found a place in Manayunk, work in Downingtown (Chester, King of Prussia: apartment, wage)

[lulutoPA]

Dear all, I posted an ad on roommates.com and someone from Manayunk replied, and I really liked the apartment but....

I google-mapped it, I should take:
1. Schuylkill Expy (76) West
2. 202 West
3. then 30 West to get to Downingtown, about 1hr.

My question is:
- How BAD is the traffic in the morning WEST and evening heading back on 76? Is 1hr each way enough time to commute? I suppose everyone should be driving East to go to downtown Philly in the morning?
- It is really worth it to live that far? Because I read from previous postings that Manayunk is a pretty nice area.

Any input will be highly appreciated!!

[samsmith]

Consider King of Prussia area, plenty of restaurants, shops, mall. 25 mins from downtown, 20 mins from downingtown, access to all highways. Its the best of both worlds.

[rainrock]

76 West is a two lane windy road that handles about a bazillion cars per day. It gets backed up quite often, especially in the winter months.RT. 202 is much better. The Rt.202 Rt.30 merge gets backed up again for a little while.

Eventhough you will have a reverse commute unfortunately this is one of those metroes where that doesnt work out too well. There is as much if not more traffic out in the suburbs as there is in the city. Its a quagmire of vehicles heading in every direction. Some days you will make it in 45 minutes other day it might take you 1 1/2 hrs. It will be a daily grind but its doable if you have your heart set on living in Manayunk.

I wouldnt sign into anything long term though in case the commute is too much or Manayunk turns out not to be your thing. The more conservative move would be West Chester or King of Prussia but good luck with your choice.

[JerzBoy]

The commute is going to be bad. You MIGHT be able to make it some mornings in 1 hr, but most of the time you will not. The evening will be even worse.....the 30/202 and the 202/76 merge are killers. I would look into something closer to D-town to avoid 76 such as west chester.....

[JerzBoy]

Just to add.....there is no reverse commute on I-76. I think just as many people work in KoP and Malvern as they do in Center City Philly. Therefore, both directions of 76 are usually backed up.

[toobusytoday]

West Chester is a cute town and there are quite a few twenty-somethings there. You really should visit. It's a great commute to Downingtown. The commute from Manayunk would be horrible.

I don't understand all the people that are interested in a long commute for a community that might (maybe) be better then one 15 minutes away from their jobs.

[thesixth]

Agree that West Chester would be a better option. But if you really like Manayunk, or simply want to be close to the city, then sometimes the commute is worth it.

[rainrock]

Also keep in mind that living in Manayunk(Philadlephia County) comes with a price. You will have to pay the Philadlephia city wage tax, so an extra 4% will be deducted from your paycheck. If you live in one of the western suburban counties (Montgomery,Delaware,Chester ) you can avoid the Philly wage tax.