From "The OC" to Philly Area - dogs & horses (Philadelphia: transplants, apartments)

[1SoCalGirl]

My husband may be taking a new job opportunity which will take him from CA to Philly. If we make this decision, he will be living there, renting a place in the city while I stay in our home in Orange County during his probational period.

I'm excited for the possibility to live somewhere else. I am over the superficial, I'm better than you, botoxed mentality that is so prevalent in parts of Orange County. Not that there aren't lovely down to earth people and wonderful places here, because the majority of folks here are just regular people living regular lives (despite what MTV and Bravo channels say). Something a little slower with more of a community would be a nice change of pace. Here in CA, you're lucky if you know your neighbor's first name.

All that being said, I am also used to driving 25 minutes (or 1 1/2 - 2 hours in traffic) to LA or San Diego and go to a show, ball game, theater, etc when I feel like doing something fun. I'm hoping for a similar option in PA.

I have a few questions I was hoping someone might be able to help me with:

1) Any transplants from CA, how was your acclimation process (i.e., weather, pace, available activities, not being near the coast)? My hubby's from VA (Norfolk/VA Beach area) and was stationed in Cape May, NJ when in the military. I've lived my whole life in CA.

2) We have 3 dogs (2 large, 1 small) and my older horse. If we move out there, we'd like to have a place where we have some land, can keep my horse, but also have a nice house with modern conveniences in a nice community. Is this do-able within our price range?

3) For those of you who have horses, how did they take to the move? Mine is 28, been in CA with me since he was 8. I'm not sure if it will be fair to drag him across country to the heat/humidity and colder winters.

4) Recommended areas to look for homes that might fit with what we are looking for.


When are you moving? Unknown at this point
Where are you coming from? Orange County, California
Why are you moving? Job relocation
Where will you be working? Downtown Philadelphia
Have you been here yet? Hubby's from East Coast (VA and NJ), I spent a summer in Malvern when I was 12

Will you buy or rent? Rent, then buy if we stay
If buying, are you looking for a house or a condo? How much can you spend? House (possibly horse property), upwards of 650,000
If renting, are you looking for an apartment, a townhouse or loft? How much can you spend?
Do you prefer hi-rise or walk up?

Are you married or single? Do you have children? Married, no kids
Do you prefer public or private schools?
Do you have pets? 3 dogs and a horse
Do you want or need a yard? YES!
Are you keeping a car? 2 cars
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? Calm and Quiet at home with access to Bustling (outdoor activities, music, theater, restaurants, arts, etc)

What do you want to be closest to? We'd like a safe area with a sense of community but close enough to transportation for easy commute to work and leisure
Work
Shopping
Basic services (supermarket, drugstore, etc.)
Nightlife
Train or subway stations

Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood? In CA you can drive 10 minutes in either direction and be in either of the above. I don't think we particularly care as long as the people are nice, open-minded and it's a safe area. Personally, I prefer a bit of texture in my community.

Coke or Pepsi? No soda! Sparkling water

Thank you all in advance for taking the time to read and respond to my post. Have a great day!

[FindingZen]

I have a fair number of family and friends in the LA metro that definitely defy the stereotypes on those "reality" shows.

I believe your toughest challenge may be finding a relatively convenient property that will accomodate your equine companion. Hopefully, our member andreaspercheon will chime in with suggestions based on her own experience. But at bare minimum, I would predict at least an hour commute - likely more - from such a place to Center City (downtown) Philadelphia. Some of these areas may be considered to be exurban if not technically in another metro. I'd also predict a fair amount homogenity as well; Philly suburbs are generally not as diverse as in greater Los Angeles.

On the other hand, there may be places to board your horse that may not be too far away from certain communities.

In the meantime, if you would go to the "search" feature at the top of the page, click on advanced search, type in "horses" in the keyword section on the left, then scroll down to Philadelphia (via Pennsylvania) on the "search in forums" area and (finally!) click "search now", that should provide you with all of the horse-related discussions in the Philly area.

[1SoCalGirl]

Thanks for the response Tone509! I actually had searched the site before posting but didn't find exactly what I was looking for so took a chance with my own post.

My husband is actually in Chestnut Hill as I type this looking for apartments to rent (he just sent me a picture of one of the Victorians).

If the suburbs are not very diverse, does that translate into a culture that is not as open to new people, ideas or people of different backgrounds/ethnicity? I know that in some smaller towns in other parts of the country that is true, but I kind of always assumed PA was more progressive than that.

thanks again!

[templeu]

I was actually going to recommend Chestnut Hill or the Montgomery County neighborhoods surrounding Chestnut Hill. I have a friend who boards her horse in a facility near there (close to Lafayette Hill). I've seen people riding their horses through the Wissahickon section of Fairmount park (which is located in Chestnut Hill/ Mount Airy). I'm clueless on how much space a horse would need. If you're looking for acres, Chestnut Hill will get pricey, fast. Areas in Chester County PA may offer more open space (but will be further from downtown Phila). You could also look into Burlington and Gloucester Counties in NJ.

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by 1SoCalGirl

Thanks for the response Tone509! I actually had searched the site before posting but didn't find exactly what I was looking for so took a chance with my own post.

My husband is actually in Chestnut Hill as I type this looking for apartments to rent (he just sent me a picture of one of the Victorians).

If the suburbs are not very diverse, does that translate into a culture that is not as open to new people, ideas or people of different backgrounds/ethnicity? I know that in some smaller towns in other parts of the country that is true, but I kind of always assumed PA was more progressive than that.

thanks again!

Chestnut Hill is an excellent suburban-like area on the NW edge of the city. If you're comfortable with templeu's idea of boarding your horse in nearby Lafayette Hill, then you may find a number of properties in your preferred price range. Note that actually living in Lafayette Hill would save you the ~4% wage tax that people who work and/or live in Philly have deducted from their pay. You'd also have your choice of two commuter rail trains which might be a relaxing and less expensive alternative to driving to parking in high-density Center City.

To answer your last paragraph: the short answer is "no". In my experience, people in the 'burbs are generally friendly compared to the "tough love" Philly/NYC city stereotype. Close-in suburbs are relatively diverse. If it's important for someone to have role models/friends in one's ethnicity or lifestyle to socialize with, then my mild concerns would be that is may not be so convenient as one travels further out.

[kidphilly]

This is some background on Chestnut Hill

The Shops and Restaurants of Chestnut Hill

Chestnut Hill Videos « The Shops and Restaurants of Chestnut Hill

[kidphilly]

And Philadelphia

Welcome to Philadelphia - Video

[1SoCalGirl]

Thank you all for the replies. I really do appreciate the time you have taken to help me out.

I must clarify, the hubby is looking in Chestnut Hill to rent a place for him to live while he is over there working. When I move out, we will be interested in something a bit farther outside of the city (I would imagine). I would prefer to have my old man (the horse, not the hubby) at home, rather than boarding. He's getting up there in age and I would really like to be able to look out a window and see him in the backyard (if possible).

His company pays him a monthly transportation fee, so anywhere he can take the train into work would be fine. I'm assuming for my line of work, i will have to commute to the city as well. We are used to long commutes here in California and while it would be nice to have a shorter one, if quality of life and the ability to have a home that meets our needs requires a little longer, then I think that's negotiable. He has even mentioned DE or NJ as places to look, though I understand NJ is more expensive (assuming equivalent to CA). I just have no idea where to even start looking in those areas, what's safe and how far would horse property be from modern conveniences (nice restaurants, easy shopping, etc).

Any other West Coast transplants out there?

Thanks Again!

[1SoCalGirl]

kidphilly, thank you so much for the video links. I have to say, Chestnut Hill is beautiful. Not at all what I expected. I had no idea a place like that existed that close to the city. What a lovely place!

[templeu]

On the whole, you might actually find that Southern NJ is less expensive than PA (though property taxes in NJ tend to be higher). When I was looking, I found homes with large areas of space in Mullica Hill NJ. Mullica Hill would be about 35-40 minutes to Center City Phila and would be a fairly easy commute on most days. With your budget, you could find a home on 4+ acres, no problem.

NJ isn't quite as developed yet as PA. You might have more luck findings a large property closer into the city (40 minutes or less) on the NJ side.