where to live when not knowing where work is going to be (Philadelphia: apartment)

[nebube]

Hi everyone,

I got a job at Penn medical school so my fiancé and I are moving to Philadelphia at the beginning of August. We are early 30s and coming from a college town in Midwest. I will use the public transport for commuting while my fiancé will probably drive depending on where his job will be. He's hunting for a job and we do not know where he'll end up at. It can be Nj, it can be King of Prussia, it can be center city. I have been looking at places along the Main line and Media?Swarthmore but there are not a lot of options within our budget of around 1200. I wanted to ask if there are good places to live that is more suburban than urban, easy to commute anywhere with a car and less than an hour commute to University City.

Thank you

When are you moving? Early August
Where are you coming from? College town in Midwest
Why are you moving? Job
Where will you be working? University City
Have you been here yet? No

Will you buy or rent? Rent at least for the first year
If buying, are you looking for a house or a condo? How much can you spend?
If renting, are you looking for an apartment, a townhouse or loft? How much can you spend? Any of those is fine. We are looking for something around 1200. Our absolute limit is 1500.
Do you prefer hi-rise or walk up? Walk up

Do you have a preference of living in a NJ or PA suburb? No
(If you answered NJ - post your answers here: https://www.city-data.com/forum/new-j...-philadelphia/)

Are you married or single? Do you have children? We don't have children
Do you prefer public or private schools?
Do you have pets? No
Do you want or need a yard? Want yes need no
Are you keeping a car? Yes
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? Calm and quiet

What do you want to be closest to? Train or subway stations
Work
Shopping
Basic services (supermarket, drugstore, etc.)
Nightlife
Train or subway stations

Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood? Doesn't matter

Favorite Beverage - Craft Beer, wine, water? We love all those.

[kyb01]

OP, since you mentioned Center City, which sounds like you are okay with city living, why not just look for housing in University City's multiple neighborhoods: Spruce Hill, Clark Park, Cedar Park or Powelton Village.

I'm a Penn retiree, btw, and I worked in the School of Med for 37 years. It's a wonderful institution and it had a lot to do with why I stayed at Penn for so long.

[TownDweller]

I had a lot of the same requirements as you. We didn't know where we would both be working, wanted highway and rail access and wanted moderate rent. We also wanted an area where there was some pulse, not too sleepy.

We settled on Conshohocken and am really pleased. Center City and it's nearby neighborhoods don't offer more than a studio apartment for $1200. Maybe a 1BR can be had around $1500, don't know.

[KoNgFooCj]

Originally Posted by TownDweller

I had a lot of the same requirements as you. We didn't know where we would both be working, wanted highway and rail access and wanted moderate rent. We also wanted an area where there was some pulse, not too sleepy.

We settled on Conshohocken and am really pleased. Center City and it's nearby neighborhoods don't offer more than a studio apartment for $1200. Maybe a 1BR can be had around $1500, don't know.

Areas surrounding Center City might give you a little more bang for your buck.

[PHL10]

Originally Posted by kyb01

OP, since you mentioned Center City, which sounds like you are okay with city living, why not just look for housing in University City's multiple neighborhoods: Spruce Hill, Clark Park, Cedar Park or Powelton Village.

I'm a Penn retiree, btw, and I worked in the School of Med for 37 years. It's a wonderful institution and it had a lot to do with why I stayed at Penn for so long.

I agree and even if that's not the preferred area of the OP, I think it would make sense to at least rent something efficient in UCity initially until the wife's job location is determined. Why leave yourself open to the possibility where both parties have a 45 minute commute or longer? One of the two might as well be close to the office.

[NewtownBucks]

I'm not really an expert on apartment prices, but I think Conshohocken is a good recommendation to look. That's pretty central to anywhere you need to get to and shouldn't be quite as expensive as either Center City or the Main Line.