Burb vs. burb

Jenkintown North Wales

Two Montgomery County contenders, $49K apart on a typical house, and two different ideas of a Saturday. The tale of the tape:

Quick verdict

  • Your dollar goes further in North Wales: homes around $475K against $524K.
  • Jenkintown takes the food question. More kitchens worth arguing about.
  • Jenkintown owns the night: more taprooms, later rooms.
  • Jenkintown wins the browse. The shops are the afternoon.

The read, side by side

Food scene
Nights out
Shops & browsing
Arts & festivals
Trails & outdoors
Family Saturdays
Train to the city
Main-street walk
Peace & quiet

Scored 0–5 by us, the way we’d brief a friend. Not by a formula.

The numbers

Jenkintown North Wales
CountyMontgomeryMontgomery
Typical home$524K$475K
TrainJenkintown-Wyncote, about 25 minNorth Wales, about 45 min
Drive to Center City~25 min~45 min
SchoolsJenkintownNorth Penn
Population4,7193,426
In our guide74 places30 places

Home values: typical figures checked against Zillow and Redfin, mid-2026. Train times: typical scheduled rides to Jefferson Station, rounded. Verify before you commit to anything with a mortgage on it.

A Saturday in each

Jenkintown

  • Philly Cheesecake Lady: Cheesecake as the whole point, in more flavors than you'd expect one bakery to carry.
  • Mine By Design Etsy Shop: A West Ave maker's shop that moved from Etsy to a storefront, selling handmade goods and gifts you can hold before you buy.
  • The Sewing Room: A sewing studio on the lower level at Homestead Road, running classes for kids and grown-ups who want to actually learn the machine.

The full Jenkintown guide →

North Wales

  • American Star Diner: The Welsh Road diner running round-the-clock, which settles where 2 a.m.
  • Ewenited Stitches: A yarn shop on East Montgomery with a pun for a name and skeins stacked to the ceiling.
  • Walnut Square Park: A small square on East Walnut, half a block from Tex Mex Connection and the shops.

The full North Wales guide →