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Better yet, why do they want to live with other young people? That's what dorms are for in college. When I got out of college the economy wasn't good. We were happy to get a job & grateful when we could get out of our parents houses. We wanted to take our place in the world, not recreate college.
How is wanting to live among other young professionals akin to being stuck in a college time warp?
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HeavenWood
How is wanting to live among other young professionals akin to being stuck in a college time warp?
I think that it's akin to older people wanting to live in 55+ communities, too. Life is made up of people of all ages. I've always lived in a mix & it's a way for people to learn from each other.
College is the only time when people are segregated by age. Grad students are older & segregated from the undergrads.
What's wrong with living with a mix of ages? If you are a considerate neighbor it might be helpful if the older mechanic is there if your car breaks down.
When someone is younger & looking for a reasonably priced apartment that is accessible to nightlife, why can't it be in Merchantville, Barrington, or Haddon Heights, if they have a car? Explain that to me. It's not just this board. I keep seeing young people who want to live with their own & be close to a ton of bars. The only thing that sounds like to me is recreating college.
Considering the overall lack of appeal to the typical 20-something professional, I do wonder about pricing in the region. For example, the new Lumberyard condos in Collingswood charge 1500 for a 1-bed. It seems like, for your average young professional for whom a fancy 1 bed apartment in a downtown transit area like Collingswood, you could just as easily rent a great apartment in Center City and pay to garage your car for a similar price. Must be the 4% wage tax...
living in a sub - division, totally unwalkable, drive everywhere, with no night life is terrible for young people. Iam not advocating dorm life, thats just as bad but for different reasons. I just want a great Camden, Trenton, Woodbury, Westmont, Mt. Holly, Riverside, and AC. These places stink, with little to do and a big safety issue.
Having to live in another state just to get a social life is not good for SJ and makes me not want to live here even when i do have kids.
living in a sub - division, totally unwalkable, drive everywhere, with no night life is terrible for young people. Iam not advocating dorm life, thats just as bad but for different reasons. I just want a great Camden, Trenton, Woodbury, Westmont, Mt. Holly, Riverside, and AC. These places stink, with little to do and a big safety issue.
Having to live in another state just to get a social life is not good for SJ and makes me not want to live here even when i do have kids.
Always make the most of your situation. If you really hate where you are so much, then break your lease or sell your place and move. Life is too short to be miserable.
However, in places like Collingswood and Haddon Township, you can get a small scale version of what you're looking for. It's not large scale beacuse people aren't priced out in droves like they are in North Jersey. People live in Jersey City because they cannot afford Manhattan. No one lives in Camden because they can't afford Philadelphia. Affordability is tied to jobs. New York has some of the highest paying salaries and oldest money in the country. The local real estate market is red hot. Foreign investors/rich people swoop in with all cash offers and price others out. You can't get into Manhattan unless you want absolutely no space and have a starting budget of $500K. Look outside of Manhattan and North Jersey starts looking really good.
South NJ is nothing like that. Young people here live in Philadelphia beacuse they can afford to do so. They can afford to do so because Philadelphia's chief export is jobs. Doing business in Philadelphia is horrible - Business Privilege Taxes, worker wage taxes, net income tax, gross revenue tax, net receipts tax, union shakedowns. Less jobs and a hostile business climate reduce the number of available jobs, which reduces the demand for housing, which drives down real estate values and makes Center City affordable.
Considering the overall lack of appeal to the typical 20-something professional, I do wonder about pricing in the region. For example, the new Lumberyard condos in Collingswood charge 1500 for a 1-bed. It seems like, for your average young professional for whom a fancy 1 bed apartment in a downtown transit area like Collingswood, you could just as easily rent a great apartment in Center City and pay to garage your car for a similar price. Must be the 4% wage tax...
4% wage tax on 50K is $2000 = $167/month. Parking is $250-300/month in Center City. Bridge tolls are $94/month. Your square footage is double in Collingswood (those condos are 1100-1200 square feet) and have a second half bath. On the low end, you are looking at $511/month in post-tax savings. That excludes car insurance rate increases (Philadelphia has the most expensive auto insurance rates in the country due to claims involving uninsured motorists) and rent differential for comparable square footage in Center City proper.
Not sure if $500+/month is worth reconsidering for you, but it was for me! Nonetheless, good luck with your decision!
Quote:
Originally Posted by NJhighlands87 Considering the overall lack of appeal to the typical 20-something professional, I do wonder about pricing in the region. For example, the new Lumberyard condos in Collingswood charge 1500 for a 1-bed. It seems like, for your average young professional for whom a fancy 1 bed apartment in a downtown transit area like Collingswood, you could just as easily rent a great apartment in Center City and pay to garage your car for a similar price. Must be the 4% wage tax...
4% wage tax on 50K is $2000 = $167/month. Parking is $250-300/month in Center City. Bridge tolls are $94/month. Your square footage is double in Collingswood (those condos are 1100-1200 square feet) and have a second half bath. On the low end, you are looking at $511/month in post-tax savings. That excludes car insurance rate increases (Philadelphia has the most expensive auto insurance rates in the country due to claims involving uninsured motorists) and rent differential for comparable square footage in Center City proper.
Not sure if $500+/month is worth reconsidering for you, but it was for me! Nonetheless, good luck with your decision!
Well when you put it that way....
And for me, those condos would only be affordable with a roommate...or two. I was just speculating, but your post explains the appeal.
I think that it's akin to older people wanting to live in 55+ communities, too. Life is made up of people of all ages. I've always lived in a mix & it's a way for people to learn from each other.
This is off-base. Living in a dorm is akin to living in a 55+ community. Living in a neighborhood like Templetown or University City is akin to living in a retiree-dominated city like Deerfield Beach or St. Petersburg, and even Templetown/University City have a significant high number of non-students, especially the latter (just as Deerfield Beach/St. Petersburg have a significant number of families and even young professionals). NoLibs, Manayunk, and Grad Hospital, while younger-skewed, have plenty of families as well, while Center City is an eclectic mix of all ages.
Quote:
Originally Posted by southbound_295
College is the only time when people are segregated by age. Grad students are older & segregated from the undergrads.
People are often segregated by lifestyle. Hence, suburban cul de sac after suburban cul de sac of dominated by families, with some empty nester holdovers thrown in.
Quote:
Originally Posted by southbound_295
What's wrong with living with a mix of ages? If you are a considerate neighbor it might be helpful if the older mechanic is there if your car breaks down.
Nothing, and I'm not opposed to it, but as I will explain below...
Quote:
Originally Posted by southbound_295
When someone is younger & looking for a reasonably priced apartment that is accessible to nightlife, why can't it be in Merchantville, Barrington, or Haddon Heights, if they have a car? Explain that to me. It's not just this board. I keep seeing young people who want to live with their own & be close to a ton of bars. The only thing that sounds like to me is recreating college.
...I have no interest in recreating college. But I do have every interest in being walking distance from both work and an eclectic variety of bars and restaurants. I have a car and I happen to love driving it, but because I live in a walkable city, it becomes an extension of my freedom, as opposed to a chain that's weighing me down. Driving to leave the greater Philadelphia area, visit friends and run errands in the suburbs, or to just aimlessly explore? Great. Dealing with rush hour traffic, having to scramble for parking in one of the densest downtowns in the country, having to limit myself to 1-2 drinks when going out on the town (lest risk getting pulled over for a DUI or getting killed)? Not so great. I live in a grad student-predominated building right now that I can't wait to get out of after I finish lawl skool. I'll probably move into a Center City high rise in which people of all ages will be my neighbors, and that's totally cool. I have friends of all ages. But I would feel like the odd man out somewhere like Merchantville, Barrington, or Haddon Heights. Collingswood and Westmont are cool towns I might consider if I were working in New Jersey and had to be more budget-conscious, but they're no substitute for a dynamic, in-city neighborhood. But that's why we all get to make choices, right?
City living isn't for everybody, and that certainly includes some among the other set. But it shouldn't be tough for you to grasp why many young people, such as myself, happen to prefer that kind of lifestyle.
4% wage tax on 50K is $2000 = $167/month. Parking is $250-300/month in Center City. Bridge tolls are $94/month. Your square footage is double in Collingswood (those condos are 1100-1200 square feet) and have a second half bath. On the low end, you are looking at $511/month in post-tax savings. That excludes car insurance rate increases (Philadelphia has the most expensive auto insurance rates in the country due to claims involving uninsured motorists) and rent differential for comparable square footage in Center City proper.
Not sure if $500+/month is worth reconsidering for you, but it was for me! Nonetheless, good luck with your decision!
Well said.. And 100% true
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