redsquirrel Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Very, very tentative investigations going on. What would be a good search term for neighborhood scoping. I would be looking for a 'nice' neighborhood but I don't care about school quality,lol. I don't want to move to the "IN" neighborhood with the great schools. I don't need them (for obvious reasons). I want a suburb with low crime and a good deal on homes but not 'hot'. Does that make sense? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovetobehome Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Interested in responses as my hubby is now working in Wayne (next to King of Prussia and 3 hours from our home). He is commuting in and staying a few days during the week. At this point, we are not ready to move, it is soooo much more expensive to live there. But eager to hear other responses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justasque Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Just a caution that homes in a quality school district hold their value (or increase in value) better than homes in a lower-quality district, and are more likely to sell in a tight market. So even though *you* don't need the schools, just be aware that it will play into the value of your home somewhere down the line. Philly is a large area; your first step will be to decide on your general location. There are several homeschooling Yahoo groups covering the area; they are listed here: http://home.comcast.net/~askpauline/hs/homeschoolgroups.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deacongirl Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Collingswood NJ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jyniffrec Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Phoenixville, Exton, Downington, Souderton, Lansdale, King of Prussia. Wayne is extremely expensive, although beautiful. Exton has a great library, a mall and a train stop on the main line. There are also lots of good shops and a Walmart and Target. (Walmart is hard to find in that area, believe it or not.) The parks are great with lots of family activities in summer. Valley Forge is close to all of the cities I mentioned except Souderton and Lansdale. Phoenixville is up and coming, at least it was a couple of years ago. That is where we lived. Downingtown (next to Exton) is where the good schools are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nono Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Phoenixville, Exton, Downington, Souderton, Lansdale, King of Prussia. Wayne is extremely expensive, although beautiful. Exton has a great library, a mall and a train stop on the main line. There are also lots of good shops and a Walmart and Target. (Walmart is hard to find in that area, believe it or not.) The parks are great with lots of family activities in summer. Valley Forge is close to all of the cities I mentioned except Souderton and Lansdale. Phoenixville is up and coming, at least it was a couple of years ago. That is where we lived. Downingtown (next to Exton) is where the good schools are. See, it's such personal taste. For me, Exton would be about last on my list of places to recommend for someone who's considering a move to the Philadelphia area. In addition to what was mentioned, there's no "there" there, as in a town, and the traffic is a tangle. If you are planning a move to the Philadelphia area, I'd highly suggest spending time in different areas and really consider commute times as well as weekend "getting around" commute times. A lot of the suburbs are quite unique from one another. OH, and definitely investigate local taxes. NOT just property tax. There can be school taxes, income taxes, and some towns have a 1% local tax on income in addition to your property & school taxes. That 1% won't likely be taken out of your paycheck unless you work for a local company. It can be quite a shock to the unprepared! :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted March 5, 2011 Author Share Posted March 5, 2011 Thank you so much. This is just what I was looking for. I needed names of suburbs etc so I could start investigating. I really appreciate the information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 My MIL is a retired schoolteacher and she used to teach in Exton. It seems a nice enough area from the times I've been there with her. They live in Wilmington, about 5 minutes from the PA state line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solascriptura Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 Do you know where your husband would be working? West Chester, PA is considered to be a great place to live. I grew up there. I currently live in lower Bucks County PA and it is a very convenient place to live. There are a lot of HS resources around here too. I would check out West Chester Upper Dublin Langhorne Upper Merion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuckabella Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 Abington Rockledge Willow Grove Hatboro Horsham Those are all in Montgomery County. There are also nice places in Bucks County, just not sure about taxes and such. I agree about what another person mentioned about taxes. Ambler and Cheltenham are nice, but HOLY TAXES. Also, if you or your husband works in Philly, there is a wonderful (insert sarcasm) Work Tax of 4%. Depending on where you are coming from, Philly area might be a higher cost of living. NJ seems to definately have a higher cost of living (property taxes, auto insurance). I wouldn't fret about PA homeschool laws, they aren't that bad. PM me if you have any questions about what I mentioned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuckabella Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 Do you know where your husband would be working? West Chester, PA is considered to be a great place to live. I grew up there. I currently live in lower Bucks County PA and it is a very convenient place to live. There are a lot of HS resources around here too. I would check out West Chester Upper Dublin Langhorne Upper Merion When we were house hunting Upper Dublin had some pretty high taxes (I think it was mostly school tax). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjbeach Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 I like most of Bucky County... it's pricey (Yardley, Newtown, up through New HOpe and Buckingham). Accessible to I95 and the train into the city. I like parts of MOntgomery county (Blue Bell comes to mind) I love the Main Line (Bryn Mawr, Radnor, through Villanova) Merion County. Ardmore would be on the more reasonable side of the area. Across the bridge in South Jersey I'm partial to Haddonfield, Moorestown, Medford. I think Medford is a hidden gem! If we move back, that's where we're headed. Shamong used to be the middle of nowhere, now it has grown. What are you looking for? All of these areas are accessible to the city and about 2 hours from NYC. You can grab the train out of Trenton in NJ or 30th Street Station in Philly to NYC. Some areas are more lush than others. I'd probably be better at recommending areas not to consider (I was homecare nurse through the the TriState area of PA/NJ/DE but I was born and raised in PHilly). Someone mentioned West Chester and I have found many areas out there to really be growing. Lots of little gems out there as well... Chester Springs come to mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jyniffrec Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 I like most of Bucky County... it's pricey (Yardley, Newtown, up through New HOpe and Buckingham). Accessible to I95 and the train into the city. I like parts of MOntgomery county (Blue Bell comes to mind) I love the Main Line (Bryn Mawr, Radnor, through Villanova) Merion County. Ardmore would be on the more reasonable side of the area. Across the bridge in South Jersey I'm partial to Haddonfield, Moorestown, Medford. I think Medford is a hidden gem! If we move back, that's where we're headed. Shamong used to be the middle of nowhere, now it has grown. What are you looking for? All of these areas are accessible to the city and about 2 hours from NYC. You can grab the train out of Trenton in NJ or 30th Street Station in Philly to NYC. Some areas are more lush than others. I'd probably be better at recommending areas not to consider (I was homecare nurse through the the TriState area of PA/NJ/DE but I was born and raised in PHilly). Someone mentioned West Chester and I have found many areas out there to really be growing. Lots of little gems out there as well... Chester Springs come to mind. We lived in Chester Springs. It is indeed lush! That whole area is. The places I mentioned before are near there. I guess that is what I value when looking for a place to live. I heard 422 is being turned into a toll road so I wouldn't personally move up that way. Convenience for me is what is immediately accesible for our everyday lives. With that definition in mind, the Exton area is a very good choice. Traffic is awful no matter where you go around there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 If you can possibly manage it, I'd look in NJ to avoid the PA homeschool regulation treadmill. The commute to center city isn't bad although the toll isn't cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted March 8, 2011 Author Share Posted March 8, 2011 In all honesty, I am hoping to avoid ANY move. I really, really don't want away for no good reason. The more outrageous the house prices I can show to my dh the better. There is just no way we can afford to move down there on one income. Not while maintaining the same quality of life. I did some searches on the cities mentioned and said nothing. Now it is up to him to get his CV in order and do the rest of the work. I am hoping it dies a natural death. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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