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The Main Line is very nice and the wealthiest. But other towns are creeping up and I think are more desirable than the Main Line. For example, I see Chadds Ford/Thornbury area becoming the most desirable towns over the next decade.
Your other predictions seem accurate, but I do not think Yeadon and Upper Darby will be drastically improving over the next decade, therefore I would not put them in the category with Aston. I do not see Aston changing for the better or worse in the near future. It will just be Aston.
And I see Newtown Square and Glen Mills turning into even more monied communities than they already are. I see Media really becoming a little urban epicenter for the entire area over the next decade too.
People who are looking to buy in upper middle class/upper class neighborhoods while simultaneously avoiding the pretentious stigma of the Main Line will look in places like Chadds Ford and Thornbury, cpomp. But honestly, the Main Line is what it is and I really don't think it's going anywhere. For people who can afford it and want to be associated with high class and luxury - they will purposely seek out real estate in the towns along the Main Line. Someone who doesn't care as much about status symbols but still wants to live in an upscale area will gravitate more towards places like Chadds Ford and Thornbury.
I personally would put Newtown Square a bit above Glen Mills, but then again I also feel like it's comparing apples to oranges. Newtown Square definitely gives me more of a Delaware County vibe whereas Glen Mills seems to give off more of a Chester County vibe.
People who are looking to buy in upper middle class/upper class neighborhoods while simultaneously avoiding the pretentious stigma of the Main Line will look in places like Chadds Ford and Thornbury, cpomp. But honestly, the Main Line is what it is and I really don't think it's going anywhere. For people who can afford it and want to be associated with high class and luxury - they will purposely seek out real estate in the towns along the Main Line. Someone who doesn't care as much about status symbols but still wants to live in an upscale area will gravitate more towards places like Chadds Ford and Thornbury.
I personally would put Newtown Square a bit above Glen Mills, but then again I also feel like it's comparing apples to oranges. Newtown Square definitely gives me more of a Delaware County vibe whereas Glen Mills seems to give off more of a Chester County vibe.
You do realize the Main Line has advantages over those other areas entirely independent of being a "status symbol," correct?
You do realize the Main Line has advantages over those other areas entirely independent of being a "status symbol," correct?
Yes, I do. But I also think that when you consider two good areas with two good school districts (say Radnor vs Media) ... it's going to come down to one of two things: budget or personal preference. There is no point on arguing either of those things because they are subjective and vary from person to person.
Yes, I do. But I also think that when you consider two good areas with two good school districts (say Radnor vs Media) ... it's going to come down to one of two things: budget or personal preference. There is no point on arguing either of those things because they are subjective and vary from person to person.
So then you realize it's totally absurd to say the only thing separating the two sets of communities is a difference in social cachet.
Again, not trying to nitpick Wallingford is another ZCTA (though again, one that should probably be a CDP) that covers most of Nether Providence Township and part of Rose Valley Borough.
The only reason I'm bringing this up is because census designated places that share their names with zip codes often do not coincide neatly with their zip code's boundaries, which can be confusing for people. For instance, the Bryn Mawr CDP is located entirely within Lower Merion and is a small, walkable, predominantly lower- to solidly middle-middle class community with strong blue collar traditions and a charming business district of its own, whereas much of the rest of the 19010 zip code (split between Lower Merion, Radnor, and Haverford) is auto-centric (though not IMO in a "soulless and sprawling" way) and is as wealthy as neighboring Villanova and Gladwyne (save for Garrett Hill, which is similar in identity to the Bryn Mawr CDP {what I like to call Route 30 Bryn Mawr}).
For a DelCo example, you may notice that the Broomall CDP is much smaller than the 19008 zip code.
Question for you: why do you think Upper Marple is going to do so much better than Lower Marple? I'm not extremely familiar with the area, but as I recall, the lower portion of the Township is more spread out/upscale/charming (similar to neighboring Upper Providence) than the upper portion, which appears mostly post-war pre-fab (in a similar fashion to Springfield). Just curious to hear your thoughts on the matter.
You're right about Wallingford. No wonder it wasn't on the municipalities map.
I think I probably should've labeled them "Inner" and "Outer" Marple. Basically what I meant was "Lower Marple" (which I'll change to "Inner Marple") was the part closer to Springfield and Upper Darby township/Havertown, and "Upper" (which I'll change to "Outer Marple") was once you get far enough away from Springfield and Havertown/Upper Darby township. Have you ever been to the section of Marple behind Lawrence Park shopping center? You'd think you were somewhere else entirely.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cpomp
The Main Line is very nice and the wealthiest. But other towns are creeping up and I think are more desirable than the Main Line. For example, I see Chadds Ford/Thornbury area becoming the most desirable towns over the next decade.
Your other predictions seem accurate, but I do not think Yeadon and Upper Darby will be drastically improving over the next decade, therefore I would not put them in the category with Aston. I do not see Aston changing for the better or worse in the near future. It will just be Aston.
And I see Newtown Square and Glen Mills turning into even more monied communities than they already are. I see Media really becoming a little urban epicenter for the entire area over the next decade too.
I didn't predict them to improve dramatically. I had them improving little by little. Also, I really don't think you know much about Upper Darby township or Yeadon for that matter. Have you ever even seen the parts of UD township I'm talking about? Please don't try to tell me that Aston has anything on Pilgrim Gardens, Aronimnk, Drexel Park, Highland Gardens, or Beverly Hills. I'm not sure I agree with you on Aston, either. Aston isn't in the greatest school district, and I wouldn't expect Parkside or Brookhaven to do anything but get worse in the future.
Glen Mills is a very large area. It is in multiple townships. Also, in case you did not notice, Newtown township and Glen Mills (which was included in Far Delco) were just below the highest-rung, which was the Main Line.
I'm not sure how you think you're contradicting me when it comes to Media. I'm the one who's said many times that Media is going to be much more built up, vibrant, and urban in the future.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RCdelco
Curious as to why you think Ridley Township will be moving up rather than going farther downhill. I certainly don't know every detail about delco and it's history (obviously), but I was under the impression that Ridley Township is long past its heyday.
I didn't have it moving up. I had it declining but only to the point of Glenolden/Darby township.
Quote:
Originally Posted by HeavenWood
With regard to long-term prosperity one really big thing the Main Line has going for it that those other areas don't is a large, interconnected expanse of upscale walkable neighborhoods with distinct village centers. People are now trending away from the far-flung and auto-centric. The way trends are going, many upwardly mobile families of tomorrow are going to prefer a Victorian in, say, Wayne, to a sprawling estate in either Gladwyne or Chadds Ford.
Haha, sorry s100zne, must have had too much coffee this morning and read your post too fast! I agree that Ridley probably wouldn't stoop below Glenolden/Darby Township and I also agree that, while right now Ridley Township may be seen as a slight step up from Darby Township, it won't be that way for long.
Also, I've never seen the appeal in Aston. I've heard some people refer to it as upper middle class, but I think those people probably don't get out much. It's certainly not a dumpy area by any means, but I think people should accept it for what it is - a solidly middle class area much more comparable to a place like Ridley than a place like Havertown.
You're right about Wallingford. No wonder it wasn't on the municipalities map.
I think I probably should've labeled them "Inner" and "Outer" Marple. Basically what I meant was "Lower Marple" (which I'll change to "Inner Marple") was the part closer to Springfield and Upper Darby township/Havertown, and "Upper" (which I'll change to "Outer Marple") was once you get far enough away from Springfield and Havertown/Upper Darby township. Have you ever been to the section of Marple behind Lawrence Park shopping center? You'd think you were somewhere else entirely.
I didn't predict them to improve dramatically. I had them improving little by little. Also, I really don't think you know much about Upper Darby township or Yeadon for that matter. Have you ever even seen the parts of UD township I'm talking about? Please don't try to tell me that Aston has anything on Pilgrim Gardens, Aronimnk, Drexel Park, Highland Gardens, or Beverly Hills. I'm not sure I agree with you on Aston, either. Aston isn't in the greatest school district, and I wouldn't expect Parkside or Brookhaven to do anything but get worse in the future.
Glen Mills is a very large area. It is in multiple townships. Also, in case you did not notice, Newtown township and Glen Mills (which was included in Far Delco) were just below the highest-rung, which was the Main Line.
I'm not sure how you think you're contradicting me when it comes to Media. I'm the one who's said many times that Media is going to be much more built up, vibrant, and urban in the future.
I didn't have it moving up. I had it declining but only to the point of Glenolden/Darby township.
Exactly.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RCdelco
Haha, sorry s100zne, must have had too much coffee this morning and read your post too fast! I agree that Ridley probably wouldn't stoop below Glenolden/Darby Township and I also agree that, while right now Ridley Township may be seen as a slight step up from Darby Township, it won't be that way for long.
Also, I've never seen the appeal in Aston. I've heard some people refer to it as upper middle class, but I think those people probably don't get out much. It's certainly not a dumpy area by any means, but I think people should accept it for what it is - a solidly middle class area much more comparable to a place like Ridley than a place like Havertown.
I wasnt contradicting your statement on Media, I was agreeing and further explaining. And for both posters. Aston is a solid middle class, with small upper middle class population. I would put the township above certainly Ridley and Havertown is different so it is hard to compare. Aston has a lot of small ranch cape housing stock, but it also has a good amount of large new single family homes. There is also a large business base and growing university in aston, so I really do not see the town changing much in the near future. I think it is a great town for a family looking for a typical suburban lifestyle, that is my opinions on the town, I dont overplay it at all. The think dragging Penn Delco School District down is Parkside. Brookhaven is still a nice middleclass borough, but parkside is quickly becoming dumpy. If Aston township were its own small school district, it would be much more comparable to neighboring Rose Tree Media and Garnet Valley.
I wasnt contradicting your statement on Media, I was agreeing and further explaining. And for both posters. Aston is a solid middle class, with small upper middle class population. I would put the township above certainly Ridley and Havertown is different so it is hard to compare. Aston has a lot of small ranch cape housing stock, but it also has a good amount of large new single family homes. There is also a large business base and growing university in aston, so I really do not see the town changing much in the near future. I think it is a great town for a family looking for a typical suburban lifestyle, that is my opinions on the town, I dont overplay it at all. The think dragging Penn Delco School District down is Parkside. Brookhaven is still a nice middleclass borough, but parkside is quickly becoming dumpy. If Aston township were its own small school district, it would be much more comparable to neighboring Rose Tree Media and Garnet Valley.
In the future, it's going to be things like housing stock that matter, and those sections of Upper Darby, and yes Yeadon, absolutely blow Aston out of the water in that regard. They are also far more walkable, more urban, and much better served by public transportation. Havertown also has much better housing stock, is better served by public transportation, is more walkable, more urban, and closer to the city. When you throw in the fact that it's in a much, much better school district than Aston is in, it's really not even close.
I don't consider Aston anywhere near Ridley. Ridley is much more lower-middle class to middle class, whereas Aston is more middle class to upper-middle class. I see it as a combination of Springfield, Marple, and Middletown township. If Aston were in a better school district, I'd have put it in with Middletown, but it isn't. I included the growing Neumann University and the movie studio as well as every other factor, good and bad, to my ranking of Aston now and in the future. I didn't discount or disrespect it. Nobody's saying it's going downhill or anything, but it's going to be much more similar to Springfield in the future than it is to Middletown.
All this talk about Springfield made me think of the new Springfield Knoll development right off of Bishop Road in between Baltimore Pike and Springfield Road. The homes are brand new and look pretty, but the area seems meh. Heard they were originally on the market for approximately $400k. No thank you.
All this talk about Springfield made me think of the new Springfield Knoll development right off of Bishop Road in between Baltimore Pike and Springfield Road. The homes are brand new and look pretty, but the area seems meh. Heard they were originally on the market for approximately $400k. No thank you.
I know exactly where that is. I thought those homes were like ten years old though? I remember there was a rumor that an Eagle lived there but I doubt it. They were decent and all but really nothing special, just typical sprawl.
I remember when the Bishop Hill apartments were considered snobbish compared to the rest of that area haha
Have you seen the houses on Bishop not far past the Home Depot/Acme shopping center though? Some of them are seriously nice.
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