Help! Possible Relo to Philly -- need FAMILY friendly area (Philadelphia: apartments, to rent)

[aristotlenova]

First of all, thank you for all of the extremely valuable information in this forum. It's been very helpful. It looks like my family and I may be relocating from DC to the Philadelphia area for my new job. I'm hoping you guys can help me narrow down what some of my choices might be.

Will likely be moving around May 1st or so. Will be working in King of Prussia, but would like to live elsewhere... perhaps a bit closer to the city.

So here are our requirements:

* Within 30-45 min commute of King of Prussia
* Very family friendly and safe -- my wife and I are mid 30's and have two kids under the age of three
* We enjoy a lot of what urban life has to offer, but without compromising on safety and some quiet -- we currently live in Rosslyn (in NoVa -- about 10 min walk from Georgetown) and this is the PERFECT type of place for us
* We would prefer 3 BR and have budget of around $3k / month. Would like to rent the first year and possibly longer
* Schools aren't important as of now
* Would like some greenery and kiddie entertainment within easy access -- parks, zoo, museum, etc...* We have a car and having a garage spot is very important for us
* We're open to both hi-rise apartments and houses or brownstones
So far I have Fitler Square and Rittenhouse Square on my list. Am considering looking outside the city in like Bala Cynwyd. Good idea? Bad idea? What else do you think might fit the bill for urban/suburban mix?

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer and let me know if I can clarify my request at all.

[namaw]

Hey there, I have posted this before and I'll do it again. We live in Glenside. Ab Twp. 5 min from TP and 309. takes me 15 -20 min to KOP. Philly Zoo in half hour bout the same for museum depending on traffic.
Great neighborhoods ,great neighbors, friendly,lots of kids parks all over. Keswick Theater downtown, cute shops, very very safe. Good Luck! Hope I was some help.

[bambiying]

If you are not working in Philly, I wouldn't recommend living there, because you would get hit with the Philly wage tax. My friend lives in Phoenixville, which is close to KoP, and she loves it there...it's right near Valley Forge Park, and about a 45 min ride to Center City if you need some culture.

[aristotlenova]

Thanks guys, I have compiled some lists based on what I've read on this forum, and Glenside is on the list.

Here are the two lists for both in philly and within the burbs (and the tax issues is not something we're worried about IF being in philly can meet all of our needs -- i.e. safety, family friendly, etc...). How would you guys rank both lists? Are there others missing from these lists?

Philly neighborhoods (in random order):
Rittenhouse
Society Hill
Washington Sq West
Old City
Fitler Square
Logan Square
Fairmount
Chestnut Hill
Mount Airy

Suburbs (also in random order):
Villanova
Bala Cynwyd
Media
Wayne
Glenside

Ardmore
Bryn Mawr
Jenkintown
Newtown
Gladwyne
Swarthmore
Doylestown

If you could rank them in order of best to worst for family friendliness, urban/suburban vibe & character, safety, activities entertainment and shopping available (parks, recreation, whole foods, etc..), I would certainly appreciate it.

[aristotlenova]

Originally Posted by aristotlenova

Here are the two lists for both in philly and within the burbs (and the tax issues is not something we're worried about IF being in philly can meet all of our needs -- i.e. safety, family friendly, etc...). How would you guys rank both lists? Are there others missing from these lists?

Philly neighborhoods (in random order):
Rittenhouse
Society Hill
Washington Sq West
Old City
Fitler Square
Logan Square
Fairmount
Chestnut Hill
Mount Airy

Suburbs (also in random order):
Villanova
Bala Cynwyd
Media
Wayne
Glenside
Ardmore
Bryn Mawr
Jenkintown
Newtown
Gladwyne
Swarthmore
Doylestown

If you could rank them in order of best to worst for family friendliness, urban/suburban vibe & character, safety, activities entertainment and shopping available (parks, recreation, whole foods, etc..), I would certainly appreciate it.

Oh, and if you think some of the ones I have on here don't belong in the consideration set, that would be helpful also. Like if some of the suburbs are too suburban or have zero character, that would be really good to know. For the suburbs, we would really like places that have walkable downtown areas of some size at least. And in the case of suburbs, we would really like to be able to get into philly (zoo, museums, etc..) within 30 min or so.

Thanks!

[JHG722]

A lot of the places in the city aren't going to be terribly great for families

[phillyzoo]

Originally Posted by aristotlenova

Oh, and if you think some of the ones I have on here don't belong in the consideration set, that would be helpful also. Like if some of the suburbs are too suburban or have zero character, that would be really good to know. For the suburbs, we would really like places that have walkable downtown areas of some size at least. And in the case of suburbs, we would really like to be able to get into philly (zoo, museums, etc..) within 30 min or so.

Thanks!

Based on some of your criteria I would say Fairmount would be great. Tons of families walking distance to museums and a short trolley ride from the zoo and please touch museum for young children. You will find a great place for $3k a month. Anyone that tells you that there is no real family friendly place in the city either has no kids or has kids but lives in the burbs. I got three shorties and live in the city. It's the best! Great neighbors and easy access to all amenities. My major complaint, the dreaded philly resident tax.

[orrmobl]

Wayne, Media or West Chester, although when you said you were willing to pay that kind of rent and Georgetown I immediately thought of Wayne, but no nightlife in Wayne...so then I would say West Chester. Phoenixville is also up and coming so you should give it a look as well.

You don't want the city, you want a suburb with an urban feel.

[newmarlig]

There are plenty of families in Queen Village. That's a few blocks south of Society Hill.

[aristotlenova]

Originally Posted by orrmobl

Wayne, Media or West Chester, although when you said you were willing to pay that kind of rent and Georgetown I immediately thought of Wayne, but no nightlife in Wayne...so then I would say West Chester. Phoenixville is also up and coming so you should give it a look as well.

You don't want the city, you want a suburb with an urban feel.

Nightlife isn't important at all, but cultural life is really something we don't want to lose by being too far out in the 'burbs. I've read really good things about West Chester on this board, but the fact that it's about 45-50 min outside of Philly makes it less appealing. One of the things we LOVE about our current neighborhood (Rosslyn in Arlington) is that we can walk to Georgetown on nice summer days, or hop in the car and be at the zoo or american history museum in less than 15 minutes. While I agree that urban suburb is probably what's best, having that proximity to everything that Philly has to offer would be really valuable.