Young Professional Male looking to Relocate (Philadelphia, Penn: apartment, renting, condo)

[HLA0392]

Hello all. I'll try to answer these questions as best as I can. I am a 24 year old young professional looking to relocate to the city. I am currently commuting bout 50 minutes each way to work as I am working just outside of Philly, but still in Jersey. Looking to relocate to enjoy the city life for a little while, not to mention I do have a couple friends that live in University City and also North Philly. So far I have been looking at more of a Center City area preference to where I want to live. I would like to be near a lot of bars, but away from the overly drunk college type kids as I am a little bit past that in life haha. Obviously would like the area to be safe, and have some locally owned businesses preferably.

When are you moving? Philadelphia
Where are you coming from? Southern Jersey (wildwood area)
Why are you moving? Job Relocation and a different way of life
Where will you be working? on the western border of NJ, about 10 minutes outside of Philly
Have you been here yet? Several times, but only once with the idea of moving in mind

Will you buy or rent? Rent
If buying, are you looking for a house or a condo? How much can you spend?
If renting, are you looking for an apartment, a townhouse or loft? How much can you spend? Absolute Maximum budget roughly 1650/month
Do you prefer hi-rise or walk up? No Preference

Do you have a preference of living in a NJ or PA suburb? Will not move there

Are you married or single? Do you have children? Single, no
Do you prefer public or private schools?
Do you have pets? NO
Do you want or need a yard? Might be nice, not needed
Are you keeping a car? YES, necessary
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? Activity, nightlife

What do you want to be closest to?
Basic services (supermarket, drugstore, etc.)
Nightlife


Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood? I would prefer to live in an area with similar aged people. I am 24, single, male and straight

[Better Than You]

Have you considered Fishtown? Lots of bars, restaurants, locally owned businesses, young professionals, it's close to Center City, has a supermarket and is generally safe.

[HLA0392]

To be honest, I will consider almost anything. I am working on getting a general list together of potential places, looking to move probably within the next 4-6 months.

So far I feel I am looking at Rittenhouse (most likely out of my price range for what I am looking for), Graduate Hospital, Fittler Square, the general southwest center city area, and olde city.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by HLA0392

Hello all. I'll try to answer these questions as best as I can. I am a 24 year old young professional looking to relocate to the city. I am currently commuting bout 50 minutes each way to work as I am working just outside of Philly, but still in Jersey. Looking to relocate to enjoy the city life for a little while, not to mention I do have a couple friends that live in University City and also North Philly. So far I have been looking at more of a Center City area preference to where I want to live. I would like to be near a lot of bars, but away from the overly drunk college type kids as I am a little bit past that in life haha. Obviously would like the area to be safe, and have some locally owned businesses preferably.

When are you moving? Philadelphia
Where are you coming from? Southern Jersey (wildwood area)
Why are you moving? Job Relocation and a different way of life
Where will you be working? on the western border of NJ, about 10 minutes outside of Philly
Have you been here yet? Several times, but only once with the idea of moving in mind

Will you buy or rent? Rent
If buying, are you looking for a house or a condo? How much can you spend?
If renting, are you looking for an apartment, a townhouse or loft? How much can you spend? Absolute Maximum budget roughly 1650/month
Do you prefer hi-rise or walk up? No Preference

Do you have a preference of living in a NJ or PA suburb? Will not move there

Are you married or single? Do you have children? Single, no
Do you prefer public or private schools?
Do you have pets? NO
Do you want or need a yard? Might be nice, not needed
Are you keeping a car? YES, necessary
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? Activity, nightlife

What do you want to be closest to?
Basic services (supermarket, drugstore, etc.)
Nightlife


Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood? I would prefer to live in an area with similar aged people. I am 24, single, male and straight

You do understand that you'll be paying the wage tax if you live in Philly, don't you?

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by southbound_295

You do understand that you'll be paying the wage tax if you live in Philly, don't you?

That's important for the OP to know, but the cost premium sounds well worth it given his wants and needs.

Center City to inner South Jersey is a very easy reverse commute.

[Pennsport]

Hey OP,
Good plan. I did the reverse commute out the city for years so I could experience urban living, and it was the best decision I ever made. I've been here ever since (15 years now). The city naysayers will flood you with the negatives: city wage tax, expensive/inconvenient parking, pricey rent, traffic, crime, etc... However, in my opinion at least, these are nothing more than minor annoyances and well worth dealing with to live in one of the top cities in the country (again, in my opinion). After reading your responses and jumping to a conclusion about the kind of guy and what you're looking for, I would suggest the following areas:
- Northern Liberties
- Old City
- Graduate Hospital
- Sections of U. City (you'd want to be slightly removed from the student haunts)
- Fishtown
- Northern Queen Village (closer to South Street)
- Parts of Fairmount

Good luck and let us know how it works out!

[HLA0392]

Thank you for the replies. Yes, I do understand that I would be paying the wage tax and all, but quite frankly I am looking to experience an Urban lifestyle for a few years of my life, and the location of my job will allow me to easily move back to a suburban area should I see fit.

So the areas recommended in this post provide for a fairly easy reverse commute to the inner Camden area?

And also... I am young and still looking to have a good local bar scene and such in my local area, and would prefer for it to be walkable. It seems like Old City is one of the better locations for these types of activities, am I wrong?

Any areas to specifically avoid that may be a little dicey inside old city?

One more question... Does anybody have any recommendations as to apartment buildings or brownstone locations that would be around my $1600 budget monthly? My budget can increase SLIGHTLY if the location and place were perfect.

thanks!

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by Pennsport

Hey OP,
Good plan. I did the reverse commute out the city for years so I could experience urban living, and it was the best decision I ever made. I've been here ever since (15 years now). The city naysayers will flood you with the negatives: city wage tax, expensive/inconvenient parking, pricey rent, traffic, crime, etc... However, in my opinion at least, these are nothing more than minor annoyances and well worth dealing with to live in one of the top cities in the country (again, in my opinion). After reading your responses and jumping to a conclusion about the kind of guy and what you're looking for, I would suggest the following areas:
- Northern Liberties
- Old City
- Graduate Hospital
- Sections of U. City (you'd want to be slightly removed from the student haunts)
- Fishtown
- Northern Queen Village (closer to South Street)
- Parts of Fairmount

Good luck and let us know how it works out!

Depending on where you're working, I'd want to be close to 676, 76, or 95. In a super-ideal world, your workplace will be convenient to a Patco station.

10 minutes outside of Philly could be any number of places, though I'm guessing based on distance/job concentrations you'll be in/around Cherry Hill.

[HLA0392]

yes right near Cherry Hill

[Pennsport]

Originally Posted by HLA0392

yes right near Cherry Hill

Ah, for some reason I glossed over this aspect of your post. If you're heading into Jersey everyday, I would strongly advise living east of Broad Street. It's not a big deal to live west of Broad, but it will tack a solid 10-20 minutes minimum onto your commute during rush hour. I've done that commute and find going from the bridge to like 20th Street is extremely annoying - not a huge deal, just annoying as hell on a daily basis. As such, I'm revising my neighborhood recos to the below.

Top Suggestions based on what I think you'd like and the location
- Old City
- Northern Liberties

Second tier suggestions:
- Fishtown
- Queen Village
- Passyunk Square

Third tier:
- Bella Vista
- Grad Hosp (even though this is west of Broad, it's not heart of city so much easier to get east)