Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Pennsylvania > Philadelphia
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 09-08-2008, 08:17 PM
 
2 posts, read 12,341 times
Reputation: 10

Advertisements

My husband is reviewing a job offer in the Kennett Square area of Chester County. We currently live in Northern Virginia, but are both Pennsylvanians originally. We are interested in hearing more about the areas of Chester County that are within a reasonable (less than 15 miles or 30 minutes) commute of the Kennett Square area. We have two young children (2 1/2 and 6 months old), so good schools, shopping close by, and family oriented activities are important to us. I am a SAHM, so any information offered on groups or clubs in the area would be helpful.
We'll be looking for a newer single family home in a family oriented community with a budget of $500K or less.
We've done some research and the following areas look attractive to us: Unionville-Chaddsford S.D., West Chester, West Grove, Avondale, Downingtown. We're interested on hearing pro's and con's on these locations, as well as any other areas in Chester County.
Thank you very much!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 09-08-2008, 08:43 PM
 
Location: Villanova Pa.
4,927 posts, read 14,208,000 times
Reputation: 2715
Chadds Ford,West Chester, Garnet Valley or Downingtown.

Kennett ,West Grove and Avondale are a bit detached and have a decidely rural feel to them. Lots of Mushroom farms/manufacturing sites/migrant workers.Beautiful area but not alot going on out there imo.

Unionville-Chadds Ford has the best school district of the 4. West Chester is the best town,Garnet Valley and Downingtown have the newer shopping amenities/restaurants/.

If I were working in Kennett Square I would live in the Unionville Chadds Ford area for the outstanding schools, shop in Garnet Valley or/Downingtown-Exton and patronize West Chester which is one of the coolest towns in this area.

Good luck. Its avery nice area in general out there.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-08-2008, 09:03 PM
 
Location: Katy, TX
1,288 posts, read 4,935,442 times
Reputation: 631
Ditto what Rainrock said, except I might prefer to live in either Garnet Valley or West Chester because there is a little more to do, more shopping, restaurants, etc. And Garnet Valley is closer to Philly too which is good IMHO. My mom lives in a nice neighborhood in Garnet Valley. I like the whole area very much!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-09-2008, 06:55 AM
 
Location: Villanova Pa.
4,927 posts, read 14,208,000 times
Reputation: 2715
Quote:
Originally Posted by sbhubbell View Post
Ditto what Rainrock said, except I might prefer to live in either Garnet Valley or West Chester because there is a little more to do, more shopping, restaurants, etc. And Garnet Valley is closer to Philly too which is good IMHO. My mom lives in a nice neighborhood in Garnet Valley. I like the whole area very much!
Keep in mind if anyone is looking for information on Garnet Valley.It encompasses the towns of Concord Township,Bethel Township,Chester Heights,and Concordville.

I agree about the location. Garnet Valley/Chadds Ford to me is kind of the edge of the boundary for the region. Its where suburbia meets country. A mile or two to the west of RT 202 and its a different world,a different feel. It becomes rural but there are areas of growth out there like West Grove,Oxford where your money can buy an awful lot of house. Its just going to be a matter of personal preference. The closer you are to 202 the more modern the area.

Philaldephia Magazine ranked the best school districts in the area. Out of 105 school districts in the area here are how the applicable shool districts fared.

http://www.phillymag.com/files/images/Full_ranking.pdf

4. Unionville-Chadds Ford
18.Garnet Valley
19.Downingtown
23.West Chester
34.Kennett
36.Avon Grove
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-09-2008, 07:03 AM
 
1,983 posts, read 7,515,341 times
Reputation: 418
You're definitely getting a lot of house for your money in Chadds Ford as well.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-09-2008, 07:18 AM
 
Location: Villanova Pa.
4,927 posts, read 14,208,000 times
Reputation: 2715
You would get much more house for your money in Moorestown than Chadds Ford.You are fortunate to live in area with a lower col although I dont think thats your mindset.

Median home value Chadds Ford
$536k
157 cost of living index

Moorestown NJ
$404k
136 cost of living index

Chadds Ford Neighborhood Profile on Yahoo! Real Estate - Demographics, Cost of Living & more!

Moorestown Neighborhood Profile on Yahoo! Real Estate - Demographics, Cost of Living & more!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-09-2008, 07:24 AM
 
1,623 posts, read 6,525,039 times
Reputation: 458
Chadds Ford homes are gorgeous, schools are great, people are nice. It's really a no brainer for you to move to that area.

Check out the Red Bridge Farms development and do a search in the Philadelphia forum for Chadds Ford as someone has listed other good or desirable developments in the area...

Garnet Valley has become a "keep up with the Joneses" type area, the kids are spoiled and bratty - its the worst of the Main Line attitude without any of the charming architecture...

And according to a state ranking of 498 school districts:
Chadds Ford 6
Garnet Valley 18
Avon Grove 81
Kennett 197
Oxford 216

I personally find these numbers much more meaningful as the additional data points allow you to see how the district fares relative to the whole versus a subset of its local peers, i.e., compared to awful school districts they can look good but compared to good school districts they can look awful.

Last edited by orrmobl; 09-09-2008 at 07:51 AM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-09-2008, 07:26 AM
 
1,983 posts, read 7,515,341 times
Reputation: 418
Quote:
Originally Posted by rainrock View Post
You would get much more house for your money in Moorestown than Chadds Ford.

Median home value Chadds Ford
$536k

Moorestown
$404k

Chadds Ford Neighborhood Profile on Yahoo! Real Estate - Demographics, Cost of Living & more!

Moorestown Neighborhood Profile on Yahoo! Real Estate - Demographics, Cost of Living & more!
LOL, good luck buying a house in Moorestown for $404K.

5 bedroom house, 2,800 square feet, 15 years old in CF, $425K

Single Family Home - 8 Balmoral Dr, Chadds Ford, PA, 19317 - Realtor.com (http://www.realtor.com/search/listingdetail.aspx?ctid=56569&typ=1&sid=0be018315c 2e4ab4ace98699ce01a2b7&pg=4&lid=1100303058&lsn=39& srcnt=132#Detail - broken link)

3 bedroom, 2.5 bath condo in Moorestown, 20 years old, $690K

Prudential Fox and Roach - Home Search / Property Profile (http://www.prufoxroach.com/search/search_results_profile.cfm?propID=260ff8fd-c643-43e1-94eb-59a4640628ac&propNo=18&sortby=1&pagestart=1&startr ow=1&displaycount=20 - broken link)

1,900 square foot house, 39 years old, $535K

Prudential Fox and Roach - Home Search / Property Profile (http://www.prufoxroach.com/search/search_results_profile.cfm?propID=3756eef9-a703-4c1d-80e0-79b1a45a22af&propNo=51&sortby=1&pagestart=1&startr ow=41&displaycount=20 - broken link)
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-09-2008, 07:42 AM
 
Location: Villanova Pa.
4,927 posts, read 14,208,000 times
Reputation: 2715
Quote:
Originally Posted by orrmobl View Post
Chadds Ford homes are gorgeous, schools are great, people are nice. It's really a no brainer for you to move to that area.

Check out the Red Bridge Farms development and do a search in the Philadelphia forum for Chadds Ford as someone has listed other good or desirable developments in the area...

Garnet Valley has become a "keep up with the Joneses" type area, the kids are spoiled and bratty - its the worst of the Main Line attitude without any of the charming architecture...
I dont see much difference at all between Chadds Ford and Garnet Valley especially concerning the newer communities. Garnet Valley is simply an extension of Chadds Ford imo. I dont understand how the people living in the newer developments of Garnet Valley are "keeping up with the Joneses" yet the people moving a mile away in identical devolopments in Chadds Ford "aren't keeping up with the Joneses."
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-09-2008, 09:02 AM
 
1,623 posts, read 6,525,039 times
Reputation: 458
Again I'm going by anecdotal evidence of Garnet Valley students and my own perception of who moves to Chadds Ford vs Garnet Valley.

It's older established homes vs brand spankin' new McMansions.

It's people who appreciate nature and are willing to drive a bit for other amenities vs people who don't mind plowing under farms and forests to build a great new mall...
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram

Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Pennsylvania > Philadelphia

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 06:05 PM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top