Wayne vs. Plymouth Mtg/Flourtown

[Fireshaker]

Originally Posted by Avalon08

Maybe start your search in the square between Old Eagle School Road to the west, 202 to the north, 476 to the east and 30 to the south. (Although I'm not sure if Gulph Mills area is in a different school district.)

I think Gulph Mills falls under Upper Merion SD. Certainly still a respectable district, but something the OP should be aware of if they have their heart set on Radnor or T-E.

[harborrd18]

Originally Posted by Avalon08

If you look at Google Maps again, you'll see that directly west of the Fayette St. bridge are a couple huge interchanges, one to get onto 76 (Schuylkill Expressway) and one to get onto 476. You've got all your rush-hour traffic of suburbians heading into the city to work so yes, it's a nightmare you should avoid if you can.

I don't know what your housing budget is, but all the Main Line towns are nice (and expensive, LOL). However, look at your map -- the further west you go, the further you are from West Conshy (you know about that nickname, right? Pronounced Cun-shee) and now you're going to have to deal with traffic on Rt. 30 or the other back roads. And with Chesterbrook, you've got to cross 202 or come in on 202 and 76. Now you're going to be outside your 20-minute window.

Maybe start your search in the square between Old Eagle School Road to the west, 202 to the north, 476 to the east and 30 to the south. (Although I'm not sure if Gulph Mills area is in a different school district.)

ooh. Thank you Avalon08, this is superbly helpful. I am looking at a map now and see the area you're describing. Will focus there -- the drives going east along Upper Gulph and Matsonford Rd don't look like they should be so congested, hopefully. we're hoping to keep our budget under $650k -- seems like there's not much on the market now, unfortunately (and wow have those prices zoomed up in the past year), but we still have a little time before the move, and fingers crossed.

One question my husband and I are wondering about is the culture of the Wayne/Strafford/Radnor area, given the rich factor. We aren't worried so much for ourselves -- we are fine at resisting pressure to keep up w/the Joneses, even if we wouldn't be as wealthy as those around us -- but intend to have our kids in public schools and worry a little about what it might be like to grow up in an environment where money/snobbishness might be more a social factor. If anyone has any thoughts/experience on that would be grateful to hear.

ps I didn't know about the nickname -- thank you!

[harborrd18]

Originally Posted by Fireshaker

I think Gulph Mills falls under Upper Merion SD. Certainly still a respectable district, but something the OP should be aware of if they have their heart set on Radnor or T-E.

thank you! Upper Merion looks great too and we'd be very happy with that if we can find a nice house in the area.

[Flyers Girl]

Originally Posted by harborrd18

thank you! Upper Merion looks great too and we'd be very happy with that if we can find a nice house in the area.

A potential benefit to Upper Merion Township would be lower taxes, as the King of Prussia Mall is a very large landowner in the township and as such, alleviates some of the tax burden on the residential homes. Of course, taxes are only one piece of the puzzle, and I personally find the area around the mall to be very congested. That said, in continuing to look at the map, you'll notice that Front Street (on the West Conshohocken side of the river) is Route 23 and if you follow it north it goes through Bridgeport and ultimately to King of Prussia. So that commute may not be so bad either.


The T/E and Radnor school districts are probably on par with each other IRT the snobbiness factor about which you're concerned. Definitely, there are those kids who are growing up in a single-income family with a stay-at-home mom who is one of the "ladies who lunch." But I think there is also some variability throughout the districts and not all the students are in that situation. To a degree, I suppose you could find that anywhere there's a cluster of wealth. But it will be less prevalent outside the Main Line rather than within it.

[harborrd18]

Originally Posted by Flyers Girl

A potential benefit to Upper Merion Township would be lower taxes, as the King of Prussia Mall is a very large landowner in the township and as such, alleviates some of the tax burden on the residential homes. Of course, taxes are only one piece of the puzzle, and I personally find the area around the mall to be very congested. That said, in continuing to look at the map, you'll notice that Front Street (on the West Conshohocken side of the river) is Route 23 and if you follow it north it goes through Bridgeport and ultimately to King of Prussia. So that commute may not be so bad either.


The T/E and Radnor school districts are probably on par with each other IRT the snobbiness factor about which you're concerned. Definitely, there are those kids who are growing up in a single-income family with a stay-at-home mom who is one of the "ladies who lunch." But I think there is also some variability throughout the districts and not all the students are in that situation. To a degree, I suppose you could find that anywhere there's a cluster of wealth. But it will be less prevalent outside the Main Line rather than within it.

nice. that's a very good point re: Upper Merion, if possible to find an area that's nice and not too congested and still has some pretty housing stock/community/walkable (even at the neighborhood/sidewalk level, not necessarily shops etc.) feel. and yes, I suspect you are right re: snobbiness factor....sort of some luck of the draw depending on what exact community or classroom you end up in. But also does go hand in hand with the fact that these areas are of course more wealthy (which is also what makes the school systems so nice, so pick your poison!)

Thank you guys for all the advice! Makes doing all this long-distance much, much easier.

[Avalon08]

Originally Posted by harborrd18

nice. that's a very good point re: Upper Merion, if possible to find an area that's nice and not too congested and still has some pretty housing stock/community/walkable (even at the neighborhood/sidewalk level, not necessarily shops etc.) feel. and yes, I suspect you are right re: snobbiness factor....sort of some luck of the draw depending on what exact community or classroom you end up in. But also does go hand in hand with the fact that these areas are of course more wealthy (which is also what makes the school systems so nice, so pick your poison!)

Thank you guys for all the advice! Makes doing all this long-distance much, much easier.

Just in terms of the "walkability" -- Wayne has a nice little downtown district but not really the other areas we've been talking about. Also, I don't pretend to be an expert on every street in that area, but as I recall, a lot of it is hilly. Very beautiful older homes on leafy, tree-lined, hilly suburban roads. My friend bought a 60's bi-level in Gulph Mills and her uphill driveway was so steep, she couldn't get her low-slung Mercedes up it. The good news is, it's not filled with cookie-cutter new developments. But I just wanted you to know that there are some hills, so I don't know how walkable some of those areas are.

Just a funny anecdote on hills: I was 19 when I worked in "West Conshy", in an office building that was up a steep hill. My car at the time, a '67 Cougar, was having a problem where the only way I could start it was to go downhill and kick-start it. So every day, I'd back my car in a spot in front of the building so I could roll down the hill after work, pop that clutch and away I'd go!

[harborrd18]

Originally Posted by Avalon08

Just in terms of the "walkability" -- Wayne has a nice little downtown district but not really the other areas we've been talking about. Also, I don't pretend to be an expert on every street in that area, but as I recall, a lot of it is hilly. Very beautiful older homes on leafy, tree-lined, hilly suburban roads. My friend bought a 60's bi-level in Gulph Mills and her uphill driveway was so steep, she couldn't get her low-slung Mercedes up it. The good news is, it's not filled with cookie-cutter new developments. But I just wanted you to know that there are some hills, so I don't know how walkable some of those areas are.

Just a funny anecdote on hills: I was 19 when I worked in "West Conshy", in an office building that was up a steep hill. My car at the time, a '67 Cougar, was having a problem where the only way I could start it was to go downhill and kick-start it. So every day, I'd back my car in a spot in front of the building so I could roll down the hill after work, pop that clutch and away I'd go!

Ha, that's quite an image! We don't have a car yet but will make sure it is able to handle the hills

I'm glad to hear there are some old beautiful homes in the area, and that level of walkability sounds fine. Don't mind hills, but definitely not interested in newer and, as you say, more cookie-cutter housing stock.

[Mr. Map Man]

I attended Conestoga HS (in T/E school district), and currently live in Conshohocken, and can confirm that most of the previous comments are accurate. The main line schools are excellent and you will definitely feel the suburbia culture. There is certainly snobbishness among the parents along the main line, but you also shouldn't have a problem finding new friends/couples who are grounded (sane lol) and share your values. The only negative about the schools are that high school students with a lot of money tend to get into trouble with drugs or selling drugs. This is a nationwide problem, however kids with free time and a lot of money exacerbate this situation.

The traffic problems are similar to any large metro area. I've yet to experience a city with a population of 1M+ that doesn't have commuter traffic issues. The problem in Philly stems from the lack of schuylkill river (pronounced "skoo kill") crossings, a lack of suburban mass transit, and the fact that the main highway to Philly was built on the side of a cliff and thus too expensive to realistically expand its capacity. I cross the bridge over Fayette street every day en route to Berwyn. It takes me about 20 minutes in the morning (circa 8 am), and about 40 minutes in the evening (circa 5:45). If you leave work late, or arrive early, the trip is actually a breeze.

In terms of town feel, any of the suburban areas mentioned will give you access to great boutique shopping and nice restaurants. Unless you sacrifice house size, you will undoubtedly be driving to them. I would also throw Newtown Square & Bryn Mawr into your search as well.

Let me know if you have any other questions about the main line, Gulph Mills, KoP, Conshohocken, etc.

[harborrd18]

This is great. Thank you so much for the feedback. It's very good to know that if you adjust the departure times, the trip isn't so bad. My husband has somewhat flexible work hours, so that would probably work. And that is a good point about the connection between drugs/money in schools....not something I'd thought about before.

Really appreciate the help!