Can you tell me about the Ardmore, PA area? (Mainline) (Lancaster: foreclosures, to rent)

[king 987]

ardmore has culture, things going on....shops, bars, etc...there are also bad elements. i have lived in several apartments and all have been negative experiences due to 1) the apartment 2) questionable children and individuals that always seemed to be hanging around outside at any given hours - both day and evening 3) questionable, shady people offering me drugs or asking me for money (this is no exaggeration). it has an urban feel to it, attracts some bad elements (individuals), apartments above the shops and stores are both run down and disgusting (had too many experiences living in some of these) and and all of these reasons in itself make ardmore a bad place if you are looking for an apt or a home...look further west on lancaster avenue; wayne, west chester, etc

[JHG722]

Why do people bump old threads?

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by JHG722

Why do people bump old threads?

For purposes of this particular thread, it can be educational to see how impressions of a community have evolved...as opposed to asking a question that merits its own thread.

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by king 987

ardmore has culture, things going on....shops, bars, etc...there are also bad elements. i have lived in several apartments and all have been negative experiences due to 1) the apartment 2) questionable children and individuals that always seemed to be hanging around outside at any given hours - both day and evening 3) questionable, shady people offering me drugs or asking me for money (this is no exaggeration). it has an urban feel to it, attracts some bad elements (individuals), apartments above the shops and stores are both run down and disgusting (had too many experiences living in some of these) and and all of these reasons in itself make ardmore a bad place if you are looking for an apt or a home...look further west on lancaster avenue; wayne, west chester, etc

Not all parts of Ardmore are "aesthetically pleasing" but if you find the place even remotely shady, you must be one fragile person.

So much fail in many of these posts, but most of them were made over two years ago, so I won't waste my time countering most of them. All I will say is that (1) the Lower Merion schools are tops (maybe a few spots behind Radnor and T/E, but so what? There's no real difference between #1 and #7), and (2) the "snoot factor" is not really an issue on the Main Line if you don't seek it out, but either way, if you think you'll magically avoid the entirety of it in T/E, you're sorely mistaken.

[shakerlady]

Originally Posted by Tone509

For purposes of this particular thread, it can be educational to see how impressions of a community have evolved...as opposed to asking a question that merits its own thread.

Very useful for folks like me, who are trying to choose a suburb!

Seems to me that not much has changed in the last four years. Nice to know.

[mancat100]

Ardmore is only shady in direct comparison to some of the super posh areas very nearby. In the same way that somebody making $100k is poverty-stricken when standing next to Warren Buffet. Ardmore is perfectly fine.

[JHG722]

Originally Posted by mancat100

Ardmore is only shady in direct comparison to some of the super posh areas very nearby. In the same way that somebody making $100k is poverty-stricken when standing next to Warren Buffet. Ardmore is perfectly fine.

There is actually a shady area, which is behind the Infiniti dealership, but overall, Ardmore is very nice.

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by JHG722

There is actually a shady area, which is behind the Infiniti dealership, but overall, Ardmore is very nice.

I agree that area isn't nice, but I wouldn't call it shady either.

[cast4]

I laughed at the post that said Tredyffrin and Easttown have no shady areas. What do you call Mt. Pleasant in Wayne and West Central in Paoli ? Also the village of Berwyn in Easttown is a little shady too. Everywhere on the Main Line has it's not so nice areas but none are really unsafe.

[refried sushi]

Originally Posted by HeavenWood

I agree that area isn't nice, but I wouldn't call it shady either.

We have two issues: one is semantic problem, where one poster's "not so nice area" does not necessarily equal another poster's "shady area." Whether or not an area is desirable or undesirable is an individual preference, and trying to quantify that leads to circular discussions.

The other issue is an historical misconception, in my opinion anyhow, that the Main Line is an uninterrupted string of idyllic neighborhoods as far as the commuter rail will take you. This is certainly the propaganda that got Philly old money to buy houses there in the first place, but all you need is a road map to see this is not the case. The street grids tell the whole story: there are pockets of denser, working class neighborhoods throughout, with smaller lot sizes, on-street parking, often side-by-side duplexes, etc. I live in one. The area has always been more socio-economically diverse than advertised. Is it a slum? No, far from it, but it is also not all Sunday brunch at the Merion Cricket Club either.

Originally Posted by cast4

I laughed at the post that said Tredyffrin and Easttown have no shady areas. What do you call Mt. Pleasant in Wayne and West Central in Paoli ? Also the village of Berwyn in Easttown is a little shady too. Everywhere on the Main Line has it's not so nice areas but none are really unsafe.

Originally Posted by mancat100

Ardmore is only shady in direct comparison to some of the super posh areas very nearby. In the same way that somebody making $100k is poverty-stricken when standing next to Warren Buffet. Ardmore is perfectly fine.

I think there are undesirable pockets, but I acknowledge that is my personal opinion and comfort level at work. I have warned in other threads about the area in Ardmore south of Ardmore Ave around County Line and Spring Streets. Mancat100 apparently disagrees, which is fine. I am not familiar with cast4's examples but I don't doubt they exist. Everyone must decide for themselves what is "desirable", "shady" and/or "safe".