Comparing greater Philly area to SW NE (Philadelphia, Chester: taxes, live in)

[pm72]

Hey all,

Like many, moving has been on my mind lately. I'm in the initial pre-contemplative stages but thought I would do some opinion searching on CDF. I'm wondering if there is a similar set up in the greater Philly area to where I am in SW CT/New England. By set up, I don't mean rude people/drivers, excessive traffic, etc. I mean layout/services, things like that.

Town population ~ 25k, rolling hills, lost of trees, ample local services, nearest bigger city is ~ 20mins way (pop. of ~75k) that has a lot of shopping, dining, amenities, services, etc. NYC is about 1.5hrs away by train. Current job is about 20mins away, and I get to almost everything within a 20-25min drive (doctors, post office, grocery, dept stores, gas station, banks, etc). Basically, suburbs of NYC with a hint of rurality but definitely not rural.

Maybe there some people that have been to SW CT and know the area and can attest to what I'm describing.

I like the set up of where I live and I understand that not every place is like this. But I'm growing more and more tired each day of the excessive expenses, taxes, attitude, rush, many times brutally cold winter of this area and am looking to see if maybe the greater Philly area has something like this.

Hopefully I've made some sense to what I'm looking for in feedback/input. Feel free to ask any questions- I just ask that you keep it clean, real, and not be rude. Thanks in advance.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by pm72

Hey all,

Like many, moving has been on my mind lately. I'm in the initial pre-contemplative stages but thought I would do some opinion searching on CDF. I'm wondering if there is a similar set up in the greater Philly area to where I am in SW CT/New England. By set up, I don't mean rude people/drivers, excessive traffic, etc. I mean layout/services, things like that.

Town population ~ 25k, rolling hills, lost of trees, ample local services, nearest bigger city is ~ 20mins way (pop. of ~75k) that has a lot of shopping, dining, amenities, services, etc. NYC is about 1.5hrs away by train. Current job is about 20mins away, and I get to almost everything within a 20-25min drive (doctors, post office, grocery, dept stores, gas station, banks, etc). Basically, suburbs of NYC with a hint of rurality but definitely not rural.

Maybe there some people that have been to SW CT and know the area and can attest to what I'm describing.

I like the set up of where I live and I understand that not every place is like this. But I'm growing more and more tired each day of the excessive expenses, taxes, attitude, rush, many times brutally cold winter of this area and am looking to see if maybe the greater Philly area has something like this.

Hopefully I've made some sense to what I'm looking for in feedback/input. Feel free to ask any questions- I just ask that you keep it clean, real, and not be rude. Thanks in advance.

Hmmm. Dunno, maybe Chester Co.(PA) or parts of Bucks Co.

I really like Doylestown or maybe New Hope but both are too far away from Center City Phila. for me to make leisurely trips into town if I lived in those places.

I have to say that if you are expecting that moving to the Phila metro is going to be way less expensive than where you are you're probably going to find out otherwise.

[pm72]

Originally Posted by kyb01

Hmmm. Dunno, maybe Chester Co.(PA) or parts of Bucks Co.

I really like Doylestown or maybe New Hope but both are too far away from Center City Phila. for me to make leisurely trips into town if I lived in those places.

I have to say that if you are expecting that moving to the Phila metro is going to be way less expensive than where you are you're probably going to find out otherwise.

Thanks for your input. I'm not expecting the Philly metro area to be less expensive. It's probably similar. The closer one is to a city, the more expensive it gets.

I hardly go into NYC but it's nice that's relatively close by if I wanted to take a train in. I'm more of a live in the suburb guy and access a city on occasion. Last time I was in NYC was 2017.

[rowhomecity]

You will most definitely find the suburbs of Southeast Pennsylvania in many ways match that of CT and in some instances surpass.

The Main Line
Blue Bell
Bucks County areas of Newtown and Doylestown would work best.

All extremely beautiful areas. Rollings hills, rural feel, but suburban mindset.

I would also throw West Chester in there for you.

[pm72]

Originally Posted by rowhomecity

You will most definitely find the suburbs of Southeast Pennsylvania in many ways match that of CT and in some instances surpass.

The Main Line
Blue Bell
Bucks County areas of Newtown and Doylestown would work best.

All extremely beautiful areas. Rollings hills, rural feel, but suburban mindset.

I would also throw West Chester in there for you.

Thanks! I don't know exactly how to ask this question but are those communities you mentioned close to jobs? I don't think I'd want to commute from the suburbs to, say, Center City each day. Lots of variables, I know.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by pm72

Thanks! I don't know exactly how to ask this question but are those communities you mentioned close to jobs? I don't think I'd want to commute from the suburbs to, say, Center City each day. Lots of variables, I know.

SAP, UniSys and Vanguard are in the suburbs as examples. While Comcast , Aramark and the premiere health system giants, PennMed, Jefferson or CHOP are in the city as other examples. Urban Outfitters is in the city as another one. Most of the top law firms are in Center City.

[cpomp]

The Main Line is certainly beautiful and probably one the best suburban areas in the country, but it certainly has its fair share of rush, attitude and expenses.

I would say further out toward West Chester or areas in Bucks County would fit the bill. The closer you get to Philadelphia (The Main Line), the busier it gets (even though its still beautiful).

Media is also beautiful, and the general area feels rather calm off of the main roads for being in such a densely populated area.

[TownDweller]

I think you could recreate a lot of what you are describing here. Most of the suburbs are smaller than 25k population, but services and amenities are not lacking until you get pretty far out.

Like most Metros, the majority of people and the majority of jobs are in the suburbs. What industry are you in?

[pm72]

Originally Posted by cpomp

The Main Line is certainly beautiful and probably one the best suburban areas in the country, but it certainly has its fair share of rush, attitude and expenses.

I would say further out toward West Chester or areas in Bucks County would fit the bill. The closer you get to Philadelphia (The Main Line), the busier it gets (even though its still beautiful).

Media is also beautiful, and the general area feels rather calm off of the main roads for being in such a densely populated area.

Thanks! I'll check these places out. When you mention rush, attitude and expenses, it could be comparable to here where I live. I'll keep that in mind.

[pm72]

Originally Posted by TownDweller

I think you could recreate a lot of what you are describing here. Most of the suburbs are smaller than 25k population, but services and amenities are not lacking until you get pretty far out.

Like most Metros, the majority of people and the majority of jobs are in the suburbs. What industry are you in?

That's good to know, thanks. One thing I have to keep in mind is that PA is like (guessing) 10 times bigger than CT so things are spread out more in PA, which could explain why a lot of the Philly suburbs are less than the 25k population of where I live.

I'm a mental health therapist with a private practice and a full time job currently and subject to change.