Husband got into UPenn Grad school. Best suburbs close to Uni city with best schools (Philadelphia: university, live in)
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Spruce Hill is located in West Philadelphia, within University City. It does not have its own zip code, but it appears that part of the area is in 19104, and part is in 19143.
I was in Philly last Saturday and toured some of the places in Narberth, Wynnewood, Ardmore and Bryn Mawr. I fell in love with Narberth, it's so much like where we live right now and it' close to UC but the problem is with the train to UC from Narberth station; a train every hour!
Thanks you guys.I'll also look near UC and also in the Media area.
That was really helpful! THANKS
You would be much better off in Ardmore than Narberth. Besides having the R5 which does run every hour you also have the route 100 which goes from 69th St Termninal to Norristown and has 2 stops in Ardmore, Ardmore Jct & Ardmore Ave. Just get on the 100 and go to 69th St and take the Market Frankford Blue Line to 34th St and your right by UPenn and it takes a little less than 30 minutes and the Blue Line & 100 run very frequently. Plus you also have the options of the the 103,105,106 and 44 buses and Ardmore there's alot of nice shops and bars-restaurants and plenty to do.
My wife is considering taking a job at UPenn so we'll might be moving back to Philly and Ardmore will be the area that we will settle at.
You would be much better off in Ardmore than Narberth. Besides having the R5 which does run every hour you also have the route 100 which goes from 69th St Termninal to Norristown and has 2 stops in Ardmore, Ardmore Jct & Ardmore Ave. Just get on the 100 and go to 69th St and take the Market Frankford Blue Line to 34th St and your right by UPenn and it takes a little less than 30 minutes and the Blue Line & 100 run very frequently.
This reminds me... Another option from the Media/Wallingford area would be the route 101 trolley to the 69th Street terminal, then get on the Market - Frankford Line subway line and get off at 34th St. (I know a couple of people who work in University City and use this route to get there every day because it's less expensive than taking the Media/Elwyn/R3 regional rail.)
The stops at Orange Street through Providence Road are in the RoseTree/Media school district (and also all in Media borough). Beatty Road and Pine Ridge are in the Wallingford-Swarthmore school district (technically in Nether Providence township). After that you hit Springfield & Drexel Hill.
This may sound far, but if you are renting, I suggest you look into Collingswood, NJ. Collingswood is right over the bridge from Philly and the train to UCity will take 25 minutes (only because you have to transfer to the surface line from PATCO). The PATCO runs every 6 minutes to CC Philly every morning and the commute to 8th and Market is 11 minutes. You won't pay NJ property tax as a renter and you will get a "blue ribbon" school at the elementary level. You also get a great walkable town with restaurants, green spaces and tons of activities.
I grew up in Philly all my life and though I know that U-City has made great strides from where it was, it may not be the best fit for a family from Oregon. The area surrounding Spruce Hill still needs a lot of work and crime like car break ins and drug trafficing is common. The area is not very family friendly in the summer when the college students are gone either. Discipline problems in Philly public schools are legendary. The city school budget lacks the availability of sports and even places to play them. In Collingswood, you would get all of that for free. Check out the town website.
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Originally Posted by LakeOswegan
I was in Philly last Saturday and toured some of the placese in Narberth, Wynnewood, Ardmore and Bryn Mawr. I fell in love with Narberth, it's so much like where we live right now and it' close to UC but the problem is with the train to UC from Narberth station; a train every hour!
Thanks you guys.I'll also look near UC and also in the Media area.
That was really helpful! THANKS
Gloucester Township, NJ is a great place to live with great schools and a 30 minute commute to University City. It's about 15 miles out, all interstate highway. I commute there every weekday on 42 North/76 West and I am there in 20 minutes flat sometimes, usually about 30 minutes. The $4 toll to cross the bridge, and the high property taxes, are the only real downsides to living in NJ, but for easy access to South Philly and University City without the downsides of living in Philadelphia (terrible schools, crime problems, nasty littered streets), you can't beat NJ. SEPTA regional rail runs too infrequently, and the subways are nasty with uncomfortable seats. Driving is the way to go and while you will pay about $150 a month for parking, it's worth it. The The PA suburbs are nice but they are much less convenient for quick access to University City, perhaps with the exception of Drexel Hill/Upper Darby, but I hear their schools at the HS level aren't so great anymore. The Main Line is a nightmare to drive to and from University City. Your only option is really Lancaster Avenue (Route 30) which is stop-and-go with tons of traffic lights, or 76 (Schuylkill Expressway) which is a congested mess. Yeah the suburbs out that way are the nicest with the best schools, but they are way too snobby and I personally would never live there. Some of the other PA suburbs out that way like Valley Forge area are nice places to live, but the traffic situation makes New Jersey the clear winner here.
Just a reminder that during week days, Penn students & employees can take the LUCY, which is a "loop through university city" shuttle bus ran by SEPTA for FREE to Penn affiliates. No matter if you get off at 30th street station or a subway station, you can use this to get around different locations in u-city. Here are two websites: University City District: LUCY Loop Thru University City SEPTA | LUCY Schedule
My husband and I are currently searching for homes in both lower Main Line and University City. The two locations have very different vibes. U-city is much more hip and still some grit. There is a lot being redeveloped here. Rental prices seem to have a really broad range depending on location. Lower Main Line is always a safe bet. You are close to the city, but safely nestled in the suburbs.
In u-city, Penn Alexander is a great school. Here is a map of the catchment area: What are the boundaries of the Penn Alexander School? Can my child attend? | Home and School Association. Lower Merion township, Haverford Township, and Radnor township all have good schools. I would choose lower merion township for it's proximity to the city and there are some decent rents. You will definitely be paying the $1400-$1600 for a 2 bed rental in either u-city or lower merion. We looked for a long time and have had a difficult time finding something that wasn't run down. (however, we have a dog, which limits our choices)
In case some of the language used in this thread is confusing, please note that all of the 19104 zip code is NOT in the catchment area for the Penn Alexander School. So don't start looking for housing listings in 19104 and assume that the chools there are all good. That's just one good school in the Philadelphia School District (which overall is not necessarily so good).
Yes me and my wife are having the same problem. Work is at upenn but finding a nice suburb that is close to work is hard. Also family in the northeast
We visited Drexel hill/upper darby last weekend its okay.Gotta do more research on schools over there.
Ardmore is next on our list to visit.
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