where does the upper middle class tend to exist? (Philadelphia: home, school)

[2e1m5a]

Originally Posted by mcguirk

And your list has some interesting talking points but it is mostly ridiculous. Some of the posted traits are indicative of one in that socioeconomic sphere but none are exclusive. A poor yet hard-working and dedicated person can match most of those bullet points.

Agreed. LMAO @ driving European cars for a "feeling of deservingness of good things".

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by kmoore8

I haven't wanted to get into this to avoid some kind of political fight, but this topic is exactly why we want to move back to the Philly area. We live in Southern Ohio where just about 100% of the people we meet are very religious and conservative politically. We don't want that. Had enough of that.

I had a post up of where we want to live, basically within a 15-20 minute driving radius of Conshohocken. But are there middle class to upper middle class neighborhoods that lean more to the liberal spectrum? I'm concentrating on the Colonial School District, Ambler, Haverford Township, maybe Wallingford, that area.

Maybe I idealize the Philly area, but it seems like there are many more people "like us".

I would suspect that compared to Southern Ohio (Cincinnati?) that Philly's PA suburbs are "purple" in comparison. Generally lower taxes and better schools compared to the city appear to be a common denominator. Social issues appear to be moderate to center-right on average. I'm not sure if people go to church or synagogue in the 'burbs at an appreciably higher rate than in the city, but in either case "Where do you go to church?" won't be a common conversation starter.

Dare I say Haverford as well as Bryn Mawr and Swarthmore may lean a bit left if only because of the elite namesake liberal arts colleges. It may be more of a "Bobo" vibe, though.

[cpomp]

Originally Posted by kmoore8

I haven't wanted to get into this to avoid some kind of political fight, but this topic is exactly why we want to move back to the Philly area. We live in Southern Ohio where just about 100% of the people we meet are very religious and conservative politically. We don't want that. Had enough of that.

I had a post up of where we want to live, basically within a 15-20 minute driving radius of Conshohocken. But are there middle class to upper middle class neighborhoods that lean more to the liberal spectrum? I'm concentrating on the Colonial School District, Ambler, Haverford Township, maybe Wallingford, that area.

Maybe I idealize the Philly area, but it seems like there are many more people "like us".

Most of the upper middle class areas near conshokocken lean more toward the liberal side. The commute would be closer to 30 minutes, but Media, Swarthmore, Wallingford, Rose Valley would very much fit your criteria. And most people around Philadelphia tend to keep worshiping to themselves, not usually a popular topic of conversation.

[Padugan]

Originally Posted by serpent_of_old

whether it be in the city or burbs, i would like to know

i am asking this to those who are able to see beyond the surface of my posts and are able to respond to the content, not to those who are sensitive to the surface of what i ask and react like animals

more times that not, i find when people talk about different classes on city data, they are way off. i.e. the idea that the upper middle class is defined by income. nothing could be further from the truth. that said, i will clarify on the upper middle class, only for the purpose of aiding the discovery of the information i seek

-education is a high priority, whereas parents take a highly active role starting early on in aiding their children to reach peak performance
-children are procreated upon casual review and selection of prolonging good genetics, not based upon "getting knocked up" nor being ok with the idea of "the stork". also having children is planned, whereas its decided when it will happen
-european cars are owned NOT for the purpose of status, but for both the likelyhood of being able to protect ones family at the most optimum from a crash and for a feeling of deservingness of good things
-when one thinks grocery shopping, only trader joes and whole foods comes to mind, and living near them important
-competitiveness when it comes to a career and preparing for one via high end education is highly valued
-high end results in life are valued, as opposed to the belief that we all must stick together, have hard times, struggle, and get average results as our identity
-more of a lean towards the arts, doing things that are constructive, expansive, and intellectual, as opposed to inherently destructive and careless
-an openness to others, change, and things different from ourselves
-religion and other fear based institutions take a back seat to reason, understanding, and a high praise for leisure and getting the most out of an experience, especially interpersonal
-getting the desired results always wins over excuses
-private day schools and boarding prep being what is typical for ones lifetime

i could go on and on
my understanding is that philly is known for its working class, and thats cool
i plan on moving there and i need to know where my people are at
where does the the upper middle class live in philly and the surrounding burbs?
thanks
i am very invested in learning as much as i can about your beautiful city

Oh, you mean douchebags. Yeah, Philly has em too.

[mancat100]

Originally Posted by 2e1m5a

Agreed. LMAO @ driving European cars for a "feeling of deservingness of good things".

My Honda Civic and I are obviously unworthy.

[BPP1999]

If you are looking for "upper middle class neighborhoods" and you are considering the Colonial SD (where I went), I'd recommend Lafayette Hill. It's about 10-15 minutes from Conshohocken. Demographically, it's about 15-20% Jewish and incomes are higher. It is located within Whitemarsh Township, and is about 5 or 10 minutes from Chestnut Hill. I cannot comment on how liberal or non-liberal but I will suggest that it's somewhat liberal.

[2e1m5a]

Originally Posted by mancat100

My Honda Civic and I are obviously unworthy.

Haha I don't even want to know where I stand with my used Oldsmobile from Kensington Ave.

[kmoore8]

Originally Posted by BPP1999

If you are looking for "upper middle class neighborhoods" and you are considering the Colonial SD (where I went), I'd recommend Lafayette Hill. It's about 10-15 minutes from Conshohocken. Demographically, it's about 15-20% Jewish and incomes are higher. It is located within Whitemarsh Township, and is about 5 or 10 minutes from Chestnut Hill. I cannot comment on how liberal or non-liberal but I will suggest that it's somewhat liberal.

Great post, thanks. I'll do a search for Lafayette Hill. Generally speaking, how are the sports teams at Colonial SD?

[kmoore8]

Originally Posted by cpomp

Most of the upper middle class areas near conshokocken lean more toward the liberal side. The commute would be closer to 30 minutes, but Media, Swarthmore, Wallingford, Rose Valley would very much fit your criteria. And most people around Philadelphia tend to keep worshiping to themselves, not usually a popular topic of conversation.

Thanks for the info.

[BPP1999]

Originally Posted by kmoore8

Great post, thanks. I'll do a search for Lafayette Hill. Generally speaking, how are the sports teams at Colonial SD?

Hmm. Not sure I could answer that one. I imagine pretty good as the district has a great tax base in terms of having residents with higher incomes, plus there's lots of commercial taxpayers (malls, shopping centers, office buildings, etc.) so the district is well-funded. In fact, the Colonial SD was nominated by Philadelphia Magazine a couple years ago as (I'm paraphrasing here) "a great school district for parents wanting who want to be near everything without having the need to brag that they live on the Main Line" or something like that. This will ruffle the feathers of the Main Line crowd on here but I'm just paraphrasing what the magazine said.