Moving to Philly (Philadelphia, Levittown, Chester: budget, travel, job)

[relocation help]

Help please!

We will be moving to Philly in the next couple of months and I need some help with areas to live, here are the necessities:

1. My husband will work downtown and drive each day, so we need somewhere close so that the commute doesn't take more than an hour.
2. We are coming from a New England rural area and looking for something similar in terms of at least 0.5 acre (preferrably more)....with what I said in #1, is this possible to find outside of Philly for under $400,000?

Thanks for the help!

[jstolnis]

I live in a small town right outside of Philadelphia. You may want to check out Middletown. Its very nice, and about a half hour drive from Philadelphia. Middletown, PA (17057) Property: Elegant and in pristine condition, this 4 or 5 bed...

That is an example of the type of homes you will find in Middletown.

It is also close to Ridley Creek State Park Pennsylvania State Parks - Ridley Creek - PA DCNR which is just absolutly beautiful. Good luck on your move here.

[ooodsie]

You may also want to check out bucks county - a few towns to look at that are within a 30 half commute from Center City would be Langhorne, Yardley, Lower Makefield and Newtown.

[solibs]

Outside of rush hour you can drive almost anywhere in the Philly metro in under an hour. Rush hour is a totally different story but, generally, if you stay within a 20 mile radius of Center City you should be OK in getting into town in about an hour during rush hour. Of course, some days might be quick and some days might be terrible.

It shouldn't be too hard to find to find the house/land you're looking for with your budget.

I have to say, I don't understand why anyone would drive to work to Center City every day unless their job involved being on the road a lot. And even if it did join PhillyCarShare and make your employer pay for it.

Philly has one of the best suburban rail networks in the country and driving on the roads around here will get really old really quick.

[kelb]

Someone else mentioned Bucks County. Since I-95 runs through Lower Bucks most areas are just 30 minutes from Center City. Add Levittown to your list...the top priced homes are in the $300,000 range and you can save some money and use it to fund your hobbies or travel!

[rainrock]

I'll second the Middletown Township,Delaware County recommendation.The area around Ridley Creek State Park is fantastic and only1/2 hour from center city. Easy rail access. Neighboring communities of Upper Providence,Nether Providence,Media,Garnet Valley,Edgmont,Westtown are all very nice communities that border on suburban/rural.

Good luck

[orrmobl]

If you want rural, nowhere in Delaware County really fits the bill. Bucks County, Montgomery County and Western and Southern Chester County are where you should be looking.

[ooodsie]

It's tough to find good acreage and be close commute-wise to the city AND under 400k.. You kind of give up one for the other. I personally am looking for the same thing and it's tough. I have seen a handful of properties in the areas we are discussing (newtown, yardley, langhorne) in bucks county that are about .5 acres, and go for around 350-400k. But youre defintly going to be paying at least that much to have that much land in these areas.. Typical lot sizes in those areas are more like .3 acres.

[sbhubbell]

I third the Middletown Twp, Delaware County recommendation. Parts of it ARE very rural and definately reasonable commute to downtown, with access to the suburban rail at the Elwyn station. My house there was .5 an acre and sold in 2004 for 345K.

[Sick Girl]

Unless your husband's job requires him to have a vehicle to use during work hours, I would suggest taking SEPTA (public transportation) into work rather than driving. Traffic can be a nightmare, especially if he keeps bankers' hours and parking rates in Center City are outrageous.

I live in West Philadelphia, or what some like to call "University City".

Now, I don't know if you're looking to move into a schmoozy neighborhood that's completely posh and eloquent or if you're looking for somewhere that's nice, safe, reasonably priced, and has personality. If it's the former, I'd suggest perhaps taking a look at areas such as Fox Chase. (The public transpo. is a bust up there and driving is practically a necessity.) You'd have more privacy than you would in the city, but anything outlying is gonna be a helluva commute.

If you wouldn't mind the latter, you really should check out some of the areas around "University City". (East of 48th, South of Market, North of Baltimore) Some of the houses in that area are absolutely amazing. People started buying up the older homes for dirt cheap, remodeling them and reselling them and it's beautiful.

Personally, I love the area and would never consider living anywhere else in Philadelphia.