Moving to Villanova area
 

Our family is hoping to move to the Villanova area sometime this summer. A quick look at Realtor.com shows rental prices for homes to be quite high. I know this area is considered part of the "Mainline" which is fairly exclusive.

We would like to be reasonably close to the university, but are looking for areas that might be more economical. Some criteria:

A nice town feel with a "downtown" or "center of town"
good school district...have a girl who will be a HS sophomore
single family home with monthly rental under $2K OR a nice townhome
within a 15-20 minute drive to Villanova

Thanks for your input!

Don't have a good suggestion, I'm further west, but do know that traffic anywhere along Rt. 30 can be REALLY congested during commute times, and Saturdays, too, so not sure the 15-20 minute commute is viable.

~Liz

To open up your options a bit, would you consider the commuter rail lines to Villanova? There are three different trains that stop right on campus, providing easy accessibility (and avoiding that Route 30 traffic!)

The Main Line is actually called that due to the Pennsylvania Railroad's old main line; these communities grew due to the advent of commuter rail, so trains are usually a good option. :)

Hi Amy! I would absolutely consider being on a rail line, but would still want a commute of 30 minutes or less. Where would you recommend we look? Would prefer something more "country" as opposed to suburban sprawl.

I'll leave specifics up to those who are more familiar with the Main Line now, as my experiences there are quite in the past. But you might want to look at Bryn Mawr or St. Davids; I'm guessing there's a lot more suburban sprawl now than there used to be when I waded in the creek in Bryn Mawr and visited the aunties in St. Davids, but they are still nice areas. The Radnor HS is considered one of the best; St. D is in Radnor, and parts of Bryn Mawr are as well.

King of Prussia would meet your criteria. Good school district, reasonable housing, lowest property taxes in the area, lots of shopping and about a 15 minute ride to Villanova.

KOP is the essence of suburban sprawl...it has no "downtown" unless you count the mall.

I suspect anything "country" near Villanova is going to be even more expensive, because there isn't much.

I do think you will be able to find something suitable, but probably your best bet is to contact a realtor familiar with the area, and when they find something,try out the commute at the time you will be commuting.

Good luck with your search!

lorijv:

I would stay away from KOP unless you have a severe shopping addiction. The traffic in that area is awful during the weekend and rush hour.

Most towns along SEPTA's R5 line are similarly priced. The closer you get to Philadelphia, the more "suburban" it gets. Try looking in the Malvern and Paoli area. If you don't mind more of a suburban neighborhood, you can find relatively cheaper stays in Ardmore, Wynnewood and Narberth. All three have train stations on the R5.

lorijv:

I would stay away from KOP unless you have a severe shopping addiction. The traffic in that area is awful during the weekend and rush hour.

Most towns along SEPTA's R5 line are similarly priced. The closer you get to Philadelphia, the more "suburban" it gets. Try looking in the Malvern and Paoli area. If you don't mind more of a suburban neighborhood, you can find relatively cheaper stays in Ardmore, Wynnewood and Narberth. All three have train staations on the R5.

Sorry for the double post