UK family; Possible move to Philly (airport, weather, drive)

[KansastoSouthphilly]

You may want to also look in queen village. One of the few good public school catchments (though no longer guaranteed), tons of young families and tons of stuff to do within walking distance.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by eastwestcoast

Whoops, looks like I was a bit slow to post. But to answer this question:



The suburban areas already mentioned, minus Jenkintown/Glenside (far from the airport), are good options. If distance to the airport is most critical, then Media or Swarthmore are your best choices. If you are weighing being in the absolute best school district as the most important factor, Lower Merion, Radnor, or Tredyffrin/Easttown districts would be very slightly ahead. Within these districts, good towns with at least some downtown amenities would be Narberth, the Lower Merion half of Ardmore, Bryn Mawr, and Wayne.

Yes, they have some downtown amenities, but, idk, they lack energy nowadays. I spend a fair amount of time in Ardmore and Bryn Mawr because I grew in Haverford and I still have family living there.

Lancaster Ave , in both Ardmore and Bryn Mawr, has almost zero pedestrians. Nightime isn't much better. Suburban Sq is boring and, for me personally, the contrast between, say, 18th and Walnut and the corner of Lancaster and Ardmore Aves. (in Ardmore) is stark. A dynamic center of people, shops, restaurants vs a bunch people who never get out of their cars for any length of time.

But, yes, the schools are good in many 'burbs if that is your primary reason for selecting an area in which to live.

[eastwestcoast]

Originally Posted by kyb01

Yes, they have some downtown amenities, but, idk, they lack energy nowadays. I spend a fair amount of time in Ardmore and Bryn Mawr because I grew in Haverford and I still have family living there.

Lancaster Ave , in both Ardmore and Bryn Mawr, has almost zero pedestrians. Nightime isn't much better. Suburban Sq is boring and, for me personally, the contrast between, say, 18th and Walnut and the corner of Lancaster and Ardmore Aves. (in Ardmore) is stark. A dynamic center of people, shops, restaurants vs a bunch people who never get out of their cars for any length of time.

But, yes, the schools are good in many 'burbs if that is your primary reason for selecting an area in which to live.

I would never equate the stretch of businesses along Lancaster Ave to any Center City neighborhood, and hope what I wrote didn't imply that.

The OP was originally asking about Chestnut Hill and Mount Airy, which IMO are much closer in nature to the small suburban downtowns on the Main Line than they are to Center City. Also, as someone already said, many of the Lower Merion towns are actually closer to Center City and the airport than Chestnut Hill and Mount Airy are. Also, parts are just across the river from Manayunk, which also offers a much more dynamic downtown than the suburbs themselves. But yes, I agree that nothing comes close to Center City's atmosphere... of all the suburbs mentioned, Media probably has the most "happening" downtown, but even it can't compare to central Philly.

[TJCULLEN7]

Thanks for the input everyone. Lots of good for thought.
Here in the UK private a schools are pretty rare. How much, broadly speaking does a year cost?
Is it more common for kids to go the private route than over here?

I'm not dead set in Chestnut it Airy, someone said to check them out.
I guess like everyone. I want the best of everything.

[TJCULLEN7]

Bad spelling on the iPhone!

[FrankInPhilly]

Originally Posted by TJCULLEN7

Thanks for the input everyone. Lots of good for thought.
Here in the UK private a schools are pretty rare. How much, broadly speaking does a year cost?
Is it more common for kids to go the private route than over here?

I'm not dead set in Chestnut it Airy, someone said to check them out.
I guess like everyone. I want the best of everything.

I've heard $20,000/year is about average for some of the better schools.

... pause ... wait to pick self off floor ... regroup ... keep reading ...

Another option is parochial/parish schools (you don't have to be Catholic, although I imagine you get a fair dose of dogma during an average day). Those are less costly, but I couldn't say for sure (I moved here as an empty nester).
It's possible to get a good public school education in the city if you get into a magnet school (Frequently Asked Questions - The School District of Philadelphia) but there's no guarantee of admission.

One way to look at your situation is "I have 4 years before my child is school age. I can live anywhere during that time [e.g., Mt Airy - East or West, Chestnut Hill]. During that time if I live in Philly I can see how people navigate the system - pay heaps of $, how they get into magnet schools, etc. If I love Mt Airy [and you will] and have done my due diligence and have a bit of luck, the public schools might work out. If not, the worst that could happen is we had a nice 4 years in the city and then found a place in the suburbs that had good schools." Short version: enjoy Philly, do your school-strategizing homework, and be prepared to have a move in 4 years be one of your options. I think the in-city (East/West Mt Airy, Chestnut Hill in particular) experience is worth it even if you have to relocate after 4 years.

[TJCULLEN7]

Great answer Frank. I think that's what we're thinking. We kind of have that advantage of a few years before the boy needs schooling.

So, your suburbs. Explain them to me like you would a 10 year old.

;-)

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by TJCULLEN7

Great answer Frank. I think that's what we're thinking. We kind of have that advantage of a few years before the boy needs schooling.

So, your suburbs. Explain them to me like you would a 10 year old.

;-)

So in the US, each state is divided into counties (except for Louisiana which calls them "parishes") and one or more cities may reside in the county. In the case of Philadelphia, the city and county are one and the same.
When people talk about the Philadelphia region, they usually include suburban counties in Pennsylvania (PA), New Jersey (NJ) and Delaware (DE). For purposes of this discussion, I'll focus on the Pennsylvania (or PA) counties.

Philadelphia (or "Philly" for short) has a very odd shape, sort of like someone with a heeled shoe that is about to trip. The three PA suburban counties contiguous to Philly are (going counterclockwise): Bucks, Montgomery and Delaware. (There is also Chester County but it is west of Delaware County and wouldn't fit many of your shorter-term preferences IMO.)

I don't know if London or other UK cities are like Paris with its downscale banlieues outside the city limits. But Philadelphia is typical of many medium-to-large American cities where a good portion of the the region's citizens live outside the city for benefits such as more space, better housing values, proximity to suburban office parks. The (stereo)typical pattern for city-dwellers who have the finances to consider options is to live in the city and enjoy its culture and nightlife until they have kids and/or get a job in the suburbs, at which time they often (but not always) move for a shorter commute or better education.

The downside for your purposes is that there aren't many neighborhoods where you could walk down the street to a cafe as part of an organic/historic town square. You're more than likely to have to get in your car and drive to a prefabricated strip mall or larger indoor shopping mall.


Our main transit system is called SEPTA and, not unlike others in the Northeastern part of the county, covers a lot a ground; to wit, the Regional Rail commuter trains would allow you to travel to Center City and the Airport.
(Shameless plug again for considering my home area Jenkintown or Glenside: it may seem like a longer train ride at first but there are routes you can take the train straight to the airport unlike the other technically closer locales.)

Compared with the slim majority of Black and Hispanic citizens that make up Philadelphia, suburbs generally (but not always) are a White majority with some diversification in more recent years.

The Main Line is what we call the string of affluent towns along Lancaster Avenue aka Route 30. These include towns already mentioned such as Ardmore, Bryn Mawr and Wayne. It more or less hugs the county line between Montgomery (aka Montco) and Delaware (Delco) Counties.

Bucks County may not work for your purposes unless you anticipate spending a lot of business or leisure time in New York City as it is almost "halfway" to the Big Apple from Center.

Montco, which wraps around the "tripping heel" of Philly, offers numerous good-to-great suburbs. You can easily avoid the less popular jurisdictions.

Delco is interesting. Along its eastern border which is shares with Philly are some of the lesser desirable towns...at least for those seeking a middle-to-upper-class lifestyle. Those who come from a lower-to-working-class background may seem them as a step up. However, the towns that have been suggested to you - Swarthmore, Media, Garnet Valley - are much further west and are among the most desirable outside of the Main Line.

Should you decide to buy here, note that - comparing "apples to apples" - Delco homes tend to be a better value than but also have higher property taxes than in Montco. I don't know enough about Bucks to compare.

So...I don't know if I got it down to a 10-year-old level. Maybe a teenager? In any event, hope this helps.

[Clark Park]

If a parent wants to send his or her kids to one of the best public schools in Philadelphia, then I can recommend a part of University City because of the desirable Penn / Sadie Alexander School. The catch is, you absolutely must live in the "catchment area" which is my neighborhood: Spruce Hill. The borders of Spruce Hill is roughly 38th Street to 47th Street -east to west - and Walnut Street to Baltimore Avenue north to south. This new school, full of modern amenities and very small classes, is significantly subsidized by the University of Pennsylvania, so twice as much is spent on each student. The school is grades K through 8; after that parents try to get their kids into one of the best high schools like Masterman or Central.

Spruce Hill is a lovely neighborhood of shady streets and every style of Victorian house from about 1860 to 1900. The place is full of charm and historical character. It's very very easy to get into Center City by trolley - just 10 or 15 minutes away. It's also a safe place because of the University City District bike patrols operating all night long. The best part is the generous number of restaurants and shops within a few minutes walk. The only caveat is that there are a lot of university students around and you can hear their parties on weekends.

[bluespeed]

chadds-ford/unionville school district is very highly rated and the area is horse farms and cute little towns like unionville and kennett square, coming from the UK i think you would feel right at home in the area and your wife would feel extremely safe, not to mention one of the best british pubs in the area-- the whip tavern

best of luck!!