Apartment hunting Media, Pa or Cherry Hill, NJ (income, organic)

[MoorestownResident]

Originally Posted by BPP1999

You are so condescending, you make me sick, and you make yourself look like a complete ________. Stop using your precious town of residence as to compensate for all of your other problems and insecurities.

Dude, it is what it is. There is nothing upscale about West Chester or Media. I am just correcting rocker's mis-truths.

[coast2coasteastnow]

gentlemen thank you for the insights. both of you have given me a fascinating look at both the places. I had one question though which got lost I guess.

are utilities a big deal here? I have checked the other posts on utilities: they seem to range from $300 to $900 according to one post! of course all of them said it depends on gas v electric, older v newer etc.

so what do you suggest? take up something with utilities included or not? utilities seem to be costing as much as the apt itself!!! help!

[rainrock]

Originally Posted by MoorestownResident

Dude, it is what it is. There is nothing upscale about West Chester or Media. I am just correcting rocker's mis-truths.

Cherry Hill is 25 sq. miles in area

The town of Media is 0.8 sq mi.

The town of West Chester is 1.8 sq mi.

If you counted the equivalent 25 sq. miles between Media and West Chester you are in the heart of some of the most expensive real estate on the east coast. Cherry Hill is reminiscent to PA's suburban sprawl e.g. Exton,Plymouth Meeting or KOP. Cherry Hill unfortunately is no comparison to Western Delaware County/ Eastern Chester County(Media + West Chester areas).

West Chester






Media

[MoorestownResident]

I never said they are bad places to live, it is all relative, just because they don't compare to a Top 50 place to live nationally, that's not necessary a big deal especially for those looking at the bottom line. It is what it is. Those towns might offer quite a bit especially for those looking to save on property taxes with general lower taxation and ancillary costs in PA. Though the tradeoff is a much more isolated location out near WC. Not something I would sign up for but I am not bottom line driven.

[BPP1999]

More than a few of the places you disdain have been named in the Top 50 places. So have some of the counties. People looking at the bottom line are not going to move to the Boro of West Chester. Yes, they'll have lower taxes, but housing prices are not cheap.

You are absolutely right that there is isolation there. At least from the standpoint that WC is far from Center City. However, many people like to be surrounded in some part by wooded areas as opposed to the monotonous strip malls of Jersey.

There are not that many places in the country that are similar to WC. We all know that in this area, the standouts of such towns include Doylestown, WC, Moorestown, and Haddonfield. Few places have such character. Moorestown may be closer to Center City, and that's great, but that does not make WC appealing to those looking at the bottom line. Considering the drive from CC to WC via 76 and 202 is about 30 miles, it amazes me how expensive homes in WC can be. Of course, it's the natural beauty, colleges/universities, public and private schools, and jobs that draw people to the area. As an added bonus, you can live in WC and be within driving distance to a job in Wilmington.

And I certainly wouldn't classify Cheesy Hill as "upscale," though it is certainly is a nice place to live.

[MoorestownResident]

Well WC has many homes below $150/square feet. I've seen homes in WC over 5,000 square feet listed around $500K - $100/square foot. That's a bunch of house for the money even in the Philly region. That might not be the norm out there but it is there nonetheless. Cherry Hill stands on its own merits. It's a highly taxed and sought after address with huge housing stock, great amenities and top schools. Plus it has a large, wealthy and mobile jewish population, many relocated from northern NJ or NYC.

[ScottyG]

To sum it up, if you like high taxes, expensive houses, and a large and wealthy Jewish population move to Cherry Hill.

[BPP1999]

CH is a great area and should be considered by the OP. I'm just not sure how or why you started throwing stones in this thread. You can talk up CH without talking down other areas.

[MoorestownResident]

I didn't, I suggested CH was the best place for the OP and then Rocker came throwing his inane stuff around like he knows what he's talking about.

[H-town reader]

Originally Posted by coast2coasteastnow

gentlemen thank you for the insights. both of you have given me a fascinating look at both the places. I had one question though which got lost I guess.

are utilities a big deal here? I have checked the other posts on utilities: they seem to range from $300 to $900 according to one post! of course all of them said it depends on gas v electric, older v newer etc.

so what do you suggest? take up something with utilities included or not? utilities seem to be costing as much as the apt itself!!! help!

for an apartment, $300 is a heck of a lot closer than $900. It does really vary based on size/age/ and your particular habits/comfort zone. I don't think the utilities in PA are strikingly different from what I have paid elsewhere...