Philly Suburbs for Young Professionals (Philadelphia, King of Prussia: apartment complexes, rent, home)

[MovingNorth989]

Hi there!
I am moving north from Houston. I currently live at Woodway Square (http://www.woodwaysquare.net) Houston Uptown Galleria area. And would like to move to somewhere with a similar environment. I enjoy the beautiful greenery everywhere, I am close to a nice church, small shopping plaza ( Randalls, La Madeline, Cafe Express, SoHo, Whole Foods, Chase, Wells Fargo...) all within 2 miles and easy access to Barnes and Noble within 3 mi. I am close to the Houston Galleria, the Finance/Banking area and large shopping mall in Houston. I will be working in Bristol area, yet don't mind a 20-45 min commute.

To make it easier, here is what I'm looking for

1. Close to an attraction( Nice Shopping District, Historic Village, Museum District, Golf Course...etc)
2. Within 10 min access to major highway (I-95 is best for me, yet I don't mind paying toll)
3. More Young Professionls ( I did enjoy the Yardley, Newtown feel, however, it's a bit isolated for me right now)
Within 10 mi to a hip urban side of town is good for me too
4. Train Station in the area (doesn't have to be walking distance, within easy driving distance 5 mi or so is fine)
5. I am a renter. So areas with apartments. I learned that some beautiful towns are more family oriented so its rare to have apartment complexes
6. Prefer no Philadelphia city tax. Is it anywhere in Philadelphia that has this tax?
7. Within 45 min commute to Bristol, PA

Towns that I have heard of so far are Conshohocken, Doyelstown

Areas I have looked in are Huntingdon Valley http://www.kormanmeadowbrook.com/) Downside to this was driving through small not so developed areas on Philmont to get access to I-95

Conshohocken- (http://www.sherrylake.homeproperties.com/) If you recommend other apt complexes please let me know

Warminister- Is the area a nice suburb to live in? http://www.jeffersononthecreek.com[/url] I was hoping since it's close to Willow Grove, so should be accessible to nice malls

Warrington- Warrington Crossing 1700 Street Road Warrington, PA 18976

Langhorne- Polo Run, Stonefield at Yardley (Beautiful area, yet evenings I would feel isolated with no choices to hangout at a coffee shop or nice bar grill area)

Doyelstown- I don't know of any apartments in this area, feel free to recommend

Thanks so much in advance for looking!

[kidphilly]

Doylestown is a little more remote than Newtown/Yardley but a tad larger.

The closest to the galleria is probably King of Prussia (KOP) which is fairly close to Conshy.

For a commute to Bristol you might also consider the Jersey side in areas like Cherry Hill, Haddonfield, and Moorestown.

In general though you are right in that most burbs in Philly are more family oriented with the exception of a few places like Conshy. Many more young singles are down in the Center City area.

[Wisertime]

Take a look at Ambler/Ft. Washington area or even Plymouth meeting. Several shopping destinations inside of 10 min, nice little main street area, train access, near golf courses and you should find some apts in the area.

I'm not sure you can have everything on your list, but it's a good compromise.

[a75206]

I'm from H-town and have lived in Philly for about a year now. I think one of the main places in Philly area that is kind of like Galleria/Post Oak is Conchy... Conchohoken.

You must realize that no area in these parts is going to be anything like Houston. Houston is a huge, unplanned, mess....but is a new city, with a lot of new stuff everywhere, and people moving in from all over. Philly area is old, established, and in some ways, pretty set in how it looks and feels. Highways are constricted from growth because most people revolt against highways cutting across their towns. Towns themselves are smaller; Philly has a ton of suburbs, but they are smaller than the average H-town suburb such as Sugar Land or Conroe.

But Conchy has a flashy mitown Houston feel to it, about as much as that feel can be had in Philly area. And in many ways, I think it is good that development happens at a more measured pace here in Philly. I like Houston too, but the two places are very different.

As far as taxes, Conchy is in Montgomery County and if you don't work in Philly, you won't be paying Philly's wage tax. But I believe most towns/suburbs in PA have their own wage tax, which is a much lower rate. So you won't go totally tax-free.

Conchy seems to attract a lot of young professionals.

I don't know anything about churches because I'm not a Christian, but I get the feeling church doesn't drive people's cultural or social calendar quite like how it might in Texas...


Frankly, for a young single professional, nothing beats Center City living. I love it here! Then again, my job is also here, so I don't have much of a commute...which is also awesome.


Good luck, and welcome to PeeAye! Hope you enjoy it here and make this your home.

[MovingNorth989]

Thank you all so much for the responses. This helps me out tremendously.
I now have a scope of places to look rather than a whole map
Yes I am excited about moving to Philly area, there's so much culture/history to every area
I will look into the areas suggested.

[frankgn87]

Id also recommend NJ too. Haddonfield or Cherry hill.. Lots to do, safe and very clean.. We moved over here from Pa and never looked back. BUT, Langhorne and Yardley areas are also very nice and highly recommended.. Good luck. Center city is busy for singles like you but not nearly as safe as the burbs and the rent and city wage tax will kill ya.

[killakoolaide]

Conshy is a good suggestion, but the other ones, are basically exurbs, and are not what your looking for. Look closer to the city. The burbs within a 10 mile radious of the city are fully developed and have everything your looking for, but still suburban in nature. I would also suggest Abington, Bensalem, Lower Merion(the Mainline), and Media/DelCo. Though the last two migh be a commuting issue since your working in bristol.

[MovingNorth989]

Originally Posted by frankgn87

Id also recommend NJ too. Haddonfield or Cherry hill.. Lots to do, safe and very clean.. We moved over here from Pa and never looked back. BUT, Langhorne and Yardley areas are also very nice and highly recommended.. Good luck. Center city is busy for singles like you but not nearly as safe as the burbs and the rent and city wage tax will kill ya.

Could you educate me how taxes work if I worked in Bristol, PA and lived in NJ?
And how do taxes compare in NJ versus Bucks County area?

Thanks!

[frankgn87]

Originally Posted by MovingNorth989

Could you educate me how taxes work if I worked in Bristol, PA and lived in NJ?
And how do taxes compare in NJ versus Bucks County area?

Thanks!

pa and NJ have reciprocating taxes meaning if you pay pa taxes, nj taxes(state) are not paid..
Taxes in bucks and Nj areas are comparable.. Same value home has comparable prop taxes..

[killakoolaide]

Originally Posted by MovingNorth989

Could you educate me how taxes work if I worked in Bristol, PA and lived in NJ?
And how do taxes compare in NJ versus Bucks County area?

Thanks!

Don't do Jersey, It'll cost you $100 a month to get back and forth across the bridge.