Relocating to philly, looking for a good suburb outside of city for families (Philadelphia: city hall, houses)

[BR Valentine]

Originally Posted by maddieb226

Thanks a bunch for the reply. Our kids currently go to private school, so that is a definite option for us. We do however like to be in a more suburban/country type setting. I have an aunt who lives in Reinholds pa and I really like the privacy, however it's just way to far from philly to commute. I'll definitely look into your suggestions, thanks again!

Someone already suggested Jenkintown which you should consider. Other school districts that will have some houses in your price range in that general vicinity to look at include, Abington, Springfield Township and Colonial (houses in Plymouth and Whitemarsh Townships are in the Colonial school district). All of those districts will give your husband access to a train with a 45 minute or less ride to Center City.

[maddieb226]

Thank you so much for the suggestion. We decided to up our budget after being approved for a VA home mortgage for $475,000. I think will help our search significantly. We would like to stay on the PA side because my husband is a gun collector . We were looking at homes in Birdsboro, Downington, Mohnton, not sure how realistic that commute would be but we like the more county private feel it has in those areas. Are there any towns a little closer to Philly that might offer the same feel, land, and bang for your buck as those places?

[BR Valentine]

Originally Posted by maddieb226

Thank you so much for the suggestion. We decided to up our budget after being approved for a VA home mortgage for $475,000. I think will help our search significantly. We would like to stay on the PA side because my husband is a gun collector . We were looking at homes in Birdsboro, Downington, Mohnton, not sure how realistic that commute would be but we like the more county private feel it has in those areas. Are there any towns a little closer to Philly that might offer the same feel, land, and bang for your buck as those places?

It would take more than two hours to get into the city at rush hour from Mohnton and roughly two from Birdsboro. Unless your husband enjoys having a brutal super commute you’re looking way too far outside of the city. Since you you live in Mobile perhaps you’ve been to Atlanta. If you’ve been there at rush hour then you will know what to expect in Philadelphia. Living in Mohnton would be like living in LaGrange and commuting to Atlanta every day.

If you want a country feel your best bet is to look for somewhere within reasonable driving distanced the Downingtown or Thorndale rail stations or within reasonable distance of the stations on the northern end of the Doylestown Line starting at the Link Belt station. The commute will still be very long but at least it doesn’t require driving well over an hour through soul crushing traffic. Also bear in mind that a monthly rail pass from those areas are $204/month.

[maddieb226]

I really appreciate your feedback on this one. I didn't realize it was such a long commute. Google maps says its about an hour but I did not know traffic was that bad. This is really helpful for our search. Thank you!

[Maddie104]

Originally Posted by maddieb226

I really appreciate your feedback on this one. I didn't realize it was such a long commute. Google maps says its about an hour but I did not know traffic was that bad. This is really helpful for our search. Thank you!

Some people commute from Delaware to center city. Just throwing that out, don't know how feasible for your needs.

[Gerania]

Originally Posted by maddieb226

Thank you so much for the suggestion. We decided to up our budget after being approved for a VA home mortgage for $475,000. I think will help our search significantly. We would like to stay on the PA side because my husband is a gun collector . We were looking at homes in Birdsboro, Downington, Mohnton, not sure how realistic that commute would be but we like the more county private feel it has in those areas. Are there any towns a little closer to Philly that might offer the same feel, land, and bang for your buck as those places?

Since your husband likes guns, you should definitely choose PA. When my husband retired from the military in the 1990s, he took a job in New Jersey.

[maddieb226]

HA! yes, that's the major reason he wants to stay in PA. He's a good ole' country boy at heart. Me being from NY I could care less but it's important to him so I support that. I'm getting good feedback on here and I certainly appreciate it. So far, we have found some nice houses in Morgantown, Downington, Landenberg, Denver, and Oxford. I know that might be a far commute, but these areas have more of what we are looking for. He is willing to drive to public transportation and commute to Philly up to an hour if necessary. I hope we are on the right track.

[KansastoSouthphilly]

Originally Posted by maddieb226

HA! yes, that's the major reason he wants to stay in PA. He's a good ole' country boy at heart. Me being from NY I could care less but it's important to him so I support that. I'm getting good feedback on here and I certainly appreciate it. So far, we have found some nice houses in Morgantown, Downington, Landenberg, Denver, and Oxford. I know that might be a far commute, but these areas have more of what we are looking for. He is willing to drive to public transportation and commute to Philly up to an hour if necessary. I hope we are on the right track.

For your own (or your husbands) sake please make sure you do your research on commute times. You will easily be looking at 90+minute commutes each way from these towns door to door. Looking at traffic right now on google maps is inaccurate as traffic is significantly lower in the summer months. After labor day traffic will be back to its normal, horrific, levels. I just worry you are underestimating commute time. 46 miles takes a lot longer to travel in the Philadelphia area than it does in Alabama. For example I live in NW philly on the edge of the City. I sometimes drive to work in center city. My house is about 9 miles away. During the summer months I can drive to work in about 30-35 minutes. After labor day it will often take at least an hour. Each of the options would involve hour+ long train rides plus significant drives to train stations. That may be something you are willing to accept to live in a more rural area but just be aware.

[mslhu]

We live close to Chadds Ford (southeast of Downingtown) and my wife occasionally drives into the city for work and it is not an easy commute at all during rush hour. But if you truly want the country life within your budget, that's a sacrifice he'll have to make.

[maddieb226]

Thank you so much for the input, I am definitely trying to make the right decision. Commute is a big factor, he is wanting to use the train system so I'm not sure how much that will help commute time.