Need help understanding SEPTA maps

[ta_harvey]

Some other info I should have added: Living in a very good public school district is important, as we have two young kids (the oldest will start kindergarten next year). So while I love everything MsChelle said about those Philly neighborhoods, we need to look in the 'burbs. And my spouse works in NE Philly (near the small NE Philly airport). He'll need to drive, and we'd like to keep the commute as short as possible.

Since you guys have been so helpful, I'll ask another question. Not sure if I mentioned it initially, but I haven't secured a job yet (interviewing at Penn at the moment), but will be looking for work at area universities. How accessible are the places I listed in my last post to Villanova and to the small liberal arts colleges west of the city (Bryn Mawr, Swarthmore, Haverford)? Would it be doable to take public transportation, or would I need to drive? And how long would the drive be at normal rush hour times? MapQuest never gives a very realistic idea.

Thanks again!

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by ta_harvey

Some other info I should have added: Living in a very good public school district is important, as we have two young kids (the oldest will start kindergarten next year). So while I love everything MsChelle said about those Philly neighborhoods, we need to look in the 'burbs. And my spouse works in NE Philly (near the small NE Philly airport). He'll need to drive, and we'd like to keep the commute as short as possible.

Since you guys have been so helpful, I'll ask another question. Not sure if I mentioned it initially, but I haven't secured a job yet (interviewing at Penn at the moment), but will be looking for work at area universities. How accessible are the places I listed in my last post to Villanova and to the small liberal arts colleges west of the city (Bryn Mawr, Swarthmore, Haverford)? Would it be doable to take public transportation, or would I need to drive? And how long would the drive be at normal rush hour times? MapQuest never gives a very realistic idea.

Thanks again!

All of the colleges you mentioned are named after their respective towns and have train stations located near them. Bryn Mawr, Villanova and Haverford are all part of the contiguously upscale towns known as the Main Line. The Paoli/Thorndale line runs through here.

Most suburban school districts are good to great. If you are prepared for the cost of housing along the Paoli/Thorndale line then you would be within some of the best school districts in the area.

Unless you are comfortable driving, it may be you that makes the sacrifice with the longer commute. All Regional Rail trains into the Center City (downtown) hubs before going back out into the 'burbs. There is no dedicated cross-county Regional Rail service. So a commute from, say, Jenkintown to Villanova could be rather lengthy compared to a Penn destination. Whatever MapQuest is telling you for drive times is likely optimistic unless your commute is starting before 7am or after 6pm. From "Greater Abington", you'll probably be spending a lot of quality time on the PA Turnpike (I-276), bottlenecking at King of Prussia, and then traveling on Blue Route (I-476) to reach the Main Line.

[MsChelle]

Originally Posted by ta_harvey

Some other info I should have added: Living in a very good public school district is important, as we have two young kids (the oldest will start kindergarten next year). So while I love everything MsChelle said about those Philly neighborhoods, we need to look in the 'burbs. And my spouse works in NE Philly (near the small NE Philly airport). He'll need to drive, and we'd like to keep the commute as short as possible.

Since you guys have been so helpful, I'll ask another question. Not sure if I mentioned it initially, but I haven't secured a job yet (interviewing at Penn at the moment), but will be looking for work at area universities. How accessible are the places I listed in my last post to Villanova and to the small liberal arts colleges west of the city (Bryn Mawr, Swarthmore, Haverford)? Would it be doable to take public transportation, or would I need to drive? And how long would the drive be at normal rush hour times? MapQuest never gives a very realistic idea.

Thanks again!

I totally understand that you want to live in the suburbs due to the schools. It helps to know that your husband will live in the NE. Villanova, Bryn Mawr, and Haverford are all quite close to RR stations on the Paoli/Thorndale line. Lancaster Ave can be really slow though during rush hour. On the map, it looks like Swarthmore is close to RR as well. Like I said, Lower Merion is a great school district. I've also heard good things about the Havertown School District. If you lived in Lower Merion, these colleges would not be too long of a commute by car. Also, City Ave is right next to Lower Merion. Thus, it makes traveling to the NE easy because City Ave turns into Roosevelt Blvd. However, there can be traffic on the Blvd during rush hour.

The only thing about the RR is that all of the lines go to Center City. If, for example, you lived near Villanova or Haverford and worked at Swarthmore, you couldn't take RR between home and work. I don't have a car, so I rely on SEPTA. Bus service in the suburbs is not that good. You'll need to check specific bus routes, but in my experience, taking the bus can be maddening in the suburbs.

Hope this helps.

[MsChelle]

Originally Posted by Tone509

All of the colleges you mentioned are named after their respective towns and have train stations located near them. Bryn Mawr, Villanova and Haverford are all part of the contiguously upscale towns known as the Main Line. The Paoli/Thorndale line runs through here.

Most suburban school districts are good to great. If you are prepared for the cost of housing along the Paoli/Thorndale line then you would be within some of the best school districts in the area.

Unless you are comfortable driving, it may be you that makes the sacrifice with the longer commute. All Regional Rail trains into the Center City (downtown) hubs before going back out into the 'burbs. There is no dedicated cross-county Regional Rail service. So a commute from, say, Jenkintown to Villanova could be rather lengthy compared to a Penn destination. Whatever MapQuest is telling you for drive times is likely optimistic unless your commute is starting before 7am or after 6pm. From "Greater Abington", you'll probably be spending a lot of quality time on the PA Turnpike (I-276), bottlenecking at King of Prussia, and then traveling on Blue Route (I-476) to reach the Main Line.

Traffic near King of Prussia can be AWFUL! There is a huge mall there. I was stuck in traffic with my friend there yesterday at 6:30/7:00 pm. The side roads (e.g. Gulph Mills Rd) are not much better either.

[ta_harvey]

Originally Posted by MsChelle

I totally understand that you want to live in the suburbs due to the schools. It helps to know that your husband will live in the NE. Villanova, Bryn Mawr, and Haverford are all quite close to RR stations on the Paoli/Thorndale line. Lancaster Ave can be really slow though during rush hour. On the map, it looks like Swarthmore is close to RR as well. Like I said, Lower Merion is a great school district. I've also heard good things about the Havertown School District. If you lived in Lower Merion, these colleges would not be too long of a commute by car. Also, City Ave is right next to Lower Merion. Thus, it makes traveling to the NE easy because City Ave turns into Roosevelt Blvd. However, there can be traffic on the Blvd during rush hour.
.

We hadn't been considering Lower Merion because it looks so far west of where my spouse is working. But you make a good point that what's more important is the accessibility to good connecting roads. I've heard great things about the Lower Merion School District, so I'd love to consider it if the commute is doable for my spouse and there are options in our price range. So I have a few follow-up questions. What are the towns in Lower Merion that would have the smoothest commute to NE Philly? Do you think you could get a decent 3+ bedroom house in any of those towns for around $450k these days? And any thoughts on how long that commute would be during non rush hour and rush hour (my husband may do four ten-hour days, which would mean he'd be able to avoid rush hour most days)?

Thanks again!

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by ta_harvey

We hadn't been considering Lower Merion because it looks so far west of where my spouse is working. But you make a good point that what's more important is the accessibility to good connecting roads. I've heard great things about the Lower Merion School District, so I'd love to consider it if the commute is doable for my spouse and there are options in our price range. So I have a few follow-up questions. What are the towns in Lower Merion that would have the smoothest commute to NE Philly? Do you think you could get a decent 3+ bedroom house in any of those towns for around $450k these days? And any thoughts on how long that commute would be during non rush hour and rush hour (my husband may do four ten-hour days, which would mean he'd be able to avoid rush hour most days)?

Thanks again!

The most direct route from the Lower Merion area would have you on Route 1/Roosevelt Boulevard which would have numerous traffic lights along the way. Bala Cynwyd would be the closest town to Roosevelt. However, you may find $450K to be a bit low for that area. Your housing dollar would go further in Abington/Glenside and your husband would have a reasonably decent commute via Route 63/Old Welsh Road.