If, as the saying goes, everyone has a story, then so does every town.
From Bucks County’s riverside bungalows on the banks of the Delaware to the ivy-coated manses of the Main Line to the hillside farmsteads dotting Chester County’s westernmost edge, each point on a map of the Philadelphia suburbs has its own distinct personality, its own unique gifts for those who live within its welcoming borders.
With this in mind, our Top Towns report once again shines a spotlight on the region’s top townships, boroughs and villages. This year we worked with Eric Malm Ph.D., assistant professor of economics and business administration at Cabrini College in Radnor, to highlight some truly notable places to live, work and play.
Using a statistical method to review data compiled and researched over the course of several weeks, Dr. Malm assigned weights to each criterion to make side-by-side comparisons of individual towns in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties. This data included median household values, average property taxes paid, median household incomes, high school performance (SAT scores and the percentage of college-bound seniors) and crime risk. The result: an index of “best valued” communities based on affordable homes, low taxes relative to incomes and access to good schools. We also factored in the proximity to first-rate health care and other quality-of-life perks such as recreation, shopping and entertainment destinations.
These results, though unbiased, should be used purely as a guide. We recognize our approach is merely one way to “cut the data” and that the only way to truly get a flavor for a town is to actually live there (or at least visit often)—shopping on its Main Streets, dining in its restaurants, gaining an education in its schools and, of course, getting to know one’s neighbors. Read on to see where your hometown ranks as we visit some of the brightest gems, residentially speaking, in suburban Philadelphia.
OVERALL RANKINGS
Chesterbrook
Abington
Montgomeryville
East Norriton
King of Prussia
Glenside
Penn Wynne
Oreland
Audubon
Harleysville
Parkesburg
Flourtown
Horsham
Churchville
Sellersville
Maple Glen
Fort Washington
Trappe
Skippack
Trooper
Wyncote
Royersford
Ardmore
Exton
Richboro
BUCKS COUNTY
Churchville
Centrally located to just about anything one might need to enjoy a high quality of life, Churchville remains an exceptionally quiet and unspoiled place to call home. Among the most tranquil places here is the Churchville Nature Center, which has miles of walking trails and a wildflower garden. The 103-acre Northampton Township Municipal Park on Churchville’s borders boasts a number of athletic fields, picnic pavilions, playgrounds and inline skating rink. Growing up in Churchville practically ensures students of a good education, considering Council Rock High School’s famously competitive academic and athletic programs. More than 92 percent of “Rock” seniors head off to the college of their choice after graduation.
Average Residential Value: $327,289
Average Property Taxes Paid: $4,025
Commute to Center City: 44 minutes
Home Town: Churchville’s most famous son may very well be Jay Wright, head coach of Villanova University’s men’s basketball team.
Linked In: Two prominent golf courses—Northampton Valley Country Club and Spring Mill Country Club—are within “driving distance” of a Churchvillian’s backyard.
Good Neighbors: Although Churchville may be light on options for so-called retail therapy, neighboring Newtown, Richboro and Southampton offer an array of well-reviewed restaurants—namely, Palate, Patagonia and Blue Sage Vegetarian Grille, among others—and numerous high-end shops and spas.
Top 10 Bucks County Towns
Churchville
Sellersville
Richboro
Warrington
Dublin
Washington Crossing
Chalfont
New Britain
Southampton
Upper Makefield
CHESTER COUNTY
Chesterbrook
Straddling the line dividing Montgomery and Chester counties, communal Chesterbrook blends rich history with small-town charm and all the conveniences of suburban living. Wilson Farm Park, down the road from Chesterbrook’s quaint shopping district, is a gathering spot for athletics, summertime concerts and other community events. In addition to ball fields and courts for soccer, baseball, volleyball, lacrosse, etc., the park has miles of walking trails, playgrounds, a duck pond and open grassy areas that bloom with wildflowers when the weather turns its cheek away from winter. Students from Tredyffrin-Easttown School District produce some of the best SAT scores in the land, with nearly 100 percent of graduating seniors moving on to higher ed.
Average Residential Value: $244,472
Average Property Taxes Paid: $2,982
Commute to Center City: 36 minutes
Location, Location: Chesterbrook is due south of Valley Forge National Park, which offers nearly 30 miles of hiking, biking and horse-riding trails as part of the region’s trails system. It’s also cheerfully close to other prominent creature comforts, such as the newly opened Valley Forge Casino Resort and the primary-care center at Penn Medicine Valley Forge.
Historic Ties: Chesterbrook’s DuPortail House was used as quarters by General Louis Lebeque DuPortail, chief engineer of Washington’s Continental Army, during the encampment at Valley Forge in 1777 and 1778. The house’s original section was built in 1740. Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the property is used primarily as a venue for special events.
What’s Cooking: After a stroll through the park or a jaunt down one of Chesterbrook’s many walkable trails, head to Winberie’s, a longtime restaurant and bar routinely recognized as one of the top bistros along the Main Line.
Top 10 Chester County Towns
Chesterbrook
Parkesburg
Exton
Paoli
Avondale
Phoenixville
Devon-Berwyn
Downingtown
Malvern
West Goshen
DELAWARE COUNTY
Springfield
Springfield has an embarrassment of riches—for starters, fine public and private school systems, architecturally ornate churches of every denomination and Springfield Country Club, which boasts a public golf course, swimming pool and indoor ice skating rink. Retail and restaurants of every size, shape and hue abound along the main drags bisecting the township, though its truest colors shine through in the flowering, well-shaded neighborhoods, which are dotted with wonderfully distinctive Colonials and Cape Cods. It’s also a rather active town, with runners, bikers and dog walkers plying its quiet streets, not to mention an extensive park system brimming with walking trails, ball fields and other outlets for recreation.
Average Residential Value: $206,584
Average Property Taxes Paid: $3,408
Commute to Center City: 30 minutes
Shopping Plus: Springfield lays claim to many upscale shopping areas along Baltimore Pike, including posh Springfield Mall. Also, tucked away in its warren of neighborhoods is the town’s original shopping district—birch-lined Saxer Avenue—along with other remnants of Springfield’s heritage, including an historic schoolhouse.
Fine Dining: Head to Tavola’s at the country club after 18 holes with friends, or flock to the Springfield Inn for a robust menu swimming with seafood. In the mood for something a little more casual? Springfield is home to the only Jim’s Steaks—purveyor of arguably the best cheesesteak in the region—outside of Philadelphia, as well as another South Philly institution, Nick’s Old Original Roast Beef.
Fun Fact: Springfield is the fourth most common town name in the United States, behind only Greenville, Franklin and Clinton.
Top 10 Delaware County Towns
Springfield
Havertown
Folsom
Chadds Ford
Swarthmore/Wallingford
Drexel Hill
Broomall
Aston
Boothwyn
Radnor/Wayne
MONTGOMERY COUNTY
Abington
It’s easy to fall in love with Abington, which in 2010 earned a No. 29 ranking on Money Magazine’s list of the top 100 small U.S. cities in which to live. Abington, after all, seems to have it all: easy access to competitive secondary schools, affordable living with low crime and an array of quality-of-life amenities such as nearby shopping and dining mecca Willow Grove Park. Other “best of” institutions here include the Penn State Abington campus; Abington Memorial Hospital, which has garnered a reputation for being one of the region’s foremost medical centers; and the nearby Keswick Theatre, an historic entertainment venue that attracts A-list talent such as Dennis Miller and Willie Nelson.
Average Residential Value: $173,349
Average Property Taxes Paid: $2,166
Commute to Center City: 33 minutes
Dining Well: Belly up to the stylish bar and/or sit down to world cuisine at uber-hip Kitchen Bar, or try some of the area’s best Vietnamese food at nearby Pho and Beyond. Across from the hospital, there’s Timber, which serves up quality baby-back ribs, New York strips and other wood-fired specialties.
Fame Game: Numerous notables have been natives of Abington Township at some point in their lives—namely, actors Bradley Cooper and Matthew Fox, U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz and Hockey Hall of Famer Mike Richter.
We Are: Once known primarily as a feeder campus for State College, Penn State Abington has since developed graduate partnerships with local medical universities that enable students to earn select bachelor’s, master’s and/or doctoral degrees without having to leave the Philadelphia area.
Top 10 Montgomery County Towns
Abington
Montgomeryville
East Norriton
King of Prussia
Glenside
Penn Wynne
Oreland
Audubon
Harleysville
Flourtown
