Nice place to live, expensive, commuting is tough
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1/17/2019
This is a nice place to live. I have been here for over 20 years and there is a touch of sprawl, but the town council sort of keeps it in check. There are "greenspace" laws that builders have to abide by, but a realtor friend pointed out that the little patch of grass between the sidewalk and lawn by the street all counts. So, some streets are really narrow to make up room. Cookie cutter houses are abundant here. There is very little crime. The local highway has needed to be expanded for years (422), and the mass transit system is pretty much non-existent. You have to drive to a train station 20-30 minutes to make a decent connection to Philly via train. Those old train stations are nested in old established neighborhoods and parking spaces are literally a lottery waiting list. Some are looking to upgrade the parking situation. If you are from out of state, you need to know Pennsylvania is extremely slow in making changes. It takes forever for things to happen here.
The taxes are high here, but the quality of life is pretty good. Cold winters, snow and ice happen frequently. Summers can be humid and hot.
One thing we do not have is a big variety of things to do. There are restaurants (mostly predictable Applebees, Chilis, etc in the area) some are one off owner operated type establishments. The highway into Philly is 2 lane the whole way. I76 is not a fun commute if that is your area you work in. Simply put you need to spend some time behind the wheel here if you want a suburban experience.
There are a couple of hospitals nearby. I can't think of what else to add, but would answer any queries for someone contemplating a move into this area as I have seen it go from semi-rural to suburban in 2 decades.
Joe | Royersford, PA