Possible relocation from Baltimore to Philadelphia for Career and Grad school (Glenside: sales, 2015)

[410to215]

Hello all, so here's my deal. I will be relocating to Philly in April 2015 or shortly there after. My job would entail traveling all around the city going to various "multi-cultural" lounges, bars, and nightclubs for marketing and b to b sales purposes as well as some work in the community. I also plan to earn my MBA (LaSalle). I'm a 33y.o. AA male, (no kids) recently out of a long term relationship, so essentially I am starting over. I have some friends in the Philly area and I know the city fairly well already.What concerns me is where to live. It seems that it would be in my best interest to live somewhere that provides easy access to the various parts of the city as well occasionally to North Wales, PA. I've heard that living in the city comes with additional income taxes. Plus I really prefer to have a quiet home life seeing how my job will require me to be pretty social and out at night. My preferred range is between 700-900 per month hopefully including utilities. Not against getting a studio if I can't find a 1br in this range. I really don't require much more than a place to lay my head and keep my product. I want to be somewhere relatively safe with ample parking. Areas I've considered so far are Glenside, Bala Cynwyd, and Wynnefield (close to both 76 and rt 1) any other suggestions? And how much of a difference would the income taxes make if I decided to stay in the city vs the 'burbs? Thanks

[TARS]

True that Philly tax is painful on the wallet.

If you're going to be spending ample amounts of time in the city at night, It probably would benefit you to live somewhere that offers relatively close access to the regional rail. You might be able to find something in the St. Joe's area (Bala Cynwyd). The Overbrook station gives you the regional rail and you can get into center city in about 10 minutes. There is also enough to do there that won't make you feel completely out of the loop. On the flip side, it is a nice community with lots of families.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by 410to215

Hello all, so here's my deal. I will be relocating to Philly in April 2015 or shortly there after. My job would entail traveling all around the city going to various "multi-cultural" lounges, bars, and nightclubs for marketing and b to b sales purposes as well as some work in the community. I also plan to earn my MBA (LaSalle). I'm a 33y.o. AA male, (no kids) recently out of a long term relationship, so essentially I am starting over. I have some friends in the Philly area and I know the city fairly well already.What concerns me is where to live. It seems that it would be in my best interest to live somewhere that provides easy access to the various parts of the city as well occasionally to North Wales, PA. I've heard that living in the city comes with additional income taxes. Plus I really prefer to have a quiet home life seeing how my job will require me to be pretty social and out at night. My preferred range is between 700-900 per month hopefully including utilities. Not against getting a studio if I can't find a 1br in this range. I really don't require much more than a place to lay my head and keep my product. I want to be somewhere relatively safe with ample parking. Areas I've considered so far are Glenside, Bala Cynwyd, and Wynnefield (close to both 76 and rt 1) any other suggestions? And how much of a difference would the income taxes make if I decided to stay in the city vs the 'burbs? Thanks

For starters Wynnefield is within the city limits so, yes, you would be subjected to the city wage tax if lived there.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by TARS

True that Philly tax is painful on the wallet.

If you're going to be spending ample amounts of time in the city at night, It probably would benefit you to live somewhere that offers relatively close access to the regional rail. You might be able to find something in the St. Joe's area (Bala Cynwyd). The Overbrook station gives you the regional rail and you can get into center city in about 10 minutes. There is also enough to do there that won't make you feel completely out of the loop. On the flip side, it is a nice community with lots of families.

Actually St Joe's straddles the border between Philly and Bala. City Ave(aka City Line) is the border.

[410to215]

Originally Posted by TARS

True that Philly tax is painful on the wallet.

If you're going to be spending ample amounts of time in the city at night, It probably would benefit you to live somewhere that offers relatively close access to the regional rail. You might be able to find something in the St. Joe's area (Bala Cynwyd). The Overbrook station gives you the regional rail and you can get into center city in about 10 minutes. There is also enough to do there that won't make you feel completely out of the loop. On the flip side, it is a nice community with lots of families.

Thanks for the insight. I've noticed St. joes name comes up quite a bit when I search for places in Bala, also looking in Merion. Are there any alternatives to the a great location with access to the highways or main arterial roads in the Philly area? How convenient are the areas north of the city say Cheltenham or Glenside? Sounds like my best bet is try get to the burbs if I want to get the most of my paycheck, but the idea of having SOME things to do near me on my downtime is appealing.

I've also never used public transportation in Philly, but I have seen how tight parking can be in certain parts of the city. If all holds true, I will be primarily dealing with multicultural accounts which leads me to believe I will be in some of the rougher parts of the city at times. I'm not sure that I would want to chance not having my vehicle. Coming from another blue collar, row house driven (but smaller) city like Baltimore has shown me how things can get out of hand in a short period of time especially during the nightlife.