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There are few grocery/retail stores in Trenton proper. There are a few grocery stores in the nearby towns (Shoprite grocery in Ewing, Acme in Lawrence) and small retail stores scattered around downtown.
Trenton is an unusal town, especially for a Capital City.
Here is a quick history-
Today the city is mostly a government town (government buildings pay no taxes) leaving the burden of taxes on the residents. The property taxes in Trenton are insanely high for poor services and crap schools.
Wouldn't say Trenton is a bedroom city to NY or Philly.
Look at Morrisville, Pa. many apartment options, grocery stores and a quick commute over the Delaware River via at least 3 bridges.
And, Morrisville has a very nice little theater, ActorsNet. They do very well acted plays there.
I'll be frank. You would BE HAPPIEST living in Philadelphia. The commute to Trenton is doable, and your AT HOME time would be 100% VERY HAPPY. Check out the Fishtown neighborhood. It is considered a mini Brooklyn; and very hip and overall perfect for a young 20 something moving to a new area. It is right by 95, and your commute to Trenton would 100% be doable. Also if you are working in the city proper, SEPTA (Southeast Pennsylvania Transit Authority) has the 3rd largest commuter rail in the nation, and you can take the train to Trenton for work. (If you prefer that). With that I would look at places a bit closer to Center City, as the Regional Rail stations will be in that vicinty.
DO NOT MOVE TO TRENTON or the areas outside. YOU WILL BE MISERABLE. AGAIN I REPEAT. DO NOT MOVE TO TRENTON OR ANY SUBURBS SURROUNDING. There are desirable areas in Bucks County, PA but they are for families. And you will be bored quick.
The OP is looking for a short commute and rent under 900/mth. He does not seem to care much about nightlife.
Fishtown is at least a 40 minute commute and that is in light traffic.
Not much in Fishtown for under 1200/mth.
If OP wants an incredibly boring life. You can take Trenton. IMO a 40 minute commute is easily doable. Especially if he attempts Center City life with SEPTA transit options. Being in my late 20s, I would never want the suburban life of NJ, and definitely not Trenton.
OP. Move to Philadelphia. You will be VERY happy you did. And you can 100% find rentals for 1000. I live in Center City and pay 1095 for a one bedroom in the heart of the city (3 blocks from City Hall in Wash Square West and my place is decent size. Do not let JerseyJ dissuade you. You will be SO BORED around Trenton you will want to pluck your eyes out.
The most desirable places are in Bucks County, PA but again these are all for families. Move to Philadelphia. You will be SO HAPPY YOU DID. Your ability to formulate friendships and retain some type of interesting social life will 100% be based in Philadelphia. This city is perhaps the biggest treasure on the east coast at a cost that is attainable unlike NYC. I am late 20s male, and trust me, your commute will be tolerable and you will not regret it. You will be reverse commuting so your stretch of intolerable traffic will be minimal, especially if you locate in the Fishtown/Olde Kensington/Northern Liberties neighborhoods which are adjacent to 95.
I have commuted from Philadelphia ALL THE WAY TO PRINCETON and it has taken 45 minutes. You are fine OP
I wouldn't live in Philly if working in Trenton, especially as the OP has outlined his preferences. He cares about commute, not about "hot spots." And that commute, by train or car, while not HORRIBLE, still is nothing to be excited about. Plus, he will have to pay city wage tax as a resident. I'm not a big proponent of living in Philly and paying that city wage tax if you don't work in Philly. We don't know his salary either, but he could end up paying more state income tax as well...$1000 rent budget to me says his salary might be such that he would pay more in PA, especially if adding that Philly wage tax on top. Not to mention that in Philly he will also need to pay for a parking permit.
Philly is great, although I do personally find Fishtown still kind of dumpy looking even though it's considered a hipster spot now, but I think you need to tailor your response to the OP's preferences, not your own. I don't think this is a wise choice, and I think Bordentown City would be a much better decision based on what the OP wrote. Charming small town with good dining options and a few bars if the OP has the itch (which doesn't seem like he does too much), all of the main shopping needs are right out in Bordentown Township along 206 and 130, AND the commute to Trenton is a breeze.
Not to mention that if he wants to day trip to Philly or NYC on the weekend, it's totally doable by the RiverLine to Camden to PATCO into Philly, RiverLine to Trenton to SEPTA into Philly, or RiverLine to Trenton to NJ Transit into NYC.
As a blanket statement, for a single 20-something male, Philly would seem to be a great option. But, specifically when that single 20-something male is working in Trenton, cares about a short commute, and isn't all that into the draws that would make someone want to live in Philly, then it doesn't seem so hot.
I wouldn't live in Philly if working in Trenton, especially as the OP has outlined his preferences. He cares about commute, not about "hot spots." And that commute, by train or car, while not HORRIBLE, still is nothing to be excited about. Plus, he will have to pay city wage tax as a resident. I'm not a big proponent of living in Philly and paying that city wage tax if you don't work in Philly. We don't know his salary either, but he could end up paying more state income tax as well...$1000 rent budget to me says his salary might be such that he would pay more in PA, especially if adding that Philly wage tax on top. Not to mention that in Philly he will also need to pay for a parking permit.
Philly is great, although I do personally find Fishtown still kind of dumpy looking even though it's considered a hipster spot now, but I think you need to tailor your response to the OP's preferences, not your own. I don't think this is a wise choice, and I think Bordentown City would be a much better decision based on what the OP wrote. Charming small town with good dining options and a few bars if the OP has the itch (which doesn't seem like he does too much), all of the main shopping needs are right out in Bordentown Township along 206 and 130, AND the commute to Trenton is a breeze.
Not to mention that if he wants to day trip to Philly or NYC on the weekend, it's totally doable by the RiverLine to Camden to PATCO into Philly, RiverLine to Trenton to SEPTA into Philly, or RiverLine to Trenton to NJ Transit into NYC.
As a blanket statement, for a single 20-something male, Philly would seem to be a great option. But, specifically when that single 20-something male is working in Trenton, cares about a short commute, and isn't all that into the draws that would make someone want to live in Philly, then it doesn't seem so hot.
I dunno. I am a 20s male. The guy is coming from the West Coast and in his mind had the interpretation Trenton was a happening small city. It is not. Not knowing anyone on the East Coast is a big move. Being in his shoes, my #1 priority would be adopting and building a social life, with a manageable commute. Trenton loves to get pulled in with NYC metro, but technically it is closer to Philly and is the same distance as Wilmington to Philadelphia and in all regards should be in the Philadelphia metro. And IMO commuting from Fishtown/NoLibs (which NoLibs is VERY NICE) to Trenton is far more desirable than commuting from Fishtown/NoLibs to King of Prussia. 76 is awful. 95 in all regards is manageable.
For example one of my best friends, lives in Philadelphia and commutes to Fort Washington, PA and on average his commute is 60 minutes. And he has ZERO regrets living in Philadelphia. He is 26. I am not sure of your age, but moving to a new location, it is CRITICAL to live somewhere close to fellow young people, and being in a place that supports a variety of events, and personal hobbies to cultivate new friendships/relationships.
LEPS12 your weekend trips to Philly and NYC will get old FAST when you realize all your new friends want to be out and have fun, but you either have to drive or take a $40 Uber home so you get to miss out on the periods of building friends, that you could easily do by extending your commute daily by a measly 20 minutes each way. Think of how easily people waste 20 minutes a day. (fast).
You just are NEVER GOING TO FIND IT AROUND TRENTON, or in 'Bordentown, NJ'. Period. Do not let this guy scare you. The commute is manageable OP.
Trenton, NJ to Philadelphia is only 30 miles. It is up to OP. But OP as a 20 something, do not move to suburban NJ. You will hate your life. Point blank. Trenton is by no means a desirable place. And Bucks County, PA is very nice, but is for families. Move to Philadelphia. YOU WILL LOVE IT
Last edited by rowhomecity; 01-08-2018 at 08:51 PM..
Yeah, only families live in Bucks County. ONLY FAMILIES. We don't allow anybody single, under 30, with children, tattoo's or piercings. Stay away!
You will love your commute up Interstate 95 with major road construction for the next 10, 20, 30 years. You will love spending all of your drinking money on gas. You will love getting laid by the swarms of hot women who call Fishtown home, because that's where they all live, in happening Fishtown.
Look around Lambertville, New Hope, Doylestown if you want some nightlife and a decent commute.
Yeah, only families live in Bucks County. ONLY FAMILIES. We don't allow anybody single, under 30, with children, tattoo's or piercings. Stay away!
You will love your commute up Interstate 95 with major road construction for the next 10, 20, 30 years. You will love spending all of your drinking money on gas. You will love getting laid by the swarms of hot women who call Fishtown home, because that's where they all live, in happening Fishtown.
Look around Lambertville, New Hope, Doylestown if you want some nightlife and a decent commute.
I am a 20 something male. I am from the East Coast, and went to school here. But moving to a whole new area and not knowing anyone is intimidating. I know because I have done it. Smaller towns limit your sociability.
Also I LOVE BUCKS COUNTY, PA. It is absolutely beautiful. And so is Doylestown. But Tall OAKS clearly does not know commute times well. Because Doylestown, PA to Trenton, NJ is the same travel time as Northern Liberties in Philadelphia to Trenton, NJ. LMFAO Here is a link to freshen your mind TallOaks https://www.google.com/search?q=doyl...hrome&ie=UTF-8
Anyways. Dude. You will love Philadelphia. These naysayers clearly live the suburban life and park there car in their driveways and vedge out all night to television (*boring).
Move to Philadelphia. You will love it. Trenton in all regards is part of Philadelphia metro.
I dunno. I am a 20s male. The guy is coming from the West Coast and in his mind had the interpretation Trenton was a happening small city. It is not. Not knowing anyone on the East Coast is a big move. Being in his shoes, my #1 priority would be adopting and building a social life, with a manageable commute. Trenton loves to get pulled in with NYC metro, but technically it is closer to Philly and is the same distance as Wilmington to Philadelphia and in all regards should be in the Philadelphia metro. And IMO commuting from Fishtown/NoLibs (which NoLibs is VERY NICE) to Trenton is far more desirable than commuting from Fishtown/NoLibs to King of Prussia. 76 is awful. 95 in all regards is manageable.
For example one of my best friends, lives in Philadelphia and commutes to Fort Washington, PA and on average his commute is 60 minutes. And he has ZERO regrets living in Philadelphia. He is 26. I am not sure of your age, but moving to a new location, it is CRITICAL to live somewhere close to fellow young people, and being in a place that supports a variety of events, and personal hobbies to cultivate new friendships/relationships.
LEPS12 your weekend trips to Philly and NYC will get old FAST when you realize all your new friends want to be out and have fun, but you either have to drive or take a $40 Uber home so you get to miss out on the periods of building friends, that you could easily do by extending your commute daily by a measly 20 minutes each way. Think of how easily people waste 20 minutes a day. (fast).
You just are NEVER GOING TO FIND IT AROUND TRENTON, or in 'Bordentown, NJ'. Period. Do not let this guy scare you. The commute is manageable OP.
Trenton, NJ to Philadelphia is only 30 miles. It is up to OP. But OP as a 20 something, do not move to suburban NJ. You will hate your life. Point blank. Trenton is by no means a desirable place. And Bucks County, PA is very nice, but is for families. Move to Philadelphia. YOU WILL LOVE IT
Hey rowhomecity how about you ease off a bit with your peddling? The OP did not have the impression that Trenton was happening. He specifically said he saw older threads about how bad it is and was asking if that was still the case...he was not under some delusion. It's for him to make up his own mind about what is important to him. He specifically said he is not a nightlife person, so the whole social element you keep blowing up is maybe not important to him as you want to believe it is. I'd love to actually hear his take on this.
He is moving to an area without any roots, and you know where he actually is most likely to meet some new friends? His job. In Trenton. Are you going to assume that his co-workers all live in Philly, too?
Even though OP was not sure about Trenton being a good place to live (and it's not), he was STILL asking about the possibility of living IN Trenton. That's how much he cares about a short commute. So keep that in mind when you tell him to commute an extra 30-35 (not 20) minutes each way to Philly.
And again it's not just commute vs. social life, but I stress again that depending on his circumstances, he could end up financially worse off if he chooses to live in Philly. OP needs to understand differences in taxes and the impact of whether he will have a car or not. If he lives in Philly, he could potentially go car free...but only if his office in Trenton is near the train station...no guarantee that it is. It is not, then he drives to work, needs to pay for a Philly parking permit, spends more on gas and maintenance, and has to pay a toll.
Trenton is just as much New York as it is Philly these days. It's why it's quintessential "Central Jersey." It is kit just about physical location. It is unique in that it has commuter rail to both cities. Philly media market. More people in Trenton and Mercer County commute to New York and North Jersey though than they do to Philly, SEPA, and South Jersey. Much more.
You keep pushing Philly on the OP because you are so gung ho about it that you constantly overlook what he actually cares about. That's shameless and self-serving. I'm giving facts to let the OP decide for himself, not peddle and bad mouth those who don't sugggest Philly. If the OP wants excitement and wants to sacrifice commute and more money for it, sure, go with Philly. It's absolutely more exciting. But he didn't ask for it. You are acting like Philly is the only acceptable choice and everything else is completely horrible when that is just not the case. I seem to remember you badmouthing and getting really nasty with southbound295 when she would recommend South Jersey on the Philly board, saying she had no business posting there because that was the PA, not NJ, forum...so what the hell are you doing here peddling Philly and saying that anyone suggesting to live closer to Trenton is a boring person who does nothing but park their car and watch tv on a Saturday night? Being a hypocrite, that's what.
Hey rowhomecity how about you ease off a bit with your peddling? The OP did not have the impression that Trenton was happening. He specifically said he saw older threads about how bad it is and was asking if that was still the case...he was not under some delusion. It's for him to make up his own mind about what is important to him. He specifically said he is not a nightlife person, so the whole social element you keep blowing up is maybe not important to him as you want to believe it is. I'd love to actually hear his take on this.
He is moving to an area without any roots, and you know where he actually is most likely to meet some new friends? His job. In Trenton. Are you going to assume that his co-workers all live in Philly, too?
Even though OP was not sure about Trenton being a good place to live (and it's not), he was STILL asking about the possibility of living IN Trenton. That's how much he cares about a short commute. So keep that in mind when you tell him to commute an extra 30-35 (not 20) minutes each way to Philly.
And again it's not just commute vs. social life, but I stress again that depending on his circumstances, he could end up financially worse off if he chooses to live in Philly. OP needs to understand differences in taxes and the impact of whether he will have a car or not. If he lives in Philly, he could potentially go car free...but only if his office in Trenton is near the train station...no guarantee that it is. It is not, then he drives to work, needs to pay for a Philly parking permit, spends more on gas and maintenance, and has to pay a toll.
Trenton is just as much New York as it is Philly these days. It's why it's quintessential "Central Jersey." It is kit just about physical location. It is unique in that it has commuter rail to both cities. Philly media market. More people in Trenton and Mercer County commute to New York and North Jersey though than they do to Philly, SEPA, and South Jersey. Much more.
You keep pushing Philly on the OP because you are so gung ho about it that you constantly overlook what he actually cares about. That's shameless and self-serving. I'm giving facts to let the OP decide for himself, not peddle and bad mouth those who don't sugggest Philly. If the OP wants excitement and wants to sacrifice commute and more money for it, sure, go with Philly. It's absolutely more exciting. But he didn't ask for it. You are acting like Philly is the only acceptable choice and everything else is completely horrible when that is just not the case. I seem to remember you badmouthing and getting really nasty with southbound295 when she would recommend South Jersey on the Philly board, saying she had no business posting there because that was the PA, not NJ, forum...so what the hell are you doing here peddling Philly and saying that anyone suggesting to live closer to Trenton is a boring person who does nothing but park their car and watch tv on a Saturday night? Being a hypocrite, that's what.
The OP may choose to do whatever he wants. I am the only one advocating for the urban choice, because the cost benefits far exceed anything else. Philadelphia is the 2nd largest city on the East Coast, and therefore there are many different organizations to join, events to be a part of, and causes to link with, all happening on a weekly basis. This does not even have to deal with going out and 'getting drunk', it is more reflective of being part of groups that share his interest or hobbies, which he will find very easily living in Philadelphia, I cannot say the same in suburban NJ/PA.
Being young and single and living in a new place, these all have huge effects on how you go out and build friendships etc. Sure coworkers can have a part of that, but what do we know about this? Is it a small company, large, older, younger, etc?
A Trenton to Philadelphia commute is very doable. I have been getting backlash for suggesting it by some of the other posters, so it just has been getting old. All of you acting like it is some awful commute are just wrong. It is not.
For example someone suggested Doylestown, PA which would be just as long as a commute to Trenton than Philadelphia. The OP has been absent from the discussion for a while. Once he chimes in and offers what he truly is looking for then I think it is reasonable to say everyone will have a more tuned suggestion.
I can offer that a 20 something male will be incredibly bored in a place like New Hope or Lambertville. Both are lovely areas, and some people take it offensive like I am bashing there home towns. I love both areas.
I do consider commute times when I suggest a place, and I know plenty of people who live in Philadelphia and have worst commutes to places like King of Prussia,PA. They do this because the amenities and quality of life for young people far surpasses that of the suburbs. I mean there is no comparison. Now yes if you have a family with kids, perhaps the amenities of the suburbs exceeds that of a city like Philadelphia or NYC. But where you live can have a huge impact on many factors, and I merely was advocating a single 20s male to consider checking out the city. The responses and negativity is over the top TBH.
95 is a relative problem free road especially since the neighborhood of Philadelphia I suggested puts him in a place where he avoids the worst bottleneck by the Girard interchange, AND as he is reverse commuting and it would 100% be a manageable commute. I have driven it many times. I told you I have commuted to Princeton from Philadelphia and I have family who commutes from Montgomery County, PA to Princeton and both have no major problems.
Also the philly parking permit cost is $35 a year. Nothing startling. I think OP should be given the perspective to consider the city without being shot down. Thank You.
Last edited by rowhomecity; 01-09-2018 at 06:50 PM..
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