Harleysville

Out in eastern Pennsylvania’s farmlands, people can find history and suburban living in Lower Salford Township. The area is bigger than most suburbs, containing two historic town centers in Harleysville and Lederach, both maintaining remnants of the township’s early days when German, Swiss and Dutch immigrants settled there. While much of Lower Salford Township still feels rural and old with its historic Colonial buildings, the area is growing and welcoming new residents. “Corn fields are going away, and more homes are coming in,” says associate broker Terry Derstine with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, who has lived in the township for over 50 years and watching it evolve. “But we still have that flavor of a small-town community.” The township is full of greenery and outdoor activity, with 1,200 acres of open space owned by the township. This creates the opportunity for multi-use trails throughout the whole township so people can stroll through neighborhoods. Heckler Plains Farmstead highlights the area’s history with a Colonial mill and home right in the center. The property passed through three different Colonial families, but a historical society manages the space today with a vegetable garden and demonstrations. The park is also home to fields, a playground and walking and bike paths. At Lederach Golf Club, residents can practice their swing on the green. Harleysville Community Center features athletic fields and a pool for the summer months. The YMCA hosts clubs here to get the community involved. At Harleysville Hotel, residents can enjoy wings and burgers in the Colonial building or participate in their trivia nights. Lederach Corner Store Piano Bar started out as a local corner store in 1830, which is how it got its name. Today, they offer live music from Thursday through Saturday and serve specialty cocktails at the bar. The Butcher and the Barkeep provides a more high-end dining experience with a menu featuring entrees like filet mignon and mahi mahi. For groceries, Henning’s Market is a supermarket founded in 1889 for another piece of the township’s history. Main Street in Harleysville boasts a Walmart and Giant. Each August, Heckler Plains Farmstead hosts Hecklerfest, where residents can get a taste of local history. The historical society dresses up in Colonial dress and sets up games and crafts colonists and immigrants would’ve done. Residents can also enjoy a picnic with the homestead as the backdrop. Harleysville Jaycees Country Fair Days is a week of amusement rides, games, live entertainment and food at the Harleysville Community Center. “People get involved here,” Derstine says. “With the community center and youth sports teams, there are plenty of ways to get plugged in and become part of the fabric of the community.” Living in Lower Salford Township is a mix of planned developments and subdivisions and open properties along winding roads. Many communities across the township feature brick and siding Colonial Revivals, though houses outside of the developments are often farmhouse styles for a more rural feel. Properties start with a quarter acre of land, with front lawns featuring landscaped gardens to add personality and life to neighborhoods. Most three- to four-bedroom homes list between $400,000 and $700,000, but newer construction featuring six-bedroom stone Colonial Revivals start at $1.1 million. In subdivisions like Rosecliff Manor and Park Avenue, people can find three-bedroom townhomes listing between $400,000 and $450,000. Students can attend Oak Ridge Elementary School, which earns an A from Niche. Niche grants Indian Valley Middle School an A-minus. At Souderton Area High School, students can enroll in Advanced Placement (AP) classes, dual enrollment courses and programs through North Montco Technical Career Center (NMTCC). Niche awards it an A-minus. While Lower Salford Township doesn’t have any buses or trains linking residents to shopping or cities, the trails make it walkable. Even when there aren’t sidewalks, people will walk on the sides of the road. When traveling outside the township, residents can take the Pennsylvania Turnpike to Allentown, 41 miles north, and Philadelphia, 33 miles south. Philadelphia International Airport is the closest airport, located 41 miles from the township. Thankfully, the nearest hospital is closer, with Jefferson Lansdale Hospital just 10 miles away.