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Yes, there are so many suburban towns in the metro I tried to highlight some of the top rated ones overall.
I put the other option for a user to make that choice and then in the thread state what town they choose as other.
And yes I admittedly left out Jenkintown by accident. It is a great suburban town.
And I also meant to pair Media/Swarthmore. They are very much connected in feel and distance.
Yardley is a small area, so I was trying to get a solid chunk of that region of lower bucks so I included Solebury. Most homebuyers looking in that area look for homes in both Upper Makefield, Solebury and Yardley in general, depending on their commuting needs.
I'm assuming the 3 who voted for other, voted for Jenkintown because it has received a lot of discussion on its mixture of affordability, vibrancy and transit and employment access.
I am not a "suburb person" but for me in deciding which to vote for it was between Lower Main Line (actually Narberth) or Media---great transit access, downtown areas, nice housing stock.
Also missing is Drexel Hill/Havertown. And while Upper Darby may have some issues it is a Top 5 city in the state population wise and very diverse.
I'm assuming you're a South Philly/Center City/West Philly/Fishtown city person. Having spent a lot of time in places like Chestnut Hill, Mt Airy, and other similar types of city hoods, I find some of the better suburbs mentioned here to be better urban experiences than those. In all honesty, even Chestnut Hill is hindered by city problems that the burbs just don't seem to have. That's not to say it's not nice, but places like Doylestown, Jenkintown, Ardmore, etc. are better urban experiences than a place like Mt Airy in my opinion. Stronger sense of community (this will vary of course), less crime, less trash, better maintained homes/businesses, equally strong transit, more services, etc.
I'm assuming you're a South Philly/Center City/West Philly/Fishtown city person. Having spent a lot of time in places like Chestnut Hill, Mt Airy, and other similar types of city hoods, I find some of the better suburbs mentioned here to be better urban experiences than those. In all honesty, even Chestnut Hill is hindered by city problems that the burbs just don't seem to have. That's not to say it's not nice, but places like Doylestown, Jenkintown, Ardmore, etc. are better urban experiences than a place like Mt Airy in my opinion. Stronger sense of community (this will vary of course), less crime, less trash, better maintained homes/businesses, equally strong transit, more services, etc.
I think you know I live just down the road from those neighborhoods, and while I might wince at your characterization (and do dispute it on the margins as it applies to Chestnut Hill), I really can't argue with it in general.
One wag once described my home neighborhood of Germantown as being "one coat of paint away from being the cutest historic village around." Actually, it needs more than a coat of paint, and there are people here working on that extra stuff, most prominently the graduates of Jumpstart Germantown, the first of the network of developerts'-boot-camp programs that now exist citywide (and maybe in some other cities too, as its creator has a playbook others can use to start their own Jumpstart programs elsewhere). But I also know from what I see around my own residence that even that isn't enough.
I think you know I live just down the road from those neighborhoods, and while I might wince at your characterization (and do dispute it on the margins as it applies to Chestnut Hill), I really can't argue with it in general.
One wag once described my home neighborhood of Germantown as being "one coat of paint away from being the cutest historic village around." Actually, it needs more than a coat of paint, and there are people here working on that extra stuff, most prominently the graduates of Jumpstart Germantown, the first of the network of developerts'-boot-camp programs that now exist citywide (and maybe in some other cities too, as its creator has a playbook others can use to start their own Jumpstart programs elsewhere). But I also know from what I see around my own residence that even that isn't enough.
I like your honesty. The truth is that Germantown itself has more potential to be a truly amazing urban paradise more than anywhere outside Center City (in my opinion). Crime, trash, the state of the buildings, and schools seem like unsolvable problems at this point. And it gets better in Mt Airy, although not great. Even the acclaimed Mt Airy playground (Sedgwick & Gtown Ave) is full of trash, and does not feel fully safe at times. Progress to Chestnut Hill and it's more refined, a greater sense of community (overall, less clustered), and the crime is far less. However, schools are still a big problem. These city problems really make the walkable suburbs excel.
And in a time where the city may be falling on major financial hardships, who knows what will be done to impact city residents (will property taxes skyrocket, will crime get worse, will services be cut even more?). That doesn't make the burbs immune from these considerations in 2020/2021, but the burbs do appear to be weathering the COVID crisis much better because so many people are working from home, investing in houses with yards, etc.
I like your honesty. The truth is that Germantown itself has more potential to be a truly amazing urban paradise more than anywhere outside Center City (in my opinion). Crime, trash, the state of the buildings, and schools seem like unsolvable problems at this point. And it gets better in Mt Airy, although not great. Even the acclaimed Mt Airy playground (Sedgwick & Gtown Ave) is full of trash, and does not feel fully safe at times. Progress to Chestnut Hill and it's more refined, a greater sense of community (overall, less clustered), and the crime is far less. However, schools are still a big problem. These city problems really make the walkable suburbs excel.
And in a time where the city may be falling on major financial hardships, who knows what will be done to impact city residents (will property taxes skyrocket, will crime get worse, will services be cut even more?). That doesn't make the burbs immune from these considerations in 2020/2021, but the burbs do appear to be weathering the COVID crisis much better because so many people are working from home, investing in houses with yards, etc.
There is some truth to what you say. My biggest complaints living in Mt. Airy are the lack of businesses (and the ones that exist are often poorly run), and the super liberal viewpoint of residents leading to tolerance of and excuse making for trashy behavior. I think you are way off above in sense of community though. There is a fantastic sense of community here.
When I go out in Ambler/Consy/Ardore/Wayne I can't help but notice how much better run the businesses are. I don't fully understand why Mt. Airy has such trouble attracting good business owners.
I don't agree that those suburbs are a better experience than Chestnut Hill though. The schools issue is moot for a lot of Hill residents who want to send their kids to private school. It is nice to have as a Mt. Airy resident as many of us treat as a second neighborhood downtown.
Yardley is a small area, so I was trying to get a solid chunk of that region of lower bucks so I included Solebury. Most homebuyers looking in that area look for homes in both Upper Makefield, Solebury and Yardley in general, depending on their commuting needs.
Living in the area, I don't think I've ever heard anyone connect Yardley with Solebury in any meaningful way. If you want to expand the Yardley area, add Makefield or possibly Washington Crossing, but Solebury is definitely much more closely tied to New Hope.
Living in the area, I don't think I've ever heard anyone connect Yardley with Solebury in any meaningful way. If you want to expand the Yardley area, add Makefield or possibly Washington Crossing, but Solebury is definitely much more closely tied to New Hope.
The poll was to convey the same cohesive suburban identity of the different areas of the collar counties. I did not want to name 30+ individual townships/towns. That does not make sense to me. So I had to categorize and try to group areas together. Therefore I identified the river municipalities from the area of Yardley/Upper Makefield/Solebury.
I admit I left out Jenkintown/Abington by accident. I think all who voted other voted for Jenkintown/Abington.
I find home buyers looking in that general Yardley/Washington Crossing region are looking at that entire 15 square mile area, including Solebury, depending on their commuting needs. That area has the same character/general feel as well.
Yes it is an expansive area, but so is the Upper Main Line and Lower Main Line, which encompass 15+ square miles each respectively. I find the comparison similar as for example the Upper Main Line has a bit of a distinct character from the Lower Main Line.
There is no regional name for Yardley/Washington Crossing/New Hope like the Main Line. But it all feels as one cohesive suburban area, and home buyers definitely look in all three in that area when searching for homes.
All in all, I adore Bucks County. My family is from there.
Last edited by rowhomecity; 11-17-2020 at 12:51 PM..
There is some truth to what you say. My biggest complaints living in Mt. Airy are the lack of businesses (and the ones that exist are often poorly run), and the super liberal viewpoint of residents leading to tolerance of and excuse making for trashy behavior. I think you are way off above in sense of community though. There is a fantastic sense of community here.
When I go out in Ambler/Consy/Ardore/Wayne I can't help but notice how much better run the businesses are. I don't fully understand why Mt. Airy has such trouble attracting good business owners.
I don't agree that those suburbs are a better experience than Chestnut Hill though. The schools issue is moot for a lot of Hill residents who want to send their kids to private school. It is nice to have as a Mt. Airy resident as many of us treat as a second neighborhood downtown.
Yes, definitely poorly run businesses. Rude, careless workers in many establishments. I love Nonna's pizza, but the service can be terrible. Many of the others don't run their businesses well or have poor food.
Regarding community, we should admit that Mt Airy is a big place. Big enough to split in two and probably huge enough to split into quarters. Some has a good sense of community, some does not. I lived there 10 years ago and found the neighbors to be nice enough and there is community. However, there is another layer of community when it is a condensed location (like a borough) and those with kids all send their kids to school and live near each other. The private school situation guts the community of those closer ties. I know because I have frequented Chestnut Hill for years with kids and there is a divide. The poorer families send their kids to Jenks. Everyone else that can afford it, wears uniforms and does not. The income segregation of school children is an absolute breaker of community. Not fully, but it does water down the community more than most would know.
A borough like Jenkintown really gives you a super close-knit environment because you can walk from one end to the other in 15 mins, send your kids to the same school (poor and rich), and the businesses are well-maintained. Walking and seeing kids, adults, neighbors every day, knowing they are all getting to know one another, makes you closer to your neighbors. These young people pull the community together. People care if there is trash on the playground. They care if their poorer neighbor's kids are not getting as good of an education because it means their kids are not.
While those without kids will say it doesn't impact them, it does. Kids and schools are a foundational component to community life. More than almost anything else.
There is no regional name for Yardley/Washington Crossing/New Hope like the Main Line. But it all feels as one cohesive suburban area, and home buyers definitely look in all three in that area when searching for homes.
Right. There's not one, there's two - Yardley/Makefield and New Hope/Solebury. LOL.
Right. There's not one, there's two - Yardley/Makefield and New Hope/Solebury. LOL.
Again, listing 30+ municipalities is redundant. The river municipalities all have the same character. I understand Yardley and New Hope are different towns about 15 minutes from one another. But so is Malvern and Radnor. But they all have a similar feel. And so do all the river municipalities in that part of Bucks. And again, homebuyers definitely look in all three municipalities in that area.
There is no way I can list all 50+ individual towns and identify any trends with the small pool that is on C/D.
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