Philly or Jersey?? (Chester, King of Prussia, West Chester: real estate, car insurance, houses)

[ak47]

Taking a job at Temple (downtown). Never lived in the region before. Priorities are schools and safe neighborhoods, as well as getting value for my money. I'm looking at areas like merion station, bala cynwyd, narberth, etc. in Philly suburbs. Seems like I could get more house for the money in a place like Cherry Hill, NJ. What are the pros/cons?
THANKS.

[rainrock]

Merion,Narberth,Bryn Mawr etc. are different type towns than Cherry Hill. Cherry Hill is typical US suburban sprawl whereas Merion,Narberth,Bryn Mawr are century old planned communities built to last, oozing with character,students very driven attending first rate schools.

Cherry Hill compares more favorably to King of Prussia or Plymouth Meeting on the Pa. side. Good -but not great schools-, strip malls, chain restaurants,CVS or Walgreens every mile, mixed housing of newer mcmansions and older 3 bedroom cape cods.

The commute to Temple will be about same(slightly closer to Merion/narberth) There is currently a $3 dollar daily bridge toll crossing from NJ into Pa, that is supposed to increase to $5 this coming summer.

Pros Cherry Hill-

Nice typical modern american suburbia.
Good schools
Very safe
Little less congested than SE Pa.
45 minutes from the beaches.

Cons- Bridge toll,high property taxes,car insurance.


Pros Merion/Narberth/Bryn Mawr-

Superior schools
Very safe
Easy commute into city
Planned communities
Centrally located between Center City and great shopping to the west KOP/Exton/Plymouth Meeting

Cons- pricey real estate,traffic congestion, older infrastructure (horse trails for highways)

Good luck

[billb7581]

You can take the train from Cherry Hill out to 30th street, so public trans is do able.

Cherry Hill is in Camden County = Higher property taxes.

Don't overlook the "River Towns" in Burlington County.... Riverton, Cinnaminson, Delran etc. Light rail makes public transportation downtown possible.

[Gerania]

I was going to suggest the lovely Riverton. Parts of Maple Shade are nice too. If you need a town center Haddonfield and Collingswood and some surrounding areas.

One example of a desirable Cherry Hill neighborhood is Barkley Farms. There are some nice looking houses, more than a few back up to permanent open spaces. Barkley Historic Farmstead is in the center of the neighborhood and there is a covered bridge, not old/historic, 1960's I think and little tiny Bonnie's Bridge, a 1700's stone arch in someone's side yard.

There are some nice older established neighborhoods in Cherry Hills with sidewalks and porches, mature trees. Earlton has their own July 4th parade featuring 'the' fire engine, the scouts, etc.

[JerzBoy]

Cherry Hill East has the #1 rated schools in South Jersey and is very safe. As was mentioned before, homes are cheaper in NJ burbs than PA burbs but property taxes are higher in NJ. So in the end everything evens out. It really depends on your preference. Commuting to center city is much easier from NJ than it is from the PA burbs. Traffic is pretty free-flowing for drivers and PATCO is quick and easy public trans from Cherry Hill.

[justinvt]

Stick to the PA suburbs. I definitely recommend Narberth or Merion Station. They are gorgeous historic areas with wealthy residents (meaning they care about schools, safety, community, etc), and the city is highly accessible via public transportation. The tolls/bridges are going to be a constant barrier to you wanting to check out the city on a whim. Trust me on this! Lower Merion High is one of the best public high schools in the country, and the private schools are also kickass. There is a reason Jersey is cheaper!!!!!

[billb7581]

There is a reason Jersey is cheaper!!!!!

Half of my block consists of former PA residents.

Cherry Hill is decent, I guess, but that whole RT 70 corridor seems like a cluster**** to me.

[Georgia]

The worst in South Jersey is the property tax and car insurance.
The worst in the Philly area is the property tax and car insurance.

The major pain to remember about New Jersey is Pa lets you go in for free but charges you to leave.

I lived in the Mount Laurel area for 10 years and loved it. I lived on the Burlington County side which provided less in both car insurance premiums and property tax rates vs. Camden County.

The burbs of Philly are nice to as today I travel much in the West Chester area.

All in all you cant go wrong with either direction.

I can actually say with all honesty I wish I was back and taxes be darned.
I was under transfer to my current home in Atlanta in 2004 and everyday I seek a transfer out of this place. This is one place you DON'T want to be.

[kilbillrain]

Originally Posted by Georgia

The worst in South Jersey is the property tax and car insurance.
The worst in the Philly area is the property tax and car insurance.

The major pain to remember about New Jersey is Pa lets you go in for free but charges you to leave.

I lived in the Mount Laurel area for 10 years and loved it. I lived on the Burlington County side which provided less in both car insurance premiums and property tax rates vs. Camden County.

The burbs of Philly are nice to as today I travel much in the West Chester area.

All in all you cant go wrong with either direction.

I can actually say with all honesty I wish I was back and taxes be darned.
I was under transfer to my current home in Atlanta in 2004 and everyday I seek a transfer out of this place. This is one place you DON'T want to be.

Whats wrong with the ATL?

[kilbillrain]

Philly proper without hesitation