Considering relocating to Eastern PA From the Deeeeeeep South. Crazy? (Philadelphia: how much, houses)

[Crashj007]

Originally Posted by mstelm

im from York PA, and i'd tell you don't come here but i don't know about further east. The reason i am replying is i wanted to say im form PA and want to move SOUTH lol .. TN maybe?
Best Wishes

Moved from Enola to Raleigh. Love it. No snow.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by 1ondoner

OP, whatever you do, don't move to Philadelphia. Some people give the same canned response to anyone who is asking.

Of all the people you'd describe as giving a "canned" response, I think I'm one of the last.

Yes, I do make much of the same points in favor of Philadelphia when I recommend it. Why shouldn't I, especially when I can count on someone like you to shoot them down completely, Mr. I-Don't-Like-Mass-Transit-And-You-Shouldn't-Either?

But I did mention the wage tax when describing the situation here in this post. Go back through my prior posts advocating living in Philadelphia or its neighborhoods and see where I did that. What I try to do is counter the negative stereotypes often thrown up about this city.

Which, I'm fond of saying, "is underrated, and nobody underrates it more than the natives."

(Natives who post here like kyb01 excluded from this judgement.)

Originally Posted by kyb01

There are plenty of conservatives even in some of the bluest parts of PA even in the SE area which is metro Philly

Also consider what MarketEl mentioned about the number of Catholic institutions in and around Philly: churchs, schools/colleges/ universities. Pope Francis has been to only two American cities, Philadelphia and New York. Two American Saints were Philadelphians: St John Neumann and Saint Katharine Drexel. You should feel fine about practicing your faith in Philly.

Since we're discussing religion and politics, sort of, it might be worth noting that Catholics come in liberal and conservative versions too, and the difference often depends on which elements of Catholic moral teaching the given Catholic emphasizes.

From what I know of it, Catholic doctrine is "conservative" on matters of sexual behavior and "liberal" on matters economic. You won't find much on the personal-behavior stuff in the pages of the National Catholic Reporter, the nation's leading liberal Catholic newspaper.

I'm the only male member of the family on my father's side who did not convert to Roman Catholicism as an adult. (My brother's Knights of Columbus buddies egged me on when they learned I was an Episcopalian: "Well, you're almost a Catholic already. Why not take the next step?")

After my Dad's older brother converted, I got him a subscription to the National Catholic Reporter (which is published in Kansas City) for Christmas. When I asked him how he liked it, he gave a lukewarm response. I found out why the following Christmas, when I returned home and saw the stacks of National Catholic Registers in my grandmother's old home, which he inherited.

The Register is the oldest national Catholic newspaper and tends to downplay the social-justice stuff that the Reporter plays up.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

Of course, I'm sure you've heard James Carville's notorious remark about this state:

"From Paoli to Penn Hills it's all Alabama in between."

He's referring to the part of the state some derisively refer to as "Pennsyltucky" and more refer to simply as "the T", so called because this largely rural and culturally (and politically) conservative area has that shape once you carve out metropolitan Philadelphia ("Paoli," the western end of the Main Line) and Pittsburgh ("Penn Hills," an eastern suburb).

I wouldn't let that deter me from considering some of the small cities in the middle of the state, though. State College, home to Penn State's flagship campus, is a blue island in a red sea, if that makes any difference to you. Regardless, "Happy Valley" has a very high quality of life.

rowhomecity didn't say this, which surprises me given that he's from here, but I wouldn't rule out the city of Philadelphia itself either. The public schools need work on the whole, but there are some very good ones out there (and two of the state's 10 best high schools are in the School District of Philadelphia, including #1 Julia Reynolds Masterman). There are neighborhoods in the city where you can find homes with ample yards and parks and playgrounds nearby; if you settle in the city's northwest quarter, you may be able to find one of these within spitting distance of the Wissahickon Valley section of Fairmount Park - perhaps the finest urban wilds in the country, great for hiking, biking and exploring. Property taxes in Philly aren't all that high by either East Coast or metropolitan area standards, but there is a wage tax of just over 4 percent. The city is shot through with both Catholic churches and parochial schools, so you should be able to find one of each near wherever you choose to live. The median house price in Philadelphia is below $265k, and there are some homes in that price range that aren't in marginal neighborhoods.

As of 7/1/2017 the wage tax is 3.8907 % and 3.4654 % for commuters who work in the city. Not that it's Earth- shaking but the wage tax has been under 4% for a long time....years in fact.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by Pullenaway

I spent last weekend in North Wales with an aunt and uncle of mine and I really like that area as well, but it is more expensive and could possibly be "too busy" for my wife in terms of hustle and bustle that she isn't really accustomed to.

Hmmm, if your wife thought it was too busy in N. Wales, I'm afraid that SE PA may not be for your family. That is, the closer one gets to being really near/in Philly, the " hustle and bustle" will increase.

That said, Philly has a 200+ year old history of Roman Catholicism. So that may outweigh other things.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by 1ondoner

OP, whatever you do, don't move to Philadelphia. Some people give the same canned response to anyone who is asking.

We do that because we see positives about the city you do not and probably never will.

The OP obviously will make his own decision about it.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by tone77

Crazy? No, but I find it a bit odd. I have become a snowbird in recent years, usually to the gulf coast. Eastern PA isn't a bad area to live if you can overcome to major shocks. The cost of living will be much higher than you are used to. I have spent time in recent years in Pensacola and Gulfport, and it's much cheaper there.
Spend at least one winter here before buying a house. It's not just the cold that gets you, it's the gloom, lack of sunshine, dark outside at 4:30 in the afternoon, all the different shades of gray.
If these two things don't bother you, eastern PA will be a great place to live.

SE PA is also less prone to having direct hits from hurricanes and we're also not quite in the snowbelt(well, not SE PA) the way New England is.

Are you aware that some people have the reverse version of season affective disorder in that summer is hell? I have it. I positively loathe temps of above 75-80F. High Humidity? Just awful for me.

And I have family in AL and have been there many times so I know about it.

[1ondoner]

When will Philly homers come to the realization that Philly is not for everyone? When it comes to public schools, it's probably the worst in SEPA. Both for students and teachers.

Originally Posted by kyb01

We do that because we see positives about the city you do not and probably never will.

The OP obviously will make his own decision about it.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by 1ondoner

When will Philly homers come to the realization that Philly is not for everyone? When it comes to public schools, it's probably the worst in SEPA. Both for students and teachers.

We know that it's not for everyone. But, on the other hand, we're not going to stop telling people what we think even if it sounds overly positive to you.

[rowhomecity]

Originally Posted by 1ondoner

When will Philly homers come to the realization that Philly is not for everyone? When it comes to public schools, it's probably the worst in SEPA. Both for students and teachers.

I did not suggest Philadelphia because I thought the OP budget would limit him. But if OP had a budget of 700k plus I most certainly would suggest NW Philly. ( west Mt. Airy/ Chestnut Hill) which is an absolute wonderful area to raise a family but albeit at a very high cost.

I agree other posters need to think a little more critically at needs and budget before automatically defacting Philadelphia.

[Pullenaway]

Originally Posted by kyb01

SE PA is also less prone to having direct hits from hurricanes and we're also not quite in the snowbelt(well, not SE PA) the way New England is.

Are you aware that some people have the reverse version of season affective disorder in that summer is hell? I have it. I positively loathe temps of above 75-80F. High Humidity? Just awful for me.

And I have family in AL and have been there many times so I know about it.

I have it,then. I absolutely hate weather above 85 degrees, even if there's water nearby. The swimming pools turn into giant warm water baths...not refreshing at all. High humidity just sucks the life out of you. I'm a distance runner (when I'm focused) and it's just brutal running in July, August, and September. October is also tough because the humidity is still high.You literally get soaked exercising for 5 minutes because of all the moisture in the air.

Weather is a factor in our decision to move, albiet not the main reason. I am indifferent about the gray days. Where I live in AL, it rains almost every day from April through October. It's not gray all day, but it's still lousy weather, IMHO. It rains so hard you have to pull off the road because you can't see and everybody with 4WD tries to drive at top speed, ending up in a ditch some of the time.