work in wilmington/live in philadelphia (sales, apartments, crime rate)

[melsous]

Hello,

I will be graduating in may and will be working in wilmington, DE (close to brandywine perry park) starting June and I currently live in philadelphia (borderline bala cynwyd, about 15 min from center city. I am considering moving to wilmington and need help evaluating the pros and cons.

I/ Staying in Philadelphia
Transportation
1- I will be driving to work and I have estimated gas cost to be around 110-150 per month.
2- It will take me about 40 mins to get there outside of rush hour
3- I was unable to find any public transportation to work from home, if you have suggestions please let me know.
4- What is traffic like if I have to leave home by 7 - 7:15 and leave wilmington at about 4:30?

Tax issues
1- As a PA resident I learned from a blog that I will be paying:
PA income taxes
DE income taxes.
Philly City Wage tax
Anything you can add to that?
2- Am I able to have depreciation (in miles) deducted when I file my taxes?
3- I am buying my car for the sole purpose of going to work. Are the interests on my car payements tax deductible?

II/ Moving to wilmington
Housing
1- I currently live in a nice one bedroom for about 1K a month. Any idea on where I could find a 1 bedroom apt for 700-800 to make it worth the move? (most places I looked into do not allow dogs... I plan on getting a dog soon)
2- Is there really nothing to do for a 20 year old?
3- How safe is wilmington?

Perks
No sales tax ... anyting else you can think of?

I appreciate any help...thank you!!!

[Joe84323]

Originally Posted by melsous

Hello,

I will be graduating in may and will be working in wilmington, DE (close to brandywine perry park) starting June and I currently live in philadelphia (borderline bala cynwyd, about 15 min from center city. I am considering moving to wilmington and need help evaluating the pros and cons.

I/ Staying in Philadelphia
Transportation
1- I will be driving to work and I have estimated gas cost to be around 110-150 per month.
2- It will take me about 40 mins to get there outside of rush hour
3- I was unable to find any public transportation to work from home, if you have suggestions please let me know.
4- What is traffic like if I have to leave home by 7 - 7:15 and leave wilmington at about 4:30?

Tax issues
1- As a PA resident I learned from a blog that I will be paying:
PA income taxes
DE income taxes.
Philly City Wage tax
Anything you can add to that?
2- Am I able to have depreciation (in miles) deducted when I file my taxes?
3- I am buying my car for the sole purpose of going to work. Are the interests on my car payements tax deductible?

II/ Moving to wilmington
Housing
1- I currently live in a nice one bedroom for about 1K a month. Any idea on where I could find a 1 bedroom apt for 700-800 to make it worth the move? (most places I looked into do not allow dogs... I plan on getting a dog soon)
2- Is there really nothing to do for a 20 year old?
3- How safe is wilmington?

Perks
No sales tax ... anyting else you can think of?

I appreciate any help...thank you!!!

Sorry you didnt get a reply.

Starting off, I don't know where Brandywine Perry park is. IF you mean Brandywine Park, you can get on a trolley to 69th street, then take the el to suburban, the r2 to Wilmington, and a bus to Brandywine Park. Sounds like a pain in the ass to me. You'll have to drive.

There is very little to do in Wilmington unless you are driving, but that you can find in Philly anyway. Not the best for a 20 year old strange to the area.

Wilmington's crime rate is similar to that of Philadelphia. There are good areas, and there are very bad areas. Downtown is alright, but the surroundings can get very seedy.

I have no idea about city wage tax, but they're gonna get ya good.

You'll find out in your first weeks there if you like Wilmington enough to live there. Personally, I lived there, and I moved to Philly, but that's up to you.

As for apartments, if you look, you can find an apt that price in Wilmington.

[Catrina302]

I moved to Wilmington and I love it. You should look into the Trolley Square area. It is geared towards "young professionals". Pretty much, people that work during the day, possibly hang out on the weekdays and then the weekends. There is alot of parks, there are a few dog parks as well for your dog! I am not sure when you turn 21, but there is definitely alot to do in the area. My family lives in Newtown Square, not far from Bala Cynwyd and it is because it is only about 26 minutes away to visit. Moderator cut: removed