Walkable towns with two hours of philly - more bang for your buck than philly suburbs (Philadelphia: house, neighborhoods)

[tuc23841]

Hello,

We just discovered my job will begin allowing us to work mostly remote even after the pandemic is complete. We currently live in Philadelphia, but will look to buy a house once the market settles in a year or so and will be leaving the city proper. With this new flexibility, I am open to moving further out from the surrounding suburbs, but do not have a lot of familiarity on ones that may fit our needs. The best part of moving further out is getting more bang for our buck, but we don't want to lose that since of walkability that exists with many philly suburbs (namely media, west chester, ardmore, phoenixville etc. )

We would look to be in an area where we could have a sizable yard (.5 acres or more ideally), but still be within a 15 minute drive of local restaurants (even better if they are gathered in a "downtown" area). I'd like to avoid the typical suburban sprawl that is many neighborhoods connected by highways to strip malls of chain restaurants and stores.

We have a fair size budget - could do 500-600K depending on the taxes, and would be looking for a sizable home (2500-3000 square feet) to fit our two children as well as future inlaws. Means schools are important as well. As many may know, in the true philly suburbs 500-600 doesn't get you much house anymore, which is why we are willing to look a bit further.

I've heard good things about Lititz and Lancaster as well as Exton/Downington, but just don't really know where to start.

Thanks for any help!

[ElijahAstin]

Between those three, look to Exton/Downingtown unless you’d really rather live around Lititz or Lancaster. Your budget should get what you’re looking for in middle to outer Chester County. Maybe you could luck out in Bucks County past Doylestown.

[thedirtypirate]

Originally Posted by ElijahAstin

Maybe you could luck out in Bucks County past Doylestown.

Yeah, when I read this I thought of upper bucks too.

[Angus215]

There aren't many truly "walkable" areas in the Philadelphia suburbs, must less the exurbs (or beyond). Everyone says they want to live in a walkable area, but probably only 5% of the Philly suburbs are walkable to a downtown type of area. Also, walkable towns that are nice tend to be relatively expensive, and you're not typically going to get a 0.5 acre lot. This is why most people ultimately settle for more typical suburban type housing that we all used to say we would never live in.

Lititz is a nice town, though I don't know how cheap it is if you are in the town itself. Its school district is Warwick, which is okay but not great (high school ranked #175 in the state on Niche). Lancaster City has terrible schools. I'm not super familiar with Downingtown, but it's really more of an exurban sprawl than an actual town (might have a small downtown area). You already listed some of the usual suspects, but seems like you are asking more about walkable towns that are outside of the Philadelphia suburbs, of which there just aren't many and that's why you aren't getting many responses.

Maybe the further out Chester County towns like Kennett Square and Chadds Ford (though don't think they will be cheap). Maybe some of the towns/cities in the Lehigh Valley such as Bethlehem, which has a nice downtown and okay schools. Maybe some of the nicer towns near Reading, such as West Reading or Wyomissing. I'm not aware of any legit towns in Bucks County north of Doylestown (which is itself very expensive). There are places like Perkasie and Quakertown, but more along the lines of housing developments mixed with rural housing than a walkable town.

I would add, however, that $500 - $600K for a 2,500 - 3,000 sq ft home on a 1/2 acre lot in the philly suburbs is absolutely doable, even in some of the best school districts. Maybe not on the main line, and maybe not in a walkable town, but in much of the suburbs. I know prices have gone up a lot in just the past year, so maybe more difficult than it was before then, but I'm sure you could find it, particularly if you were willing to go out a bit further.

[rowhomecity]

Lancaster is probably your best bet.

It has a really charming, historic and vibrant downtown that is very walkable and has a strong restaurant and arts scene.

In regards to schools you probably would want to locate just outside the city limits into the Manhiem Township suburbs which are just north of the city.

Lancaster has direct Amtrak service to Philadelphia with just a 60 minute travel time, to get your dose of Philadelphia for the day when you are seeking it.

Bethlehem is also a really nice area and downtown Bethlehem itself is also very historic and charming and walkable. Bethlehem city schools I believe are slightly better than Lancaster if you wanted to actually live in Bethlehem itself. You have proximity to both NYC and Philadelphia, but there is no direct train access.

Hershey, Pennsylvania is another ideal place to consider. Its schools are top notch, it has a strong local community and an interesting and charming downtown area that is walkable. It is about 30 minutes north of Lancaster and 20 minutes east of Harrisburg. You could find a moderately updated SFH home within your budget. Penn State's Medical School and Hospital is located in Hershey so it has a strong presence of Doctor's and it is considered to be a somewhat affluent area.

[BPP1999]

Originally Posted by Angus215

There aren't many truly "walkable" areas in the Philadelphia suburbs, must less the exurbs (or beyond). Everyone says they want to live in a walkable area, but probably only 5% of the Philly suburbs are walkable to a downtown type of area. Also, walkable towns that are nice tend to be relatively expensive, and you're not typically going to get a 0.5 acre lot. This is why most people ultimately settle for more typical suburban type housing that we all used to say we would never live in.

Lititz is a nice town, though I don't know how cheap it is if you are in the town itself. Its school district is Warwick, which is okay but not great (high school ranked #175 in the state on Niche). Lancaster City has terrible schools. I'm not super familiar with Downingtown, but it's really more of an exurban sprawl than an actual town (might have a small downtown area). You already listed some of the usual suspects, but seems like you are asking more about walkable towns that are outside of the Philadelphia suburbs, of which there just aren't many and that's why you aren't getting many responses.

Maybe the further out Chester County towns like Kennett Square and Chadds Ford (though don't think they will be cheap). Maybe some of the towns/cities in the Lehigh Valley such as Bethlehem, which has a nice downtown and okay schools. Maybe some of the nicer towns near Reading, such as West Reading or Wyomissing. I'm not aware of any legit towns in Bucks County north of Doylestown (which is itself very expensive). There are places like Perkasie and Quakertown, but more along the lines of housing developments mixed with rural housing than a walkable town.

I would add, however, that $500 - $600K for a 2,500 - 3,000 sq ft home on a 1/2 acre lot in the philly suburbs is absolutely doable, even in some of the best school districts. Maybe not on the main line, and maybe not in a walkable town, but in much of the suburbs. I know prices have gone up a lot in just the past year, so maybe more difficult than it was before then, but I'm sure you could find it, particularly if you were willing to go out a bit further.

Really? I thought this region was known for having an abundance of walkable towns...

Ambler
Ardmore
Bryn Mawr
Lansdale
Media
Narberth
Phoenixville
Swarthmore
West Chester in PA

Haddonfield
Moorestown in NJ

Just to name a few off the top of my head. These may not be 100% walkable as you can’t walk to a Best Buy or a supermarket from these places. But they are absolutely walkable towns with character.

[Angus215]

Originally Posted by BPP1999

Really? I thought this region was known for having an abundance of walkable towns...

Ambler
Ardmore
Bryn Mawr
Lansdale
Media
Narberth
Phoenixville
Swarthmore
West Chester in PA

Haddonfield
Moorestown in NJ

Just to name a few off the top of my head. These may not be 100% walkable as you can’t walk to a Best Buy or a supermarket from these places. But they are absolutely walkable towns with character.

The number of people living in towns like that that can realistically walk to a downtown area is an extremely small % of the total suburban population of about 4.5 million people, and much of that housing stock is smaller (in many cases attached) homes on small lots. That was the point.

[N.Y.C.H]

Bethlehem in the Lehigh Valley is a good option. Two walkable downtowns with one having a more artsy scene and the other being more charming. Schools are ok and are generally better in the townships surrounding the city, but there are several private schools that are great within the city.

[BPP1999]

Originally Posted by Angus215

The number of people living in towns like that that can realistically walk to a downtown area is an extremely small % of the total suburban population of about 4.5 million people, and much of that housing stock is smaller (in many cases attached) homes on small lots. That was the point.

Ok. But this region has more towns like that than most other regions in the country. You may not value that but don’t sell this region short.

[rowhomecity]

The more I think of it.. the more I would say look into Hershey.

It is 2 hours from Philadelphia. Just 15/20 minutes to Harrisburg and about 30 minutes to Lancaster.

It has a charming downtown area. Its schools are TOP NOTCH and you definitely will get more for your money than say West Chester.

Although West Chester might be worth looking into.. you just will get a smaller and slightly more outdated home in West Chester.