Area help (Chester, West Chester, Coatesville: apartment complex, rent, home)

[calculusfreek]

I am moving in mid December to the Philly area for a job in Downtown Philly.Right now we live in Rural Nevada (we occasionally have wild horse walk down our street). The job is a great opportunity, but the transition to living in a metropolis will be difficult, especially for my husband who grew up in VT (I grew up in Los Angeles). WE would like to be as far out as possible while remaining close to the regional rail (I would prefer my commute to be around or less than an hour). This normally would not be difficult, except that (because we can't sell our current house) we need to keep the rent under $1000.
My husband has a street bike and a dirt bike the we would love to have a garage for, but if we cant we will store them at his parents in VT. We like to go fishing, camping and hiking. WE do not have kids, so the school district is not the issue. We have a cat(indoor/outdoor) and a dog that are used to our 1/2 acre lot.
I know that we are not going to get everything we want, but here are the priorities in order:

1. Place that allows pets with at least a small yeard.
2. Place that is NOT in the city. Somewhere with a rural feel.
3. Place to store the Motorcycles
4. A 2nd bedroom or finished basement to set up an office.

Any help guidance would be great. I think I am going to call a property manager too, but their primary interest is where they get their money.

We could buy another house, but we want to get a feel for the area 1st.

Thanks!

[orrmobl]

Thorndale, Caln Twp, Coatesville Post Office (not in the city). There is a Regional Rail station in Thorndale and the area around is somewhat rural/wooded. The commute may be more like 1.5 hours though. Downingtown puts you a little closer in, then Exton but its not wooded, West Chester, no train, Media/Elwyn more expensive, Swarthmore/Wallingford/Nether Providence even more expensive.

There may be places in NJ you should check out as well but I'm not to sure of them. Also places like Chadds Ford, Unionville, Avon Grove, West Grove, Kenett Square but you will have to drive in to a train station in Media/Elwyn and your commute will be really long and fairly miserable.

You could also try places in Bucks and Montgomery counties but the rule is the further out the more rural/best bang for you buck, but also the longest commutes...and the places that have good schools obviously are more expensive...

[solibs]

The area between Atco and Hammonton, NJ is worth checking out.

Regional rail service is NJTransit -the Atlantic City line. The train goes to 30th St. station but it also connects with PATCO at Lindenwold Station and PATCO takes you right into the heart of Center City.

I would check it out, see if it works for you. The area is on the edge of the Pinelands. New Jersey Pinelands Commission | Size My wife's cousins live out there and they're always out on their dirt bikes and 4-wheelers on the weekends. It's also pretty cheap.

[michelle69]

haverford pa

[mltimes]

Michelle69 - I honestly can't think of anything in Haverford that would meet any of the OP's criteria and, in fact, am imagining the OP fishing in the College's duck pond and riding a dirt bike across the Cricket Club grounds.

May I ask you to please explain or clarify your recommendation? Is there is something about Haverford that I don't know that would make it appropriate for someone looking for a rural setting, lower rent and an area to park their motorcycles and enjoy the outdoors?

Thank you.

[ooodsie]

You may want to consider renting a privately owned home instead of an apartment complex - Somewhere in Bucks County sounds like it may fit your needs. You could easily rent a 2-3 bedroom home in lower bucks for your price range.