Considering moving to Philadelphia - Seeking Advice/Opinions

[MB1562]

Originally Posted by Jaimes8a

I'm looking to freelance both in the city and the surrounding area, at least in the beginning while I get acquainted with how work is distributed in the region and find my niche.

Thank you for bringing this up, it helps a lot - taxes are something that I know I'm supposed to consider but have been procrastinating in doing so (out of sight out of mind). So it seems then that combined it would be roughly a 7.5-8% tax in addition to my federal taxes. That sounds a bit disheartening, but well, I have to deal with the reality of the numbers.

Is the Philadelphia Resident Tax anywhere within the city limits, or is it just the core of the city?
Which surrounding areas (where I wouldn't pay the Resident Tax) could meet the criteria for having a car-free or car-diminished life (except for work since my job would require me to travel to different places)?
Living in a walkable area is part of the allure that makes me want to move to Philly, so I definitely don't want to end-up in a car-dependent suburb since I have plenty of that here.

For those of you who pay it, is the Resident Tax worth it? Are you getting what you pay for?
For those who live in the surrounding areas, is the Resident Tax one of your main reasons for not living within the city?
Thanks.

You pay the city wage tax whether you live in Center City or the far flung Northeast. Anyone within city limits pays it.

As for a car free lifestyle, you'd be hard pressed to find any suburb that would be convenient to that kind of lifestyle. If you want to be car free, Center City, West Philly, South Philly, and the nicer parts of North Philly are where you should be looking. Most neighborhoods in those parts of the city make it easy to be car free.

I pay the wage tax (as a Philadelphia resident), and it sucks. I previously lived in a income-tax free state so I was used to having very little taken out. Now I get federal, state, and city taxes taken out, and it really can dig into your bottom line. I will always ***** about the City Wage Tax, but when I realize how much I love living in the city and all it provides, I look at it as a necessary evil. I'd rather pay the extra 3.9% out of my paycheck every two weeks and get the excitement of living in the city than keeping that extra bit and get stuck in the hellhole that is suburban America. Just my opinion though.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by MB1562

You pay the city wage tax whether you live in Center City or the far flung Northeast. Anyone within city limits pays it.

As for a car free lifestyle, you'd be hard pressed to find any suburb that would be convenient to that kind of lifestyle. If you want to be car free, Center City, West Philly, South Philly, and the nicer parts of North Philly are where you should be looking. Most neighborhoods in those parts of the city make it easy to be car free.

I pay the wage tax (as a Philadelphia resident), and it sucks. I previously lived in a income-tax free state so I was used to having very little taken out. Now I get federal, state, and city taxes taken out, and it really can dig into your bottom line. I will always ***** about the City Wage Tax, but when I realize how much I love living in the city and all it provides, I look at it as a necessary evil. I'd rather pay the extra 3.9% out of my paycheck every two weeks and get the excitement of living in the city than keeping that extra bit and get stuck in the hellhole that is suburban America. Just my opinion though.

I lived in Cherry Hill, near the Haddonfield border. When I was in college I also lived in Center City. I never minded paying the wage tax, which in NJ is credited towards the state tax. I was within walking distance of PATCO. TNJ coverage isn't very good, but, if my car was out of commission, I could get around. However, to make a living as a freelancer, I don't see anyone being car free whether they are in the city or the suburbs unless the OP can find enough freelance work within the city to get by.

[Jaimes8a]

Originally Posted by southbound_295

However, to make a living as a freelancer, I don't see anyone being car free whether they are in the city or the suburbs unless the OP can find enough freelance work within the city to get by.

Yes, I will more than likely need my car for my job if I want to get enough freelance assignments to make a living (at least in the beginning while I get familiar with where the assignments are). However, I hope that I use the car solely for work, and that everything else can be done car-free. This is why I find the wage tax a bit disheartening - I had already made peace with paying maybe $200/month for a monthly parking spot, but to know that I have to pay a 3.9% wage tax is a little discouraging. However, I may just suck it up as a necessary evil since I tend to have the same opinion as MB1562 who wrote "I'd rather pay the extra 3.9% out of my paycheck every two weeks and get the excitement of living in the city than keeping that extra bit and get stuck in the hellhole that is suburban America. Just my opinion though."

Thanks for the replies - keep them coming.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by Jaimes8a

Yes, I will more than likely need my car for my job if I want to get enough freelance assignments to make a living (at least in the beginning while I get familiar with where the assignments are). However, I hope that I use the car solely for work, and that everything else can be done car-free. This is why I find the wage tax a bit disheartening - I had already made peace with paying maybe $200/month for a monthly parking spot, but to know that I have to pay a 3.9% wage tax is a little discouraging. However, I may just suck it up as a necessary evil since I tend to have the same opinion as MB1562 who wrote "I'd rather pay the extra 3.9% out of my paycheck every two weeks and get the excitement of living in the city than keeping that extra bit and get stuck in the hellhole that is suburban America. Just my opinion though."

Thanks for the replies - keep them coming.

What industry are you planning to freelance in? That could make a difference.

[Jaimes8a]

Originally Posted by southbound_295

What industry are you planning to freelance in? That could make a difference.

Mainly two settings: legal/judicial places and medical places - so mainly courthouses, medical centers, hospitals, jails, and law offices, but also in a variety of other places when getting statements from people.
Although this occurs everywhere, the majority of the work tends to concentrate in central areas.

[MikeNigh]

Originally Posted by Jaimes8a

Yes, I will more than likely need my car for my job if I want to get enough freelance assignments to make a living (at least in the beginning while I get familiar with where the assignments are). However, I hope that I use the car solely for work, and that everything else can be done car-free. This is why I find the wage tax a bit disheartening - I had already made peace with paying maybe $200/month for a monthly parking spot, but to know that I have to pay a 3.9% wage tax is a little discouraging. However, I may just suck it up as a necessary evil since I tend to have the same opinion as MB1562 who wrote "I'd rather pay the extra 3.9% out of my paycheck every two weeks and get the excitement of living in the city than keeping that extra bit and get stuck in the hellhole that is suburban America. Just my opinion though."

Thanks for the replies - keep them coming.

If you want to live urban in america that's roughly about how much you'll have to pay in income tax. It's not just a philly thing. If I'm not mistaken when people do the math the reduction in rent / real estate taxes actually covers the increase in income tax. In other words if they eliminated the income tax and had suburban real estate taxes instead you'd be paying more to live in the same place. A lot of the burbs here have their own income taxes too actually.

[MarketStEl]

I'm an urbanophile of the first water who lives in one of the city's more interesting outlying neighborhoods: Germantown, in its northwest third.

But I happen to think that some of the railroad suburbs that ring this city are also nice places to live. Some are nearly as walkable as the best in-city neighborhoods. Haddonfield and Collingswood in New Jersey both score high in this regard; Haddonfield even has a supermarket at the edge of the town center, giving it an edge in the car-free derby. But if you want access to after-work vitality, there's no substitute for Center City, though the East Passyunk Avenue area comes extremely close.

Most of the railroad suburbs in Pennsylvania lack one key element or other that keeps them from being real alternatives. But there are a few I think might be worth a look, including Media, the Delaware County seat, and Lansdowne, closer in on the same Regional Rail line.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

I'm an urbanophile of the first water who lives in one of the city's more interesting outlying neighborhoods: Germantown, in its northwest third.

But I happen to think that some of the railroad suburbs that ring this city are also nice places to live. Some are nearly as walkable as the best in-city neighborhoods. Haddonfield and Collingswood in New Jersey both score high in this regard; Haddonfield even has a supermarket at the edge of the town center, giving it an edge in the car-free derby. But if you want access to after-work vitality, there's no substitute for Center City, though the East Passyunk Avenue area comes extremely close.

Most of the railroad suburbs in Pennsylvania lack one key element or other that keeps them from being real alternatives. But there are a few I think might be worth a look, including Media, the Delaware County seat, and Lansdowne, closer in on the same Regional Rail line.

Haddonfield & Collingswood are both dry, but have BYOB restaurants.

The PATCO line runs 24/7, so in & out is no problem. I probably would have moved into Philadelphia long ago if it were not for the PATCO line & the tax credit for the wage tax. That combination kept me in South Jersey.