Where to live as a young adult? (Philadelphia, Doylestown: rent, employment)

[mrphilly]

I am a recent college graduate who has found employment in Doylestown, PA.

I am looking for an area nearby to live which has other young professionals my age (20s and 30s), and a decent night life. Further, it is important to me for there to be a reasonable amount of activities to do within the area. I know Doylestown is suburbia, but would like to keep my commute there within an hour if possible.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

[cpomp]

Doylestown itself is probably your best bet.

Its a very nice somewhat lively walk-able downtown, but I don't think it has much of a nightlife besides some bars and nice restaurants.

The closest lively town I can think of is Conshohocken, but that could easily be an hour commute with traffic.

[rowhomecity]

I would recommend Manayunk. You are in Philadelphia's western edge. Commute time is about an hour. Manayunk is quite lively, and an easy uber into Center City for its abundance of nightlife (shows, concerts, etc) if desired.

Conshohocken would be my second choice. Not quite as lively as Manayunk, but a solid community. (more on the upper 20s/low 30s crowd).

[NewtownBucks]

Originally Posted by rowhomecity

I would recommend Manayunk. You are in Philadelphia's western edge. Commute time is about an hour. Manayunk is quite lively, and an easy uber into Center City for its abundance of nightlife (shows, concerts, etc) if desired.

Conshohocken would be my second choice. Not quite as lively as Manayunk, but a solid community. (more on the upper 20s/low 30s crowd).

The problem is that there is no good way to commute from Manayunk to Doylestown. It's questionable that this is even under an hour during rush hour. You have to take the Schuylkill to Conshohocken, then the Blue Route to the turnpike, the turnpike to 611, and 611 all the way up to Doylestown. All of those roads are jammed during rush hour.

I'd recommend looking at Doylestown first. Doylestown Boro is more of a small town than suburbia, and there is a downtown area with some bars and music venues and other nightlife activities. If that's not enough for you, then possibly look at Manayunk. Manayunk would clearly offer you the social life you're looking for, but you'll tire of that commute pretty quickly.

[Pennsport]

Originally Posted by NewtownBucks

The problem is that there is no good way to commute from Manayunk to Doylestown. It's questionable that this is even under an hour during rush hour. You have to take the Schuylkill to Conshohocken, then the Blue Route to the turnpike, the turnpike to 611, and 611 all the way up to Doylestown. All of those roads are jammed during rush hour.

I'd recommend looking at Doylestown first. Doylestown Boro is more of a small town than suburbia, and there is a downtown area with some bars and music venues and other nightlife activities. If that's not enough for you, then possibly look at Manayunk. Manayunk would clearly offer you the social life you're looking for, but you'll tire of that commute pretty quickly.

Well, I'd probably take the turnpike to 309 and then 202, but you're right, it's not a pleasant commute regardless of what route you take.

What about Ambler? I don't know that town at all, but I hear it's fairly vibrant with a decent bar/social scene. That's only like 15 miles and 20-30 minutes from Doylestown.

[NewtownBucks]

Originally Posted by Pennsport

Well, I'd probably take the turnpike to 309 and then 202, but you're right, it's not a pleasant commute regardless of what route you take.

What about Ambler? I don't know that town at all, but I hear it's fairly vibrant with a decent bar/social scene. That's only like 15 miles and 20-30 minutes from Doylestown.

Ambler is a good suggestion, too. It's fairly similar to Doylestown Boro or Conshohocken in being more towny than suburbia with restaurants/nightlife/social scene, but not quite urban like Manayunk. It's definitely someplace to look that is a reasonable commute to Doylestown (and may be a little cheaper than in Doylestown).

[Angus215]

Originally Posted by Pennsport

Well, I'd probably take the turnpike to 309 and then 202, but you're right, it's not a pleasant commute regardless of what route you take.

What about Ambler? I don't know that town at all, but I hear it's fairly vibrant with a decent bar/social scene. That's only like 15 miles and 20-30 minutes from Doylestown.

Ambler is not going to be any better than Doylestown, in terms of the town itself, and the downtown area smaller. Unfortunately, since Doylestown is so far outside of the city, there are no great options that are within a reasonable commute.

I suppose you could live somewhere in between Doylestown and the places with more nightlife (Conshy, Manayunk, Center City), so at least you wouldn't have as far to travel when you wanted to go out. Ambler would fit from that perspective, while still having a small downtown itself. You'd be looking at a 30 - 40 minute commute to Doylestown during rush hour, I would think.

[FrankInPhilly]

Originally Posted by Angus215

Ambler is not going to be any better than Doylestown, in terms of the town itself, and the downtown area smaller. Unfortunately, since Doylestown is so far outside of the city, there are no great options that are within a reasonable commute.

I suppose you could live somewhere in between Doylestown and the places with more nightlife (Conshy, Manayunk, Center City), so at least you wouldn't have as far to travel when you wanted to go out. Ambler would fit from that perspective, while still having a small downtown itself. You'd be looking at a 30 - 40 minute commute to Doylestown during rush hour, I would think.

I've always liked Ambler - restaurants, movie theatre, general vibe. Doylestown itself always struck me as a place better suited for families & older folk, and not that great for the OP's demographic. All the towns/'hoods mentioned - Consh., Manayunk, Ambler, D'town - are on regional rail, but Doylestown is the longest and, I'm guessing, the least-frequently run of the lines (Manayunk is closest and even Uber-able to Center City).
I looked at Google Maps, just saying "Amber - Doylestown" drive time leaving at 8:30. The range was 24-45 minutes, so if OP can handle variation, Ambler could be a good location.
One thing I always recommend is asking people at the new place of employment where they live - a good conversation starter if phrased in a non-creepy way :-)

[Fireshaker]

Why don't you rent in Doylestown for a year and see if you like it?

Unless you want to spend over an hour in your car or an hour on the train, I think it's probably your best bet. It's one of the most urban of the suburban towns, with a real downtown, and there's a decent amount of bars and restaurants and such. I haven't spent that much time there, but the times I have gone out on weekends there, there were definitely other young people from surrounding areas. It definitely seems to skew a little younger than some of the other walkable suburbs. You'd also be near the other cool towns of New Hope, PA and Lambertville, NJ, which have their own scenes as well.

As much as I'd want to recommend any of the other areas, I just think the time and traffic will wear you down. Doylestown is just so far away that you don't want to be making that trek on a regular basis.

[NewtownBucks]

Originally Posted by Fireshaker

Why don't you rent in Doylestown for a year and see if you like it?

Unless you want to spend over an hour in your car or an hour on the train, I think it's probably your best bet. It's one of the most urban of the suburban towns, with a real downtown, and there's a decent amount of bars and restaurants and such. I haven't spent that much time there, but the times I have gone out on weekends there, there were definitely other young people from surrounding areas. It definitely seems to skew a little younger than some of the other walkable suburbs. You'd also be near the other cool towns of New Hope, PA and Lambertville, NJ, which have their own scenes as well.

As much as I'd want to recommend any of the other areas, I just think the time and traffic will wear you down. Doylestown is just so far away that you don't want to be making that trek on a regular basis.

I have gone to Maxwell's On Main (Mom's) in Doylestown a couple times to see a friend's band play. They have a great craft beer selection, good food, and (what seemed to me to be) a vibrant "scene". I don't think my friend's bar band was a huge draw, but who knows.

I have also been to Puck Live a couple times. This is more of a music hall (with bigger acts) with a bar than a bar/restaurant that hosts small local bands. That means the beer is overpriced and you have to buy a ticket, but the sound system is top notch.