New job in Coatesville - where to relocate? (Philadelphia, Chester: section 8, apartment complexes)

[Soopahmahn]

Hi all,

I just took a job with Mittal Steel in Coatesville as a metallurgical engineer and am looking for where best to relocate in Chester county. I think I want to live in West Chester/Exton/Downingtown based on apartment searches and their proximity, but I'm not sure exactly. I'll be renting at first and I'm young so I'm not worried about the housing market, education systems, etc.

I've lived in Chicago suburbia (Evanston) for the last five years and don't want to have to visit my friends in DC/NYC to have a good time - where is the best nightlife for a guy in his 20's? I figured the farther east I went, the closer to Philly and the more metro the area. I'd rather drive to see the beautiful countryside than drive to the local watering hole. However, I don't want to commute for an hour every day...

Also, what's the easiest way to commute to Philadelphia? Look like taking SEPTA is easy but I don't know which line to take and where to take it for a safe and fun time in Philly, or where I can get on, etc. Looks like it only serves certain west side suburbs...

Thanks for taking any time to respond, I'd just like to make this relocation easy and as ideal as possible!

Soop

[newmarlig]

You can take Amtrak from 30th Street station (easy enough to get to from center city - take the Frankford El which runs along Market Street with stops at 2nd, 5th, 8th, 11th, 13th and 15th streets to 30th Street Station - which takes only 7 minutes from the 2nd Street top and less time as you get closer to 15th Street). It is about a 40 minute ride. The fare is $7.00 each way. The only question is how far your job is from the station in Coatesville, and if it is a distance is there transportation there.

Here is the Amtrak link you can put in the information.

Amtrak - Reservations - Fare Finder

Bottom line - if you don't mind paying $70 a week for transportation (based on a 5 day week - but you also would not need a car. For the times you did, check out Phillycarshare.com )) and don't mind paying a Philadelphia wage tax (even though you are working in the burbs), this would be the best place for you to live.

[rainrock]

I think West Chester might be the way to go. Its a college town and the county seat of Chester County, so theres lots of young people around, bars restaurants etc. Keep in mind it is a small town, probably 15,000-20,000 people with another 10,000-15,000 students. Its only 20-30 minute drive to Coatesville and less than hour to Center City Philly and Manayunk which are very vibrant areas.

Good luck.

East Goshen/Westown/Malvern have a ton of apartment complexes if that helps. These towns border West Chester

[Soopahmahn]

Thanks for the replies - I might seriously look at moving into Philly after I take a short term apartment lease around West Chester and get a feel for the commute? The thing is, I do have a nice new car and would hate to see and pay for it to sit around... but I do have an old friend from Philly who might have some good ideas too.

How do King of Prussia/Norristown/Conshohocken area or Phoenixville stack up to West Chester area?

[Shinne]

Originally Posted by Soopahmahn

Thanks for the replies - I might seriously look at moving into Philly after I take a short term apartment lease around West Chester and get a feel for the commute? The thing is, I do have a nice new car and would hate to see and pay for it to sit around... but I do have an old friend from Philly who might have some good ideas too.

How do King of Prussia/Norristown/Conshohocken area or Phoenixville stack up to West Chester area?

i live in coatesville, that drive from philly to c-ville is a killer. Its like almost 11/2 hours with traffic and thats using short cuts. The traffic is gotten crazy 1 small accident and your sitting in traffic for the duration of rush hour. I purchased a home in thorndale 2 years ago and i rent it out, and the rent on that side of town east toward downingtown is just going up because it where all the families want to live but with the traffic and the cost no way, go west or south of c-ville to parksburg, its nicer and quicker to get to work, then you can ride the train from thorndale on RT30 to phila on we's or just drive lot less traffic to put up with. Plus I think coatesville is one of the only cheap/affordable places to live in chester county. People are going to have to live somewhere so i thing they are going to push those renter and section 8ers out of town for people willing to pay more to stay there. Just like they did in johnsontown(Small section of Downingtown). Good luck with you new job!!!
oh, I moving if i can find a gnice place to live thats why i'm on here, Hint, hint

[toobusytoday]

I would listen to Rainrock, West Chester is a nice place to live, good commute to Coatesville and easy enough to get to the city. Shinne is also correct - the commute from Philadelphia to Coatesville would get old really quick. Besides with working 8 hours a day and commuting two hours each way, when would you have time to enjoy the city life?

While you don't think you have to worry about schools now, that's a big factor in resale. If your house is not in a good school district you will have a harder time selling it.

I think if you visit West Chester, you'll find alot to like.

K of P, Norristown, Conshohocken are not half as nice as West Chester. When people are comparing nice, amiable, towns with some charm those three will not be mentioned. Not even sure that K of P is a town - it's a shopping and housing area with a zip code.

[Icy Tea]

I can't see working in Coatesville and living in Philly at all. You've got a car so think about commuting a little. Many areas west of Coatesville are alot cheaper than in Westchester and traffic is alot less too. Exton is nice but traffic and sprawl are big problems.

[nativePAgirl]

..young man, do not move to Philly! Your automobile insurance will SKYROCKET....trust me on that! You're better off in the West Chester area....where insurance rates will be considerably lower!