West coast east coast relocation (Philadelphia, King of Prussia: best towns, transplants, apartment complexes)

[bohem]

My Wife and I are relocating to the Philly area from San diego.
She will be working in Lansdale. We have no children mid 30's and want somewhere thats a little "hip"

[Duderino]

Welcome to the East Coast.

Out of curiosity, do you have a certain budget you're hoping to stay within?

As far as "hipness," many towns along the Main Line and certain neighborhoods within the city would qualify, but you'd also see some of the highest costs-of-living in the region. Probably somewhat of a bargain compared to San Diego, however.

[BPP1999]

Yes, and unfortunately, Lansdale, though a nice place to raise kids, really isn't "hip." You might consider Doylestown, which is also expensive, but also a bargain compared to SD, I would think. You could also check out New Hope, PA, or Lambertville, NJ, which are on the Delaware River about a half hour or so above Lansdale. Another suggestion is Conshohocken, PA, and also Chestnut Hill (which is a Philadelphia neighborhood (zip code 19119) about a half hour south of Lansdale.

[eggtimer]

If you are looking to be in the city then Mt. Airy or Chestnut Hill (NW section of the city) would be good places to look. By hip I assume that you probably want somewhere with a few bars, restaurants, a bit of nightlife. Mt. Airy is affordable, wooded, has a nice food coop, and is close to all Chestnut Hill's trendy boutique type stores. It's also pretty close to the big box stores (target, home depot, etc) in PLymouth Meeting.

If you want more suburban, slightly more sleepy, than conshohocken might be of interest.

Doylestown and New Hope are both nice areas (and expensive) but may not be what you want as a young(ish) couple. While beautiful areas, I feel they kinda appeal to an older, more family oriented population. New Hope is right on the Delaware river and does have a lot of outdoor activity going for it.

[maf763]

I'd say Conshohocken - closer to Philly, some nightlife in its own right, close to the bike trail. Can commute via local roads or PA turnpike.

[rainrock]

Very good suggestions. I especially like Doylestown which is one of the best towns in the area.

I would also add the Valley Forge/King of Prussia/Plymouth Meeting/Royersford stretch to the list(about 10-20 miles to Lansdale). I'm not sure you could call it "hip" but there are alot of young families and its a significant growth area in this region.

If I were a newcomer I'd probaly live one of the newer apartment complexes near Valley Forge National Park and I think I could be pretty content.

Good luck

[thedrizzlemonster]

wow, none of these places qualify to me as hip in any way! chesnut hill, doylestown, etc...zzzz. Not sure if you've been out here yet but while these places might offer a decent commute to Landsdale they will in no way satisfy any factor of hipness... Unless you think hip can manufactured by a few indy restaurants and lux condos.

Basically if you want hip, you gotta get into the city' NoLibs, Center City, UCity, Grad Hosp. etc. Of course this will mean HELL for your commute to Landsdale as I-76 gets pretty heavy during rush hrs.

GL w/ your house hunt. My thought is go for commuting convenience over hip or your wife will hate life.

[BPP1999]

Originally Posted by thedrizzlemonster

wow, none of these places qualify to me as hip in any way! chesnut hill, doylestown, etc...zzzz. Not sure if you've been out here yet but while these places might offer a decent commute to Landsdale they will in no way satisfy any factor of hipness... Unless you think hip can manufactured by a few indy restaurants and lux condos.

Basically if you want hip, you gotta get into the city' NoLibs, Center City, UCity, Grad Hosp. etc. Of course this will mean HELL for your commute to Landsdale as I-76 gets pretty heavy during rush hrs.

GL w/ your house hunt. My thought is go for commuting convenience over hip or your wife will hate life.

They said "a little 'hip'", not the hippest neighborhoods in the metro. Unfortunately, Lansdale itself is not near any real "hip" areas so we are trying to offer suggestions that are somewhat close to Lansdale and are "somewhat hip". Agree that OP should go for commute convenience first.

[bohem]

Wow,
Thanks for all the great advice!
A couple of you asked some good questions. Let me try to clarify some of my qulifications.
We are looking to rent a free standing home with at least 2bdr/2bath we would like to pay
under $1800 a month.
I grew up near the beach where space is at a premium, so a little "country" would be nice.
I do not want to be smack in the city but not stuck out in the middle of nowhere either ie. a little "hip".
My Wife's commute is a huge consideration, it would be ideal if we could keep that under 30min.
We have a dog are any of these areas more "dog friendly"
Thanks again I really appreciate it. My first experience of east coast hospitality very refreshing compared to out "LOCALS ONLY" attitude here in So. Cal.

[Just1Lion]

Originally Posted by bohem

My first experience of east coast hospitality very refreshing compared to out "LOCALS ONLY" attitude here in So. Cal.

i ve never heard anyone say that before. i feel that way about the west coast. people in socal seemed waaayyyy nicer than people here. certain neighborhoods of philly have a locals only feel to them. but this city is def full of transplants. suburbs dont usually have the "locals only" feeling to them. the only, and only time i ever experienced that in SoCal was when it came to surfing. but it was mostly young a-holes that had that attitude.