What is the difference between various towns on Main Line? (Philadelphia: house, neighborhood) - Pennsylvania (PA) - City-Data Forum

MikePotemkin · 03-10-2010, 10:41 PM

We are relocating from the Boston area (Newton).

Two kids, one job in West Chester, PA. The other job is still in works, so its location is unknown. We are two professionals who want to find a nice house in a pleasant neighborhood with a somewhat urban feeling. Excellent schools and culturally diverse population - is what we are looking for.

We have been looking for a house in the Philadelphia suburbs for quite some time now. The problem is - we still don't see how one Main Line town is different from another. Are we missing something? Who lives in Radnor vs. Wayne, for example? It seems like Route 30 is a very busy road, and it's not easy to commute along this route. Are there any Russians who do not live North of Philadelphia?

All towns around Main Line claim to be in the best school district TE or Radnor. We looked at Media homes but there seems to be too much diversity in Media. Wallingford has ridiculous taxation on newer homes. Oh yes, almost forgotten - we promised that kids will have a house with a pool when they move to PA. They are moving South after living in the rigid Boston temps for over 10 years :-)

How to make the most out of 600-750K an satisfy all the requirements? Where to look? What agents are recommended?

Your thoughts and opinions are very much appreciated!

Avalon08 · 03-11-2010, 12:54 AM

Hi Mike, welcome to the Philly area. I'm no expert and I'm sure others will chime in, but all of the Main Line towns are nice. I know there is a larger Jewish presence in Lower Merion. I didn't quite get your question about Russians -- I know there's a large Russian population in Northeast Philly, which isn't anywhere near the Main Line, but perhaps there are Russian Jews in the Lower Merion area....again, I'm sure someone here will know.

As for Media, first off, it's not on the Main Line, and second, I got the impression it was more of a blue-collar town, which is why I didn't look there. I don't know anything about Wallingford, but that's not Main Line either. Yes, Rt. 30 is busy, but the Main Line towns are close to many major highways such as 202, 76 and 476.

I'm in Berwyn, which I absolutely love for its accessibility, character and charm. I don't think a decent single home here can be had for less than 700K. And are the temps in Philly that much warmer than Boston? :-) Some homes do have in-ground pools, for sure, but by no means are pools the norm here.

Good luck with your search and relocation.

Duderino · 03-11-2010, 08:51 AM

Welcome to the area!

I visit the Boston area relatively frequently, so I have somewhat of an idea for what may be comparable to Newton -- if that's what you're looking for. You'd definitely want to stay toward the Eastern Main Line -- townships like Radnor and Lower Merion and Narberth Borough would be your best bet.

Based on city-data statistics, Russian is the second most common reported ancestry in Lower Merion at 11.5% -- not too shabby:

//www.city-data.com/township/Lo...gomery-PA.html

As for swimming pools, it is a bit warmer here than New England, but you're definitely not moving to Miami. A pool may come in handy here only nominally more than in the Boston area.

Like you noted, it is a bit difficult to tell the difference sometimes between each municipality -- they all tend to run together. Yet if you become more familiar with them you'd begin to see how each is distinct.

As Avalon08 noted, Media and Wallingford are not considered the Main Line and are more directly west of the city, whereas Main Line runs northwest. Although none of these areas are extremely close to West Chester, you'd find relatively direct access via Rt. 252 or Rt. 1 to Rt. 3.

Good Luck!

orrmobl · 03-11-2010, 08:58 AM

In this market you can get a decent single in Tredyffrin/Eassttown school district for $600K and up. A pool is a liability around here so you can actually use it to negotiate off the selling price, although I would just join the local YMCA or swim club and be done with it - too much maintenance and liability, not enough warm weather to make it worth it IMO.

As for Russians...Philly Russians have a bad reputation as being shady if you will...my wife grew up in NE Philly and there is definitely a looking down upon the Russians...they get all the negative comments etc among Jews in Philly. So I wouldn't exactly crow about finding Russian neighbors here.

If you want the BEST schools, go to Tredyffrien/Easttown SD - the high school is the undisputed best around here. If you want more Jewish people, go Lower Merion SD. If you want the snobbiest/nouveau riche, 16 year olds driving BMWs, go Radnor although the schools there seem to have the most issues with both entitlement and student burnout...

Cold Up North · 03-11-2010, 12:06 PM

We are also looking to relocate and are up in the air...mainline TE school district vs. council rock? Which is better? We live in a "great" school system in the Boston area but my girls class sizes have gotten so large that we had to put them in private school! IMO 30 to 34 kids per class is too large (elementary) no matter how great the school is supposed to be. We don't want to have the same problem when we move to the Philly area. Any suggestions!

FindingZen · 03-11-2010, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cold Up North

We are also looking to relocate and are up in the air...mainline TE school district vs. council rock? Which is better? We live in a "great" school system in the Boston area but my girls class sizes have gotten so large that we had to put them in private school! IMO 30 to 34 kids per class is too large (elementary) no matter how great the school is supposed to be. We don't want to have the same problem when we move to the Philly area. Any suggestions!

Where you be working? Note that there's a substantial distance between those two school districts. That may be important when also considering the daily commute.

orrmobl · 03-11-2010, 01:13 PM

I check the rankings fairly often and look at the statistics. T/E has been ranked #1 in this area for years now by a statewide ranking but Philadelphia magazine may have the rankings slightly different.

Conestoga High School was nationally ranked in the top 100 in the country until recently so unless you want to move to the city to try for Masterman HS (still nationally ranked in top 100) or go private, go T/E, Central Bucks, Unionville-Chadds Ford, Radnor, Lower Moreland, Upper Dublin, Great Valley, Lower Merion, New Hope, Wallingford-Swarthmore, Garnet Valley, Council Rock, Rose Tree Media, Methacton, Downingtonwn, West Chester roughly this order.

We chose T/E just for the schools and you definitely pay more for your home but the education is worth it; the area is great, people are nice and having a highly ranked district makes selling in the future easier and at a better appreciation rate than other districts...

silverspringer · 03-11-2010, 06:08 PM

They aren't that different. Neither is all that culturally diverse, and it will be difficult to find a neighborhood with a "somewhat urban feeling" unless you just mean sidewalks. Since a house with a pool with be a challenge to find, I would narrow it down by that first, staying within a reasonable commute of West Chester.

Also, check out the Upper Main Line Y. It's got to be the nicest Y on the planet, and if you could convince your kids that it would be a decent substitute for their own pool, it would widen your options.

selhars · 03-11-2010, 08:25 PM

That's to general a question for me. I'm from Philly, but I have to admit I'll let others take a crack at this one. You could write a book on this answer.

When even a place like Narbeth has a 'this side' of Narbeth, and 'that side' of Narbeth thing going on I'm not even going to START with getting into differences between Wayne and Ardmore, or Villanova and Radnor, or Merion or Bryn Mawr, St. David's or Haverford, Devon or Paoli (some haven't debated whether it is even considered the 'Main Line.')

MikePotemkin · 03-12-2010, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Avalon08

I'm in Berwyn, which I absolutely love for its accessibility, character and charm. I don't think a decent single home here can be had for less than 700K. And are the temps in Philly that much warmer than Boston? :-) Some homes do have in-ground pools, for sure, but by no means are pools the norm here.

Thanks! We are looking at Berwyn as well, and increased the price range quite a bit.

Yes, it is my understanding that Philly is much warmer. In Boston there maybe 0 humid days all summer, and one needs a jacket in the morning/evening until July on most years.