Most of the Philadelphia suburbs are built around car dependence. That is not an opinion — it is the physical reality of communities designed around highways, subdivisions, and strip commercial corridors. Genuine walkability, the kind where a resident can walk to coffee, to dinner, to the train, and to the farmers’ market without getting in a car, is rare.
This guide covers the communities that actually deliver it. These are not neighborhoods with a high Walk Score because an apartment complex happens to sit next to a CVS. These are functioning communities where the pedestrian experience is genuine, where the commercial streets have the vitality to sustain regular daily use, and where the proximity of a SEPTA station makes car-free commuting a practical daily reality rather than a theoretical option.
What Makes a Philadelphia Suburb Actually Walkable
Walkability in a Philadelphia suburb requires three things together. None of them alone is sufficient.
A functioning commercial district. Independent restaurants, coffee shops, and personal services that attract foot traffic on their own — not just a strip mall that happens to be nearby. The commercial district should be the kind of place residents go to as a destination, not just a convenience.
A SEPTA Regional Rail station within walking distance. For a suburb to be walkable in the practical sense that matters to most buyers, the train should be reachable on foot from a residential address. Suburbs where driving to the station is necessary are car-dependent suburbs with transit access, which is a different category.
A residential street grid that connects to both. The physical structure of the community — sidewalks, block structure, street connectivity — has to make the walk from home to the commercial district and to the station possible and pleasant, not a trek across a highway interchange.
The communities below meet all three criteria. Some meet them more completely than others, and those distinctions are noted.
Jenkintown, PA: The Most Transit-Connected Walkable Borough in Montgomery County
Jenkintown Borough is the strongest case for walkable suburban living in eastern Montgomery County. The borough has a functioning Main Street — independent restaurants, a coffee shop, personal services, small retail — and the Jenkintown-Wyncote SEPTA station serves three Regional Rail lines: the West Trenton, Warminster, and Fox Chase lines. Most residential addresses in the borough are within a 10 to 15-minute walk of both the Main Street and the station.
The three-line access at a single station is a genuine differentiator. If one line has delays or service disruptions, two alternatives are available from the same platform. For daily commuters, this redundancy has practical value that single-station communities cannot offer.
Jenkintown is served by Jenkintown School District, a small independent district that is well-regarded within the community and consistently performs above state averages. Single-family homes range from the $400,000s to $800,000s.
Walk to: Main Street restaurants and coffee, SEPTA (three lines), borough parks, small retail. The commercial district is modest in scale but genuinely functional.
Narberth, PA: The Most Walkable Lower Merion School District Community
Narberth Borough makes an unusually strong case for walkability among communities with Lower Merion School District assignment. The borough’s grid is compact enough that nearly all residential addresses are within a 5 to 10-minute walk of both the N. Narberth Avenue commercial corridor and Narberth Station on the Paoli/Thorndale Line.
The commercial district on N. Narberth Avenue is exceptional for a borough of 4,300 people. Independent restaurants, a bakery, a bookshop, a hardware store, boutique retail, personal services, and a year-round farmers’ market generate foot traffic that keeps the corridor genuinely active. Residents walk to dinner, to coffee, to the train, and to the market without any of those trips requiring a car.
The SEPTA ride from Narberth Station to Center City runs 18 to 28 minutes, making it one of the faster options on the Paoli/Thorndale Line for a community this far from the city. The Lower Merion School District designation adds to the premium, making Narberth one of the most complete packages in the Philadelphia suburban market: walk everywhere, short rail commute, and Pennsylvania’s most recognized public school system.
Walk to: N. Narberth Ave restaurants, bakery, bookshop, farmers’ market, SEPTA Paoli/Thorndale Line.
For buyers weighing Narberth against Jenkintown, the other walkable SEPTA borough on this list, the Narberth vs. Jenkintown comparison covers the school district difference, SEPTA configurations, and price in detail — the two communities attract different buyers for specific reasons that the comparison makes clear.
Ambler, PA: Main Street Walkability with Wissahickon Schools
Ambler Borough is the walkable anchor of the Wissahickon School District corridor in central Montgomery County. Its Main Street has developed a regional reputation for dining and arts programming: independent restaurants, a community theater, bars, and seasonal events generate foot traffic that extends beyond Ambler’s own residents into the surrounding communities.
The SEPTA Lansdale/Doylestown Line station is walkable from the Main Street and from residential addresses in the borough’s core. The ride to Center City is 35 to 45 minutes. Wissahickon School District, consistently top-10 in Pennsylvania, serves the entire borough.
Ambler’s housing ranges from $400,000s for smaller updated homes to $900,000s for larger Victorians and colonials in good condition. The borough’s walkability carries a premium: comparable square footage in the adjacent suburban townships — same school district, no walkability — costs less.
Walk to: Main Street restaurants and theater, SEPTA Lansdale/Doylestown Line, borough parks.
Conshohocken, PA: The Most Urban-Walkable Borough in Central MontCo
Conshohocken is the most urban-adjacent walkable community in Montgomery County. The Fayette Street corridor has developed a restaurant and bar scene that rivals Manayunk across the river, and the Schuylkill River Trail provides a car-free recreational corridor connecting the borough to Philadelphia in one direction and Valley Forge in the other.
SEPTA Manayunk/Norristown Line access at Conshohocken Station provides Center City service in 25 to 35 minutes. The station is walkable from most of the borough’s residential sections.
The buyer profile in Conshohocken skews toward buyers relocating from Center City or Philadelphia neighborhoods — people who want suburban space and a school district above the city system but are not ready to give up the walkable lifestyle. Colonial School District, top-15 in Pennsylvania, serves the borough.
Housing ranges from condominiums in the mid-$200,000s to updated rowhomes and townhomes in the $400,000s to $650,000s.
Walk to: Fayette Street restaurants and bars, SEPTA Manayunk/Norristown Line, Schuylkill River Trail.
For buyers relocating from Philadelphia neighborhoods considering Conshohocken specifically, the guide to buying a home in Conshohocken covers what changes, what stays the same, and what typically surprises city buyers about the borough.
Glenside, PA: Multi-Line SEPTA Access at a Village Commercial Corridor
Glenside is not a borough — it is a census-designated place in the boundary zone between several townships — but it has the functional character of one. The Keswick Avenue commercial corridor at the station provides restaurants, coffee, a small theater, and personal services within walking distance of the platform. Glenside Station on both the Lansdale/Doylestown and Fox Chase lines provides multi-line access 11 miles from Center City, with a 25 to 35 minute ride.
What makes Glenside distinctive is the combination of multi-line SEPTA access and a walkable village character at a price point that is consistently more accessible than Jenkintown or the Paoli/Thorndale communities. School district assignment in Glenside varies by specific address — portions of the CDP fall within Cheltenham, Abington, and Springfield Township school districts. Confirming the specific assignment for any address is essential.
Walk to: Keswick Ave restaurants and theater, SEPTA (Lansdale/Doylestown and Fox Chase lines), village-scale retail.
Hatboro, PA: The Most Walkable Eastern MontCo Borough Below $400K
Hatboro is the most accessible walkable SEPTA community in eastern Montgomery County for buyers with entry-level budgets. The Main Street has undergone sustained revitalization over the past decade, with independent restaurants, a brewery, personal services, and retail that have transformed the borough’s commercial corridor from declining to genuinely active.
SEPTA Warminster Line access at Hatboro Station provides Center City service in approximately 45 to 55 minutes — longer than the other communities on this list, but competitive for the eastern MontCo market. Hatboro-Horsham School District serves the borough. Entry-level detached homes start in the mid-$300,000s.
For buyers who have been priced out of Jenkintown, Narberth, or Ambler but want genuinely walkable borough character with rail access and a school district above the state average, Hatboro is the most practical alternative at a meaningfully lower price point.
Walk to: Main Street restaurants and shops, SEPTA Warminster Line, borough parks.
Doylestown, PA: The Bucks County Standard for Walkable Suburban Living
Doylestown is technically in Bucks County rather than Montgomery County, but it competes for the same buyer profile as the communities above and deserves mention. The county seat of Bucks County has an exceptionally active walkable downtown: multiple independent restaurants, an art house cinema, museums, boutique retail, a farmers’ market, and a cultural calendar that is genuinely regional in draw.
SEPTA Lansdale/Doylestown Line service provides a roughly 55 to 65-minute ride to Center City. Central Bucks School District serves the borough. Housing ranges from the $500,000s to the $1 million range for most single-family homes.
Walk to: State Street restaurants and shops, Michener Art Museum, Bucks County Playhouse (nearby), SEPTA terminus.
The Non-Walkable Tradeoff
Every community on this list commands a walkability premium. The same school district designation at equivalent square footage and condition costs measurably less in adjacent communities without walkable commercial access or SEPTA.
For some buyers, that premium is worth paying. For others — buyers who drive to work regardless of transit access, or who do not place particular value on walking to restaurants — the non-walkable communities in the same school districts represent better value.
Karen serves both the walkable boroughs and the adjacent car-dependent townships and can walk buyers through the specific price differential for their target community, school district, and budget.
Working with Karen
Karen Langsfeld is a REALTOR® and Pricing Strategy Advisor (P.S.A.) with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach in Blue Bell. She has represented buyers and sellers in every community on this list and is well-positioned to help you evaluate the specific trade-offs that matter for your situation.
Contact Karen at (215) 495-2914 or through the contact page.