Looking for completely subjective opinions about areas North of Philly (Chester: short sale, foreclosure)

[cwlawrence]

My wife and I are a young couple from the NYC area looking to relocate to the Philly area. I will be a grad student, she is a teacher. We want to be close to a SEPTA train or metro station (within a mile or so). Access to a lively downtown but have enough privacy and property to escape when needed. We want a safe neighborhood, historic is nice, artsy and young is a plus, and 1,200+ sq. ft. fixer-upper houses should be affordable at <200k.

I know nothing about this area and will be renting for several months before I even consider buying, but right now I am considering all areas Northwest to Northeast of Philly.

Thanks in advance for all your input.

[bryson662001]

Might as well start by googleing SEPTA, the transit system and looking at their maps.

[From Philly]

Well, if you are looking to pay around that much for a house and need easy access to public transportation, then why not pick a nicer neighbordhood? Namely, the Northeast sections.

[cwlawrence]

Originally Posted by bryson662001

Might as well start by googleing SEPTA, the transit system and looking at their maps.

Right, already have done that; I am an ardent follower of the ways of Googleism.

And as for as looking in Northeast of the city, well that's exactly what I am doing and believe I mentioned that in the OP. What I don't have is subjective details about specific towns and neighborhoods.

Thanks for the replies so far though, please keep them coming.

[FindingZen]

I regret to say that it will be difficult to find anything in Philly that will fit all of your preferences.

Assuming easy access to a SEPTA Regional Rail commuter train is the highest priority, then I would suggest any neighborhood along the R5 line towards Thorndale, specifically from Ardmore to Wayne. However, since you will be living in a historically upscale area known as the Main Line, finding a condo within your price range would be enough of a challenge. If you must buy a house, then a bit further out in Downingtown might be an option to consider. But then, you might be slipping a notch in perceived safety.

Lively if not quite artsy towns that attract 20-30somethings include West Chester,Conshohocken and Media. WC is buoyed by its namesake state university but does not have train access. Conshy is served by Regional Rail and has become popular with suburban younger professionals and has a number of bars and restaurants but not so much with interesting sightseeing IMO. Media might be perfect for you as it has two different options for transit (light rail trolley and Regional Rail), as well as a family-friendly Main Street with decent options for adults. Still, short of a foreclosure/short sale, you may have to up your offering price a bit to find a SFH in any of these places.

Of course, I could mention several neighborhoods in Philly proper that would embody the historic and artsy scene you desire, many of which can be found in or adjacent to the neighborhoods of Center City (downtown) as well as University City, Manayunk and Chestnut Hill. But again, the flipside is that you will likely have to choose between being a permanent renter or an urban pioneer.

If you tell us where each of you will be working, that will help us to focus your options a little more.

Originally Posted by cwlawrence

My wife and I are a young couple from the NYC area looking to relocate to the Philly area. I will be a grad student, she is a teacher. We want to be close to a SEPTA train or metro station (within a mile or so). Access to a lively downtown but have enough privacy and property to escape when needed. We want a safe neighborhood, historic is nice, artsy and young is a plus, and 1,200+ sq. ft. fixer-upper houses should be affordable at <200k.

I know nothing about this area and will be renting for several months before I even consider buying, but right now I am considering all areas Northwest to Northeast of Philly.

Thanks in advance for all your input.

[cwlawrence]

I will be at UPenn. She is still wading through the paperwork nightmare that is the state certification process for teachers (however a Masters and several years of high level experience will give her many options).

We are not opposed to city living, but would really like at the least a small backyard and a front porch. Safety is important too, but of course, we both have survived NYC and I hear if you can make it there you can make it anywhere

Thanks for all the good advice, we will start searching the mentioned areas.

[bryson662001]

You might check out Bristol Boro east of Rt 13 on the Delaware River in Bucks County. (I don't mean adjacent Bristol Township which has a bad reputation) It is about 18 miles north of Center City but has a convenient train station on the R7 line that gets you downtown in about 30 minutes. It is a little victorian village with plenty of houses in your price range. It is almost the place that time forgot.

[peaceofmind]

This city is nothing like NY..... trust me .... been there and lived there. Read the crime stats.

[bryson662001]

Originally Posted by peaceofmind

This city is nothing like NY..... trust me .... been there and lived there. Read the crime stats.

As a former NYer myself I strongly disagree. When I 1st moved to Center City from Manhattan I occasionally forgot where I was when walking on the street. The "outer boros" and their relation to Manhattan are also remarkably similer to "the neighborhoods" and Center City. (I also lived in Flushing and out in Suffolk Co) Suburbs are suburbs everywhere (except in the sunbelt where that's all there is)

[herenia]

Northeast is good though it's kinda separated from the city or so it seems. You'll have access to the bus and the train. For the times i've had to go to northeast, i've had to take the bus AND the el. The other way to get there is via the regional rail. You may want to get a monthly pass if you'll be using SEPTA a lot.