including half-mile walks on both ends.
2. Schools - Kids were starting grade school at the time. We have been extremely happy with their experience so far.
3. Walkability - Kids walk to school from kindergarten on, and we walk to most in-town events.
4. Community - I grew up in a larger South Jersey township and didn't feel like there was a "sense of place" there, which is something we wanted. Haddonfield (and many of the smaller, older South Jersey towns) have that in spades. Whether that is good or not depends on your point of view, but it exists.
5. Older housing stock - We are probably in the minority, but we felt the tradeoff between the beauty of an older house vs the hassle of having only one bathroom and certain windows that refuse to open was a worth it. We love the tall, old trees (except during the hurricane).

If you look through some of my older posts, you'll find some additional thoughts on this question. Good luck with your search.

ETA - Michael Vitez's Philadelphia Inquirer article on the Haddons from 2005 sums it up quite nicely.

Thank you, yes I've read your posts and sent them to my husband yesterday! Can you explain the difference between the three elementary schools? It seems like the Elizabeth Haddon listings talk up that school while the others do not.

[Jwaterford]

Heavenwood, cpomp, and others, what is the explanation for LM consistently ranking higher than harriton although it seems that harriton is in the wealthier area?

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by Jwaterford

Heavenwood, cpomp, and others, what is the explanation for LM consistently ranking higher than harriton although it seems that harriton is in the wealthier area?

The difference is minute. Both schools are extremely well-regarded--far past the point where splitting hairs on the basis of rank makes any sense.

Sometimes LM is ranked ahead of Harriton. Sometimes Harriton is ranked ahead of LM (it's not as one-sided as you suggest--LM is slightly ahead in numbers about 2/3 of the time). Call it a matter of statistical variation. Also understand that Harriton has a lower AP participation rate due to its comprehensive IB program (which the rankings don't seem to take fully into account).

The new Harriton is also more racially/socioeconomically balanced than it was in previous years. Harriton actually has a slightly higher proportion of students eligible for free/reduced lunch.

Check out the statistics on the US News site.

[mikec717]

Originally Posted by Jwaterford

Thank you, yes I've read your posts and sent them to my husband yesterday! Can you explain the difference between the three elementary schools? It seems like the Elizabeth Haddon listings talk up that school while the others do not.

Sure - I don't know that there is that much practical difference in the schools. We know people from each, and once your children get involved in town sports/activities, they will know a lot of kids from the other two schools, which is nice, as they all feed into the same middle and high school.

One reason for the mentions, in real estate listings, of Lizzy Haddon may be that a small number of addresses in that part of Haddonfield, which borders Haddon Township, actually go to Haddon Twp schools. That's my guess anyway.

If you're seriously looking at a particular address, I'd definitely check with the school as to whether your kids would be going to that school. If a particular grade level in a school is up against state size limits, there might be a chance that new students coming into the district would go to one of the other schools, depending upon size needs. I think the number of instances of that is pretty small, but we were a little concerned about it when we moved in, as our first child's class is large. Just something to keep in mind if you want your child in class with kids in the immediate area, as many of us prefer.

Hope that helps!

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by stuckinsj

Im jewish and have had no personal problems with haddonfield. Its just the stories I hear. The point was that the town is not diverse. I wouldnt call 10% jewish diverse for suburban south jersey. There are not many black, latino, or other minorities in town. When ever i go there i see a lot of women shoping and eating. Lots of families but mainly white and upper class. lots of lawyers in town. Its just the way it is. IF the OP wants diversity they should probably go elsewhere. Collingswood maybe. Or they would love it and make it more than it is. I still think its the best town in South Jersey despite its flaws and wish the OP all the luck.

You've posted this clap-trap in two threads. It's just plain wrong. My family moved to Cherry Hill in 1964 because my parents couldn't afford Haddonfield. We were not Jewish. I went to high school with many Jewish kids who lived in (old)Woodcrest & Windsor Park. Their parents bought there for the same exact reason that my parents bought in Cherry Hill. It was what they could afford.

I've known plenty of non-WASPs who lived in Haddonfield over the years. That is not what the OP asked about, but you chose to post hear-say as fact, instead.