Community on Main Line (Philadelphia, Bryn Mawr: transplants, house, neighborhood)

[MKE8244]

We are looking at some homes in the lower merion school district, including wynnewood, merion station, bala, and gladwyne. i have been to the area numerous times (usually bc I need something from a specific store) but I don't know anyone from the area. I have some concerns about community (or lack of) and wanted to see what everyone thought. Neither my husband nor I are from Philly, we have one child (likely more in the future) and while we have a decent income its not anything along the lines of the extravagance I sometimes see out there. I know there are a lot of middle class families there but do they like it?

[1ondoner]

Having lived in other parts of the country/world, I would say people tend to keep to themselves in the Philly area. May be there are more interactions between those who've grown up in the area, as opposed to transplants. In this case, you may have to work your way into a community.

While big cities have very large populations, people tend to be more isolated because the communities are more dynamic with people moving in and out and so the relationships are short lived. This is just my hunch.

[AbdiKony]

I lived in Bryn Mawr and the community is fine. To be honest, I haven't seen extravagance while living in Bryn Mawr so I don't think it is necessary. I never been to Gladwyne so I can't comment on that.

[Duderino]

Originally Posted by AbdiKony

I lived in Bryn Mawr and the community is fine. To be honest, I haven't seen extravagance while living in Bryn Mawr so I don't think it is necessary. I never been to Gladwyne so I can't comment on that.

Well, to be sure, extravagance most certainly exists in areas like Bryn Mawr and Gladwyne, but yes, the Main Line is mostly solidly upper-middle class, as opposed to only the 1%.

To the OP, I've always had the sense that the Main Line has a strong sense of community, with loads of history and character.

While certainly there are newcomers there, I think it can be a bit harder of a nut to crack if you're not from that particular area, and especially if you're not at least somewhat affluent. Are you necessarily wedded to the idea of Lower Merion?

If you have any reservations, there are plenty of other great communities with fantastic schools.

[ElijahAstin]

Lower Merion actually has a very high percentage of transplants relative to the metro area, especially for a municipality that's only middling in terms of foreign-born population. Breaking into the community as a newcomer is something you categorically do not have to worry about--at least compared to other parts of Greater Philadelphia.

Social class is more of an open question. What's your budget? What's your desired home/lot/neighborhood aesthetic? Regardless of how others may perceive you, are you comfortable living in the most modest house on the block or would you prefer being in the middle of the pack or at the top of the heap?

Preliminarily speaking, the Borough of Narberth (or the immediately adjacent portions of Merion and Wynnewood) may be the best choice for you. It's a charming and walkable town that has a very strong sense of community and is located in the heart of the Lower Merion School District. While Narberth was historically tight-knit to the point of being somewhat closed-off, it's now a healthy split between multi-generational, working to middle class Irish and Italian Catholic townies and upwardly mobile professional transplants from a broader (though still mostly white) mix of backgrounds. In addition, while Narberth is not the "bargain" it once was, it's still among the less expensive areas of the school district.

As others have pointed out, the Main Line is great, but it's not the end-all be-all and there are plenty of wonderful communities to choose from.