Eastern PA Traffic

[TinGLOCK]

I'm seeking advice here from any and all who have some to offer.

I start work in King of Prussia soon and am looking to rent upon moving to PA. I'm not a city guy; suburban and rural areas are more appealing to me.

Bucks County is currently my #1 choice (rural areas, rental costs, distance from urban areas). A potential problem, it seems, is the commute to King of Prussia. I'm looking as far northeast as Perkasie, which would require going up and down I-476. Is this insane or is the I-476 commute OK?

I suppose I have my heart set on Bucks right now, but I am considering other areas as well (i.e. Phoenixville, Pottstown). Berks seems like a good fit for me based on what I've read, but I have been told that route 422 is the worst thing ever.

I plan on making some phone calls for viewings this week. I'm in CT right now but am going to stop in the area early next week on my way back to VA.

Thanks for any help and tips you can provide.

[Ten*K]

well, you can hit 202, but depending on the time of day, its still a crap-shoot.

there are some back roads that you can take, but they are generally useless in bad weather or in cases where 476 is a parking lot.

it's really a question of whether your time is worth the change.

[MRMATT]

422 isn't too bad if you leave early enough. It''s probably better than 202 and 476 most times. My commute from the Pottstown area to K of P is about 25 minutes in the AM and about 30-35 minutes back; though I leave for work about 5:15 AM and leave work at GSK at 2PM most days.

There are some nice rural areas both to the west and north of Pottstown - Oley, Birdsboro, Bally, Barto, to name a few, are quite rustic. Let us know how you make out. Maybe we can hook up and do some shooting in the future.

[cigarmanpa]

if you can survive cville drivers, you can survive anything. As for the actual areas I'll let others speak to that

[Dredly]

Here a few east coast tips about PA.

1. The further you get from Philly the better

2. The further you get from the NY / NJ border the better.

476 isn't normally TO bad unless there is an accident (at least 1 - 2 a week). Its also called the Northeast Extension and The Blue Route in case you hear those names thrown out there.

You really need to determine how much driving time is okay with you and what kind of an area you want to live in. Most places WEST of 476 are pretty rural (remember further from Jersey...) and there are lots of areas that aren't to expensive.

Always remember - you can improve / fix up a house but you can't get more land (normally). I would look for the most land you can get as the "suburb" is spreading pretty quickly.

[SlimShady]

I lived in Northern Bucks (north of Doylestown) and worked in KOP for about a year.......202 is HORRIBLE during rush hour, and if you're all the way out in Bucks then getting to the NE Extension is going out of your way.

If you're planning on working in KOP I'd suggest the Pottstown area, Oley etc.....

[str8shooter]

I live in the North end of Chester Co., which is half farms, half meadow mansions. It's getting overbuilt, but it's not a "city" (yet). I commute past K of P daily, and if I worked there, it would be about a 20-25 minute commute. I also work with folks from Berks, Bucks and Montgomery Counties, and we've all found our ways to ease the commute.

For me, the PA turnpike (I-76) is a breeze, I drive South a few miles to get on at the Downingtown exit, and it dumps me off right in Kof P in about 12 minutes. Rarely a backup either to or from work, but I pay $1.60 toll each way for the privilege. I have to go past K of P using I-76 to I-476 South to Radnor, but if I work 9-6 instead of 8-5, traffic isn't bad in either direction. One caveat, you HAVE to have an EZ-PASS if you want to get anywhere on a toll road (I-76, I-276, I-476) in the area. That's what saves me. Without it, I'd easily add a 15 minute wait at the K of P toll booths each way.

Those from Berks avoid 422 like the plague, and either come down 23, and wiggle their way through Valley Forge National Park. Lots of deer, curves and stop signs, but 422 can be an 8 mile long parking lot at 8 and 5, so they're willing to drive the back roads to get home quicker.

The Bucks county people I work with have nothing good to say, and no good suggestions how to get to KofP. It's just too damn crowded for it's own good. For what it's worth, I hear I-476 from Northern Bucks to the PA TPK exit (I-276) isn't bad, but the exit itself is a disaster, and all the side roads are jammed during rush hour.

Depending on where you would be living and working in Montgomery county, you could have a 10 minute commute or 30 minute. It's a big county and has a varied landscape, from farms to industrial parks. Coming in from Pottstown isn't that bad if you stay off of 422 during rush hour, and there are plenty of back roads so you can.

One option you didn't mention is farther West. Because the Turnpike moves right along, even during rush hour, You could go as far west as Morgantown and not have a bad commute. It would be 27 miles on the turnpike, but it would be 25 minutes going 75+ miles per hour. That could be costly in tolls and gas.

I used to live about halfway between Stanardsville and Ruckersville in Greene Co. VA, and work in Charlottesville at the corner of Greenbriar and Seminole Trail. I'd say the only comparison I can make is King of Prussia traffic everyday is like Charlottesville traffic on game day at UVA, and for whatever reason it never lets up. In VA, I could make my 17 mile commute in 20 minutes at 8 am, and half that time was spent going to and from Walmart and Greenbriar drive.

Best of luck finding a suitable location. Lots of rental homes available these days from people who can't sell them.

[soup]

^^ What he said!

I live in Pottstown. I work in Worcester which isn't "too" far from KOP. It takes me 10 minutes to get to KOP from my work via back roads. 422 is hit or miss after 7-7:15 am. Some days it seems as if half the population took a sick day while others seem like they imported people to the area to sit in traffic.

I like where I'm at. I was very happy with the move I made to this area. I have good neighbors and I'm on the eastern end of Pottstown near the hospital. I'm not too far from anything. If you go 5 miles from where I live in almost any direction you hit farmland and larger open properties. Game lands are close if you're a hunter and there are a number of state parks that offer decent fishing etc throughout the year.

Cost of living is cheaper than most of the other areas you mentioned and housing is cheaper. The price you would pay to rent in areas closer, you could own out here. There are also always back roads to avoid most if not all of the traffic you get on 422.

[ddefazio]

I really love the GreenLane, Skippack, harleysville area and that is not out of your way. Harleysville has some great deals on homes with acreage and you can still be under 300k.

[Perkascene]

I wouldn't want to have to commute from Perkasie to KoP. Just getting to 476 during normal commute times is enough of a pain. I can't imagine having to duke it out on 476 every day.