Moving from minnesota to philly. Prefer safe neighborhood with decent number of african americans. (Darby: rent)

[daboywonder2002]

Living in minnesota now. hoping to get a job in philly soon. here is what i am looking for.

1. reasonable commute to bala cynwyd or media pa. this is where we will both be working

2. good schools (6th, 3rd grade and reasonably priced daycres)

3. affordable. (3 bedrooms. rent no more than $1400. if the cost is most than 1400, at least let utilites be included).

4. walkable. must be able to walk to shops, restaurants. also good access to septa and public transportation.

5. kids playing outside. i dont want to be in a suburb where you always have to be in organized play. i dont wanna have to go to chuck e cheese or the ymca or stuff like that for kids to have a good time. i just wanna go outside and see kids playing hide n seek or freeze tag. or playing basketball or just riding their bikes.

6. more african americans. i live in minnesota and its definitely a culture shock. i need to be in a neighborhood where there is more than 5 of us. im not trying to offend anyone. but i dont like sticking out like a sore thumb. going into target or starbucks and im the only black there.

7. safe. i wanna be able to go to the store at night. or feel safe walking. or not worry about my car being broken into .

[mullligan150]

Some parts of Upper Darby satisfy all of your requirements. Upper Darby has easy access to Route 1, which both Media and Bala Cynwyd are situated along, UD is a decent school district, you should have no trouble finding a 3 bedroom for $1400 there, it is the most densely populated township in the state, and is therefore relatively walkable, most of the homes have yards and there are a fair amount of quiet streets for children to play, it is arguably the most diverse suburb in the state, and it is relatively safe, although there are some grittier areas, I would say that Upper Darby overall is safe.

[daboywonder2002]

Originally Posted by mullligan150

Some parts of Upper Darby satisfy all of your requirements. Upper Darby has easy access to Route 1, which both Media and Bala Cynwyd are situated along, UD is a decent school district, you should have no trouble finding a 3 bedroom for $1400 there, it is the most densely populated township in the state, and is therefore relatively walkable, most of the homes have yards and there are a fair amount of quiet streets for children to play, it is arguably the most diverse suburb in the state, and it is relatively safe, although there are some grittier areas, I would say that Upper Darby overall is safe.

mulligan we used to live in east lansdowne before moving to minnesota. i gotta say no to upper darby. i know about marshall road and 69th st. i need a change. plus crime has gotten a lot worse. would w mt airy or chestnut hill be out of my price range? and do kids play outside there

[DrOctagon]

A 3br for $1400 or less? I don't know if you'll find what you're looking for with that budget. I'd say Mt. Airy would be perfect but if you can live there for that much I'm moving there too. Forget about Chestnut Hill.

[mls128]

Originally Posted by daboywonder2002

mulligan we used to live in east lansdowne before moving to minnesota. i gotta say no to upper darby. i know about marshall road and 69th st. i need a change. plus crime has gotten a lot worse. would w mt airy or chestnut hill be out of my price range? and do kids play outside there

Honestly i'm not a huge fan of upper darby but the section you're talking about is the worst section of upper darby. The areas near havertown are a lot nicer and have better elementary schools. Also look in the drexel hill sections. Chestnut Hill would be way out of your price range, I looked into there and 3 bedrooms started 2000+ a month, it's so expensive. You might get lucky and find something in your budget in west mt airy. Otherwise, east mount airy might be doable. Honestly, from what I have heard east mt airy is just as nice as west besides a small section that has crime problems. Lots of diversity and families.

[Avalon08]

The "kids playing outside" thing is not tied to a particular neighborhood, it's today's culture of video games combined with everything being an organized sport, starting with toddlers almost. I think you're harkening (hearkening?) back to ye olden days of your childhood, my friend.

Your $1400 max. price is kind of limiting for the nicer neighborhoods, especially for a place like Chestnut Hill. It does seem like Delaware County would meet your needs in terms of diversity and proximity to work.