Moving to Philly, need neighborhood suggestions please! (Philadelphia, Lancaster: apartment, to rent)

[coffeeandtv]

Husband got a job in Center City and we are moving to Philly next month. Never been to Philly, and we are relocating from the midwest. We are in our early 30s, Asian couple, he's a professional and I'm a graduate student. I've been doing my homework to figure out a nice neighborhood to move into, but it's a bit overwhelming. We would eventually like to own a house, but since we are so new to the area, we will go ahead and rent an apartment/condo for the first couple of months to get to know the city better. Safety and security would be the number one issue for us.

I've heard Bryn Mawr, Wynnewood could be nice.. What about Fairmount? Or even Cherry Hill, NJ? If my husband can commute to Center City in less than 30 mins, either by public transportation or car, that would be great. Should we stick to mainline areas then? Or, since we do plan on buying a house in the future, and most likely in the suburb, should we try to rent an apartment in the burb first to see if we like it? My gut feeling is that we should stay closer to his work/city for the first couple of months before venturing out...

All advice appreciated. Thanks in advance.



When are you moving? Mid May
Where are you coming from? Wisconsin
Why are you moving? Work
Where will you be working? Center city
Have you been here yet? No

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? Apartment (max $1,500)
Do you prefer hi-rise or walk up? Doesn't matter.

Do you have a preference of living in a NJ or PA suburb? Not sure.

Are you married or single? Do you have children? Married with no kid.
Do you prefer public or private schools? Unsure.
Do you have pets? No pet.
Do you want or need a yard? Not necessarily.
Are you keeping a car? One car.
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? Calm and quiet, but still close to necessary amenities.

What do you want to be closest to? work, basic services, public transportation. (asking for too much?)
Work
Shopping
Basic services (supermarket, drugstore, etc.)
Nightlife
Train or subway stations

Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood? Doesn't matter.

Coke or Pepsi? Coke all the way!


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[lmags0923]

Hi there coffeeandtv I just posted this to another member (I know you don't have kids but school districts sometimes can tell you about the area)

I currently reside about 30 minutes from Center City.

I work in Radnor, PA (near some colleges/University i.e. Villanova, Eastern, Cabrini and Valley Forge Military Academy in very close proximity). Radnor Township schools are listed as #8 in the state and #525 nationally according to US News. Wayne, PA is a quaint area to live with restaurants, coffee shops, old fashioned walk up movie theater, shopping all in walking distance. Wayne is considered to be a part of the "Main Line". To get into Center City you can take Septa (Regional Rail) for both work and nightlife, parking is $1.00/day or parking pass for $20/month. Wayne has plenty of restaurants/bars but no club scenes.

Plenty to do via car ride - Valley Forge (20 min), Brandywine Battlefield (30 min), Lancaster (home of the Amish, outlet stores, Dutch Wonderland) (90 min), King of Prussia Mall the largest mall on the east coast (15 min) and plenty more and of course Philadelphia.

Check out the area and if I can help or answer any of your questions let me know.

Good Luck!

[coffeeandtv]

Thank you so much for your reply. I am looking into those Main Line neighborhoods right now. Would you still recommend renting in those areas versus city? (I'm thinking Fairmount, South Philly...)

Also, it seems Bryn Mawr has its good parts and bad(?) parts, how safe is the areas immediately near the station?

Thanks in advance!

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by coffeeandtv

Thank you so much for your reply. I am looking into those Main Line neighborhoods right now. Would you still recommend renting in those areas versus city? (I'm thinking Fairmount, South Philly...)

Also, it seems Bryn Mawr has its good parts and bad(?) parts, how safe is the areas immediately near the station?

Thanks in advance!

ALL of Bryn Mawr is safe. Bad parts? What do you mean? There are older row houses in Bryn Mawr. So if you are thinking that bad people live in those houses you should think again.

[PhillyPhan95]

Originally Posted by coffeeandtv

Thank you so much for your reply. I am looking into those Main Line neighborhoods right now. Would you still recommend renting in those areas versus city? (I'm thinking Fairmount, South Philly...)

Also, it seems Bryn Mawr has its good parts and bad(?) parts, how safe is the areas immediately near the station?

Thanks in advance!

If you want calm and quiet, it's gonna be hard to find that in most of Philly, however there are some neighborhoods in the northwest, like Roxborough, Mount Airy, and Chestnut Hill that might work.

[thwanko]

Originally Posted by coffeeandtv

Thank you so much for your reply. I am looking into those Main Line neighborhoods right now. Would you still recommend renting in those areas versus city? (I'm thinking Fairmount, South Philly...)

Also, it seems Bryn Mawr has its good parts and bad(?) parts, how safe is the areas immediately near the station?

Thanks in advance!

There are no parts of Bryn Mawr that any reasonable person would consider bad. Fairmount and south philly are very different from the main line, both are very dense rowhouse areas. South philly is also really big and can't really be thought of as a single neighborhood.

[AmySnickers]

Hi there!

I lived in Bucks County which is a suburb of Philly for a few years and some areas of Lower Bucks County and Montgomery County are commutable to Philly via SEPTA (South Eastern Phila. Transportation Authority) - the mass transit of the Philly area. A few areas that come to mind to look into may be Jenkintown, Ambler, Northeast Phila., if you want more suburban areas.

In Philly itself, I think that there are quite a few options. Society Hill and Rittenhouse Square tend to be some of the nicer areas in Philly but you'll pay much more $$$ for it, although they are ideally located and very safe. Other less pricey areas are Graduate Hospital, South Philly, and maybe consider looking into Bella Vista or Queen Village.

I recently moved to Center City a year ago June from Bucks County and I love it but I found out a lot of information by getting some local maps, googling local areas and contacting realtors.

Take care and good luck! I'll try to answer any questions I can.

Amy

[Clark Park]

If you're thinking within the city limits of Philadelphia may I suggest the following neighborhoods:

Chestnut Hill
West Mount Airy
Manayunk
Center City: Society Hill, Rittenhouse Square, Washington Square West, Fitler Square
University City

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by Clark Park

If you're thinking within the city limits of Philadelphia may I suggest the following neighborhoods:

Chestnut Hill
West Mount Airy
Manayunk
Center City: Society Hill, Rittenhouse Square, Washington Square West, Fitler Square
University City

Can we FINALLY break away these "usual suspect" neighborhoods regarding advice for folks working in CC?!

What's wrong with Fairmount? What's wrong with Spring Garden? What's wrong with Francisville(the southern part anyway)? What's wrong with Graduate Hospital? They are all close to CC too.

Once our version of the High Line is even partially completed, I think the Callowhill/Eraser Head neighborhood could really grow.

[G Goo]

Originally Posted by Clark Park

If you're thinking within the city limits of Philadelphia may I suggest the following neighborhoods:

Chestnut Hill
West Mount Airy
Manayunk
Center City: Society Hill, Rittenhouse Square, Washington Square West, Fitler Square
University City

East Mt Airy is equally as nice as West Mt Airy (especially around the Mt Airy and Sedgwick Train Stations)and more bang for the buck. I often feel the need to rep my neighborhood whenever only W Mt Airy is suggested.