Need some advice, moving to Philly to pursue Doctorate. (Philadelphia: real estate, apartments)

[Ohappydaye]

Hi everyone! I've been reading through the forums for the past several weeks and have found all of your input to be very helpful, however...I'm still confused about what I should do. I've made several pages of notes and have changed my mind a million times so I thought I'd just ask you all directly.

My daughter and I plan to move to Philadelphia next year in order for me to complete my Doctorate at Philadelphia School Of Osteopathic Medicine. I don't know the area really well and I need your help.

My daughter is 8 and GREAT schools are really important to me. We're moving from Chapel Hill, NC where the public school system is among the best in the country, and I don't say that just because I also happen to work in that system.

My plea is for assistance in choosing an area to live in that:
1. Is safe
2. Has a school system that will provide my daughter with the education that we are both accustomed to her receiving, and
3. Will not require a huge commute for me to get to the university in order to attend classes.


My dad thinks I should live in Delaware and commute in for classes, but considering the university is in the city's center...the commute might be a bit much. What do you all think?

Any assistance is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!

Edit: I forgot to mention I will need to rent...house/apartment whichever. I only plan to be in Philadelphia for 3-4 years and then we'll likely move back to Chapel Hill...unless we fall in love.

[rainrock]

Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine is on City Line Ave. Thats the boundary between Philadelphia and a very nice string of towns in Montgomery County Pa.. PCOM is right next to 2 of the citys TV stations,St.Josephs University, and a Saks Fifth Ave.

My advice would be looking for information on these 2 school districts.

Lower Merion Township, Montgomery County,Pa.(huge township that starts right across the street from PCOM)

Radnor Township Delaware County,Pa.

Towns that make up Lower Merion Township include,Ardmore,Narberth,Bala Cynwd,Merion,Merion Station,Bryn Mawr,Haverford,Wynnewood,Penn Valley,Rosemont,Gladwyne.Very nice towns with very little crime.

Radnor Township is made up of Radnor,Ithan,and Wayne. Wayne would be your best bet with apartments in Radnor Township

Just my opinion but Delaware would be a terrible commute and quite frankly there is nothing in Delaware that can compare to those 2 townships which just so happen to be fairly convenient to PCOM.Its a nice area

Good luck.

[Ohappydaye]

Oh thank you so much!! This sounds great, I'm going to look into those school districts right away. You are such a sweetheart, all of that information is so great. I'm very excited about this...my daughter of course doesn't want to leave but I figure it's the best time. If we leave now, when we come back she can rejoin her old friends in middle school and go off to high school together and if she falls in love with the PA area then she will have been there long enough to form some great relationships to move through middle and high school in PA.

As for my dad, ignore him. lol He means well, but has no idea. He's been through all the areas and visited them with his wife, but the logistics of things like this don't allow for him to act as an expert. But I love him for trying.

Thanks again! <hugs>

Edit: w00t w00t for Saks!

[rainrock]

Here is an excellent real estate site for buying houses but it also has a very good rental section with lots of pictures of houses for rent. There are 2 different options- apartments and private listings(houses) to click on.

The towns around PCOM are neighborhoods that are filled with history and in most cases are 100+ years old. The towns are upscale, have alot of character and are well maintained but it might not be your thing. I've never been to Chapel Hill but I'm thinking a comparable area in Philly would be westward- newer towns like West Chester,Exton,East Goshen,Malvern,King of Prussia,Plymouth Meeting. The drawback is that those areas are a good 30-45 minute commute to PCOM but those towns are much newer, much more rural and open, more Carolina like. You might feel more at home out there and the schools are excellent in all those areas.



if you check this rental site out you would be interested in Montgomery,Chester and Delaware Counties.

http://www.weichertrents.com

Good luck

[passdoubt]

If you want safe neighborhoods, good schools, and a short commute, just check out the towns right across City Ave from PCOM. They definitely fill all those criteria to a T. Lower Merion Township schools are considered among the best (if not the best) in the region. The area is obviously expensive though. Coming from the Triangle, you're going to find that the cost of living is a bit higher in general.

Originally Posted by rainrock

I've never been to Chapel Hill but I'm thinking a comparable area in Philly would be westward- newer towns like West Chester,Exton,East Goshen,Malvern,King of Prussia,Plymouth Meeting.

Chapel Hill is a college town with a walkable downtown and a sorta hippy liberal vibe. It's not really your typical Sunbelt suburbia (although it's surrounded by it). I'm not sure what it'd be comparable to in the Philly area... Swarthmore, but larger? Maybe not. But it's not King of Prussia.

[Ohappydaye]

Thank you both passdoubt and rainrock, I'll follow up with that information. I'm so glad I decided to check here, you all are a life saver.

passdoubt,
You hit the nail on the head! I'd say that's a very fair description of Chapel Hill.

Thanks again! <hugs>

[Ohappydaye]

I'm a little worried after reading some of the recent threads that have been posted. You see, my family is mixed ethnically - my dad is African American and my mother is mixed (Asian/Black and White/Native American). All of my elementary and secondary education took place in predominately white schools, as well as my grad school experience and it was never an issue for me. My daughter's father is African American (he's not coming with us, just a point of information) and she, growing up in Chapel Hill, NC has only attended predominately white schools (Pre-K - 3rd, current grade level). This has never been an issue for her or our familly. She (and we) are used to her being the only child of color in the class (or one of two), with very few in the entire grade.

Because of our family dynamic she has never been uncomfortable and is very socially active in our community with her friends and this is the South! Granted Chapel Hill is not your typical Southern City, but race issues appear to be on a grander scale in Philly...moreso than our nice little Southern City.

I'm perfectly fine with living in a predominately white community, as the city has enough cultural/ethnic events that take place in it for me to keep her connected to the various cultures which make her who she is...but I don't want her to be in a school that's going to make her miserable with race issues that she's not accustomed to dealing with. Yes, at some point she will have to face the "real" world where these things are abundant...not to say she's ignorant of racism, as she is not. However, I don't want her directly confronted with it every day of her young life. Friendships are very important in childhood and as excited as I am about completing my studies at PCOM, I will not do so at the expense of my child's psyche.

Can you all say that the options presented to me earlier are still viable, given this added information regarding my family culture? I didn't mention it before because I didn't realize it was such a huge issue...I am dismayed that moving further North would yield such grave concern. Yes, I do realize that this is America and racism exists everywhere and maybe I am over reacting to the things I have read, but I would like further input to help me determine if this is the case.

Thank you, once again.

[newmarlig]

I would suggest you look in University City. It is in West Philadelphia and a very diverse area, the home of The University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University and other smaller colleges. You would not far from PMOC (about a 15 minute drive). The area has an excellent public school that is partnered with Penn. (If you google Penn Alexander school, it is the first one that comes up). You will also only be minutes away from center city Philly. While it is not a college town, since it is part of a large city, it might be what you are looking for.

[Ohappydaye]

It's disheartening that the only color that matters isn't green. Thank you newmarlig, I will look into that area. Is University City considered safe by most?

[newmarlig]

It is basically a safe area (using common sense). Please read my PM