Moving from Boston next month! (Philadelphia, Chester: fit in, apartment complexes, to rent)

[nikmasteed]

Hi all!

My wife and I (late 20s), with 3-yr-old daughter are moving to the Philadelphia area next month from Boston, and obviously our number 1 concern is finding a place to rent.

We've been slowly doing our research over the last several months and are positive that what we want/need is either a twin/townhome or (gasp) single-family house with SOME type of yard. We kept coming across apartment complexes but decided the amenities werent worth paying for. Since my wife won't be working for 6-8 months (pregnant) we are really really trying to find a place to rent at $1000/mo or less.

Since I will be working in Center City, commute time is a big concern (45-50 minutes or less). Some ideal communities would be Abington/Jenkintown/Glenside/Elkins Park, or Mt Airy/Chestnut Hill, but I'm not sure they fit in our budget? I've also given some consideration to Port Richmond, areas near University City, and Drexel Hill/Yeadon closer in; or Hatboro, Warminster, or even Plymouth Mtg further out. I've always heard great things about Media, but get the sense that would be out of our range as well. As you can tell, I have no idea, haha.

We're really open to location, as long as it's a relatively decent area and we could find something in our range that wasn't a dump. Elementary school is only a very slight consideration in the back of our minds, as we'd be looking to move before our daughter starts school age.

Thanks for any guidance in advance regarding what towns might fit in our budget, and I'll keep an eye out in case anybody has any questions that might help.

[cpomp]

Media is quite out of your range, but that would be the ideal place to move. Avoid yeadon, drexel hill, secane, morton you may be able to find something. If your going to live in the city, your going to have to look into private schools for your daughter, suburban schools are much better. Im not all that familiar with the other towns you mentioned, but i know they are more affodable. Chesnut hill is a stretch too. But good luck!

[PennKid]

Originally Posted by nikmasteed

Hi all!

My wife and I (late 20s), with 3-yr-old daughter are moving to the Philadelphia area next month from Boston, and obviously our number 1 concern is finding a place to rent.

We've been slowly doing our research over the last several months and are positive that what we want/need is either a twin/townhome or (gasp) single-family house with SOME type of yard. We kept coming across apartment complexes but decided the amenities werent worth paying for. Since my wife won't be working for 6-8 months (pregnant) we are really really trying to find a place to rent at $1000/mo or less.

Since I will be working in Center City, commute time is a big concern (45-50 minutes or less). Some ideal communities would be Abington/Jenkintown/Glenside/Elkins Park, or Mt Airy/Chestnut Hill, but I'm not sure they fit in our budget? I've also given some consideration to Port Richmond, areas near University City, and Drexel Hill/Yeadon closer in; or Hatboro, Warminster, or even Plymouth Mtg further out. I've always heard great things about Media, but get the sense that would be out of our range as well. As you can tell, I have no idea, haha.

We're really open to location, as long as it's a relatively decent area and we could find something in our range that wasn't a dump. Elementary school is only a very slight consideration in the back of our minds, as we'd be looking to move before our daughter starts school age.

Thanks for any guidance in advance regarding what towns might fit in our budget, and I'll keep an eye out in case anybody has any questions that might help.

Philly is in many ways comparable to Philly (I grew up in the latter and just moved to the former). Like Boston, Philly neighborhoods have distinct identities and qualities that widely vary; thus, it may be helpful for you to say where from Boston you're coming from. For example, Port Richmond and Fishtown, with their predominantly white, working-class, but rapidly gentrifying characters, are much like Southie, while Spruce Hill/Powelton/Mt. Airy, with their highly progressive politics and leafy scenery are much more like Jamaica Plain.

And just like Boston, while overall the suburbs have pretty reliable school districts, ranging from the lavishly wealthy (Metrowest=Chester County) to genteel (Brookline=Lower Merion) to socioeconomically diverse (Malden=Abington), don't discount all city schools. Unlike Boston, most elementary schools are neighborhood-based, so there are many neighborhood school gems scattered across Philadelphia, as well as a healthy network of charters that far exceeds Boston's.

[nikmasteed]

Thanks for the insight PennKid-- I grew up in the Philly area, so I have some familiarity but your comparisons are helpful-- and quite ironic, because we live in Malden, and find that Abington may be where we end up long term. Maybe when we are ready/able to buy.

As for right now, in trying to meet our budget, it doesnt look like we'll be able to find much there in the way of a home w/ yard at about $1000. We are seeing some interesting options in the outskirts of the city, with a few examples being Roxborough, Cheltenham, and Mayfair. I might go back to Port Richmond and look some more as well. In those areas it's looking like we might be able to get what we are looking for in our price range, although I'd be interested to learn more about these areas than what I currently know.