Looking to relocate to Chester County (Philadelphia, Lancaster: best town, apartments, rentals)

[Indianafamily]

My husband has taken a job in Philly area and we will be coming to the area in the next few weeks to decide where we would like to live.
We have a 10 year old daughter who is very active in sports and honor student.
We were looking at Phoenixville but of course not familiar with the area and open to other small towns in the area or south of this area to the Maryland boarder.
We are going to rent a house at first to make sure everything works out and I am having trouble finding houses for rent only finding apartments? We would like a nice neighborhood and small town atmosphere.
Also we are looking for a good school district. Not to big though. We come from a small community in Indiana that is K-12 all in one school.
We are looking for something bigger then that but not huge.(maybe a graduating class of no more then 250 or so)
If you have any suggestions for us please feel free to reply also if you know of any good web site to look into these small towns I would greatly appreciate any extra help I can get.

Thank You

[rainrock]

Originally Posted by Indianafamily

Not to big though. We come from a small community in Indiana that is K-12 all in one school.
We are looking for something bigger then that but not huge.(maybe a graduating class of no more then 250 or so)

Thank You

The above sounds like maybe you'd be better off in Lancaster County or far western Chester County(Atglen,Parkesburg,Oxford,Honeybrook,). You won't find anything like that in Phoenixville, Downingtown or West Chester. Coventry would be the closest thing to Phoenixville that would fit the above criteria.

If school size didn't matter West Chester is probably the best town in Chester County.

[rainrock]

Try a couple of these links for renting a house.

www.Craigslist.com has a housing category.Click Phladelphia then go to housing and punch in Chester County in the search bar.

Removed link


Back to Phoenixville. Its an older town that has some nice quiet residential areas, the downtown itself has seen better days but there has been alot of recent development to bring the downtown area back. Most of nicer areas in the Philly area live on the outskirts of the older towns.Typical american suburban sprawl. 5 minutes in every direction, outside of Phoenixville is beautful with new housing developments , shopping etc..

I'm not sure if I am overreacting to your comment about coming from a very small community.However, I don't know of any public schools in the Philly area that has K-12 all in one school. Private schools do that but not public.Hence the recommendation for the western part of the county furthest from the population base.

Here are the 12 school districts in Chester County

Avongrove-
Coatesville
Downingtown
Great Valley-
Kennet Square
Octorara
Owen J Roberts
Oxford
Phoenixville
Trydffrin
Unionville
West Chester

Top 3 in quality

Great Valley
Trydffrin
West Chester

3 smallest

Octorara
Oxford
Avongrove

Good luck. You'll love Chester County

[1orangetabbycat]

Depending on where your employment will be, consider Morgantown, in Berks County. Twin Valley school district is very good (check it out on greatschools.net), it's very safe and rural but just a hop on the turnpike to civilization. The taxes are lower than Chester County and there is a lot of affordable housing. Good Luck!

[Duderino]

Originally Posted by Indianafamily

My husband has taken a job in Philly area and we will be coming to the area in the next few weeks to decide where we would like to live.
We have a 10 year old daughter who is very active in sports and honor student.
We were looking at Phoenixville but of course not familiar with the area and open to other small towns in the area or south of this area to the Maryland boarder.
We are going to rent a house at first to make sure everything works out and I am having trouble finding houses for rent only finding apartments? We would like a nice neighborhood and small town atmosphere.
Also we are looking for a good school district. Not to big though. We come from a small community in Indiana that is K-12 all in one school.
We are looking for something bigger then that but not huge.(maybe a graduating class of no more then 250 or so)
If you have any suggestions for us please feel free to reply also if you know of any good web site to look into these small towns I would greatly appreciate any extra help I can get.

Thank You

Well, first off, not to discount Chester County, because towns such as West Chester and Exton are awesome for the nice, small town feeling you're looking for. However, Chester County is known for its higher cost of living. Moreover, public schools this area have many more students than you've stipulated. Smaller school districts tend to be located in the suburbs a little farther from Philadelphia, although I've never heard of any public schools who put K-12 in one facility. If I had to recommend the best district based on your criteria (some townhouses to rent, I believe, in this area, too), I would say Owen J. Roberts in Coventry Township, Chester County. It is a nice community and a reputable school system. Good luck!

Here is a decent website for a home search:

(broken link)

[ljpm]

Having been born and raised in Chester County, I'd have to recommend West Chester.... although it is now considered a city, and it is the county seat, it still offers the best of everything. If you like the hustle and bustle, you can live in town.... if you prefer a more close knit small community, there are many outlying communities and neighborhoods. As for the schools.... you will not find what your looking for in the way of public schools, but Chester County does offer many educational options. Personally, I have had my older kids go through the public school system in both Downingtown, and West Chester.... although both very good schools, I was not thrilled. I now have 3 smaller children that I have now enrolled in Collegium Charter School. I LOVE this school, its principals, mission statement, curriculum, staff etc. (check it out on the web) I know Charter Schools get a bad rap, but at least where this school is concerned, the white papers lie! My 8 yr old started there in kindergarten, is now in 3rd grade, but is in accellerated classes, doing 4th grade work! The best part, they try to keep enrollment down to 100 students per grade.

[mreenrose]

I love living in Northern Chester County--it's become very pricey in terms of housing costs and development is certainly here but I am hoping it never becomes the "monster" development that has engulfed places like Downingtown. About Morgantown and Twin Valley School District which is in both Chester and Berks Counties. I love that area, but it is experiencing explosive growth which means non-stop buiding of stores, houses, schools that is a little scary (my best friend lives there).
A lot comments on the public/parochial/private schools are to be taken with a grain of salt...I will throw in mine!! My experience has been that my kids are receiving an adequate education in the local school district. They are in high school now and, they are very happy and involved with their sports and activities.

[JudyPeterson]

Greetings Indiana Family!

The general area around Chester County and the Philadelphia Main Line offers some great neighborhoods and some of the best rated school districts in the country. Chester County is a favorite of many for its convenience to the City, municipal services and sheer beauty of the countryside. Depends on the amenities and price range you're considering and how much commute you are comfortable with though. There are also neighborhoods convenient to the City in Delaware County and Montgomery County. I work in the residential resale market but I do know someone who specializes in Rentals. Let me know if I can help you. As you've found there are probably more townhomes for rental than single family rentals. Welcome to Pa! It's a great place to live Judy

[ltguid]

If you want 250 in a class, you don't want West Chester or the eastern side of the county. Rainrock is right - the southern/western Chester County schools are closer to that. There are probably some schools in Montgomery County that would fit that bill as well.

What part of "outside Philly" is your husband's new job? Because if it's closer to one area or the other, maybe someone can suggest an area with easy access to his job?

[PAtrucker]

look into the chadds ford unionville area, small town (3,100 people) rural landscape, nice place