Philadelphia, Raleigh, or Baltimore (Reading, York: section 8, Home Depot, neighborhood)
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Partner and I, early 40's, are looking to relocate from Northern VA to either Philadelphia, Baltimore, or Raleigh. Lived here and only here all our lives and finally decided if we don't do it now, it might not ever happen. While we love the area, there are many pros and cons and lately the cons seem to be outweighing the pros.
Our careers are in defense contracting and social services, and we are interested in some general feedback of the pros and cons of each place concerning careers, transportation, economy, cost of living, people, housing, gay community, etc.
Our initial primary interest is for Raleigh, but will be making a weekend road trip to each location this summer and hoping to make the move sometime next year.
BTW, I realize this is the Philadelphia forum so let's try not to be biased.
Any and all feedback/suggestions appreciated.
Last edited by movin2Reston; 04-20-2012 at 02:04 PM..
Partner and I, early 40's, are looking to relocate from Northern VA to either Philadelphia, Baltimore, or Raleigh. Lived here and only here all our lives and finally decided if we don't do it now, it might not ever happen. While we love the area, there are many pros and cons and lately the cons seem to be outweighing the pros.
Our careers are in defense contracting and social services, and we are interested in some general feedback of the pros and cons of each place concerning careers, transportation, economy, cost of living, people, housing, gay community, etc.
Our initial primary interest is for Raleigh, but will be making a weekend road trip to each location this summer and hoping to make the move sometime next year.
BTW, I realize this is the Baltimore forum so let's try not to be biased.
Any and all feedback/suggestions appreciated.
I presume you pasted this from the Baltimore forum and meant insert Philadelphia.
As they say, "eds and meds" or colleges and healthcare/pharmaceuticals, are the biggest industries in the metro. Social services is certainly significant in the city proper. I'm not so sure about defense contracting although Lockheed Martin has a pretty big presence in the area.
Comparing suburb to suburb, you'll definitely get more value for your housing dollar outside of Philly compared to Northern Virginia. While you won't find a community as broadly planned as Reston, there are more well-established walkable communities.
The SEPTA commuter rail is more frequent than the Virginia Railway Express as it runs at least hourly from morning to late evening on most routes.
If you do decide to live in the city, you'll be subject to a ~ 4% wage tax. If you just work in the city, you will pay a slightly lesser tax. But as the city is very much the cultural and entertainment hub of the city, there are many people who find it worthwhile.
"Traditionally" speaking, many gay couples have admired the Washington Square West section of Center City(aka downtown) as an ideal place to live as a critical mass of LGBT-friendly establishments are located there. However, one should feel comfortable living most anywhere in the two square miles of Center City. Others here have recently suggested parts of South Philly (e.g. East Passyunk and Newbold). University City (West Philly) as well as Mount Airy and Chestnut Hill (both in NW Philly) would be welcoming as well.
As for the suburbs, the only outwardly gay-friendly burgh around would be New Hope which is practically "halfway" to New York. While the 'burbs as a whole lean conservative, it is more for fiscal concerns than social issues. I'm sure with a little research, you would find that you're not the only couple between the city limits and New Hope.
I would be impressed if there are people on this board who have lived in all three metros you're asking about. Generally speaking, I would guess that west of Baltimore is more expensive due to the DC commuters. And while the Research Triangle may have the most stable economy of the three, it may have the least mass transit options as well.
If you're not opposed to living on the NJ side of the river, there's also Collingswood, NJ which is supposed to be very LGBT friendly and also has very easy 24 hour access to Center City via PATCO.
Though we haven't been there, our interests would be to live in the city.
Thanks for all your feedback and yes, I looking forward to hearing from those to have lived in all three places to give some direct comparisons.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tone509
I presume you pasted this from the Baltimore forum and meant insert Philadelphia.
As they say, "eds and meds" or colleges and healthcare/pharmaceuticals, are the biggest industries in the metro. Social services is certainly significant in the city proper. I'm not so sure about defense contracting although Lockheed Martin has a pretty big presence in the area.
Comparing suburb to suburb, you'll definitely get more value for your housing dollar outside of Philly compared to Northern Virginia. While you won't find a community as broadly planned as Reston, there are more well-established walkable communities.
The SEPTA commuter rail is more frequent than the Virginia Railway Express as it runs at least hourly from morning to late evening on most routes.
If you do decide to live in the city, you'll be subject to a ~ 4% wage tax. If you just work in the city, you will pay a slightly lesser tax. But as the city is very much the cultural and entertainment hub of the city, there are many people who find it worthwhile.
"Traditionally" speaking, many gay couples have admired the Washington Square West section of Center City(aka downtown) as an ideal place to live as a critical mass of LGBT-friendly establishments are located there. However, one should feel comfortable living most anywhere in the two square miles of Center City. Others here have recently suggested parts of South Philly (e.g. East Passyunk and Newbold). University City (West Philly) as well as Mount Airy and Chestnut Hill (both in NW Philly) would be welcoming as well.
As for the suburbs, the only outwardly gay-friendly burgh around would be New Hope which is practically "halfway" to New York. While the 'burbs as a whole lean conservative, it is more for fiscal concerns than social issues. I'm sure with a little research, you would find that you're not the only couple between the city limits and New Hope.
I would be impressed if there are people on this board who have lived in all three metros you're asking about. Generally speaking, I would guess that west of Baltimore is more expensive due to the DC commuters. And while the Research Triangle may have the most stable economy of the three, it may have the least mass transit options as well.
When we looked into Raleigh vs. Atlanta about 6 years back (Atlanta was much closer to us, and we moved there), Raleigh-area more or less had the feel of three large college towns put together. Things may have changed since then, but it was not that impressive. The malls were OK. Generally an alright place, but nothing impressive.
We have visited the Philadelphia area quite a few times in the last 3-4 years, and generally liked it each time we were there. My favorite in Philadelphia is Reading Terminal market (NOT to be missed). We stayed at the Hilton garden Inn next to Reading Terminal the last time we were there. There was a fantastic Chinese (small) restaurant opposite the HGI (away from Reading Terminal, and next to a bus stop). There is a real China town close by (I hear the one in DC is not good). (I am not Chinese or Oriental, just stating info).
Raleigh-area (smaller set of towns). Philadelphia (real city).
DC and Philadelphia are our finalists for our next move. Just curious what are your biggest probelms with regard to DC/ Reston (if that is where you are from) / area?
Born and raised, see all the changes and never lived anywhere else.
Cons of NoVA:
Expensive housing, one of the top worst areas regarding traffic, dry to everywhere for anything, the traffic, all the restaurants and stores are all chains, no individuality to area, very transient and the people are rude (me me me mentality), keeping up with the Jones'.
Pros:
Stable housing, strong economy due to the government, change of seasons, actually cons to us of having at least 2 Home Depot, Walmart, etc. within just a couple miles of each other, cultural diversity.
Again, keep in mind for some, the pros here may easily outweigh the cons, but having gone to preschool, elementary school, high school, college, worked you first job and ever since, a change is long overdue.
Quote:
Originally Posted by FromGA
DC and Philadelphia are our finalists for our next move. Just curious what are your biggest probelms with regard to DC/ Reston (if that is where you are from) / area?
I lived in Wilmington, Delaware, so not quite Philly. I also lived in Durham, NC for school, which is not quite Raleigh.
I've been to downtown Philly, driven through Baltimore. So I'm not an expert on the areas but I've been exposed to them.
Of my opinion though on living on the outer rims of the areas of Raleigh and Philly and having driven through downtown Baltimore, if I had to rank the 3:
1. Raleigh
2. Philly
3. Baltimore
Baltimore: I wouldn't even consider Baltimore. It's ghetto-fied crap. A good analogy.....Baltimore is to D.C. as Oakland is to San Francisco. Don't do it.
Philadelphia: Now Philly has a lot of hit and miss, so unlike Baltimore it has redeeming qualities. Some super fancy spots, some ghettos. If you're a big urbanite, I'd consider this possibly over Raleigh.
Raleigh: Cheaper than Philly, better weather, doubt you can compare I-40 to I-95 in terms of traffic. Also has a lot of universities and tech hubs around. The East Coast equivalent of the Silicon Valley. Lot of nature to explore. Cary is a really ritzy suburb near Raleigh. People are probably nicer too, but every person is their own story.
Basically, I think it comes down to Philly vs. Raleigh. If you're a big urbanite, I don't think Raleigh will fulfill your needs. Otherwise, I'd go with Raleigh.
Last poster knows nothing about Baltimore... by his own admission, he's "driven through" and is willing to call it "ghetto-fied crap." By those same standards, so is Philly. I've never lived in Baltimore and know for a fact there are many nice neighbourhoods and lots of great suburbs. Like Philly, the city is filled with ghettos, but that's most U.S. cities for you.
If you're gay, why would you want to live in North Carolina, which denies rights to gays? You should live in NJ and deal with the high taxes because the state is actually progressive. Collingswood NJ would be a good choice, right on the PATCO line to get into Center City. I have lived in both Raleigh and Philly and speak from experience that people in NC are very conservative. The younger generation not so much, but you will still find a lot of right-wingers down there.
I've never lived in Baltimore and know for a fact there are many nice neighbourhoods and lots of great suburbs. Like Philly, the city is filled with ghettos, but that's most U.S. cities for you.
Now I'm not sure if you're British or not with the way you spell neighborhood, but stereotyping most U.S. cities as filled with ghettos is quite a misleading statement. There is a FINE LINE between downtrodden cities like Detroit, Baltimore, Memphis, and Oakland, and more upscale cities like San Francisco, Charlotte, Denver, and Austin.
Can you find a good neighborhood in any city? Yes.
Can you find a ghetto in any city? Yes.
But cities can have higher % of run-down crime-ridden filth spots compared to others, and Baltimore is one of those. Sure, he can go live in the areas touching the Chesapeake Bay (spots adjacent to the Inner Harbor) and maybe find a rare nice neighborhood in the outskirts, but then be completely appalled by what comprises the bulk of the area. If decrepit industrial complexes and section 8 - looking housing appeals to you, then sure, Baltimore would be a perfect fit.
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