Issue Moving to Philly: Good Public Schools & Affordability (Philadelphia: apartment, renting)

[ravishankeruk83]

We are moving to Philly this summer and will be buying our first home. However, it looks we have been priced out of Philly suburbs with good public schools. Of all the research I have done, Kennett Square used to be once upon a time a good option, but not anymore because of rising costs.

We don't need to commute to Philly regularly, so any suburb within a 60 - 70 minute radius of Philly is fine. We have ruled out New Jersey for several reasons. Are there any good suburbs left that are still affordable? Our budget is 500k max for a good 4 BR Single Family Home. And we aren't looking at townhomes. Looking forward to your insights, it will be so helpful.


When are you moving? Summer'22
Where are you coming from? Hartford, CT
Why are you moving? Relocation
Where will you be working? Mostly Remote
Have you been here yet? No

Will you buy or rent? Buy
If buying, are you looking for a house or a condo? How much can you spend? House, 500k max
If renting, are you looking for an apartment, a townhouse or loft? How much can you spend?
Do you prefer hi-rise or walk up? NA

Do you have a preference of living in a NJ or PA suburb? Only PA
(If you answered NJ - post your answers here: //www.city-data.com/forum/new-j...-philadelphia/)

Are you married or single? Do you have children? Married with two kids
Do you prefer public or private schools? Public
Do you have pets? No
Do you want or need a yard? Yes, need a Yard
Are you keeping a car? Yes, 2 cars
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? In-between in fine.

What do you want to be closest to? Shopping & Basic Services
Work
Shopping
Basic services (supermarket, drugstore, etc.)
Nightlife
Train or subway stations

Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood? Indian community will be nice.

Favorite Beverage - Craft Beer, wine, water? Craft Beer any day !

[thedirtypirate]

Have you ever looked in like Quakertown or maybe like Collegeville?

[bridge12]

If your radius is truly 60-70 minutes, then you might want to consider the Lehigh Valley or Lancaster County for relocation. Bonus points for Lancaster County is that you can hop on the train to Philly which is faster than driving.

For school districts in the Lehigh Valley, consider East Penn SD (Emmaus/Macungie area) and Southern Lehigh SD (Center Valley area). Both will have a 60-70 minute commute to Philadelphia.

For Lancaster county, consider Lampeter-Strasburg SD or Conestoga Valley SD (both on the eastern side of Lancaster city). This will be getting close to a 1.5-hour commute by car, a bit less by train.

[MarketStEl]

I'm guessing you find the schools in Bensalem Township disappointing.

The reason I say this is because otherwise, it would seem to me to check off your boxes.

It has a sizable Indian-American population, and the Zillow Home Value Index gives the value of a typical middle-tier house in its ZIP code (19020) as $347,288.

Had you considered this suburb just over the Philadelphia city line in Bucks County?

[Tweb66]

Originally Posted by bridge12

If your radius is truly 60-70 minutes, then you might want to consider the Lehigh Valley or Lancaster County for relocation. Bonus points for Lancaster County is that you can hop on the train to Philly which is faster than driving.

For school districts in the Lehigh Valley, consider East Penn SD (Emmaus/Macungie area) and Southern Lehigh SD (Center Valley area). Both will have a 60-70 minute commute to Philadelphia.

For Lancaster county, consider Lampeter-Strasburg SD or Conestoga Valley SD (both on the eastern side of Lancaster city). This will be getting close to a 1.5-hour commute by car, a bit less by train.

If the Lehigh Valley is under consideration, I'd add Parkland SD as well. It is further north but possibly a shorter drive time because of where the turnpike exit is.

[Angus215]

Lehigh Valley will be well outside of a 60 minute commute, if that's what you're focused on. It will be more like 1:15 to 1:30 to Center City without traffic, and in the 1:30 to 2:00 range with rush hour traffic.

However, some areas in the Philly suburbs that are relatively affordable and have good schools would include at least portions of the North Penn, Spring-Ford, Downingtown, and Perkiomen Valley school districts, to give some examples. None of those are a super short commute to Center City either, but certainly shorter than the Lehigh Valley area.

[Tweb66]

I've driven many times from different parts of Philly to Allentown proper in 1 hour flat, sometimes less. But that is neither here nor there, it really isn't any cheaper anymore than some of the more far flung Philly burbs so there isn't much advantage of moving there, unless you like the area itself.

[smt1111]

There is a sizeable Indian-American population in the area of Lansdale and North Wales. It has train service to center city. Probably a good 60-70 minutes driving. Houses in your price range should not be an issue. Lots of shopping options nearby. I can't speak to nightlife.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by smt1111

There is a sizeable Indian-American population in the area of Lansdale and North Wales. It has train service to center city. Probably a good 60-70 minutes driving. Houses in your price range should not be an issue. Lots of shopping options nearby. I can't speak to nightlife.

Actually, it's not too bad for a small suburban downtown, thanks in large part to the owners of Round Guys Brewing Company:

Why You Should Take a Second Look at Lansdale | Philadelphia Magazine

I don't know the extent to which the COVID pandemic changed the picture, but Round Guys is still very much in business, so I imagine the event space they program remains active, too.

[Angus215]

I hadn't seen the reference to an Indian community in the original post, but the suggestion of Lansdale/North Wales (North Penn School District) is an excellent one. Lansdale itself is a legit town, and there is a commuter train line that runs through the area that would provide access to Center City in about 45 minutes.