Upper Saucon

Boasting hues of green that range from dark wooded forest preserves to bright green golf courses and farmland, Upper Saucon Township is a popular bedroom community in the heart of the Lehigh Valley. Some residents commute to nearby cities like Allentown and Bethlehem, and others as far away as Philadelphia and New York City. “Historically, I think the draw here has been much more affordable home prices than Philadelphia and New York City,” says Rebecca L. Francis, an associate broker with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Fox & Roach Realtors. “The landscape here is beautiful, with lots of trees. You have Philadelphia and New York about an hour or so drive away and three bigger areas, like Bethlehem, surrounding the township.” Apart from the great outdoors, residents here enjoy a range of upscale shopping and dining, highly rated schools and a quiet community that garners a CAP Index crime score of 2 out of 10, well below the national average of 4. Residential neighborhoods are scattered along tight, winding roads and separated by farmland and open green spaces. Subdivisions with spacious new traditional homes that boast two-to-three-car garages and the occasional inground pool are standard. Newer developments are continuously popping up, with trendy Craftsman-influenced homes and open floor plans—prices range from the $500,000s to $1 million. Custom-built homes on spacious lots are also common, with prices ranging from $1 million to $1.8 million. Other streets are dotted with architectural styles, including Bi-Levels, Cape Cods and ranch-style homes. These properties are priced on the lower end, ranging from $300,000 to $500,000, while updated townhouses are in the same price range. Local students may attend highly rated schools on Niche within the Southern Lehigh School District. A-rated schools like Liberty Bell and Hopewell Elementary serve kindergarteners through third graders. Fourth through sixth graders may finish their primary education at the A-minus-rated Joseph P. Liberati Intermediate School. Students may then attend Southern Lehigh Middle, which scores an A. The A-minus-rated Southern Lehigh High is ranked as the No. 3 best public high school in the county on Niche. It offers a media center that allows students to check out camcorders, greenscreens, and microphones for multimedia projects. Upper Saucon Township is also home to DeSales University, a small Catholic institution. The Upper Saucon Township Community Park offers soccer and baseball fields for local sports leagues and trails that connect to the Saucon Rail Trail. This paved path spans nearly 8 miles through the township’s picturesque landscape along old railroad lines. The trail leads to the Southern Lehigh Living Memorial Park, which features more sports fields, a playground with a large, shaded sandbox and a community pool. After a fun-filled afternoon, locals can cool off with ice cream at The Inside Scoop. More trails await at South Mountain Big Rock Park. Golf lovers can choose between the 18-hole Wedgewood Golf Course and the highly regarded Saucon Valley Country Club. “For a certain buyer, the country club is a huge draw. I have heard of relocating because of the club or purchasing out-of-the-area membership to play golf on the weekends,” Francis says. Locals are also close to nearby gyms like CrossFit Threehold. The Promenade at Saucon Valley is the main shopping destination located along Center Valley Parkway. Locals can head to The Fresh Market for weekly groceries or peruse retail shops like Athleta and Barnes & Noble. The Promenade also has many restaurants and an AMC Center Valley 16 Movie Theatre. Top Cut Steakhouse offers upscale dining that ranges from steak to oysters, and Melt is known for its intimate atmosphere and Italian cuisine. Head east to Ye Olde Spring Valley Tavern for a different ambiance, with a rustic house-turned-restaurant and a spacious outdoor seating area with a small pond. Surrounded by farmland, locals are also near wineries like Stone Farm Cellars & Vinyard and Black River farms. Further south, residents can also pick up groceries at Giant and explore one of the many restaurants in Coopersburg. One of the most well-known events that attract residents and visitors is the annual Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival at DeSales University. The festival runs for over two months, and locals can enjoy nine different productions that include the works of Shakespeare and other well-known authors. Residents can also enjoy live music at Hopewell Park in the summer during the Upper Saucon Township Summer Concert Series. Residents are also minutes from festivities like the Great Allentown Fair and live performances at SteelStacks in nearby Bethlehem. Interstate 78 is Upper Saucon Township’s gateway to the surrounding Lehigh Valley metro area and cities like New York. Other major thoroughfares include U.S. Route 145, which leads about 8 miles to Allentown, and U.S. Route 478, which leads about 5 miles to St. Luke’s University Hospital - Bethlehem Campus. Philadelphia commuters can use Interstate 476 for their 53-mile commute. Business travelers will also appreciate that Lehigh Valley International Airport is only 10 miles away. Other establishments, like houses of worship, are plentiful, like the Saucon Mennonite Church.