Living in Center City vs. the Burbs (Philadelphia, Norristown: apartment complex, leasing) - Pennsylvania (PA) - City-Data Forum

redsox2003 · 07-12-2015, 04:23 PM

Hi all,
I will be moving to Philadelphia-area shortly after I found a job in Conshohocken. I am brand new to the state and went to school in the Midwest so unfortunately I don't know anyone. I am trying to find an apartment but having some difficulty choosing between the suburbs or the city. I found a really nice place in Plymouth Meeting as well as nice place in Center City Philly.

In terms of commute, Plymouth Meeting is obviously much closer (about 10 minutes) to work. In Center City I would have to take a train, which is still pretty convenient and saves the hassle of traffic on I-76 if I drove. I do have a car and being raised in the suburbs I'm used to driving everywhere lol so leaving my car behind would kind of suck when living in the city but something I could deal with.

Other than a commute, I also do want to meet people my age (I'm 23). As I said, I know nobody in Philadelphia and I want to meet hopefully future friends. In Plymouth Meeting it would probably be pretty hard to meet friends. The apartment complex is brand new and according to the leasing people they said they're younger people who live there (25-40) but when I visited I saw nothing but older people and children which kind of turned me off. In Center City, there's a lot to do, but meeting people is still not guaranteed. Just because I go to a bar or something doesn't mean I'll meet people I become friends with so it's still somewhat a struggle *oh the joys of moving to a new place and not knowing anyone

*

So I'm kind of in a predicament, do I move to the suburbs and have the convenience of a car and a short commute but risk spending weekends all alone since it's the suburbs and there's not much to do/I don't know anyone. Or do I move to the city where there is atleast a higher chance of meeting people my age and hopefully developing friendships.

If you guys have any input that can help sway me in either direction that'd be great since I need to decide soon and I'm very confused right now!

Becca8377 · 07-12-2015, 04:27 PM

Center City, hands down. If you can afford it, do CC. It's I-76 and trust me, you do NOT want to drive it on a daily basis. Aside from CC, look for apartments in Conshy and Manayunk. No to Plymouth Meeting X1000.

redsox2003 · 07-12-2015, 04:42 PM

Thank you for the quick reply. I will definitely take a look at Conshy and Manayunk.

MikeNigh · 07-12-2015, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by redsox2003

In Center City, there's a lot to do, but meeting people is still not guaranteed.

There are many times over people in your age group so you'll easily find people who are like minded. I would say the car is a requirement of the suburbs. Walking / public transportation / cab / biking is the convenience of center city.

rainrock · 07-12-2015, 06:28 PM

Maybe look for something short term around Conshohocken-Wayne -King of Prussia-Valley Forge until you get to know the area. You will meet new friends at work and Im sure they will offer great advice .

Center City/University City is terrific for young people but you dont have to dive in head first. You have the Philadlephia wage tax to consider/commute + parking will be a drag. You can always visit the city after work and on weekends. Get a feel if that is where you want to be in the longer term. Schuylkill River Trail in Center City is a wonderful recreational area for biking,jogging etc etc..

jennifercheswold · 07-12-2015, 06:31 PM

Since you're working in Conshy, look for a place there. Down on the waterfront, there are really nice apartment complexes as well as some a block from Fayette Street (basically Main St.). Also, there are nice single family houses you can buy. And the advantage to living in Conshy is you are basically in the middle of everything. Without traffic, a 20 min to Philly, 15 to King of Prussia (location of largest mall in america), The Main Line (Philly's affluent suburbs), Manayunk, and Plymouth Meeting. The thing about living in the city is that you'll want your social group to be specifically in the city, especially if you don't have a car. The good thing about living in Conshy is there is a pretty good social scene, so you don't always have to go into the city to meet with friends. Also, Conshy is very accessible from all over so your co-workers commute can be from Philly to Norristown, etc. So it's best to keep your car so you aren't limited to only people who live in the city. Hope this helps!

btw, the trail in Conshy is a great place to meet people!

redsox2003 · 07-12-2015, 07:13 PM

Thank you all for the helpful responses. As for Manayunk, I've been doing some searches online and see some nice places there. Also I see that it's a great spot for a young professional out of college and there's a lot of bars to go to. It seems intriguing but honestly how rowdy does it get? I went to a big party school but honestly I don't like when people blast music or have crazy bass anymore in my apartment complex. Is this a big problem in this area? I looked at some other threads on here, and it seems Main St is where it's happening? Should I stay away from there? Manayunk seems like a good in between in terms of being close to Conshy but still being close to Center City as well as having people close to my age group to meet.

Also, Conshy does seem like a nice place to live as well. I went there briefly when I interviewed and I remember seeing some nice bars like Boathouse and Great American Pub on Fayette St. How is it during the night? Do people actually go out or is it dead (I mean like from Thursday-Saturdays). Also, are there a lot of younger people that live there/go out there?

Becca8377 · 07-13-2015, 03:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by redsox2003

Thank you all for the helpful responses. As for Manayunk, I've been doing some searches online and see some nice places there. Also I see that it's a great spot for a young professional out of college and there's a lot of bars to go to. It seems intriguing but honestly how rowdy does it get? I went to a big party school but honestly I don't like when people blast music or have crazy bass anymore in my apartment complex. Is this a big problem in this area? I looked at some other threads on here, and it seems Main St is where it's happening? Should I stay away from there? Manayunk seems like a good in between in terms of being close to Conshy but still being close to Center City as well as having people close to my age group to meet.

Also, Conshy does seem like a nice place to live as well. I went there briefly when I interviewed and I remember seeing some nice bars like Boathouse and Great American Pub on Fayette St. How is it during the night? Do people actually go out or is it dead (I mean like from Thursday-Saturdays). Also, are there a lot of younger people that live there/go out there?

Yes, Main St is where all the bars, restaurants, shops, etc are in Manayunk. If you live on Main St then you will likely hear the noise. As long as you're not right on Main St, you'll be fine. I'm 2 blocks behind Main St and 1 block from the train station and rarely have any noise issues. Neighbors may throw parties every once in awhile, but it's never a problem at all. I'm 30 and am past the partying stage, and still love living in Manayunk - I've been here for a year and a half now with no intentions of leaving anytime soon.

Conshy is kind of like a more grown up Manayunk, if that makes any sense. There's still bars, restaurants, etc but on a lesser scale than Manayunk. Conshy is technically the burbs, so if you end up there you won't pay the city wage tax (whereas in Manayunk you would).

FamousBlueRaincoat · 07-13-2015, 05:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by redsox2003

I went to a big party school but honestly I don't like when people blast music or have crazy bass anymore in my apartment complex. Is this a big problem in this area?

What people do in your building is going to come down to the people in your building more than the neighborhood anyway. I've had people try to make pretty extreme noise at a bunch of places I've lived - it comes down to it being a bad apple more than the neighborhood it's in. Best way to solve this problem is by living in a smaller building where people know each other and multiple people will let the offender know they're doing something wrong, and the landlord will be more responsive too.

One of the big things separating the east coast from the midwest are the suburbs though - like others have pointed to, if you want to live in a place with things to do, you have more options than just center city. Conshohocken and some of the mainline towns will give you some nice walkable towns with a variety of activities. And you could take the train in easy on the weekends to go to Center City. NW Philly neighborhoods could be a good compromise too, Manayunk, or Roxborough. Chestnut Hill wouldn't be too far either - there's even a bus (that runs pretty sparingly) from Chestnut Hill to Conshohocken (nothing I'd want to depend on, suburban bus transit is typically pretty poor, but perhaps something that's at least good to have as an option).

It's not strictly a downtown versus suburban sprawl question. Take a look at the SEPTA regional rail map, and that will cover a lot of the walkable towns in the area.

redsox2003 · 07-13-2015, 06:53 AM

You're right about the noise issue, that is really dependent on who lives in the apartment complex more so than the neighborhood. These are all great suggestions though, I've seen some apartments that I like in Conshy and Manayunk (a bit farther from Main St) so I'll try to come out and take a look at them.

And thanks for bringing up the wage tax in Philadelphia, I didn't know about that actually. We'll see how it goes and I'll decide from there. But I think it would be wiser for me to rent a place not in Center City for now, have a car, meet people, go out to Philly and get to know the city better, and then hopefully next year move to Center City.