Seattle to Philadelphia.... (Springfield, Washington, Darby: apartments, rent, condominium)

[ludakrishna]

Hi everyone,

I am about to be laid off from Boeing here in Seattle however, I have arranged a transfer to Ridley Park, Pa and I am scheduled to start there end of next month.

I'm a single 23 y/o looking for something close to the city but also the workplace.

The traffic here in Seattle is HORRIBLE. I live "close" work and it can take me upward of 1 hour to get to the plant. I can handle up to a 30 min drive.

My current place is in Downtown Seattle. 1 bd $1100 mnth + garage rent + w/h/g + electricity.

My salary is $58K and I don't know how far that will get me in Philadelphia. In Seattle, i'm barely surviving.

Quick facts: I'm a Sikh American and often get mistaken as an Arab. I haven't faced any racism in Seattle, however, I have heard a lot of cases of racism on the East coast. I would initially prefer an area concentrated with South Asians so that I can assimilate and understand the good and bad areas of town.

From my research, Millbourne is a good place for me. However, I wanted your suggestions. I just want an area where I will not be harrassed too much if I go out for a walk. lol.

[pman]

$58k ain't rich, but you should be alright. I don't know where the boeing plant is, but there is a train that runs through ridley park (r2) www.septa.com
also, since you are living in downtown seattle, have you thought about Philadelphia? particularly center city? I don't think it's more than 30 minutes to ridley park from there either by train or car. there's a little bit of everyone in center city. from there you can feel out the rest of the region in terms of demographics, safety, and QOL. I believe there are a number of south asians in millbourne/upper darby but I have little reason to visit those parts.

[ScottyG]

The Septa train comes close, but it would be too far of a walk from the station to Boeing. I would consider looking into Springfield or Media, if you are going to be working at Boeing. On occassion I do some work for Boeing and it only takes about 10 minutes from Media.

Neither area is very diverse, relatively, but I do not think you would have any problems in either area.

With $1100 a month, you could rent a nice two bedroom from Hickory Hill Condominium on Lemon Street (in Media), but they are privately owned and do not come up that often. Keep an eye on craigslist or realtor, something usually pops up every month or so.

[john_starks]

live in center city if you want to avoid any kind of racism...

[BPP1999]

It looks like you've done some good research because Millbourne Boro is very diverse. You may also wish to check out Upper Darby, which is next to Millbourne.

[creagan12]

I moved to center city Philly about 3 years ago. After 1 year, I moved out to Ridley Park for a year, and am just now coming back to center city. I am white and my girlfriend is Korean. She never faced any sort of discrimination problems in Ridley, and we walked around pretty often. We lived at Stonewood village apartments (had a pet and not too many places out there allow them). Rent was 800 or so a month. There are several other places around that area, and the train line is a short walk from most points in the town. Driving into Philly only takes about 15 mins. The worst thing I'd say you can expect is that a car-ful of teenagers ride by you and yell something incoherent... but they do that to everyone. On living in Philly, it's great to be able to walk to anything, but you have to sacrifice safety a bit. I mean, it's not really unsafe, but you have to be careful, particularly on weekday nights. Right now, economy as it is you can get a decent rent in a nice area of the city.... most of center city is pretty diverse and pleasant.

If you want more details on Ridley Park, I don't mind sharing. It's a nice blue-collar type town.

[pman]

just say boeing is going to be expanding that facility and adding 500 workers. nice. Generally speaking I feel as safe or safer in center city than the pioneer sq area.

[orrmobl]

Upper Darby is a dump on the way to becoming a ghetto. Millbourne may be a good place for you culturally but that's about it - I don't think you would like the socioeconomics of the area or the commute to work. Newtown Square or one of the other places mentioned above would be a better fit. I would also highly recommend Ridley Park or Center City if city living appeals to you.

[niceguy19125]

Based upon your age group, ethnicity, the fact that you're single and on rent budget...I too would recommend Center City.

Millbourne is too close to West Philly in terms of personal safety and Upper Darby is not the most pleasant area overall. Center City is quite safe as statistics show.

There is a more diverse population in neighborhoods like Washington Square, though I would avoid areas west of 11th street as they can seem a bit seedy at night with non-resident people hanging out and rowdy bar crowds. Filter Square is another diverse area catering to many Penn grad students.

[pman]

Originally Posted by niceguy19125

There is a more diverse population in neighborhoods like Washington Square, though I would avoid areas west of 11th street as they can seem a bit seedy at night with non-resident people hanging out and rowdy bar crowds. Filter Square is another diverse area catering to many Penn grad students.

I'd advise against taking this advice. the whole area is fine and since the poster is 23, they may like the nightlife. Indeed, west of 11th may actually be a better fit for the poster, certainly you get higher quality apartments and there's more interesting nightlife for a 20 something.
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