Is Philly our compromise city?? (Dallas, Burlington: renting, crime rate, houses)

[Roonil]

My husband and I are trying to find our perfect city! We know we'll never have everything that both of us wants, but hoping to find the city that has the most elements we're each looking for, and has the sacrifices balanced between us.

We are from Wisconsin. He loves it, and I hate it. I've always told my parents, as soon as I am able, I'm out of here! But now I have him to consider too. Hoping for the experts' advice based on our below preferences...

He likes: seasons, snow, fishing, pickup trucks, hanging out with his friends, low cost of living, residing in a house, plowing snow, doing his own house repairs, cloudy days, Dallas Cowboys

He hates: humidity, hot temperatures, moving a lot (his mom did it to him as a kid, and it's severely colored his opinion of it negatively), renting

I like: 50-80-degree range of temperatures, good mass transit (or at least good walkability and bike-ability), city amenities (like festivals, restaurants ,parks), walking my dog, gardening, wearing sandals

I hate: long winters, more than a few inches of snow, getting into a cold vehicle or cold bed, when it gets dark at 4pm, mosquitoes, wearing four sweaters under my coat

So, I know we couldn't have every single thing, but do you think Philly could be a good compromise? Is this a good candidate to spend our money and time to come visit and see it for ourselves?

[frankgn87]

fishing, pickup trucks, hanging out with his friends, low cost of living, residing in a house, plowing snow, Dallas Cowboys

NOT compatible with Philly. Do you understand Philly is a heavy populated city with mostly row homes with shared walls and no yards and a much higher crime rate then what you are used to?? Philly area also has long cold winters.. Dec to march very cold

Look at the burbs if you want what he is looking for.. Its a wonderful compromise. You can have a yard, and still be close to the shopping and such

[Roonil]

Originally Posted by frankgn87

fishing, pickup trucks, hanging out with his friends, low cost of living, residing in a house, plowing snow, Dallas Cowboys

NOT compatible with Philly. Do you understand Philly is a heavy populated city with mostly row homes with shared walls and no yards and a much higher crime rate then what you are used to?? Philly area also has long cold winters.. Dec to march very cold

Look at the burbs if you want what he is looking for.. Its a wonderful compromise. You can have a yard, and still be close to the shopping and such

Well I was kind of thinking burbs anyway for him. Thank you for your insight! I feel so lost right now, I'm trying to think of every possibility for us!

[pman]

in philly you'd have to give up the cowboys (something he should do wherever he moves). you wouldn't get much snow but some..and more is just a couple hours away in the poconos. you'd get heat and humidity in the summer but much shorter than the south and perhaps not as much as WI. it barely gets cold enough for more than one sweater under your coat, often times I have to leave my coat unzipped (particularly if you're wearing a WI coat). philly has everything else. to be honest, PA in general would probably foot the bill. Philly is the largest city with the best transit in the state, the best restaurant scene. you might also consider pittsburgh which is colder, less sunny, more snow but it's easier to get from the city proper to the "wilderness" owing to the city's smaller metro area.

Originally Posted by frankgn87

...NOT compatible with Philly. Do you understand Philly is a heavy populated city with mostly row homes with shared walls and no yards and a much higher crime rate then what you are used to?? Philly area also has long cold winters.. Dec to march very cold

not exactly true. people fish in philly (which has the nation's largest park system), it has a relatively low cost of living for a big city, and people hang out with their friends....they also own houses and we have four seasons. Philly also does not have long, cold winters. I suspect you are not familiar with Wisconsin at all. Wisconsin is to Philly as Philly is to NC.

[pman]

Originally Posted by Roonil

Well I was kind of thinking burbs anyway for him. Thank you for your insight! I feel so lost right now, I'm trying to think of every possibility for us!

Moderator Cut

parts of the city that might fit the bill are the northwest (which are basically suburbs with good transit). you might also want to look at large towns like west chester/phoenixville or even small cities like lancaster which have excellent train service to the city.

[frankgn87]

Originally Posted by pman

Moderator Cut
parts of the city that might fit the bill are the northwest (which are basically suburbs with good transit). you might also want to look at large towns like west chester/phoenixville or even small cities like lancaster which have excellent train service to the city.

Really. ? Here is a Google search for NW Philly. See if our friends from Wis like that area


https://www.google.com/search?q=nort...BLDc4APSh4DQBA

[danjherman]

I will say, after spending the last 9 years in provincial South Carolina, I welcome the variation that Philly will offer. Living in the NW section of town, working outside Center City, yet still in an established neighborhood , it is difficult to find fault. That said, everyone looks for something different. Many ask me, when I mention my impending move, why I would do such a thing... Low cost of living, low taxes, laid back lifestyle - allegedly, etc. In the end, Philly is a difficult place to not want to be once you understand it for what it is, embrace it and appreciate it. It is not perfect, sure. But it can very well be home.

[frankgn87]

My advise is Burlington county NJ. They have a yearly farm fair complete with tractor pulls and animal shows.. HUGE. For him.. And great parks and shopping and schools.. For you. Yet is minutes from the city for all it has to offer..

Burlington County Farm Fair

[pman]

Originally Posted by frankgn87

Really. ? Here is a Google search for NW Philly. See if our friends from Wis like that area


https://www.google.com/search?q=nort...BLDc4APSh4DQBA

what kind of nonsense is this? I tend to wonder if you ever left the northeast when you lived in philly.

northwest philadelphia

[rotodome]

Originally Posted by frankgn87

Really. ? Here is a Google search for NW Philly. See if our friends from Wis like that area


https://www.google.com/search?q=nort...BLDc4APSh4DQBA

So I guess your logic here is that one could learn about Northwest Philly by google searches for "North Philly" + "West Philly"?
I don't think that would give anyone very helpful or realistic results. But maybe it was a joke..