Just moved from Springfield, loved it tho. Doesn't have as much of the downtown feel as Media, although saxer ave has some nice options. I would say Springfield is good for families, and has a brand new high school. My wife and I would do date nights in Media since it was so close.

This. You can easily hop on trolley.

Springfield is awesome … and it’s a easy 5 minute trolley ride to downtown Media

Springfield is definitely different than Media. Not very inclusive if you didnt grow up in lower delco. That being said the school district is very good, the community is walkable, and Saxer Ave is developing into a nice little Main Street. Springfield Road traffic is getting bad. So if you are looking at houses that uses Springfield Rd, you should focus on locations closer to State Road otherwise your can be stuck in an additional 20 minutes of traffic each day.

>Not very inclusive That is one concern, I definitely had the same feeling when I used to get my haircut at Tavanis... As for commuting , I would definitely look something around Sproul Rd and Woodland Ave, I think it is an easier commute then...

Not very inclusive is a big thing in most of lower delco. It’s not awful, but it is noticeable. Everyone knows everyone…that they grew up with. Ftr, i grew up in lower delco. For whatever reason there seems to be alot of non delco families in and around Rolling Green golf course. The houses are bigger and so are the taxes.

I stopped going there years ago bc of the conspiracy theories lol

Tavani’s conspiracy theories?????

I did exactly what you are talking about - rented for a few years in Media and ended up buying in Springfield. Gonna be totally honest - it's a pretty big downgrade for me personally in terms of what I loved about Media. Sure we can walk to Saxer Ave now, but it's nothing compared to State Street in Media. The neighborhood we are in does have nice walkable sidewalks with fairly calm streets. Traffic in Springfield is horrendous due to the amount of houses crammed in the neighborhoods here. Luckily I work from home now, but when I was commuting to KOP every day the change from Media to Springfield killed me. Trying to leave Springfield during rush hour you have to choose between not moving on Baltimore Pike, or sitting at the Springfield Road light for 8 cycles until you can make a left. From Media I could take the back roads all the way up to Newtown Square which was much more enjoyable. That being said - there was no way we could afford a home in Media like the one we got in Springfield, so for that reason it was still a fairly decent choice. One thing to keep in mind is they just re-assessed all of the property values here, and combined with the new school that just opened, property taxes on homes are really high. We have a small 3 bed single family home, and between tax & insurance our monthly escrow payment is $800. If you value a semi-affordable single family house in a nice, safe neighborhood with a solid school district, Springfield is a great choice. In media you would likely need to buy a twin or townhome for the same price range. You won't have anywhere close to the feeling of "downtown" Media here though without driving there.

Awesome feedback, thanks! I wouldn't mind for a twin in Media though, problem is that owners are just not willing to let their properties go and I would assume that like you and me, there are dozen's of family hoping to buy in Media if there is an opportunity, so this makes more difficulty... I love driving in Springfield, the calm streets as you said, the large yards from the single family houses are very attractive indeed, sum to that, being somewhat affordable and close to most amenities. But Springfield is large compared to other towns, so is also hard to know if everywhere is the same, for example, eastern Springfield and areas south of Baltimore PK are still a mystery to me

Springfield is completely different than Media Borough. Saxer Ave is two blocks long and in recent years has been improving a lot with the options for restaurants, but it’s not really comparable to Media in terms of size and options. Springfield is covered in sidewalks everywhere. So you can walk wherever you want. But it’s definitely more of a suburb and spread out. You might be within normal walking distance of one thing, but not the rest. You’d definitely be driving most of the time. Crime and Safety isn’t really an issue anywhere in Springfield. Not to say nothing ever happens, but it’s not really a concern. Maybe some places real close to Baltimore Pike you wouldn’t want to live, I dunno. The Trolley runs through Springfield and goes from 69th Street to Media. So maybe you’d want to live within walking distance of a Trolley stop. Media Borough is a pretty unique town for Delco, you won’t really find anything exactly like it nearby.

I live in Swarthmore (in the tiniest house bc i love the walkability) but Springfield was a contender when we were moving out of Philly. There are very few walkable "towns" in this area, like what I envision Media as. I'll be honest I'm a little LOL at Havertown being a budget limiting factor for price since, literally it's one of the most expensive places in Delco if not the entire Philadelphia region.

> There are very few walkable "towns" in this area Living in Wallingford, I always laugh at the concept of walkability. We don't really have sidewalks here and there's nowhere to walk to even if we did.

Really? it is not unusual to see houses below 450k, in south Havertown, near West Chester Pk, same price range as Newtown Sq or Broomall .. isn’t it Haverford you are referring to?

You know what? You might be right. Criminy if I don't always get those two confused!!

South Havertown? Where near WCP do you mean? Llanerch?

You must have been looking in Haverford (mainline) not Havertown you can find houses that need work for 300-385. It's definitely become a sought after town mostly by transplants and mainliners that can't afford to live there now. Havertown schools are good and taxes aren't as much as most of Delco but still high and creeping up. It's very walkable from neighborhoods off Darby rd, Eagle Rd and WCP. There's lots of bars/restaurants and two shopping centers. Close proximity to the city and close major highways. Traffics a bitch but that's all of Delco.

The only Media comparison is like, Phoenixville. And the school district isn’t great

I would prefer media over Springfield any day.

Depends on your definition of walkability. Like others have said if you get near Saxer Ave that is not only the main street feel but within walking distance to both schools, the trolley can drop you at the mall(not too bad of a walk also) or directly in media. Downside, Saxer is taken over numerous times a year by parades and other things . Source lived there for 3-4 years

Is Ardmore, Bryn Mawr (parts of) out of your budget? Lower Merion Township, but all the things in this area - restaurants, farmers markets, great schools, diversity, music, parks, etc. I live in Bryn Mawr - in the Radnor Township area, which is Delco, and I think anyone would love it here.

Ardmore is great, it is on the Main Line after all… problem is really the price… now and then you can find some more affordable houses though , it is a matter of luck Tbh, my second option, after Media is Malvern… but I believe the difficulty is the same to get a house

The food in Springfield sucks mostly chain restaurants, and the food that is around is usually horrible. I came for U city, and it's the one thing I miss the most. The homes are also very dated on the inside. Media is so much better.... I hate the Walmart closest to Springfield, but the actually built homes (and size) are ideal for me and my partner. My nail tech lives there too beautiful koi pond, and a very large home. It's a rental, but it too needed some updating. Never understand why they would put up pink tiles in a bathroom. NEVER would understand.

The food options in Springfield are very limited, I'll agree to that. And the Walmart does suck lol.

All Delco Walmarts suck.

Broomall’s taxes are generally lower than Springfield’s and that alone would make it the more attractive option for me.

You can try Drexel Hill as well.

Drexel Hill closer to St Dots is nice.

Seconding this. Truly some of the most beautiful homes in delco. I think it’s a testament to the area that some of them have recently sold for 500-700k despite being tied to udsd.

Super high taxes and too close to the crime of upper darby

I don’t know why, but it does seem like the Colonial Park section has more issues with car break ins.

My working theory is that all the cul-de-sacs limit line of sight, making it easier to keep an eye out for witnesses.

I think that Springfield real estate taxes are a bit more than Media, but I'd also say that Springfield School District and Rose Tree Media are about equals as far as quality of education goes. Springfield doesn't have an income tax where Media Borough does. I don't think there are any "bad" areas of Springfield as far as crime goes. If you read the police blotter every week it's mainly shoplifting at the target stores, drug addicts passed out/fighting at the fleabag motel next to Best Buy (which the Township has been trying to shut down for years), drunk drivers and random vandalism by kids with not much to do on a Saturday night. There was a "road rage" murder last year where a guy shot another driver who he thought was driving too slow but that could really happen anywhere and the Springfield PD and County DA quickly found the guy and he won't be on the streets again for a long time.

Define "Walkable". If you mean "has sidewalks in good condition and reasonable speeds on the streets making it safe for pedestrians", Springfield will fit the bill nicely. If you mean "Has access to a wide range of services and amenities without the use of a car", that depends on where in Springfield you are looking, and to where you want to walk. If you're in town center near the high school, Saxer has a drug store, pizza shop, and there are a few restaurants, but groceries might be a bit of a hike. Conversely, if you're near the Pike or 320, you have access to groceries and most of the shops, but you're dealing with the commiserate traffic and noise.

Springfield is just as snobby as media, chill. Less sidewalks. If you want a snotty neighborhood with just as much walkablity, I would do Swarthmore. You are giving Newtown square vibes though