Walkable suburb near philly? Does my happy place exist?!?

[FrankInPhilly]

Originally Posted by kyb01

For the OP. Germantown and Manayunk(referenced in the link) are technically not separate towns. They are neighborhoods within Philadelphia.

Let's add Ambler, PA to the list (and second the vote for West Chester and Doylestown, although both are a bit farther from Center City (OP: that's local name for downtown) than Ambler.

And if we're talking about Philly 'hoods: East or West Mt Airy and Chestnut Hill (caveat here about Philly wage tax - about 3.9% - and public schools!)

[asiandudeyo]

Originally Posted by FrankInPhilly

Let's add Ambler, PA to the list (and second the vote for West Chester and Doylestown, although both are a bit farther from Center City (OP: that's local name for downtown) than Ambler.

And if we're talking about Philly 'hoods: East or West Mt Airy and Chestnut Hill (caveat here about Philly wage tax - about 3.9% - and public schools!)

Let's add Lansdale and Glenside!

[Surf123]

Thanks all.... philly area would be ideal. I just posted the thread below re west Chester since it was mentioned a few times. I will definitely look into other places mentioned too but if you have info on the below please let me know. If not - thanks for all the great info already



So in doing some research west Chester seems like it might be a good place for me due to a. Being outside a larger city and b. I can afford a home near the walkable areas as I want to be able to get places without my car (im ok driving to some places like work or target). My questions are:

Are the schools good here?
Are people friendly/welcoming of outsiders?
Is it safe?
Is it mostly a college town with rowdy drunk kids and not really where families reside?
Are there activities for families?
Is the job market fairly decent around there? I've seen mixed comments on whether the economy around there is going up or is the next Detroit.


Any other recommendations in or out of philly metro will gladly be accepted as well! Thanks

[daysable]

I know this a Philadelphia thread, but some south jersey suburbs are closer to Philly then PA suburbs.
Collingswood, NJ is awesome - 15 mins into the city, walkable town, farmers market all summer into thanksgiving, shops and restaurants galore. You can definitely find something within your budget as well.

[michgc]

Originally Posted by Surf123

Thanks all.... philly area would be ideal. I just posted the thread below re west Chester since it was mentioned a few times. I will definitely look into other places mentioned too but if you have info on the below please let me know. If not - thanks for all the great info already



So in doing some research west Chester seems like it might be a good place for me due to a. Being outside a larger city and b. I can afford a home near the walkable areas as I want to be able to get places without my car (im ok driving to some places like work or target). My questions are:

Are the schools good here?
Are people friendly/welcoming of outsiders?
Is it safe?
Is it mostly a college town with rowdy drunk kids and not really where families reside?
Are there activities for families?
Is the job market fairly decent around there? I've seen mixed comments on whether the economy around there is going up or is the next Detroit.


Any other recommendations in or out of philly metro will gladly be accepted as well! Thanks

I highly recommend that you look into Doylestown and Media. Newtown might also be an option, although the downtown is smaller and it might be pricier than the other two.