Moving to the Philadelphia Area: Chadds Ford

Are you moving to the Philadelphia area but don’t want to live in the city? Are you happier in a much less busy, more rural environment? Depending on where your commute requires you to be, Chadds Ford might be a good option. While not geographically far from the Main Line, the personality of this genteel area is much slower and calmer. Lots are typically generous and retail is sparse; Chadds Ford is almost exclusively residential. It it too remote and secluded for some people, but for others, it’s an oasis.

To read more about Chadds Ford, please click here. If you are interested in learning about other Main Line Philadelphia towns, please see my Main Line Neighborhood Guide.

Please contact me for more information at 610 308-5973 or jen@jenniferlebow.com.

Chadds Ford Overview

Chadds Ford is not, by strict definition, the Main Line, but it’s a very nice alternative for the right person or family. With very highly rated schools, it’s attractive to people who value education, yet also want to live in the gorgeous landscape that inspired Andrew Wyeth’s paintings. Part of what makes the area so beautiful is the Brandywine river, that winds through Chadds Ford and offers canoeing, kayaking and tubing adventures. Further “nature appreciation” awaits just up the road at the world famous Longwood Gardens. There are wineries in the region as well as some art museums. Chadds Ford was the location of some battles during the revolution and there are some war monuments and a historic district with buildings from that era.

Chadds Ford: What it’s like to live here

Until the last twenty years or so, Chadds Ford was a sleepy town but it has grown. As urban sprawl has made many of the communities closer to Philadelphia more crowded, builders have moved west and Chadds Ford now has some substantial, lovely new homes. They tend to have a lot of acreage as well. Calling Chadds Ford a town is a bit of a misnomer; there is not much of a town center, though what there is can be found on route 1. Again, retail and dining are not the mainstays of the area.

There are several small (often 5-10 house) streets that builders have developed in Chadds Ford. They don’t often have sidewalks and there isn’t much to walk to in any case. These are not what most people would consider true “neighborhoods”, but, again, the lifestyle in Chadds Ford is decidedly less suburban than on the Main Line. There are, to be sure, some lovely homes in this area, and for the buyer who is cut out for living in Chadds Ford, there are plenty of options.

Read more about Chadds Ford on Wikipedia.

If you are relocating to the Philadelphia/Main Line area, please go to my blog page and search for posts using the relocation tag. Contact me to discuss your Philadelphia area relocation! jen@jenniferlebow.com/610 308-5973