If you could work from any U.S. metro ...

[michgc]

athensvaasi,

I'm not clear. Where do you live now? While *I* wouldn't mind moving back to Philly - mostly because my family lives there (okay, I'll admit it, for the soft pretzels, too), I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for everyone. Can you tell us more about your family? Your work? Your likes, dislikes, etc.?

[athensvaasi]

Originally Posted by michgc

Montgomery Cty (PA) does have more Asians than Bucks. Bucks is very white; I agree. Although, in some cases, the areas that had more ethnic diversity in Montgomery County tended to be poorer areas. A few years ago, we looked to move back to that area and I focused on Asian populations because one of my children was adopted from China, and I didn't want to move to an almost all white school district. We looked in Bucks and Montgomery. And the places where the good schools were - like Central Bucks was very white. In more ethnically diverse areas in Montgomery County (Quakertown, I believe, for example), the schools were not as well-ranked.

michgc, there is a significant Asian population in Lansdale / N. Wales / Montgomeryville area. (The other area in Philly metro is Cherry Hill of course on the NJ side.)

Originally Posted by michgc

I think you cannot worry too much about colleges right now. So much changes in 10 years. And who knows if you live in VA, if they'd even want to go to a VA school? Haivng said that, VA has an advantage of having good public schools at many levels (those that are harder to get into such as UVA and William and Mary; those that are medium to get into - such as Tech or George Mason; and those that are easier to get into Radford and ODU). PA has a lot of schools. And living in the Philadelphia region, you can drive 4 hours in every direction and go to over 100 colleges. BUT, for sate schools, they don't have the variety that VA has. As I see it, there's Penn State and then everything else which is mostly mediocre (Bloomsburg, Shippensburg, Kutztown, for example).

I understand. But I think you are skipping U. Pittsburgh (middle to upper middle ranking? ) and Temple U. (which I believe has become a lot better than in the past. and apparently that area is improving as well.)

The total combined enrollment is probably about the same, and there seems to be some variety as well??? With the 2+2 advantage (I am not necessarily thinking of 2+2 as a backdoor. Rather an easing into college for the young adult!)

[michgc]

Originally Posted by athensvaasi

michgc, there is a significant Asian population in Lansdale / N. Wales / Montgomeryville area. (The other area in Philly metro is Cherry Hill of course on the NJ side.)

I understand. But I think you are skipping U. Pittsburgh (middle to upper middle ranking? ) and Temple U. (which I believe has become a lot better than in the past. and apparently that area is improving as well.) The total combined enrollment is probably about the same, and there seems to be some variety as well??? With the 2+2 advantage (I am not necessarily thinking of 2+2 as a backdoor. Rather an easing into college for the young adult!)

Not sure what you are saying here? The combined enrollment of what is the same?

Yes, I remember that Lansdale/Montgomeryville having more Asians. But again, their schools aren't ranked as highly as other Montco and Bucks schools.
Yes, I forgot about Pitt. I did remember Temple, which isn't exactly a "state" school but does get some state aid. It has some reputable programs, but many discount it immediately because of the neighborhood. Both of my siblings went there undergrad and to say the neighborhood is scary is an understatment. We didn't stop at red lights when we drove through campus. I have heard it's improved, but I'm still not sure I'd send my kid there.

Also, where do you live now? I think that can help in the advice department.

[athensvaasi]

Originally Posted by michgc

athensvaasi,

I'm not clear. Where do you live now? While *I* wouldn't mind moving back to Philly - mostly because my family lives there (okay, I'll admit it, for the soft pretzels, too), I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for everyone. Can you tell us more about your family? Your work? Your likes, dislikes, etc.?

Now in Atlanta metro. After 20 years in Georgia and Atlanta, looking for a change. At this time I have the option of locating myself anywhere on the east coast.

Likes:
* Cities (loved walking around New York neighborhoods). After mother nature, cities are man's creations. While I will live in the burbs for now, I like how Philadelphia is improving (atleast based on what I am reading.)

* Density makes sense (BosWash has 20% of the US population) -- for businesses and most everything.

* Not into overworking. But need stable economic environment. (Philadelphia pales in comparison to NYC and DC I suppose? But hopefully holds its own in comparison with the rest of the east coast.)

* Closeby - Beach, mountains, other cities for vacations.

* A good core city for periodic weekend visits.

* Good public school and university system.

* I am Asian Indian - so I dont want to be in the 2% Asian population in town. But dont need huge presence either (like I am guessing in NYC or DC), I have lived too many years in the USA.

--

Please let me know if Philadelphia passes the basic test in these aspects!

--

[athensvaasi]

Originally Posted by michgc

Not sure what you are saying here? The combined enrollment of what is the same?

Total number of seats in PA's significant colleges (approx equal to) total number of seats in VA's significant colleges. With PA easier to get into the state's flagship university.

Originally Posted by michgc

Yes, I remember that Lansdale/Montgomeryville having more Asians. But again, their schools aren't ranked as highly as other Montco and Bucks schools.

I only look at greatschools.org. Check out details on North Penn High. Its 3 middle schools. And elementary schools. There are no bad schools in that school district.

Doesn't do great, but not too badly either in the state rankings. But I usually just go with greatschools.

[michgc]

Hmm...okay. That helps. Philly wins hands down for being close to the beach. Depending on where in Philly you live, you can be at the beach in 1 1/2 hours - easily a day trip. From DC, it is a minimum of 3 hours, and that is on a good day. Traffic here cannot be underestimated. But from what I understand, Atlanta traffic is no picnic either, so you know what that's like. My point is, a trip to the beach from DC could easily take 4 hours.

Both DC and Philly are great walking cities. Honestly, I haven't been back to the city part of Philly in quite awhile, other than driving through, so it's probably best to get updated info. from the Philly board on that. There are, of course, great tourist/historic areas like Independence Hall/Liberty Bell, Franklin Institute, Betsy Ross house, etc. Wonderful colonial-era brick streets and row homes. The size is much bigger than DC, with several neighborhoods - South Philly Italian neighborhood, Chinatown, Old City, etc. The food cannot be beat - Reading Street Market is to die for! On the other hand, there is industry and pollution and it used to have the repuation of filthadelphia. Of course, they have cleaned up since then, but again, the Philly forum would be best to get to the details.

DC cannot be beat for the world-class city that it is. It's hard not to be overtaken by the site of foreign tourists gawking at the White House where the most important person in the world lives. And to walk by the Capitol and the Washington Monument on a regular basis - just wow! Nothing can either beat all of the FREE museums we have. My kids go on an almost weekly basis to the Smithsonians. There are always new rooms to discover and temporary exhibits to satisfy intellectual curiosity. Air and Space, Natural History, American Indian, American History, Gallery of Art. You can have something to do every day for years just by visiting all of the museums.

On the otherhand, the city is not "our" city. It is the world's city to see and do. There isn't much of a local feel to it - just important people trying to impress other important people. Not to say there aren't neighborhoods - there are - Cleveland Park, Brookland, DuPont Circle, etc. But it's just not on the same level as Philly. There is no "Little Italy" "Chinatown" "Greektown" etc. of bigger, older cities. There's no industry here so little pollution, although the tour busses do a pretty good job of polluting the air, but overall, they keep the city clean.

While not as economically stable as DC (what city is?), I think Philly has weathered the economic downturn quite well comparatively. Of course, it depends on what field you work. But overall, housing hasn't dropped like in other places, and there still seem to be plenty of jobs there.

Schools are good both places. People like to tout Fairfax County Public Schools as being among the best in the nation. But honestly, any wealthy suburb stacks up quite well against FCPS. There are some just as excellent (or even better) school districts in the Philadelphia suburbs. Lower Merion, Tredyffrin-Easttown, and Central Bucks are always among the top scoring schools in that area. The main difference is that in the Philly suburbs, the districts are township run, so there are literally hundreds of school districts in that metropolitan area compared to about a dozen in the DC metro area. There are advantages and disadvantages to both big and small districts. I personally like those that are smaller than FCPS, but I'm sure there are others who disagree.

As far as which is better for travel, I think it depends on where you go the most. If you like New York, Boston, and New England, then obviously Philly would be better. If you prefer traveling to the south, the DC would. For flying, I think it's 6 of 1, 1/2 dozen of the other. They both have international airports with numerous flights.

DC wins for having more Asians (although I'm not sure how Indian Asians, specifically stack up). As I mentioned, there are a lot of very white neighborhoods in PA. They just don't exist at that level here in DC. Even in Vienna where I live and many around here consider to be one of the more white suburbs, there are all shades of brown at my daughters' school. Depending on the suburb there, there would be much fewer non-white people. But as you noticed, some areas are more diverse than others. I'm sure there are pockets of Indian Asians there. Again, probably best asked on the Philly board.

Last, I think DC is an easier place to move TO. No one is from here, so no one will look at you like the "new kid" Your kids would have an easy time making friends in school. They will probably have kids who started the school the week before them as new students and new students will start the week after them. In other words, it's a transient area. Nearly everyone knows what it's like to be the new person here. And everyone is used to people moving in and out of the area. On the other hand, I have heard that it's hard to be the new person in Philly (being a Philly native, I don't know firsthand). People are born, live, and die in Philly. It's not nearly as transient as here. You *may* feel like an outsider to the families whose cousins and second cousins all attend the same school as them. And their grandparents and friends of their grandparents still come to their kids' soccer games. The relationships are very inter-related there and may go back generations. You will see very little of that here in DC.

Last thing I will say, there is a great feeling of community in Philly (as long as you feel part of it). The area is set up as townships. So North Wales has a personality. Newtown has a personality. Media has a personality. Lower Merion has a personality. Each has their own school district. Each has families that have lived in those towns for generations. There is much pride in people's townships. And friendly rivalry between them. There are many suburbs with walkable town centers.

In DC (NoVA), that township feeling does not exist much. There are *a few* towns/cities here. Alexandria has a feel. Vienna has a feel. Falls Church has a feel. But overall, you get these big county areas that all run together. No town center to speak of - strip mall after strip mall and big box store. With a county school system and redistricting done on a regular basis, allegiances aren't as strong to one's "town" or (really, census-designated area) as it is in Philly.

Phew, I think this is the longest post I have ever written.

[Tiger Beer]

If I wasn't dependent on the local wages..

Definitely HONOLULU...

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

If I wasn't dependent on the local wages..

Definitely HONOLULU...

Also, if money is not an issue, Monterey, CA is a pretty spot. Or Montauk or Vail, so I could mingle with the rich and famous. Oh, and a summer house in Newport, RI.

The thing is, money and jobs ARE issues. So..... if you don't have a job, please think twice before moving here. Virginia is a wonderful place to live if you have a good job or plenty of money. Don't move here without a job, expecting that you'll find one right away. You might find a low paying "filler" job right away but that won't pay the bills. The good jobs often take awhile to find.

[athensvaasi]

Thanks michgc for all your insight and time. I think I will be happy to move to either location. Going to be a tough choice! Thanks.