Is West Chester or Media for diversity? Black family looking to settle down and buy.

Submitted by TJamaican t3_10ntgke in Pennsylvania

Hi everyone. My family recently moved to PA. We are currently renting but plan on buying sometime later this year or next year once the market gets better. We have young mixed children that will be school aged soon so we want to make sure when we settle down, we are satisfied.

Right now, we are trying to choose between West Chester and Media. Both areas appeal to us a lot. Media seems a bit more expensive but closer to Center City for work. West Chester appears to be cheaper overall but farther away from Center City. The question is which is better for a young black family?

I've looked up sensus statistics but in my experience, towns that have universities seem more diverse on paper than in actuality. So I think this is a case where Redditor experience and word of mouth is a bit more valuable. Thanks in advance!

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nomuggle t1_j6atotf wrote

West Chester is going to be slightly (very slightly) more diverse than Media, I think because it’s a larger borough, but both are still a majority white. I grew up just outside of West Chester and live in Media now, so I’m happy to help answer any question you may have.

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Trout-Population t1_j6au1v2 wrote

I've been to WC many times and its a lovely town. Fairly diverse, especially in the non college part of the town, however I'd probably reccomend against moving there if you work in Center City. There are plenty of Suburbs that have reliable rail transport to the city, but WC isn't one of them, plus its an hour drive and that early morning blue route traffic is tourture.

I've never been to Media so I don't have much of an opinion there. Good luck on the search!

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crankshaft123 t1_j6b1vev wrote

There's no reason to get on the Blue Route when commuting from WC to Center City.

322 to I95 is much faster. Yes, there's a bottleneck as 322 approaches I95, but it's a quicker route.

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Lunamothknits t1_j6b20of wrote

What is driving the desire to be that far from the city? Is it just school districts/bigger properties/something else? Are you currently renting in or out of Philadelphia?

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TJamaican OP t1_j6b31e5 wrote

Mainly school districts.

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Lunamothknits t1_j6b882e wrote

Have you considered out of catchment and charters for the city itself? I just can’t imagine the drain of having to be on 76 that much for west Chester, especially the drive home. Neither area is going to really tick the diversity box like something closer to the city/the city itself.

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stuckonsometrain t1_j6atzkq wrote

I've lived in both places after living in Baltimore. They are both predominantly white. West Chester felt somewhat more diverse, but it's also about 3-4 times the size and, as you mentioned, has the public university, which is a large contributor. I would look at the demographics of the school systems to better gage what other the young families you'll be around/your kids peers, but I imagine they would be very similar.

Media is much much more convenient for getting into Center City, and depending on where you live, you can easily walk to the train.

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TJamaican OP t1_j6aup6f wrote

Thanks. Can I ask what town you live in now?

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stuckonsometrain t1_j6avvzb wrote

No problem, I'm in media now and really like it. It's super convenient for work for me which is why I ended up leaving Philly but it's still walkable which is huge for me and hard to find in some of the suburbs.

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tbarnett19124 t1_j6flkhm wrote

Don't move to Philly, it's horrible! My daughter goes to WC she likes it there. Its still conservative, which means like any place people are nice until they're not. Very Quaint, however their parking authority is just as bad as it is in philly. The differences between suburbs and urban city is one hides the dirt and the other don't care about the dirt. But its all dirty.😂😂

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Huldati t1_j6ayh2t wrote

West Chester (WC) is an awesome borough. It has a university and lots of shops/restaurants. Downtown WC has all kinds of activities throughout the year....everything from a chili cookoff, to bike races, to restaurant week. Politically, Chester County is fairly blue. There is a black community within WC... I dont know how large though. I believe that Chester County is still the #1 county in PA (lowest crime, best health care, etc). WC isn't that far from Philly, which is the 6th largest city in the country. Unfortunately, WC has no trains to Philly.

I used to work in that area and my boss was black. She raised a family in the WC area and I never heard her complain or raise any concerns.

WC has gone through lots of change over the last few decades. It went from being a pretty rough area to being a highly sought after area to live!

Sorry...I just kind of rambled all of the facts I remember when I was there 😁

Media is nice too. It has many of the same amenities as WC, but much more expensive and it doesn't have a college/university. Media does have a train to Philly though.

Personally, I don't think you can go wrong with either one. I know people that live in both and they embrace diversity.

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TJamaican OP t1_j6azenk wrote

The ranting is encouraged. Thanks so much!

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hardtofindusernames t1_j6fkh9z wrote

I know this is not 100% on point to your question, but what about Berwyn, Paoli, Chesterbrook? I feel like there’s lots of diversity there in TESD (relatively speaking), and lots of train access to downtown. For only a few bucks each way more than septa, you can ride Amtrak from Paoli to downtown in like 27 mins. The areas are not cheap, but Media is expensive (especially Delco property taxes), so wondering if these areas might be an option)?

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TJamaican OP t1_j6nswl9 wrote

Great suggestion. I'll look into it. Thanks!

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generalraptor2002 t1_j6hipov wrote

I grew up in Wallingford which is right next to Media

Both are majority white but there is a healthy amount of diversity

I would also recommend checking out the “South Media” neighborhood of Nether Providence Township.

Also, if you choose the Media area you’ll be able to commute to Philadelphia on the train

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TJamaican OP t1_j6hnr7z wrote

Thanks. I currently live in Middletown and I love it. I feel very comfortable. There have been a few times I've traveled into town (up 252 around rt.1) and felt very out of place.

What's up with South Media and Nether Providence Township? What's the appeal?

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generalraptor2002 t1_j6hnwoi wrote

So I may be a bit biased because I grew up there but:

South Media has a thriving African American community and a historical AME church (from my understanding)

Nether Providence Township has good parks and the school district is decent

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TJamaican OP t1_j6ho71u wrote

Didn't know that. I'll have to check it out. Thanks!

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DelcoMan t1_j6kd05p wrote

Given your concerns I'd say media over west Chester.

If you're working in center city, the media/Wawa line runs right through town, meaning you do not have to drive into the city for your commute. At worst it's a walk or a very short drive to the station.

Media itself isn't super diverse, but SOUTH media (which confusingly is part of adjacent Nether Providence) is.

I've lived here for about ten years now, no issues with it and I'm in the exact same boat you are.

Good luck

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JennItalia269 t1_j6pdmin wrote

I wouldn’t live in west chester if you work in center city. That’s an insane commute daily. I would lose my mind doing that. Media all the way.

FWIW, I’d look at south jersey if school districts are a main concern. Some of the towns have really good ones and property prices are generally not bad.

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TJamaican OP t1_j6pgv2q wrote

Yeah I've heard that but we have family in Delaware. No biggie but rather stay in PA. Thanks so much tho.

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