Where to live in Philly Suburbs? (Chester, West Chester: apartments, to rent, houses)

[broman99]

Hi,

I'll be working in West Point, PA (near Landsdale) for Merck & Co. Inc. I am a mixed (black/white) 23 yr old professional and would like to know which areas would be better suited for someone like me.

The areas I have been looking at are Manayunk, Conshohocken, KOP and Plymouth Meeting.

I'd rather not pay the city tax, but will.

Looking for:
Fun places to go out to (bars)
Places that have recreation facilities (basketball,soccer, etc)
A good portion of youngprofessionals, but not full of 6th year college students.
An area that has diversity or that is open to it.

I'm not all too concerned about safty(aside from the obvious), and as long as the rent is under $1,000 I'm good. I doubt that any of you are familiar with Southfield, MI but that's where I'm from and would like something similar (fingers crossed).


THANKS!

[eggtimer]

transportation could play an big part in your choice? manayunk definitely has the most going on in a concentrated area. once you get out to conshy, plymouth mtg., and KOP it is car country.

IMO, a young professional looking for nightlife, recreation, etc. would fit best in manayunk. you're right on the river for biking, running, whatevs. basketball courts, parks, new arthur ashe tennis facility. plus you're just a few minutes from the wissahickon creek area with great trails, biking, etc.

conshohocken has more or less two or three blocks of a downtown. it's mostly a daytime town with a lot of office workers. not far from a lot of things, including KOP and manayunk, but you're looking at a 15 minute car ride everytime.

[Phirstimer]

Manayunk has the most nightlife by far but it's also the most congested. It's mostly 20 somethings who've just graduated and college kids from near-by schools. There is a bit of the 6th year student feeling to it, depending on where you choose to go out at night. If you live by the bars it can be noisy at night as the drunks stumble back to their houses. Another thing you might want to consider is that most places don't offer parking and parking is slim pickings - might be a pain for you if you're communiting to work every day. Roxborough is the neighboring town which is quieter and a little more suburban but is still a 2 minute cab ride to the nightlife. I live there now and it's a nice balance of nightlife and quiet.

Consh is more the 25 - 30 somethings and like eggtimer said it's basically a couple blocks of downtown. It has some good restaurants if you can find them and some hidden dive bars if that's your thing. It feels more suburban, some young families and you definitely feel safe. Very central location to major highways too. You'd want to stay in the lower number streets off of Fayette to be closest to the center of town. They have some nicer, newer apartments to rent and older homes that have been converted.

Wouldn't recommend Plymouth or KOP for a young professional unless you really want the quiet. FYI, manayunk is the only one on your list with the philly wage tax.

[orrmobl]

Conshohocken or maybe West Norriton/East Norriton area...more diverse than some of the other areas...

[broman99]

Thanks for the replies!

Driving would not be an issue as I drive over an hr to and from work as of right now, so anything is an upgrade. I'm also concerned about parking in Manayunk. I just bought a new car and would like a safe(no dents/scratches) place to keep it at night.

[broman99]

Also, does Roxborough also incur the Philly wage tax?

[orrmobl]

Originally Posted by broman99

Thanks for the replies!
I just bought a new car and would like a safe(no dents/scratches) place to keep it at night.

You have a right to be concerned...Manayunk is definitely out unless you have money to rent a garage...And yes city wage tax applies to Roxborough as well...you could check out Narberth right over the border but I think its more family friendly/for the over 30 crowd.

I really think Conshohocken is a great choice...people in this thread seem to be underwhelmed but I think it's perfect for a young professional and it has all th positives of Manayunk without all the negatives...

You could also check out places like Media, West Chester, and Phoenixville but they are further from your work...

[Phirstimer]

I'd agree that you should avoid Manayunk if you're worried about your new car. Friends that live there have had many dents/dings and worse since the streets are so tight and parking isn't easy. Good luck!

[gfspeople]

live in the city, not the suburbs

[IZthe411]

Live in Conshohocken, you are close to so many major roads to get where you need to go.