Nestled between Philadelphia and Reading, Pennsylvania, Pottstown sits along the Schuylkill River. Not to be confused with Pottsville, Pottstown is in Montgomery County and used to be home to the famous Mrs. Smith's pies, while Pottsville is home to the Yuengling brewery.
Around 22,400 people call the borough of Pottstown home
Nestled between Philadelphia and Reading, Pennsylvania, Pottstown sits along the Schuylkill River. Not to be confused with Pottsville, Pottstown is in Montgomery County and used to be home to the famous Mrs. Smith's pies, while Pottsville is home to the Yuengling brewery.
Around 22,400 people call the borough of Pottstown home. The number is between 50,000 and 60,000 people if you include the neighboring townships that all share the same ZIP code and Pottstown, PA, mailing address.
While there are a couple apartment complexes in Pottstown, apartment living really isn't prominent in the area. Most people live in houses or rental homes or live in houses outside the borough itself. Looking for a place to live in the Pottstown area isn't impossible, but you may have to dig a little deeper to find exactly what you are looking for.
How Much Will it Cost?
One-bedroom apartments, on average, cost about as much as the rest of Penn, within a five-mile radius of downtown Pottstown. With each additional bedroom, the rent increases (shocking, right?), and if you are interested in having a four-bedroom place in Pottstown, be prepared to shell out nearly 2 or 3 times the price of that studio! Hope the kids are worth it!
If you are not interested in apartment living, there are houses to rent in the borough and surrounding areas as well. Prices for rental houses also vary by the hundreds depending on location and other things, like utilities (included/not included) and pets.
What Will I Need?
Pottstown isn't a huge city, and there really aren't any set specific times when renting is better, but if you have children, trying to get settled before the beginning of the school year is a good choice. Some things to keep in mind, just like with job interviews, is to be 10 to 15 minutes early when showing up for a meeting with a landlord or real estate agent. If there is a rental application, make sure it's filled out neatly and accurately. If you are going to be living with a pet, make sure you have a copy of their updated veterinary records. You want to make a good impression for all living with you. Present yourself in a professional manner. You don't want to show up looking like you haven't showered in a month. You want to show that you are reliable and dependable. The landlord wants to know you'll be dependable and pay your bills on time.
Pottstown is "Just" Pottstown
While big cities like New York City have different area names (like in Manhattan there's the Upper East Side/ SoHo, Fashion District, etc.), Pottstown is just Pottstown. It's more known for the separation between the borough and the surrounding townships than for the sections of the borough.
Getting Around
The borough itself is very walkable, with sidewalks along most roads. Also, along High Street, there is a bike lane if you care to ride your bicycle through town. Moving out to the other townships in the area, driving is the preferred method of transportation. Sidewalks are not as prominent in those areas, while they are available in places like Stowe and Sanatoga.
For public transportation, there is PART (Pottstown Area Rapid Transit). PART takes you all around Pottstown and the surrounding townships at a low cost. PART's website has route fares and a transit map. The only downfall to PART is that it does not operate on Sundays or most major holidays.
Rush hour in Pottstown isn't too bad, but if you are heading into King of Prussia or Philadelphia, Rt. 422 can be a nightmare. Having patience for Rt. 422 is an acquired skill, and you usually need to tack on an extra 45 minutes to an hour depending on what time of the morning you leave for work.
During non-rush hour times, Rt. 422 is busy but it is manageable and you can get to King of Prussia in 25 minutes and sections of Philadelphia in 45 to 50 minutes.
Pottstown is a nice mix of suburban and rural living. If you don't mind the drive into Philadelphia, Pottstown offers good schools (a mix of public, private and parochial) for your children, and a lot more.
