Relocating to the Philadelphia Area: Wayne

Click here to see my video of Wayne.

Do you think you might want to move to Wayne?  This is a great place to live…..but finding the right neighborhood can be challenging because there are several different areas with very distinct personalities. In general, most of Wayne has a feeling of being established. Wayne is one of the Main Line’s older communities and there are some historic buildings, including the Anthony Wayne movie theater and most neighborhoods have older trees and a very “settled” feeling. The center of Wayne is clustered around Lancaster Avenue and the train station is located a block away. While it’s a bit of a commute to center city by car, many residents say it’s worth it, because they love the schools and the vibe and the lifestyle Wayne offers.

For more about Wayne, click here. If you are interested in learning about other Main Line Philadelphia towns, please see my Main Line Neighborhood Guide.

Wayne Overview

Wayne is one of the most popular places to live on the Main Line.  Wayne is fairly large, and there are certain “named” communities, like Saint Davids and Strafford that are actually sections of Wayne. As a result, understanding what is and isn’t part of Wayne can be unclear. Add in the three different school districts that cover Wayne and you could be really confused! These boundaries not only affect the school district, but your tax rate too. (Don’t worry, I can explain all that later.)

There is a great array of shopping in Wayne and a hard-to-find blend of old and new. While you will find some national chains, like Anthropologie and CVS, there are still a lot of traditional store fronts in Wayne that cater to a crowd seeking specialty items and personalized attention. If you need to do some serious shopping, the King of Prussia Mall is very close by and has everything anyone could ever need.

Wayne: What it’s like to live here

Wayne is, maybe more than many other Main Line towns, comprised of several distinct neighborhoods. The Shand Tract, Deepdale and Colonial Village are all examples of true neighborhoods where book clubs and baby sitting groups are common. Most of these homes were built in the mid-late 20th century and are fairly modest. You’ll findsplit levels and colonials, but not a lot of particularly grand or very modern houses. These areas have somewhat narrow, streets with few sidewalks, but the lack of traffic encourages residents to walk dogs or jog. Trick or treating in these communities is taken very seriously!

There are larger properties in the Glenhardie section of Wayne (which abuts the golf course of the same name) and some of the oldest, most charming just north of the Radnor train station, off of King of Prussia Rd. If you’re looking for something more modern, There are a few developments in Wayne, with larger homes, including Treyburn, Whitegate and Fox Chapel. South Wayne has more of a downtown, city neighborhood feel and the ability to walk into the center of Wayne is highly prized. Further south, the properties are larger and the feel is closer to rural than suburban. There are even some horse farms and a few very large properties in this section of Wayne.

Read more about Wayne 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