Where in the Philly suburbs should we live? (Ardmore, Bryn Mawr: live in, shopping centers)

[chicagoliz]

Originally Posted by vegabond83

(I have a real soft spot for St. Louis, being a WU grad.)

This being said, is there a neighborhood that has a "Clayton" feel to it? Don't know when you moved to the EC, but we adore the Clayton area here.[/quote]

I love Clayton, too. One of my favorite places was The Fatted Calf. I've been away from St. Louis for quite some time (and actually just left Philly - I'm now in Boston). I'd say Wayne has kind of a Clayton-ish feel to it. I haven't spent enough time in Swarthmore to give a lot of info on it -- I've liked it when I've been there, and it has the college for that vibe, and has a cute downtown, with good access to big box stores and malls close by for when you do need them. So it has a little bit of that feel, too. Wayne/Radnor/Devon may be a tad further from Penn, but they're right on the train line. Yes, 76 is the absolute worst. Horrible, horrible horrible -- it is an abomination and inexcusable that a two lane highway is the main, major route into the city for a huge chunk of the Philadelphia suburbs. BUT, having the train there is a huge saving grace. Those towns on the R5 route have very good train service, and the commute from there to KOP from Wayne or Radnor would be about as good as it can get.

So, FWIW: If I were to move to St. Louis, I'd want to live in Clayton, and that's where I'd investigate first. If I were in your situation and moving to work in KOP/Penn, I'd most likely pick Wayne or Radnor. Yes, others will have their favorites. I'm not a hometown Philly girl, I haven't actually lived myself in either of those two towns, but I know people who have and I've spent quite a bit of time in them. So I don't have an emotional attachment to any particular place in the Philly area. I'd look at Wayne, Radnor, Narberth and Ardmore. I'd look at Wynnewood, Bryn Mawr, Haverford, too.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by vegabond83

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll be at KOP site, and just looking at the map Wynnewood, Bryn mawr, Wayne, etc seems to be smack in the middle. How are these neighborhoods different from each other? Are there places that are particularly more kid friendly (e.g., good daycares close by), close to the groceries, etc?

There's a WFs in Wynnewood but it's small. The largest WF in the area, afaik, is being constructed right now at 22nd/21st Sts. and Spring Garden/Pennsylvania Ave in the city. It will be somewhat walkable from/to Penn's campus.

I grew up near Wynnefield and Bryn Mawr. The school districts are Lower Merion and Haverford. Lower Merion is the better school district of the two.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by kyb01

There's a WFs in Wynnewood but it's small. The largest WF in the area, afaik, is being constructed right now at 22nd/21st Sts. and Spring Garden/Pennsylvania Ave in the city. It will be somewhat walkable from/to Penn's campus.

I grew up near Wynnefield and Bryn Mawr. The school districts are Lower Merion and Haverford. Lower Merion is the better school district of the two.

I meant "Wynnewood". Wynnefield is a western city neighborhood and borders parts of Wynnewood.

[eastwestcoast]

Originally Posted by kyb01

There's a WFs in Wynnewood but it's small. The largest WF in the area, afaik, is being constructed right now at 22nd/21st Sts. and Spring Garden/Pennsylvania Ave in the city. It will be somewhat walkable from/to Penn's campus.

Just to clarify, there is a new, much larger Whole Foods being built in Wynnewood. Should be much better than the current cramped location.

Overall Wynnewood is a good central location between Philadelphia and KoP. However it has no downtown, you need to be one town over in Narberth or Ardmore for that.

Wayne is very nice and quite convenient to KoP, but further from Philly. However if you time your trip right, express trains into the city can get you there surprisingly fast.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by eastwestcoast

Just to clarify, there is a new, much larger Whole Foods being built in Wynnewood. Should be much better than the current cramped location.

Overall Wynnewood is a good central location between Philadelphia and KoP. However it has no downtown, you need to be one town ovet in Narberth or Ardmore for that.

Wayne is very nice and quite convenient to KoP, but further from Philly. However if you time your trip right, express trains into the city can get you there surprisingly fast.

Yep, you are right about the WF expansion. I forgot about that.

[chicagoliz]

There is also a large Whole Foods in Wayne/Devon. Trader Joes is not far, either, over in Valley Forge, but only about 5 minutes away.

[vegabond83]

These are all excellent suggestions. I think Wayne/Devon area might work better for us (all the more if it is something like Clayton!) when it's time to buy. The wife will be on tenure track, and I told her that we'd live closer to her for first year to reduce the stress) so Wayne/Devon might be a tad far for now.

Wynnewood sounds very appealing, knowing WF is there. A follow up Q: How are Wynnewood, Narberth, Admore different from one another, other than the presence of a downtown area? What are the demographics like in these places?

[1ondoner]

I ran in the St Louis marathon and I stayed at or around Clayton during the marathon weekend. I've also attended a wedding in St Louis but I stayed in the suburbs. St Louis and Philly are very different in the way they are set up. I didn't think there was much happening in downtown St Louis as opposed to Philly. Also, it very easy to get around in St Louis, as with any big Mid West city I've been to.

So in terms of proximity I would say the area around Narbeth fits the bill but I also got the feeling that Clayton was almost like it's own city, with a small downtown mainly consisting of offices and government buildings, with close proximity to big box retailers shopping malls.

In terms of feel, the Narbeth area is congested. In the mid West, it's much easier to get around especially during the weekdays. However, I think the drivers here are much better compared to the mid West despite the congested roads where drivers seem to think they own the roads and everyone else should get out of their way.

Cost will be a big issue. Having moved from mid-America, expect a sticker shock if you expect to have the same quality of life. The COLA may be something like 25% comparing St Louis to Philly.

Originally Posted by vegabond83

These are all excellent suggestions. I think Wayne/Devon area might work better for us (all the more if it is something like Clayton!) when it's time to buy. The wife will be on tenure track, and I told her that we'd live closer to her for first year to reduce the stress) so Wayne/Devon might be a tad far for now.

Wynnewood sounds very appealing, knowing WF is there. A follow up Q: How are Wynnewood, Narberth, Admore different from one another, other than the presence of a downtown area? What are the demographics like in these places?

[Flyers Girl]

Originally Posted by vegabond83

These are all excellent suggestions. I think Wayne/Devon area might work better for us (all the more if it is something like Clayton!) when it's time to buy. The wife will be on tenure track, and I told her that we'd live closer to her for first year to reduce the stress) so Wayne/Devon might be a tad far for now.

Wynnewood sounds very appealing, knowing WF is there. A follow up Q: How are Wynnewood, Narberth, Admore different from one another, other than the presence of a downtown area? What are the demographics like in these places?

For demographics, the following City-Data link should help you out. For some reason, Wynnewood isn't on there. But Ardmore and Narberth are. //www.city-data.com/city/Pennsylvania.html


IMO, I'd say you can't go wrong with any of these three. They are all on the train line (the main line, hence the name of certain of the western suburbs) for your wife. And none of them are particularly difficult to get to KOP, especially using back roads. I would echo other sentiments in this thread to avoid 76 at all costs during rush hour. Montgomery Avenue runs through (or very near in the case of Wynnewood) all three towns, and that road is a straight shoot up to the KOP area.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by vegabond83

These are all excellent suggestions. I think Wayne/Devon area might work better for us (all the more if it is something like Clayton!) when it's time to buy. The wife will be on tenure track, and I told her that we'd live closer to her for first year to reduce the stress) so Wayne/Devon might be a tad far for now.

Wynnewood sounds very appealing, knowing WF is there. A follow up Q: How are Wynnewood, Narberth, Admore different from one another, other than the presence of a downtown area? What are the demographics like in these places?

As someone said there is no "town center" in Wynnewood. There are three outdoor/strip shopping centers. Two have super markets( including the WF). It's close to the city border geographically. It also has the Main Line Health's Lankanau Medical Center. Other than that it's strictly residential. It's train station is directly across a major street from one of the shopping centers.

Narberth does have a kind of town center and is "next door" to Wynnewood. Other than that it's very residential and close to the city border.

Ardmore has a definite "downtown" along with the Suburban Sq shopping district. It's just west of Wynnewood.


The next town westward is Bryn Mawr which also has a "downtown" and Bryn Mawr Hospital which is part of Main Line Health.

All four are on the same train line into Phila.

I can't speak accurately about the demographics because I no longer live in/near those adjacent communities.