NC versus PA (Philadelphia, Reading, York: rentals, condos, crime)

[orrmobl]

Thanks Em for the clarification...you are exactly right.

And Rainrock, allow me to retort: ALL of the Philly burbs are being built up and overpriced, even the crappy ones...my friends/family have moved to West Grove and they paid $400K about 3-4 years ago. Are you telling me those houses have gotten less expensive? And I'm currently living in Coatesville and there must be 10 new developments here...I joke with myself that where they once grew food, now they grow houses...and its sad...this area is exploding and it was crowded close to the city as it was, now its just getting ridiculous...they build on any postage stamp of land they can find...try rush hour around here...it doubles the normal drive time...that's only going to get worse...the only Philly burbs that remind me of NC would be those 1.5 hours outside the city ...like Lancaster, Allentown, Scranton, nothing that would really be considered a "burb"...

[BPP1999]

Originally Posted by orrmobl

Thanks Em for the clarification...you are exactly right.

And Rainrock, allow me to retort: ALL of the Philly burbs are being built up and overpriced, even the crappy ones...my friends/family have moved to West Grove and they paid $400K about 3-4 years ago. Are you telling me those houses have gotten less expensive? And I'm currently living in Coatesville and there must be 10 new developments here...I joke with myself that where they once grew food, now they grow houses...and its sad...this area is exploding and it was crowded close to the city as it was, now its just getting ridiculous...they build on any postage stamp of land they can find...try rush hour around here...it doubles the normal drive time...that's only going to get worse...the only Philly burbs that remind me of NC would be those 1.5 hours outside the city ...like Lancaster, Allentown, Scranton, nothing that would really be considered a "burb"...

To me, suburban Philadelphia has plenty of open spaces, at least compared to suburban NY or DC. For whatever reason, when people describe this region, they always leave out the 3,000+ acres of Valley Forge, 3,000+ acres of Evansburg State Park, 500+ acres of Norristown Farm Park, 500+ acres of Fort Washington State Park, and countless other open spaces.

[ButterFly32]

It sounds like you have the wrong impression of the Raleigh area. It is not laid back, rolling hills, no traffic...not where I am at least. It is very over-crowded and the roads were not built for this many people, so there are traffic problems. I actually think that NC and PA have a lot in common, there are overpopulated areas, but you can dive an hour or so and be in the country! I would like to be back in the north though

[tatiana1]

Originally Posted by ButterFly32

I am considering a move from the Raleigh NC area to a suburb of Philadelphia. Has anyone else done the same or opposite? Which area do you like better and why? I don't know too much about the Philly job market. It's pretty good here in Raleigh, which could be a concern. The housing prices are good here, which could be another concern in PA. Any feedback will be appreciated!

I'm thinking of moving to Philly too and currently live in N. Raleigh. Prior to making that big leap, I will be up in Philly in the middle of March to see the city and talk to its residents to get a feel of what I'm getting into. Contrary to what you posted, the job market is not good here since there is a culture here in the south where people only get "desirable" jobs if and only if they know someone at a company. Obviously, if you are counting "temporary" jobs such as waitress, hostess, cashier, retail worker, grocery clerk, front desk rep, etc then the job market may be good since these types of jobs are readily available. I called these jobs temporary (even though they are not) because they offer little benefits/wages and are not the types of jobs people usually settle in or retire from. These are typical jobs for college kids or adults who are in the process of looking for their 9 - 5s. I myself currently work at a major hospital in the area but before I could get it, I used to wait tables making about $650.00 a week but no benefit. At the hospital, I have a "desired" job making about $450.00 a week plus great benefits. So you can easily see which one pays better.
The thing I know I'll miss most about Raleigh is the cheap apartment rent. I currently pay $700.00 for a beautiful one bedroom apartment, something I don't think I will get in Philly. I will also miss the traffic-free roads. I really don't understand when people talk about Raleigh's traffic congestion because ever since I've moved here 7 yrs ago, I have not seen any!
Last but not least, I think Raleigh is great for people who would like to have their own small businesses (florist, speciality grocery, catering, etc). I guess I will try Philly and if I hate it, like people are telling me, I will just drive back to good old Carolina with the satisfaction that I at least tried. Good luck to you!

[oliver0729]

I just moved from Philly burbs to Raleigh and couldn't be happier.

A couple comments regarding some things said on both sides:

Orrmobl is a little confused about the differences in traffic. There is traffic jams, and they can be heavy in NC. Nothing as bad as 76 at 8am into the city, but there are some bad areas. The beltways specifically. The difference is Raleigh recognizes these issues and does put plans in place to correct, how is Philly going to fix the back ups on the Blue Route and 76 and 422 with more development going on and nothing being done to the infrastructure.

Tatiana1; regarding the lack of jobs and the market in NC. I am contacted regularly for jobs and I am not even in a growth industry. I did have the same luck in Philly as well, but took a job down here for the simple reason of more money and lower cost of living. I looked at staying in PA and most locations I looked at building I was going to pay $500-600k for the house I wanted plus $8k-$12k annually in taxes. Down here I got a better house, in a smaller development for half that and only $2200 annually in taxes - plus I don't need to send my kids to private schools.

The housing market in NC is still on the warmer side of things. Houses are on the market longer, but they are selling. Philly has been in a slow down for over a year now. I was happy to sell my old house when I did.

The growth here is good and bad at the same time. The influx of people has brought a lot more good retail to the area; but it has also lead to over-development. Housing developments were only required houses to be 8' off the side property lines and 10' off the rear line. This was law until this past year in Wake County - they just changed the law increasing the spacing requirements. The new spacing laws only need to be followed for new developments, anything already approved does not need to follow them. So imagine every subdivision being built is practically on top of each other in most areas of Raleigh, Apex, Cary, Wake Forest, and Durham. The only way to get a house in a subdivision with land was to spend over $500k...which in Philly would put you into something near $800-$1million.

I know I did not answer any real questions, but I would suggest going to visit the area for more then a weekend. I came to Raleigh 6-8 times before moving here. I spent weekends, weekdays and even a 2 week period to make sure it was what I wanted. Travel the roads during all times of the day. Visit neighborhoods and spend time researching. The one thing nice with Raleigh is its popular so people are always posting information on the internet - not so much with Philly, this forum for the city just does not have the involvement like other cities.

[rainrock]

Originally Posted by oliver0729

I just moved from Philly burbs to Raleigh....The one thing nice with Raleigh is its popular so people are always posting information on the internet - not so much with Philly, this forum for the city just does not have the involvement like other cities.

Good overall post oliver although I had a few minor issues.

Phillyblog has over 20,000 members. You'll be hard pressed to find a more cohesive website concerning a particular city anywhere in the country. I wouldnt read too much into the fact that this particular website(city-data) is not popular with the locals, thats not a fair assessment on the patronage of the city. Phillyblog is a straight shooter, you'll get the good and the bad.

Originally Posted by oliver0729

I looked at staying in PA and most locations I looked at building I was going to pay $500-600k for the house I wanted plus $8k-$12k annually in taxes. Down here I got a better house, in a smaller development for half that and only $2200 annually in taxes - plus I don't need to send my kids to private schools.

This one I'm having a hard time following. $600K house, $12K in school taxes. Yet you felt the need for private schooling? With that above criteria you have access to incredible public school districts. You lost me on that one.

Good luck in Carolina.

[gameguy56]

One thing a lot of people don't mention is that many of the philly 'burbs have access to SEPTA rail lines that head right into the city. If your work is in the city limits it would be a huge plus and you wouldn't have to deal with traffic for your commute.

[ChrisatDuke]

I grew up in Reading, PA, which is about 45 minutes-an hour from Philly, and I have been in Durham, NC for about two years for grad school. I like both parts of the country, but there are definately some major differences between the two.

In short, I think North Carolina has more natural beauty. More trees, better weather, nicer scenery. I like it how new residential and commerical developments are being integrated into the environment, where in PA it seems like they tear down all of the trees to make a new subdivision. On the other hand, the Philly area has much more to offer in terms of entertainment/things to do. Plus NYC is only about an hour and a half away.

[chantal]

Originally Posted by jfre81

The Raleigh-Durham area is getting pricy, thanks to the constant stream of people flowing in, and there aren't enough high-paying jobs to keep everyone able to pay for houses unless you want to commute from the sticks.

The low-paying NC state government and Wal-Mart and Target are not going to pay the bills in a $300K home. Nor is being a waitress at Ruby Tuesday's.

Totally agree with this poster. We see the homes listed in The News and Observer and think who's buying these?

[leighland]

Originally Posted by chantal

We see the homes listed in The News and Observer and think who's buying these?

The residents of the Philly 'burbs who tell me they are in the process of moving to NC. I hear that a LOT!