Commuting to Chesterbrook (Springfield, West Chester, West Norriton: apartments, rental, house)

[ericsinphilly]

My wife and I are new to and are currently residing in NE Philly, near the airport. I am considering taking a position in Chesterbrook, but I'm concerned about the commute time. After researching prices for apartments and the like near Chesterbrook, I'm concerned that I can't afford to live anywhere near where I would be working on a 40k salary (my wife is a stay at home mom with our infant son for the time being).

Does anyone have any recommendations on where we could find an affordable 2 bedroom home or apartment (less than $1000) in a decent neighborhood that would be a 20 minute or so commute to Chesterbrook? We're not overly concerned with schools yet, but we will be in a few short years. A safe and affordable neighborhood is the primary concern.

Currently, I'm looking at Phoenixville, Ardmore, Haverford, and Broomall, and though the prices seem to be more reasonable in those areas, I'm not sure about the commute times or quality of the neighborhoods. Is it possible to find affordable housing closer to Chesterbrook?

[orrmobl]

Try Downingtown or where I'm renting, Caln Township, Coatesville mailing address but not in the city and about 5 miles from it. Beautiful wooded area, all the amenities you could want, friendly people, wildlife. Its like living in the country but with great shopping right down the street. The schools are not great so its not recommended for school aged kids unless you're putting them in Catholic school. I'm renting a 3000 sq ft house for 1650 a month.

Commute to Chesterbrook is 30-40 minutes. FWIW I lived in Delco all my life and the people there working in the stores, etc are just plain rude so I would choose Phoenixville over the other areas you mentioned. Living out here for a year has truly restored my faith in humanity.

Good luck.

[ericsinphilly]

Thanks, orrmobl. I just discovered the rental listings on craigslist after reading another thread on these forums, and it looks like the prices are not going to be as bad as I had originally thought. It might be possible to get something in my price range pretty close, or even in Chesterbrook. Caln Township looked affordable and nice, too.

By Delco, do you mean Delaware county? Do you know what the traffic is like during morning and afternoon commutes on 76 and 202, and between Phoenixville and Chesterbrook? I'm going to take a ride out there tomorrow to get an idea what the area is like, but I don't want to get stuck in traffic. After living in rural Michigan for the past few years, I've all but forgotten how to drive during rush hour.

Thanks for the info.

[orrmobl]

Yes, Delco = Delaware County. Don't move there unless you miss Northeast Philly and would like a little attitude with your coffee at Wawa or wherever.

Commute from most parts of Delco should take you 40+ minutes on average. If you leave really early you could probably do it in 35. You would most likely be taking Route 3/West Chester Pike to Route 252 North. It is the fastest way during rush hours.

Phoenixville is pretty close to Chesterbrook. Not sure what the commute time is but I would bet it's less than from most places you're looking at save Chesterbrook itself. I would think you would take 252 North to 23 through Valley Forge Park and go that way, rather than drive up 202 to 422 or something like that...at least that's how I would probably go - avoid the major highways in that area as much as you can during rush hour.

[Pilot1]

Originally Posted by orrmobl

Yes, Delco = Delaware County. Don't move there unless you miss Northeast Philly and would like a little attitude with your coffee at Wawa or wherever.

This is accurate. I grew up in Springfield, Delco and it once was a nice little "Leave it to Beaver" town, but its changed. I moved to Chester County (just west of Delco) and never went back.

You may want to consider the Downingtown area.

[ericsinphilly]

It took me almost an hour and a half to make the drive from NE Philly to Chesterbrook yesterday. That's too long for me. I hope to be able to check out Downington and Caln Township in person over the weekend. My impression is that the traffic is not so bad going from west to east in the morning as it is from east to west (and vice versa in the afternoon). Is this true?

Thanks.

[rainrock]

Im sure Caln Township is a nice area to live but Caln Township is too far of a daily commute from Chesterbrook . There are much closer options such as KIng of Prussia,Gulph Mills,West Norriton,Malvern,Devon,West Goshen even West Chester would knock your commute in half compared to Caln.

Delaware County is a great county. Maybe the eastern 1/6th of it resembles NE philly the other 5/6th resembles Chester County. Springfield is a very nice community.

[orrmobl]

Too far is VERY subjective. Figure 40 minutes door to door during rush hour, 25-30 minutes any other time of the day...

[ericsinphilly]

40 minutes wouldn't be so bad, especially if my family would be living in a nice area. An hour and a half is definitely too long, though.

[rainrock]

There are no bad areas around Chesterbrook.You can probably find a decent affordable apt. 10 minutes from Chesterbrook, but if you have your heart set on Caln then so be it.

Good luck.