Am I crazy for wanting to move to Philly? (Philadelphia: apartment, rent)

[kalipsocs]

Hey everyone. New to the forum, but seems like there is a lot of good advice on here! I have lived in north Texas all of my life (Dallas/Ft. Worth is considered "north Texas" here...no one cares about the panhandle) and am currently in central Texas. Recently I have got the itch to move out of here once I graduate college. I have visited Philly a few times and have to say I loved it. But usually visiting and living aren't the same. So I have a few questions that I am sure have been asked a few times before but i would appreciate the feedback.

1.) How is the job market for IT professionals?
2.) Do you HAVE to work in the city with that kind of job, or can I get a comparable job/salary in burbs? Seems like it would be a pain in the ass from what I hear about SEPTA...
3.) What cities have the best compromise of price and proximity to the city? I already have the distinct feeling that I will be having "sticker shock" if I make it up there!
4.) Car insurance? Input from 20-25 age range and male is especially valued.

I have read up a bit and heard most of the bad (crime rate, commuting sucks, etc.) but to me its not much different than any other major city and I am used to Dallas. I know I am not cut out for downtown life, but the burbs were great. I stayed in Drexel Hill when I was there last. So am I crazy since most are coming to Texas? Thanks in advanced for your input.

[FindingZen]

I actually visited Dallas this past Christmas. Your downtown freeways are a bit confusing... and this Eagles fan had a bit of revulsion upon passing Texas Stadium... but I digress.

Philly's economy is pretty diverse. The only industry that really sticks out is healthcare/biotech. In general, you'd have a better chance of finding a job in the 'burbs although the city, especially Center City (downtown) isn't exactly dead. If you lived and worked in the 'burbs, your purchasing power would go up by the 4% city wage tax you would not be paying.

IMO you haven't seen true sticker shock until you come to DC (or NYC or LA for that matter) but the cost of living will be higher in the Philly metro than you're used to. Tell us what kind of apartment/house you're aspiring for and we can point you in the right direction. As an example, The $200K 4BR/2BA I stayed at in McKinney, TX would probably go for $400-$450K in a comparable neighborhood in the Philly metro. The average rent for a 1BR is fast approaching $1000.

I don't drive so I can't help with the car insurance question. However, if you're aspiring to live amongst other young suburban professionals, West Chester would be a good place to start.

Originally Posted by kalipsocs

Hey everyone. New to the forum, but seems like there is a lot of good advice on here! I have lived in north Texas all of my life (Dallas/Ft. Worth is considered "north Texas" here...no one cares about the panhandle) and am currently in central Texas. Recently I have got the itch to move out of here once I graduate college. I have visited Philly a few times and have to say I loved it. But usually visiting and living aren't the same. So I have a few questions that I am sure have been asked a few times before but i would appreciate the feedback.

1.) How is the job market for IT professionals?
2.) Do you HAVE to work in the city with that kind of job, or can I get a comparable job/salary in burbs? Seems like it would be a pain in the ass from what I hear about SEPTA...
3.) What cities have the best compromise of price and proximity to the city? I already have the distinct feeling that I will be having "sticker shock" if I make it up there!
4.) Car insurance? Input from 20-25 age range and male is especially valued.

I have read up a bit and heard most of the bad (crime rate, commuting sucks, etc.) but to me its not much different than any other major city and I am used to Dallas. I know I am not cut out for downtown life, but the burbs were great. I stayed in Drexel Hill when I was there last. So am I crazy since most are coming to Texas? Thanks in advanced for your input.

[kalipsocs]

Ha ha yeah I expect to get lynched walking out in my Cowboys jersey if I get up there! Well as far as living I better keep the dreams to a min. Lets just go with 1BR/1BA 600-800 sq. ft. Like I said the only reference I have is Drexel Hill so anything surrounding I guess would be a good starting point. Center city seems nice, but not for me. I actually prefer not to be in the heart of any major city....little too busy for me. I liked my set up in Dallas, I was about 30 mins from Dallas (assuming you know the freeways ). So something like that for Philly would be perfect... enough to avoid the pitfalls of a major city and close enough to go have a good night on the town. Really, if wages are comparable to pay for that kind of rent then thats all that matters. I might have to keep the car parked a lot too because us Texans can't drive in snow...or parallel park for that matter! Parallel parking was strictly optional and actually discouraged when I was in driver's ed. way back when if you can believe that.

[kilbillrain]

Dont worry about snow. We dont get that anymore thanks to global warming. Philly hasn't been a proper "northern" city with regular snow in the winter since the 80's...

[JerzBoy]

Are you looking for a more of a town feel or straight up suburbia? Also, are you looking for easy access to center city Philly via rail? Remember to look into the NJ side of the river as well as the PA burbs.

PA towns recommended - West Chester, Media, Conshohocken
NJ towns recommended - Collingswood, Haddonfield, Merchantville, Moorestown

PA suburbia recommended - King of Prussia, Plymouth Meeting, Exton
NJ suburbia recommended - Cherry Hill, Mount Laurel, Voorhees

[kalipsocs]

Originally Posted by JerzBoy

Are you looking for a more of a town feel or straight up suburbia? Also, are you looking for easy access to center city Philly via rail? Remember to look into the NJ side of the river as well as the PA burbs.

PA towns recommended - West Chester, Media, Conshohocken
NJ towns recommended - Collingswood, Haddonfield, Merchantville, Moorestown

PA suburbia recommended - King of Prussia, Plymouth Meeting, Exton
NJ suburbia recommended - Cherry Hill, Mount Laurel, Voorhees

Well guess thats some of the cultural difference showing through! All the cities between Dallas/Ft. Worth we call the suburbs. I guess more of the town feel? All I saw of King of Prussia was the mall but it had an upper-middle class feel to it. As far as rail access, you got me there. Mass transit doesn't factor here cause most commute by car due to the massive highway system...which still end up sucking. I would assume though that distance to a rail station (at this stage anyway) would be important. But I am seeing a few connections within the forum that job market is quite good outside of the city. I would prefer not to have to go downtown everyday though if at all possible. And I am not dissing south Jersey, but what I saw of Camden I wasn't too crazy on it. Thats why I ask about the PA side of things.

[JerzBoy]

Most of the "towns" I mentioned above have rail access to Philly. As far as job markets go outside of Center City - you have a large job concentration in the NW Suburbs along Route 202. Basically, the King of Prussia-Great Valley/Malvern-Exton corridor. There is also a smaller job market in South Jersey in the Cherry Hill-Mt Laurel-Marlton area.

Also, don't disregard NJ just because of Camden City. Sure the city is about as bad as it gets but it is pretty isolated. The rest of South Jersey is very nice and comparable to the PA side. As long as you are east of Route 130 you are fine.

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by kalipsocs

Well guess thats some of the cultural difference showing through! All the cities between Dallas/Ft. Worth we call the suburbs. I guess more of the town feel? All I saw of King of Prussia was the mall but it had an upper-middle class feel to it. As far as rail access, you got me there. Mass transit doesn't factor here cause most commute by car due to the massive highway system...which still end up sucking. I would assume though that distance to a rail station (at this stage anyway) would be important. But I am seeing a few connections within the forum that job market is quite good outside of the city. I would prefer not to have to go downtown everyday though if at all possible. And I am not dissing south Jersey, but what I saw of Camden I wasn't too crazy on it. Thats why I ask about the PA side of things.

Even if you plan on spending just your weekend off-time downtown, it would be useful to at least know where the nearest trains are to wherever you live. Compared to downtown Dallas, Center City is dense and compact, making parking limited and expensive.

Unfortunately Camden is generally pretty rough once you get off the riverfront but the rest of South Jersey is thriving. With its confusing traffic patterns, you might even feel more at home on this side of the river. lol

[CHIP72]

I'd add Palmyra and Burlington to the list of nice towns in south Jersey. Both (and a couple other good towns) are along the NJ Transit RiverLINE and near US 130.

The Main Line (i.e. towns west of Philadelphia along the SEPTA R5 and US 30) are generally very nice, and some of the towns north of Philadelphia (like Hatboro, which is served by the SEPTA R2 and near the PA Turnpike) are also nice.

The Philadelphia area (and for that matter most of the large and medium-sized Northeast/Mid-Atlantic cities, with the exception of Baltimore and Washington to some degree) has a number of nice towns that are "suburban" but predate WWII, meaning they are true towns, not collections of houses, strip malls, and parking lots.

[TexasTsalagi]

In a word, Yes!