TX to Philly- Urgent Help needed (Philadelphia, Chester: to rent, house, safe neighborhood)

[HK3939]

Hi,


Folks, looking to move to Philly due to work and planning to rent initially before I buy. I've only been to Philly for a few meetings and have never seen the city. Safety and top elementary school are the highest priority.

When are you moving? Next month
Where are you coming from? Dallas, TX
Why are you moving? Work
Where will you be working?
Have you been here yet? Yes, for meetings only
Will you buy or rent?
Rent initially (~6 months) then Buy

Do you have a preference of living in a NJ or suburb ?
No, as long as driving commute isn't more than 30 mins. Commute under 30 mins at best (via train or car). I'll compromise if the school district is top notch. Will appreciate if someone can layout pros/cons for family living in NJ vs. Philly (however working in Philly)

Are you married or single? Do you have children? Married with 2 kids. 5 years and 2 years
Do you prefer public or private schools? Preference is to be at a top public school (10/10), else private

Do you have pets? No

Do you want or need a yard? Yes

Are you keeping a car? Yes

Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? Safety and top friendly school is the top priority

What do you want to be closest to?
Work is near John F Kennedy and 20th street. Home needs to be near 30 mins drive of this.

[HK3939]

Folks, i understand there is a bunch of posts on this topic, however just trying to get the latest feedback. Your help is appreciated.

[NewtownBucks]

A hard maximum of 30 minutes for your commute is going to be fairly limiting, but if you want some suggestions for good school districts that close to the city, I'd recommend looking at Jenkintown, Abington, and/or Haddonfield. If you go in the city, just look at elementary school catchments. Penn Alexander in U-City and Meredith in Queen Village are some of the better ones. The top high schools in Philadelphia School District are magnet schools like Masterman, so it doesn't matter where in the city you live to get into those.

[HK3939]

Originally Posted by NewtownBucks

A hard maximum of 30 minutes for your commute is going to be fairly limiting, but if you want some suggestions for good school districts that close to the city, I'd recommend looking at Jenkintown, Abington, and/or Haddonfield. If you go in the city, just look at elementary school catchments. Penn Alexander in U-City and Meredith in Queen Village are some of the better ones. The top high schools in Philadelphia School District are magnet schools like Masterman, so it doesn't matter where in the city you live to get into those.

Thanks for the feedback. Which is the closest neighbourhood to phiily downtown which has top-notch public school district? We just decided to move and have not applied to any schools yet. I did contact a few private schools and their enrollment is complete for this year. Do they have elementary magnet schools where we can apply now so kids can start by August?

[MarketStEl]

There aren't magnet K-5 or K-6 grade schools. Generally speaking, you need to live in the catchment of the grade school you wish to attend.

The following public grade schools enjoy the highest reputations and also score the highest on the state assessments:

• William Meredith, Queen Village
• Sadie Tanner Mosell Alexander University of Pennsylvania Partnership ("Penn Alexander"), University City (Spruce Hill)*
• Samuel Powel (K-4), Powelton Village

The schools below don't score as highly, but parents of students in them are generally satisfied with the education their children get:

• Gen. George A. McCall, Society Hill
• Albert M. Greenfield, Rittenhouse Square
• Chester A. Arthur, Graduate Hospital
• George W. Nebinger, Queen Village

*Penn Alexander is wildly popular to the point where it's now oversubscribed: even those who live in its catchment must go through a lottery for slots to attend.

But I also have this mental file labeled "The public schools aren't as bad as everyone says they are." It consists of anecdotal evidence I've picked up in conversations with city residents who have children enrolled in schools other than these who report that their children are getting good educations and that they are quite pleased with their school. Parental and community support make a big difference in many of these schools; Andrew Jackson in East Passyunk is one such. You might want to check out a citywide coalition known as the Friends of Neighborhood Education for information about other schools; this is an alliance of school "Friends of" groups - neighborhood residents who may or may not have children enrolled in their local public school but who support the school with contributions of money, time and/or materials.

[HK3939]

Thanks for the details MarketStEl.

William Meredith, Queen Village (7/10)
Penn Alexander (9/10)
Samuel Powel (4/10)

This is the first time I'll be moving to East coast and am surprised how difficult it is to identify a top public school near downtown Philly. I do like Penn Alexander and hope to find a house within the catchment area. As you mentioned, will need to check if they can accommodate my kids at this time.

- Do most people send their kids to private school who work in downtown and want to be within 30min commute?
- Between the first two school, whats considered to be more kids friendly neighborhood? (safety, more families etc.)
- Does your recommendation include NJ public schools as well?

[HK3939]

Also, it seems if you want to be within 30 mins from Philly Downtown, Private school is the way to go if you want a newer house and a safe neighborhood. ((
I'd love to be wrong here!

[NewtownBucks]

Originally Posted by HK3939

Also, it seems if you want to be within 30 mins from Philly Downtown, Private school is the way to go if you want a newer house and a safe neighborhood. ((
I'd love to be wrong here!

The issue with the 30 minute commute limit is that that is the commute time from the first neighborhoods outside the city limits because of the traffic on the main highways into the city (i.e. 95, 476/blue route, and 76/Schuylkill Expy). So, within the 30 min circumference, most of the areas are within the city, including a lot of areas that aren't really desirable to live in at all. If you ease the 30 min restriction, you'll find a lot more options. I live in Newtown in Bucks County. It's a really nice little town with a nice "main street" downtown area, plenty of restaurants & shopping, and all of the youth activities and other amenities of an upper middle class suburban area. It's in Council Rock School District and Council Rock North HS, which is one of the top rated schools in the whole state. But, my commute is an hour each way. It sounds like this is more like what you are looking for (and it's not unique to Council Rock, either - try Lower Merion or Radnor on the main line or Wallingford-Swarthmore south of the city or North Penn or Wissahickon in Montgomery County or a host of other top rated suburban schools). These are all great suburbs with everything you want, but are outside of the 30 minute commute radius. That's just a fact of living in this area. If driving aggravates you, Septa commuter rail is a decent option, although it saves more in stress than it does in time.

Within the city, both Meredith and Penn Alexander catchments are within "long walking distance" of your office at 20th & JFK (or a short bus/train ride).

[HK3939]

NewtonBucks thanks and appreciate for laying out these options. I was misguided into thinking that spending more money will get me a great public school and a nice house with my limitation of less than 30min commute. I'll explore more options as i plan a trip to Philly in the next week or so to actually visit the areas.

How is the overall housing market in Philly? Dallas is crazy with housing prices these days. Trying to understand if its easier to sell a house in the Philly area and worth the investment in a house. I understand its subjective but looking purely on a financial play.

[1ondoner]

There are no good public schools in the city. If you find one, they admit exceptional students and there might be a wait list. You best bet is to commute from the suburbs. Good schools on this forum refers to the condition of the buildings and not the student test scores.

You don't specify your budget but you are looking at $500K plus for a decent house in a good school district and it's not going to be anything like you'd get in TX. It doesn't help that you are moving when inventory is for good homes is tight. It's not uncommon for sellers to get multiple offers when they list their homes.

As a transplant and someone who has moved a bit, having an open mind will make your relocation easier. East coast is very different from the TX and be prepared for a bit of sticker shock as well as a cultural shock. Visiting East coast is different from living here.

Originally Posted by HK3939

Thanks for the details MarketStEl.

William Meredith, Queen Village (7/10)
Penn Alexander (9/10)
Samuel Powel (4/10)

This is the first time I'll be moving to East coast and am surprised how difficult it is to identify a top public school near downtown Philly. I do like Penn Alexander and hope to find a house within the catchment area. As you mentioned, will need to check if they can accommodate my kids at this time.

- Do most people send their kids to private school who work in downtown and want to be within 30min commute?
- Between the first two school, whats considered to be more kids friendly neighborhood? (safety, more families etc.)
- Does your recommendation include NJ public schools as well?