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"Madness"...you mean the fact that no matter what people at planning conferences say about the "Millenials"; when they start having kids, they still head for the suburbs just as previous generations did?
I love how every Philly Magazine article on neighborhoods of the city mentions "most families send their kids to privates or charters"
Bingo! Once those folks start crunching the numbers they realize that the suburbs are cheaper than the city. Everything else aside if you have two kids, the savings in not needing a private school or having to play "charter school lottery" makes the suburbs a more cost-effective option even with property taxes. Getting out of paying wage taxes on top of that and it feels like you hit the lottery.
Stockholm syndrome. .. . News Flash the good school districts are good because the parents are heavily involved. Parents that would sacrifice their happiness to live in the burbs "for the good schools" are parents that would do anything for the child no matter if they were raised in the city or the burbs. I have met many parents and kids who have been screwed over by the "good school districts". If you arent already a good to great student many of these districts dont know what to do with you.
How do you figure we "sacrifice their happiness to live in the burbs". We are MUCH happier living in a clean, safe, quiet area. The good school are just an added bonus
Stockholm syndrome. .. . News Flash the good school districts are good because the parents are heavily involved. Parents that would sacrifice their happiness to live in the burbs "for the good schools" are parents that would do anything for the child no matter if they were raised in the city or the burbs. I have met many parents and kids who have been screwed over by the "good school districts". If you arent already a good to great student many of these districts dont know what to do with you.
It is rare to hear people who live in the suburbs need to defend that choice. On the otherhand people who choose the city, especially those with children, feel the constant need to defend that choice and justify it. So, which one is experiencing Stockholm Syndrome? In my office there are several people who live in the city and then many who live in the suburbs in both PA and NJ. The city dwellers are constantly questioning their choice...wage tax, property tax increases, failing schools, crime, crowded streets and neighborhoods, etc. The irony being any "amenity" they gain easy access to is usually a 10 minute train ride away for someone in the suburbs.
While I will agree that parental involvement is a critical aspect to a child's success, the learning environment itself also matters. I know of NO ONE, not a single person, that chooses to send their children to regular Philadelphia public schools when they have other options. Those other options are generally Catholic schools if you don't make it in the charter school lottery. That carries a huge expense, especially if you have more than one child. Even then, all the Catholic schools offer is a safe environment, not a better education. The lower end suburban school districts are equivalent to and perhaps even better than the best of the regular Philly public schools.
When you're a professional couple with two kids and are living in the city, the inner-ring NJ suburbs start looking real good. No more (or reduced) wage tax...property taxes and private school costs are a wash...safety...the kids can play in a yard...plenty of rec activities...you still have actual downtowns with amenities...abundant open space...and best of all anything in the city is an easy train ride away. Heck, places like Collingswood, Haddon Township and even Haddonfiled are CLOSER to Center City than many areas of actual Philadelphia.
The brass tax is that living anywhere is a lifestyle decision that is largely made for you by circumstance. South Philly is now bustling with hipsters and young 20-somethings in formerly, rough areas. While this uptake is good, they are not likely to stay there when they give up that bohemian style and settle down with a family. Statistically, Philly is not the best option to live when you have a family unless your finances are unlimited. Once the "tax abatement" ends and the AVI hits, once you have to pay for private/ Catholic school, the move to the burbs makes sense on so many levels. City schools will never be able to compete with suburban schools in terms of amenities so if kids arrive, the burbs are almost a no brainer.
On the other hand if you are single, a childless couple, elderly and/or work in Philly, it may be the ideal location for you. Our unattached single and gay freinds would not live anywhere else and, at this point in their lives, they have no need to. Just like anything else...what might be right for some (now?), may not be right for others (later?). It all depends as both options have good and bad sides.
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