in which city would you rather reside?

[Keystone Phil]

Effectively urban part of Montgomery County, PA. There might be some such area in lower MontCo.

You'd prefer Norristown. I'd suggest Jenkintown but that has more of a suburban feel.

[CatoMinor]

Houston is not an Option so I'll go with Fort Worth.

[traininthedistance]

Effectively urban part of Montgomery County, PA. There might be some such area in lower MontCo.

You'd prefer Norristown. I'd suggest Jenkintown but that has more of a suburban feel.

Conshohocken is probably a better option than Norristown- it's smaller, but it's also closer to Philly proper and I think there's supposed to be more going on vis-a-vis nightlife and such.  Norristown is not in great shape (though I do expect it to get better in the upcoming years).

I think if I were to live anywhere in Montco I'd go with Narberth.  It's the sort of suburb that even I can get behind.  Or... actually I'd just go back to where I was in Ardmore.  Having a 100 yard walk to the nearest grocery store (and having said store be Trader Joe's) really is the sort of convenience that's hard to pass up.

[memphis]

I have an aunt and uncle in Bucks County, which, from what I can tell is very white bread suburbia. Is Montgomery County pretty similar or is one considered better than the other? 

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

I have an aunt and uncle in Bucks County, which, from what I can tell is very white bread suburbia. Is Montgomery County pretty similar or is one considered better than the other? 

MontCo is much better.......at least in my view.

[traininthedistance]

I have an aunt and uncle in Bucks County, which, from what I can tell is very white bread suburbia. Is Montgomery County pretty similar or is one considered better than the other? 

Montco is much much much better.  At least the parts close-in to Philly are.  There's a greater preponderance of older towns with more character and better transit access- places like Cheltenham, Jenkintown, Ambler, Lower Merion/Narberth, Conshohocken, Norristown, etc.  Even the sprawlscape edge city that is King of Prussia (Upper Merion) is at least more of a destination than anything you'll find in Bucks, and hey it's close to Valley Forge.

Whereas Bucks has Levittown.  No, seriously, the actual Levittown.  Biiiig difference there.

Once you get past Lansdale into northwest Montgomery... the advantages dissipate.  Upper Bucks and upper Montgomery are both quite exurban and McMansiony, and if anything upper Bucks might actually be a tiny bit nicer.  But I'm not about to spend much time in either.

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Is there even a comparison between Bucks and Montgomery?  MontCo makes Bucks look like Oklahoma. 

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

I have an aunt and uncle in Bucks County, which, from what I can tell is very white bread suburbia. Is Montgomery County pretty similar or is one considered better than the other? 

Montco is much much much better.  At least the parts close-in to Philly are.  There's a greater preponderance of older towns with more character and better transit access- places like Cheltenham, Jenkintown, Ambler, Lower Merion/Narberth, Conshohocken, Norristown, etc.  Even the sprawlscape edge city that is King of Prussia (Upper Merion) is at least more of a destination than anything you'll find in Bucks, and hey it's close to Valley Forge.

Whereas Bucks has Levittown.  No, seriously, the actual Levittown.  Biiiig difference there.

Once you get past Lansdale into northwest Montgomery... the advantages dissipate.  Upper Bucks and upper Montgomery are both quite exurban and McMansiony, and if anything upper Bucks might actually be a tiny bit nicer.  But I'm not about to spend much time in either.

No one really lives up there, though.  It'd be like judging an entire neighborhood based on one kooky neighbor who lives up on the hill.  Nobody who lives in the great parts of MontCo goes there. 

[Paul Kemp]

Whereas Bucks has Levittown.  No, seriously, the actual Levittown.  Biiiig difference there.

The "actual" Levittown isn't on Long Island? That one was built first, I believe.

[traininthedistance]

Whereas Bucks has Levittown.  No, seriously, the actual Levittown.  Biiiig difference there.

The "actual" Levittown isn't on Long Island? That one was built first, I believe.

True, there are two actual Levittowns and it appears the Long Island one was built first.

The story behind the third Levittown- Willingboro, New Jersey- is really pretty horrible in so many ways.  I mean, the racism lurking behind all the Levittowns is pretty well known, but how it played out in Willingboro is especially galling:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willingboro_Township,_New_Jersey

[free my dawg]

I have some family in Montco, plus it's a great place otherwise.

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Whereas Bucks has Levittown.  No, seriously, the actual Levittown.  Biiiig difference there.

The "actual" Levittown isn't on Long Island? That one was built first, I believe.

True, there are two actual Levittowns and it appears the Long Island one was built first.

The story behind the third Levittown- Willingboro, New Jersey- is really pretty horrible in so many ways.  I mean, the racism lurking behind all the Levittowns is pretty well known, but how it played out in Willingboro is especially galling:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willingboro_Township,_New_Jersey

I currently live in the town next to Willingboro.  It's fine now.  There were all kinds of problems, yes, in the 1960s.  As soon as integration was forced by the James case, the town flourished.  It's a nice example of how successful and peaceful an American community can be once you get all of the racists out of there and sell the properties to good hard working people.  Today it's 75% African-American and doing swell.  A great place to point to when your average NJ racist likes to bring up places like Camden and Newark and claim that minorities, rather than economic decay, ruined them.  

[traininthedistance]

Whereas Bucks has Levittown.  No, seriously, the actual Levittown.  Biiiig difference there.

The "actual" Levittown isn't on Long Island? That one was built first, I believe.

True, there are two actual Levittowns and it appears the Long Island one was built first.

The story behind the third Levittown- Willingboro, New Jersey- is really pretty horrible in so many ways.  I mean, the racism lurking behind all the Levittowns is pretty well known, but how it played out in Willingboro is especially galling:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willingboro_Township,_New_Jersey

I currently live in the town next to Willingboro.  It's fine now.  There were all kinds of problems, yes, in the 1960s.  As soon as integration was forced by the James case, the town flourished.  It's a nice example of how successful and peaceful an American community can be once you get all of the racists out of there and sell the properties to good hard working people.  Today it's 75% African-American and doing swell.  A great place to point to when your average NJ racist likes to bring up places like Camden and Newark and claim that minorities, rather than economic decay, ruined them.  

I dunno, I think it's still a pretty galling historical example of "white flight"- especially naked because the racists leaving were so obviously leaving only because blacks were moving in, not because of the usual excuses of "better schools" or "we want spacious yards" or whatever flimsy cover they'd usually come up with.

And, anyway, I'd rather point to places like South Orange and Maplewood- which are actually integrated, and fairly wealthy to boot.

I thought the bit about Levitt refusing to donate any more schools once they went back to the original name of Willingboro was a nice touch of vindictive a**holery as well.

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Whereas Bucks has Levittown.  No, seriously, the actual Levittown.  Biiiig difference there.

The "actual" Levittown isn't on Long Island? That one was built first, I believe.

True, there are two actual Levittowns and it appears the Long Island one was built first.

The story behind the third Levittown- Willingboro, New Jersey- is really pretty horrible in so many ways.  I mean, the racism lurking behind all the Levittowns is pretty well known, but how it played out in Willingboro is especially galling:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willingboro_Township,_New_Jersey

I currently live in the town next to Willingboro.  It's fine now.  There were all kinds of problems, yes, in the 1960s.  As soon as integration was forced by the James case, the town flourished.  It's a nice example of how successful and peaceful an American community can be once you get all of the racists out of there and sell the properties to good hard working people.  Today it's 75% African-American and doing swell.  A great place to point to when your average NJ racist likes to bring up places like Camden and Newark and claim that minorities, rather than economic decay, ruined them.  

I dunno, I think it's still a pretty galling historical example of "white flight"- especially naked because the racists leaving were so obviously leaving only because blacks were moving in, not because of the usual excuses of "better schools" or "we want spacious yards" or whatever flimsy cover they'd usually come up with.

And, anyway, I'd rather point to places like South Orange and Maplewood- which are actually integrated, and fairly wealthy to boot.

I thought the bit about Levitt refusing to donate any more schools once they went back to the original name of Willingboro was a nice touch of vindictive a**holery as well.

It's just racist flight, white flight is a misnomer.  The more racists that get away from the cities and isolate themselves in Dullsville, USA, the better.  Yes, back in the day most whites were racist and they fled.  But those who weren't certainly stuck around; and the non-racist whites, which constitute the majority outside of the traditionalist Southern areas, don't flee to the 'burbs anymore. 

I guess you could say that "white flight", IMO, was a good thing.  I'm very glad that those cowards were scared away and the non-racists and minorities stood their ground and lived where they want to live. 

[Mechaman]

Of those listed, probably Montgomery County.  Not to be racist here, but it's demographics seem to suggest a pretty good bar/pub culture.  Also, the weather is probably preferable to the other cities on the list.  As well, it seems to be a county with plenty of medium sized townships, which I really like (I can't stand big ass cities with 500,000 people).

So yeah.

I pity anybody who would choose OKC out of these choices.  I lived there before, place is a dump outside of the Bricktown/Downtown area.

[Lambsbread]

Effectively urban part of Montgomery County, PA. There might be some such area in lower MontCo.

You'd prefer Norristown. I'd suggest Jenkintown but that has more of a suburban feel.

That's like 2 minutes away from me

[Keystone Phil]

Is there even a comparison between Bucks and Montgomery?  MontCo makes Bucks look like Oklahoma. 

In terms of lifestyle (in most places) and politically, yes. Bucks is funny though. I have family in the Lehigh Valley and we have to cut through Western Upper Bucks to get to their house. It is pretty rural. Again, you'd think you were in central parts of the state. Eastern Upper Bucks though has more affluent areas, not to mention the vast culturally different spots like New Hope.

And I agree that Conshy would probably be better for BRTD even though he'd like that Norristown has much more of an edge. I could see him really enjoying saying "Conshy," too.

Effectively urban part of Montgomery County, PA. There might be some such area in lower MontCo.

You'd prefer Norristown. I'd suggest Jenkintown but that has more of a suburban feel.

That's like 2 minutes away from me

Yes, I know.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

I realize I love how our most prominent Philadelphian is a right-wing Republican and our most prominent Lancastrian is a socialist.

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Is there even a comparison between Bucks and Montgomery?  MontCo makes Bucks look like Oklahoma.  

In terms of lifestyle (in most places) and politically, yes. Bucks is funny though. I have family in the Lehigh Valley and we have to cut through Western Upper Bucks to get to their house. It is pretty rural. Again, you'd think you were in central parts of the state. Eastern Upper Bucks though has more affluent areas, not to mention the vast culturally different spots like New Hope.

And I agree that Conshy would probably be better for BRTD even though he'd like that Norristown has much more of an edge. I could see him really enjoying saying "Conshy," too.

Ooooooo I totally forgot about New Hope.  New Hope is beautiful.  I've been there a bunch of times for the Bucks County Playhouse's production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show around Halloween.  It's really wonderful in the fall.  













These are just the type of PA towns that I love.  Bethlehem is another one like this. 

[Torie]

SLC going away. By the way, talking about erroneous stereotypes, I decided to do a "non partisan" map of Utah, and guess what? Out popped a 55% Obama CD circa 2008 centered on SLC.

[anvi]

I've lived in Montgomery County, PA.  It's nice. 

I have too--in Glenside for several years.

[Keystone Phil]

I've lived in Montgomery County, PA.  It's nice. 

I have too--in Glenside for several years.

You and another poster in this thread!

[Boris]

I've never been to the Philly metro other than the airport, but I've had a fascination with Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, Delaware, and Berks counties since joining this forum. To the point where when I meet people from the Philly metro, I try to guess what county they're from.

[MyRescueKittehRocks]

KC in a heartbeat. I've been there several times and its just a couple hours from my younger brother and his family. Bonus points if you can figure out the other reason (the reason I visit the city )

Phoenix would be next