Moving to Chester... looking for a nice area to live (King of Prussia: best neighborhood, apartments)

[Stook99]

I'm going to be moving to Chester for a job sometime next month and I'm looking for an area with the following criteria:

within 15-20 minutes drive of chester
young professionals 25-35
low crime
preferably more affluent with nice apartments

I'm not looking for anything in the city yet at the same time I'm not looking for anything too remote either. Thanks appreciate any help.

[FindingZen]

While Chester itself is not particularly great, it is surrounded by miles of generic, primarily family-friendly suburbia. The closest area popular with younger professionals is the ironically-named West Chester which is not next door to Chester but rather 40 minutes away. The next best option is Media which, while attracting a lot of families does have a fairly active social scene on and near State Street.

[Jfoldno7]

You have a lot of nice options. It really just depends on how much you want to spend and what type of area you want. Swarthmore and Wallingford are nice but they may not meet the younger crowd criteria. Look at Media for sure that is likely your best bet to meet most of what you want.

[Stook99]

Thanks, I appreciate the help. I'm going to be flying to Philly in the next couple days to check out the area and I just wanted to get a base for where to start.

[rainrock]

Not sure what you have heard about the city of Chester but its an old industrial city that has seen much better days. Its been forgotten and left behind for the poorest of the poor. Not casting dispersions just being honest.

The surrounding suburbs as you move N of Chester vary from working class to middle class to uber wealthy. The area Outside of Chester is a very suburban family oriented area.

Media has a nice little Main Street with a dozen or so bars/restaurants but Media overall is a family town.

The closest area in my opinion with a large group of young professionals is Conshohocken/King of Prussia/Valley Forge/Main Line/West Chester. A good 30-45 minutes from Chester depending on traffic.

Center City Philly is far and away the best neighborhood for young singles and affluence.There are close to 100,000 college students{Penn,Drexel,Temple,Jefferson,Univ Arts Univ sciences)
within 2 miles of Center City, 250,000 office workers and a residential population close to 90,000. center City is worth a look but if you live in the city of Philly you will get whacked with a 4% wage tax, something to keep in mind. If you need constant activity/people/wlakability this is where you want to be.They have a fantastic river trail in center City if you are into jogging,biking etc..

Everything else in the area is suburban oriented with emphasis on auto.

Good luck.

[Joe84323]

West Chester Newark Collingswood Center City

[1200RT]

how long is the commute via rail from West Chester to downtown Philly?

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by 1200RT

how long is the commute via rail from West Chester to downtown Philly?

Well first you should know that there is no rail service from West Chester. The closest train station would be in Exton, about 10 miles away. From there it would be anywhere from 40-55 minutes to Suburban Station, depending on which express train you took.

If you actually meant Chester, then it would be about 40 minutes (no express) to Suburban Station.

[1200RT]

Thanks!