Summary of Philly Neighborhood Visits (Philadelphia, Lancaster: crime, houses, neighborhoods)

[vizanje]

OK...There are a thousand different threads and posts from people coming to Philly. I read a couple of great summaries before we went to visit, now I can't even find them. Anyway, I'm trying to start a summary thread for people who come to Philly, drive around, visit places that we all have talked/read about, and give their take on what they saw.
First about ourselves. We have two kids 9 and 6. We have lived in various places in the states ( NYC, NJ, OH, WI, west PA) and overseas as well. We have lived in very rural areas and big cities ( before kids). Each has trade-offs and it all comes down to personal preference. We don't like areas where they clear cut all trees and build lifeless developments. That is why we have focused on PA instead of NJ. Of course since we have kids we are looking for good schools, balancing that with the commute and quality of life. My wife already has a position a little south of CC and she must drive to work as public transport doesn't do the trick. I will look for work once we have fully moved.
Now, we were in Philly last week. Didn't have much time but this is our take on the area.
This trip we visited the Northeast, Mainline and farther out to Valley Forge/Paoli. We plan on looking at the South/Southwest areas next.


Started in Yardley. Beautiful area. Nice houses and quaint downtown. Traffic was nasty on a Saturday which wasn't a plus.We've since been advised to be careful of areas north of the city due to the traffic on 95 trying to get into the city. My wife works south of the city, so I think anything North is not good for us.

There seems to be nice areas to the NorthWest of CC such as Jenkintown. We didn't get to look, but from what I have heard they are nice, good school districts and decent commutes to CC via pub transport.

Valley Forge/Paoli area - Extremely nice area. Seems to have a couple of personalities. There is rolling hills, with nice houses ( not cookie cutter developments) and .5 or more acres. There is more traditional suburban looking areas. The school district is considered one of the best in the country ( Conestoga High). Good access to stores and the like. Felt like a great place to raise kids. Haven't checked the commute, as that might be the downfall.
We followed Lancaster Rd in from Paoli, and of course the communities along Lancaster were excellent. Loved Wayne. Ardmore, Villanova, Bryn Mawr, etc.. They are all nice, have little downtowns or main streets. Good schools. I don't know the commute times but I would imagine they would be decent due to their proximity to CC. We might pursue this area depending on the commute.
We went to Manayunk. Nice area, but for kids, probably too much concrete and not enough space for kids to run around. It's nice if you are a young couple or single, excellent night life. Roxborough seemed to have more single family houses, little more space, nice. On the ridge overlooking the Schuykill.

We went to Conshohocken. Like this area. Had some single family houses, nice little downtown area, with local shops. Has a business area with various companies located. Didn't get to investigate thoroughly but would like more info on the area, schools, crime and commutes.

Went through Upper Merion but didn't have time to investigate. Would like more info on this area.

Hmmm..thought I had more notes..but that is what we thought from last week. If I find more details I'll post them.

Looking forward to others visits/comments on the areas.
Thanks
jw

[JerzBoy]

Where exactly will your wife be working south of CC? If your wife is indeed working in South Philly - then the easiest commute will be from either Delaware County or South Jersey.

Before you write-off NJ completely, there are some nice towns there that aren't "lifeless" cookie-cutter neighborhoods. I would check out Haddonfield, Haddon Heights, Westmont, Collingswood, and downtown Moorestown.

The Lancaster Ave area in PA you mentioned (aka the Mainline) is very nice and very expensive. The commute to south of CC would be a real pain though. Lancaster Ave is brutal during rush hour and you would also have to take either city line ave (rt1) or 76 eventually both of which wouldn't be fun.

I'll say it again - if you have to drive into center city, the easiest commutes are by far from Delaware Co or South NJ. If public transportation was an option, then that would open up many more possibilities.

[Sassygirl18]

I agree with Jerszboy. There are some really nice, charming old-fashioned main street towns in S. Jersey and the commute is really easy to Philly, especially via the wonderful PATCO high-speedline. The only downfall to NJ is the taxes which are outrageous. If taxes aren't an issue, you may want to check out Haddonfield, Haddon Heights, Collingswood, Riverton and Moorestown. All beautiful old towns with loads of character. Of these, Moorestown and Haddonfield are the nicest but are very expensive. Don't know what your budget is.

[CHIP72]

Why wouldn't public transportation work for your wife? Does she work overnights?

I ask in part because for many of the places you mentioned, like the Main Line, driving to Center City for commuting purposes (and parking there) would be hell.

[vizanje]

Why wouldn't public transportation work for your wife? Does she work overnights?

I ask in part because for many of the places you mentioned, like the Main Line, driving to Center City for commuting purposes (and parking there) would be hell.[/quote]

No, she is down near the Naval Yard. Normal hours...I just don't think there is any pub transport that goes nearby. We thought about having a car parked at 30th st station and have her take train in morn.. get off, get car.. go to work. Then reverse obviously to get home. It just seems to be a bit much, but it might be the best solution to utilize pub transport and allow us to venture further out where there is more space for the kids.

[CHIP72]

Okay, seeing that your wife is working in far south Philadelphia, you'll want to live near the southern portion of the Blue Route (I-476), I-95 in Delaware County, or not far across the Delaware River in New Jersey. I strongly recommend checking out Media.

[vizanje]

Originally Posted by CHIP72

Okay, seeing that your wife is working in far south Philadelphia, you'll want to live near the southern portion of the Blue Route (I-476), I-95 in Delaware County, or not far across the Delaware River in New Jersey. I strongly recommend checking out Media.

Yeah, Media and that area seems to be the most logical choice. I've lived in NJ in the past, and I can't seem to come to grips with it being totally flat ( I know, stupid, but I was brought up in the mountains...I can't seem to shake it).
How are the schools over there around Media? We really like Paoli/Berwyn, cause the high school is fantastic. But don't think the commute is doable.

Philly doesn't really have a public transport system that covers the city. We were spoiled by NYC. You could live in Queens or Brooklyn and commute to the city for $4 a day, with minimal problems. Get to the city quickly, and most areas are reachable by one of the train lines. It was sweet. We also lived most years in Manhattan, so walking or biking to work was common.

Thanks for the advice....

[Tone509]

NYC probably sets the gold standard as far as transit coverage. Philly may contend with Chicago for the "silver". The expensive cost relative to other places is due to the perennial lack of subsidy support of SEPTA by Harrisburg. Of course, Harrisburg would tell you that SEPTA is not run efficiently enough. Local interests will tell you that the lack of support is an prime example of anti-Philadelphia bias in state government. The truth lies somewhere in the middle.

As the Naval Yard is being redeveloped into a viable office park, I imagine transit routes will increase, perhaps resulting in an extension of the Broad Street Subway.

I agree that Media would be a good option for you... although if you miss Manhattan, you may want to consider neighborhoods in and around Center City.

Originally Posted by vizanje

Yeah, Media and that area seems to be the most logical choice. I've lived in NJ in the past, and I can't seem to come to grips with it being totally flat ( I know, stupid, but I was brought up in the mountains...I can't seem to shake it).
How are the schools over there around Media? We really like Paoli/Berwyn, cause the high school is fantastic. But don't think the commute is doable.

Philly doesn't really have a public transport system that covers the city. We were spoiled by NYC. You could live in Queens or Brooklyn and commute to the city for $4 a day, with minimal problems. Get to the city quickly, and most areas are reachable by one of the train lines. It was sweet. We also lived most years in Manhattan, so walking or biking to work was common.

Thanks for the advice....

[newmarlig]

If you want to stay very close to center city, I would suggest looking in Queen Village. The public school there (Meredith) is one of the best in the city. Its boundaries are South Street to the north, Washington Avenue to the south, the Delaware River to the east, and 6th Street to the west. I would stay between Fitzwater and Queen and Front and 4th.

[rainrock]

Delaware County sounds like the best bet imo taking into consideration green space,quality schools, feasible commute.

Excellent school districts. Not quite Mainline quality but these 2 Delaware County School Districts are very very good.

Towns of Nether Providence,Swarthmore,(Wallingford-Swarthmore school district)

Media,Upper Providence,Middletown(Rose Tree-Media school district)

Check out the area just to the N of Media (Ridley Creek State Park + Springton Lake - which are considered Upper Providence.


Good luck