Upper Milford

Initially gaining popularity for jasper mining and fertile farming lands, Upper Milford Township is a neighborhood fully embracing its quiet nature. With careful historic preservation of antique barns, landscapes that change brightly with the seasons and surrounded with more trees than people, the rural atmosphere seeps completely into the township’s personality. Upper Milford is 10 miles south of Allentown and shares a border with Emmaus. “Most people in Upper Milford say they’re from Emmaus,” says Wes Barrett, owner of Wesley Works Real Estate. “If people have lived there a long time, they might say the specific region, but only people who really know the area would know that.” There are four main municipalities within Upper Milford: Old Zionsville, Zionsville, Shimerville and Vera Cruz. “It’s a rural community that still has easy access to highways and small towns,” Barrett says. Upper Milford is serviced by a volunteer fire department and utilizes the Pennsylvania State Police. Compared to the national average of 4, Upper Milford Township has a crime score of 1 from the CAP Index. “I phrase it in two ways. Do you want to live in the East Penn School District, and then do you want a small-town charm like Emmaus or are you looking for more land,” says Barrett. The East Penn School District receives an overall grade of A-minus from Niche. Upper Milford has several maintained green spaces spaced throughout the township. Jasper Park is located off Quarry Drive South and has a paved walking trail that winds around the thicket of woodland that anchors the center of the park, and a playground for children alongside a baseball field. The township is also near several nature preserves and wildlife conservatories, with the Harold G. Fulmer III Nature Preserve across the road from Jasper Park in Vera Cruz. “Conservation is a major topic,” says Barrett. “People are serious about it.” With only a grass walking path through the preserve, Upper Milford Township plans on keeping the area as natural as possible. Lenape Park, off Kings Highway South in Old Zionsville, has spots for tennis and basketball alongside the two baseball diamonds and covered pavilion. “South Mountain basically runs through the center, so there are tons of accessible trails, tons of open spaces,” says Barrett. “A lot of people identify that as their treasure.” The Wildlands Conservancy South Mountain Preserve covers 400-acres and has nearly 11 miles of trails for hikers and bikers. Within Upper Milford, sections of the preserve are called the Upper Milford South Mountain Property. Neighborhood atmospheres are as varied as the architectural styles, whether buying a contemporary stone home in a new subdivision or investing in an original Colonial near downtown sectors of the municipalities. Colonials and farm homes can begin around $280,000 for a home built in 1870 and reach up to $810,000 for a home built in 1790 that has since been renovated and upgraded. Throughout the area there are also Cape Cods, bi-levels, ranch and Colonial Revivals, which can begin around $250,000 and reach about $450,000 with some rare exceptions selling for almost $900,000. One of the biggest draws for Upper Milford is the residential privacy, with many homes sitting on large lots of rolling green hills. A bird' s-eye view will reveal thickets of woodland, corn fields and farms—Upper Milford has taken great care to maintain the rural nature of the township. While new construction is uncommon, a few New traditional homes are being built in a suburb closer to Emmaus with five or more bedrooms. These homes typically cost between $600,000 and $1 million. With the winding roads and forested hills making up the majority of the neighborhood, some custom-built homes with six or seven bedrooms and about 6 acres of land can cost about $2.5 million. Students are zoned to the East Penn School District, with most students beginning at Macungie Elementary for kindergarten through fifth grade. Macungie Elementary receives a B-plus from Niche. Students then move on to Eyer Middle School and Emmaus High, both of which earn an A-minus from Niche. Emmaus High School offers courses for the Advanced Placement Program and dual enrollment with Lehigh Carbon Community College and West Chester University. As Upper Milford Township is more rural, the area is car-dependent. U.S. Route 100 and Interstate 476, a toll road, pass through the neighborhood, with Route 100 running along Chestnut Street through Shimerville and sections of Old Zionsville. I-476 crosses west of Vera Cruz, although the township has no interstate access. “There’s no walkable community, that would be strictly Emmaus,” Barrett says. With the ruralness of Upper Milford Township, the Western District Fire Company is run 100% by volunteers and has fundraisers throughout the year. In Emmaus, a farmers market occurs at the Triangle Park in Emmaus every Sunday from May until November. It is also open through the winter, but with fewer hours and between January and April is on the 2nd and 4th Sundays. The Domaine Pterion Vineyard and Winery sits on a 238-year-old farm and vineyard that grows its own grapes to create dry European wines. The weekends often consist of open wine tasting hours, and occasionally has live music to accompany events. “You don’t need to drink wine to enjoy the property,” says Barrett. “It is a highlight of the area.” Scattered through the neighborhood are local businesses, from shopping for vintage and unique home décor at the Zionsville Antique Mall, stopping into Velo Shop for a new bicycle that can handle nearby trails or sitting down for a meal at Chino’s Place, which serves traditional American fare like burgers and chicken strips alongside German food like jagerschnitzel. The neighboring area of Emmaus has more regional and national commercial businesses such as CVS and GIANT Food.