Moving to Philly from Hawaii (Philadelphia, Scranton: apartment, rent, car insurance)

[KIMrox]

Hi everyone!

I'll be moving to Philly from Hawaii in September. I just got my degree in Interior Design and am just looking for a new change. I've lived in Hawaii for about 13 years but I am originally from Bloomsburg, PA and have family there and around Scranton. I'm in my early 20's and am single. I'm looking for my own apartment with a parking space since I'll have a car. I want to be close to the city but not really in the middle of it. I am into simple nightlife and shopping. Just wondering which areas I should look into? I'm very used to the safety of Hawaii, so being safe is important to me. I can afford about $1,000/month in rent. Also, is it difficult to meet people if you aren't from Philly? I won't know anyone there so I need to be able to make some new friends lol. Your help would be so appreciated!

[Wisertime]

Just curious, why would you want to leave Hawaii?

Look into Manayunk, Northern Liberties or Spring garden/Fairmout/Art Museum for starters. I'm not an expert on CC areas, so I'll leave that to the experts.
Do know that car insurance is really high here and rents aren't cheap, but you should be able to find something in your range. Meeting people shouldn't be too difficult either. Plenty of people not from Philly I think.

[KIMrox]

Originally Posted by Wisertime

Just curious, why would you want to leave Hawaii?

Look into Manayunk, Northern Liberties or Spring garden/Fairmout/Art Museum for starters. I'm not an expert on CC areas, so I'll leave that to the experts.
Do know that car insurance is really high here and rents aren't cheap, but you should be able to find something in your range. Meeting people shouldn't be too difficult either. Plenty of people not from Philly I think.

Thanks for the suggestions! As for why I'm leaving Hawaii... it is crazy expensive to live here and I just need a little change. Plus, it'd be nice to be around my family that I haven't been with since I was 10. I will definitely miss the amazing weather though lol

I've heard of Manayunk, so I'll definitely be checking that area out.

[MsChelle]

Look at Manayunk or East Falls. They are right next to each other. Just make sure you specify that you need parking because parking is not always easy in Manayunk. Manayunk has a lot of bars and there are a lot of 20 and 30 somethings there. I moved to Philly from Seattle for grad school. I have met a lot of people at church and by going to bars, especially on Sundays during football season. You may also want to join a gym or a sports league. There is a sports league in Manayunk for young adults. Philly is a big sports town so you can always meet people at the bars if you go to watch sports. There is some good shopping in Manayunk too, especially on Main Street.

[soraji]

Just a quick warning. If you move to the Philadelphia city (including Manayunk) you have to pay a 4% income tax. If you're working in Philly then this might be worth it to you to be closer to work, but if you're not going to be working in Philly, but still want to be relatively close I'd suggest moving further out a bit. I live in Conshohocken which is 10-15 mins from Manayunk and I'm outside the 4% wage tax range.

[KIMrox]

Originally Posted by soraji

Just a quick warning. If you move to the Philadelphia city (including Manayunk) you have to pay a 4% income tax. If you're working in Philly then this might be worth it to you to be closer to work, but if you're not going to be working in Philly, but still want to be relatively close I'd suggest moving further out a bit. I live in Conshohocken which is 10-15 mins from Manayunk and I'm outside the 4% wage tax range.

That is definitely great information. I don't want to pay the 4% wage tax for sure. What is Conshohocken like?

[soraji]

Conshy is a little town that's very popular with people our age. There's a walkable small downtown area with a good number of bars that are mostly people in their 20s! I'm 24 and all of my similarly aged friends moved to Conshy, so it's great for the post-grad, young professionals. It's also convenient because it's so close to Manayunk (another popular bar/nightlife spot for people our age) and there's a rail line that runs straight to Manayunk and to Center City from downtown Conshy.

Conshy is also very safe. There's only one or two small areas in Conshy by the river that would be "questionable". All the other areas are young families with kids and people our age. I've never felt uncomfortable walking around at night.

[KIMrox]

Originally Posted by soraji

Conshy is a little town that's very popular with people our age. There's a walkable small downtown area with a good number of bars that are mostly people in their 20s! I'm 24 and all of my similarly aged friends moved to Conshy, so it's great for the post-grad, young professionals. It's also convenient because it's so close to Manayunk (another popular bar/nightlife spot for people our age) and there's a rail line that runs straight to Manayunk and to Center City from downtown Conshy.

Conshy is also very safe. There's only one or two small areas in Conshy by the river that would be "questionable". All the other areas are young families with kids and people our age. I've never felt uncomfortable walking around at night.

That all sounds great! I am definitely going to be looking into that area. Is rent reasonable?

[Hillrunner]

Originally Posted by KIMrox

That all sounds great! I am definitely going to be looking into that area. Is rent reasonable?

the rent is reasonable and Conshy is exactly what u are looking for as stated in your original post. very nice area.

[KIMrox]

Originally Posted by Hillrunner

the rent is reasonable and Conshy is exactly what u are looking for as stated in your original post. very nice area.

Good to know! Thank you!