Leaving Silicon Valley for Philly suburbs - which one? (Lancaster: co-op, home)

[motownewave]

Beware, beware... Leon seems to be a redcoat, hellbent on turning the clock back from 2015 to 1775!

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by Leon2014

About the same. They always trade places at the very top or the 100 most dangerous cities in the nation.

But the difference with Camden is that it is a much smaller area than the huge areas of poverty and crime in and around West Philadelphia, South West Philadelphia, and Chester areas. And the river is a natural barrier. So the south NJ suburbs have to deal with a much smaller hot-spot.

No, Camden & Detroit swap bragging rights for most dangerous. I lived in Camden County for over 40 years. Not once was I affected by Camden being 5 miles away. I even had to go in there occasionally, since it is the county seat. Not once was I accosted. Not once when I had to take the train into Camden & walk to an appointment was I accosted. Not once in Philly while walking was I accosted, & I am a female.

Spreading lies to make Swarthmore look bad will bring you bad karma. In my opinion, you sound like one of those people who are afraid to leave their house.

[motownewave]

Is Pennsauken affected by Camden? It seems a bit seedy to me that the Benihana there is next to what seemed like a very nice cinema that didn't last long at all, and a Dollar General/Harbor Freight Tools combination makes up most of that shopping center today. Also, the Liquor Ranch across the street looks like something from the "alternate 1985" in the second Back to the Future movie. I must say the same about the part of Pennsauken along 130 with the Shop N Bag, Burger King, etc. And what about the stretch of Admiral Wilson with the several gas stations with miles of rowhouses behind them? Ugh! I also feel perfectly entitled to fear for my life at the Family Dollar north on 130 in Pennsauken (which for those of you with long memories was a Penn Fruit long ago).

[rainrock]

Originally Posted by motownewave

Okay but it takes <5 minutes to hit Chester once one leaves the Strath Haven condominiums on Yale Avenue and heads southwest. And look at Woodlyn, Ridley Park, Folsom, Morton... all full of nice people I'm sure, but are these areas equivalent to anywhere on the Main Line?

Have you ever traversed the 5-10 blocks on Lancaster Ave where Wynnewood meets West Philly? The West Philly part makes Chester look like Disney Land. Every city in the US has transitional zones not just Swarthmore/Chester.

Reality is that Delaware County is a 190 sq miles of which Chester comprises 5 sq miles of (2 % ) .The other 98%(a few exceptions-Philly border towns) is comparable to the rest of the affluent suburban region.

[Leon2014]

Here is some hard data that shows the stark difference between Swarthmore and say Doylestown.

Both maps are on the same scale. Doylestown has 3 homes for sale under $120k in close proximity (2 of them are actually auctions, so it's really just 1 home), Swarthmore has 900 homes under $120k in same proximity.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by motownewave

Is Pennsauken affected by Camden? It seems a bit seedy to me that the Benihana there is next to what seemed like a very nice cinema that didn't last long at all, and a Dollar General/Harbor Freight Tools combination makes up most of that shopping center today. Also, the Liquor Ranch across the street looks like something from the "alternate 1985" in the second Back to the Future movie. I must say the same about the part of Pennsauken along 130 with the Shop N Bag, Burger King, etc. And what about the stretch of Admiral Wilson with the several gas stations with miles of rowhouses behind them? Ugh! I also feel perfectly entitled to fear for my life at the Family Dollar north on 130 in Pennsauken (which for those of you with long memories was a Penn Fruit long ago).

Let's see, you came onto this board spinning a lie that you're from Louisiana. Then you tried to rearrange stores in Cape May, just like someone else used to do. Pennsauken & Collingwood both border Camden. They have totally different demographics. The OP is not interested in South Jersey. I'm not going to waste time playing your game. Camden & Chester don't have long-reaching tentacles. Swarthmore has a well-deserved reputation for being a nice safe town. Period.

[rainrock]

Originally Posted by Leon2014

Here is some hard data that shows the stark difference between Swarthmore and say Doylestown.

Both maps are on the same scale. Doylestown has 3 homes for sale under $120k in close proximity, Swarthmore has 900 homes under $120k in same proximity.

Doylestown as nice as it is is a relatively secluded small town in the middle of nowhere. 1 hour from the airport.

Swarthmore is 5 minutes from the airport, 15 minutes to Center City. Swarthmores NW neighbors and affluence is something Doylestown can only dream of.

[Leon2014]

Originally Posted by rainrock

Doylestown as nice as it is is a relatively secluded small town in the middle of nowhere. 1 hour from the airport.

Except Doylestown actually has a larger population than Swarthmore, is the capital of Bucks county, a county that is larger than Delaware county in both size and population, and certainly more wealthy, having a county wide median household income that is $13k higher over Delaware county.

Most wealthy people choose not to live next to airports, railroads, refineries, highways or major poverty centers. Delaware county has all of the above.

[motownewave]

Originally Posted by Leon2014

railroads

Sorry, but you lose. Where do you THINK the name "Main Line" comes from?

And what is your obsession with using British Commonwealth spelling?

[rainrock]

Originally Posted by Leon2014

Except Doylestown actually has a larger population than Swarthmore, is the capital of Bucks county, a county that is larger than Delaware county in both size and population, and certainly more wealthy, having a county wide median household income that is $13k higher over Delaware county.

Bucks is 3x the geographic size of Delaware with roughly the same population. Delaware County especially the eastern most section that border West + SW P Philly is much more established and developed including alot of older working class blue collar towns which have absolutely nothing to do with Swarthmore and NW Delaware County which is what I was talking about. So stop trying to muddy the waters.

Originally Posted by Leon2014

Most wealthy people choose not to live next to airports, railroads, refineries, highways or major poverty centers. Delaware county has all of the above.

Then tell that to the hundreds of thousands of wealthy people living in Swarthmore and areas connected to Swarthmore towards the NW. The N NW parts of Delaware County including Swarthmore are every bit as wealthy as Bucks and more centrally located.