Most Walkable City-like Areas Right Outside of Philly

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

And a theater-turned-performing arts center, and several good restaurants, and a pretty funky coffee shop.

Media, like Collingswood, was pretty down at heels when I moved here in 1983. Both have made great strides since then.

Collingswood is actually an exhibit in my "gays are the shock troops of gentrification" file: the turnaround began, in a sense, with an energetic real estate agent who regularly advertised properties in PGN. I understand from some people I interviewed for a story I never wrote that she had the active encouragement of the borough's mayor.

Something Media, Doylestown and West Chester have in common: They're county seats. In fact, it's somewhat curious that the only suburban county seat that isn't charming as well as walkable is the largest one, Norristown, a pocket of poverty in a generally affluent county (Montgomery). Their New Jersey counterparts, Mt. Holly and Woodbury, have their moments but aren't quite as cool. (You may note I left out Camden, for obvious reasons.)

Oh, FWIW, I'm not that much younger than kyb01 and can still walk at a 4 mph pace on days when my left leg's not giving me grief. I haven't owned a car since moving here and doubt that will change anytime soon.

KofP has very much stolen any luster Norristown used to have or could have now. It's a shame really because Norristown used to have an okay downtown with good independent shopping. And, of course, Rt 100 line(previously Red Arrow and P&W) was an asset for it.

I've been more than blessed, physically speaking, all of my adult life which helps explain some things I can do. The huge problem of joint deterioration, that so many people suffer from starting in middle age, has not happened to me yet.

[cpomp]

Originally Posted by kyb01

Sidebar comment. I enjoy New York, but one of the most frustrating things about it nowadays is the number of tourists who probably never walk anywhere in their lives " back home". SLOW... Omg... I find myself muttering to myself, "Move, goddamit!", or " Get out of the way!"

The best is when they suddenly stop in the middle of the sidewalk to look at a map or their phone. I give them a hard shoulder push as I walk by.

[JacksonPanther]

Originally Posted by kyb01

KofP has very much stolen any luster Norristown used to have or could have now. It's a shame really because Norristown used to have an okay downtown with good independent shopping. And, of course, Rt 100 line(previously Red Arrow and P&W) was an asset for it.

I've been more than blessed, physically speaking, all of my adult life which helps explain some things I can do. The huge problem of joint deterioration, that so many people suffer from starting in middle age, has not happened to me yet.

Don't misinterpret me. I don't know or care if you can run 6mph or faster. My point is that you can't WALK 6mph. No one can walk that fast without looking like an Olympic race walker. And if you were race walking, you would be a sweaty mess when you reached your destination.

[CarnivalGal]

Originally Posted by kyb01

He has zeto idea of how "nothing" Media was before...as little as a decade ago. Having done Delco jury duty a bunch of times back in the 80s/early90s I can tell you lunch time then was ridiculous because you were left with a couple of old-school luncheonettes or the infamous, blah, Town House. However Rosetree-Media schools have always been good, afaik.

Media is my home town, and I still visit several times a year. It has great shops, restaurants, and bars, and tons of stuff for kids too - Santa still rides around to all the streets on a fire truck and hands out candy canes. Love that they still do stuff like that. Seems like there's some kind of special event going on every week - food festivals, art festivals, dining under the stars, etc. It's also right on the train/trolley line, so an easy trip into Philly. Schools are also top-notch.

Also want to add that West Chester has a similar feel, but the large number of college kids can get irritating. It's also farther out. Schools are good though.

[TLC1957]

We moved to West Chester about 18 months ago from northwest NJ. We love WC and all it has to offer, very friendly, always something happening downtown, many free concerts and lectures at the University, so many great restaurants to choose from, fantastic Christmas and Holloween parades, etc. As far as the university students are concerned, as long as you know where they live and stay away from those areas you have nothing to worry about. WCU campus and borough PD keep tight control on them. We live near the university and have no problems in fact when we were moving a large couch into our home several students stopped and helped us when they saw us struggling and would take nothing for the help.

This list below is from the borough web sites it lists all off campus housing so you know where to look.
http://www.west-chester.com/DocumentCenter/View/34

During our hunt for our new home we looked at Media and Phoenixville and decided on West Chester. The train station is in Exton a 15 min drive and easy access to Philly.

[Fly Eagles Fly]

I'd say hands down the most walkable Philadelphia suburb is Norristown.

It has about 35,000 people packed into 3 square miles. You can walk to two train lines and any kind of business you desire. It has urban density out the wazoo.

But it is also run down and dangerous. Even though the danger is overrated. So nobody goes there or thinks of it.

But most of the Borough is very walkable, and some of it is (pretty) safe!

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by Fly Eagles Fly

I'd say hands down the most walkable Philadelphia suburb is Norristown.

It has about 35,000 people packed into 3 square miles. You can walk to two train lines and any kind of business you desire. It has urban density out the wazoo.

But it is also run down and dangerous. Even though the danger is overrated. So nobody goes there or thinks of it.

But most of the Borough is very walkable, and some of it is (pretty) safe!

Two very good friends of mine moved from Sharswood in the city to a block of Haws Avenue on Norristown's west side that's lined with huge, gorgeous, turn-of-the-century row mansions (IMO "rowhouse" doesn't really do these houses justice).

To get to that block from the end of the Manayunk/Norristown Regional Rail line at Elm Street, you walk up Marshall Street, an attractive business district whose shops appear to cater to a Hispanic customer base.

Then there's the gay couple I know who live in Wayne. One half is an interior designer; if you read House Beautiful, you'll find him offering design tips at the front of every issue. (He has just about finished renovating their modest 1920s Dutch Colonial not far from Wayne's center; the kitchen, needless to say, is the bear.) The other runs an event space/photo studio/function facility in an old factory a few blocks upriver from downtown Norristown; you enter it using its freight elevator if you're attending an event there. The last event I attended at this place - a consignment sale of antique and vintage furniture and decorative objects - drew a crowd that I would say drove there from the Main Line. A very modest neigborhood of row houses, mostly occupied by African-Americans, surrounds this place.

Ask these two about Norristown and you'll get optimistic expressions of confidence in its future.

I too would say, Keep an eye on Norristown. It may soon cease to be the black sheep of Philly's four suburban county seats.

[TownDweller]

Originally Posted by Fly Eagles Fly

I'd say hands down the most walkable Philadelphia suburb is Norristown.

It has about 35,000 people packed into 3 square miles. You can walk to two train lines and any kind of business you desire. It has urban density out the wazoo.

But it is also run down and dangerous. Even though the danger is overrated. So nobody goes there or thinks of it.

But most of the Borough is very walkable, and some of it is (pretty) safe!

Walkable, but to what? Crime in Norristown has fallen dramatically in the past decade but downtown is still on the gritty side for the most part. I drive on the east side a decent amount and there just aren't many places I either fear or would want to walk to.