Midwest move. family wants to be in the city (Philadelphia: condo, how much)

[Leanacc]

Hello, I've been reading a bit on this board. My family will be relocating in Summer 2021 from Michigan. My partner will be commuting to NYC 2-3 days/week most weeks; some weeks not at all; other weeks possibly more. I am familiar with some areas of Philly bc we have friends there. I like the areas of germantown, mt. airy, chestnut hill (above our price range I think) and private schools in that area but I think easy access to 30th St. station has to be top priority since commuting to NY is long enough and I'm guessing those neighborhoods are just a bit too far from the train station. I like the look of Fairmount, but would like a small yard if possible and bigger even more preferred..not sure if we would find that there. Looking for additional neighborhood suggestions!! See our answers below.

Also, note: we lived in Elmwood Village area of Buffalo a decade ago and this is our ideal lifestyle in case anyone is familiar. Would love to have beautiful parks, art, restaurants, city life, summer concerts and community gatherings in walking distance while still have some space, architecture, beauty in our home and a yard.


When are you moving? Summer 2021
Where are you coming from? Ann Arbor, Michigan
Why are you moving? Work and to be near family in PA/NJ/NY
Where will you be working? from home part of the time and NYC/Hoboken part time
Have you been here yet? Yes-- Friends/Family live in Germantown, Manayunk, South Philly, Fishtown; grandparents lived in NE Philly when I was growing up in south jersey. I have only visited the city a handful of times over the last 20 years though.

Will you buy or rent? Most likely Buy
If buying, are you looking for a house or a condo? How much can you spend? House: 450-650k, 4 bedroom, 2000sqft., give or take a couple hundred, ideal.

Do you have a preference of living in a NJ or PA suburb? No
(If you answered NJ - post your answers here: //www.city-data.com/forum/new-j...-philadelphia/)

Are you married or single? Do you have children? Married with 3 children ages Prek to High School
Do you prefer public or private schools? Private: interested in Germantown Waldorf and Friends schools as options, open to other suggestions as well.
Do you have pets? yes, 1 dog
Do you want or need a yard? yes, at least for patio dining and space for the dog.
Are you keeping a car? yes, ideally 1 car instead of 2 we currently own.
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? quiet blocks in walking distance to shops, restaurants, parks preferred

What do you want to be closest to? Amtrak Train at 30th St., also would like a neighborhood with access to a good library, shops, groceries, restaurants, art, parks, trails


Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood? Would like for there to be families and variety of ages. Would like to avoid areas with a large population of students.

Favorite Beverage - Craft Beer, wine, water?
all of the above.

Additional Questions for any neighborhood suggestions:
How would morning/after school driving commute from suggested neighborhood to Germantown be?
How is the commute from whatever neighborhoods are recommended to 30th St. station (foot, subway, bus? time estimate?)
How is the parking in suggested neighborhoods?

[Flyers Girl]

My first two thoughts on neighborhood--based solely on your desire for quiet blocks, parks, family neighborhoods--are Fitler Square and Graduate Hospital, both Center City neighborhoods. Fitler Square has the additional benefit of being just on the other side of the river from 30th Street Station.

I live in the burbs, so I'm sure those who live within the city limits will chime in with their suggestions as well. Good luck!

[Avalon08]

Ahhh, thank goodness we have private schools and a decent budget to work with on this one! Can't wait to see what the city-savvy posters come up with for you. (Former Philadelphian here)

[Leanacc]

Originally Posted by Avalon08

Ahhh, thank goodness we have private schools and a decent budget to work with on this one! Can't wait to see what the city-savvy posters come up with for you. (Former Philadelphian here)

Ha! I hope this is a good sign. Yes looking forward to some suggestions.

[Leanacc]

Originally Posted by Flyers Girl

My first two thoughts on neighborhood--based solely on your desire for quiet blocks, parks, family neighborhoods--are Fitler Square and Graduate Hospital, both Center City neighborhoods. Fitler Square has the additional benefit of being just on the other side of the river from 30th Street Station.

Thank you! I'm not familiar with either area and will check them out.

[bigfish1]

Both Fitler Square and Graduate Hospital would fit most of your requirements. It would be hard to find a place that has a yard though. Since you will be looking towards private schools I would suggest checking out the area near Overbrook Train Station. It is 1 stop (10 minutes) from 30th Street. The homes are historic and beautiful and primarily single family and twins that have yards. 63rd Street by that train station is a decent business district that I hear has some proposals to get more built up. I could be wrong with that so anyone that knows that area better could give more advice. Ardmore could also be a good option, just a little further up the rail line away from 30th street.

[DXBtoFL]

A budget of 450-650 is going to be tough anywhere in Center City if you want a family sized house. 500k gets you a cramped rowhouse in either Grad Hospital or Fairmount, with a postage stamp backyard. Hardly family friendly. You just may be able to find something decently sized enough for 650 but there will always be a big trade off of some kind. These houses are really for young couples with maybe a toddler.

You get much more for your money out in Mount Airy (zip 19119) and even a smaller house in Chestnut Hill (zip 19118). There are several listings at the moment that fit your budget's upper end in both neighborhoods. Another option is East Falls (19129), which is split between traditional rowhouses and larger and lovely SFH from the 1910-1920s era, but the latter rarely come on the market and when they do they sell immediately. However, 600-650k is about average for a nicely maintained handsome stone colonial in East Falls, when they do come onto the market. And it is a bit closer to Center City. Zip is 19129.

Germantown is hugely hit or miss. Venture carefully. Over the past year I have seen the occasional nicely renovated listing on the better / safer blocks for around 350-400k and that's a larger twin, 5-6 bedrooms, up to 3k sqft.

The other thing to be mindful of are private school fees. I quickly looked at Germantown Friends and the upper school tuition runs to 40k a year. With three kids you're looking at 100+ in annual tuition fees. And GFS is not a school you can walk into by any stretch of the imagination. Admissions is competitive. There are quite a few Quaker schools in Philadelphia so GFS isn't the only option, but each has its own character (I imagine Penn Charter is probably too traditional and staid for you, for example). Keep the school fees in mind when figuring out your housing budgets and where to live.

Philadelphia is a big city and getting around takes time, which is problematic for a partner who needs to commute to NYC several times a week. There is no easy configuration. But Amtrak does offer a train from Ardmore straight to NYC and this could be a great option for the family. So don't rule out the Main Line either.

And I must also point out that if your partner is WFH most of the time with the occasional visit to NYC, if you live in Philadelphia proper, he/she will still need to pay the 3.8% wage tax applicable to all residents/workers in the city. There's rumblings the wage tax will be increased to pay for the current deficit shortfall.

All in all, despite an affinity for hippy urban neighborhoods, I'd be looking at Ardmore and surrounding towns on the Main Line, both for the schools and to avoid the wage taxes while still having relatively low property taxes (higher than Philadelphia but lower than many other townships) and quick access to the train to NYC.

[bigfish1]

I did not know there was a direct train from Ardmore to NYC. If that is the case then Ardmore might be perfect. It is also really building up in recent years improving the downtown's walkability and urbanity.

[newmarlig]

The train ride from Chestnut Hill to 30th Street Station is about 1/2 hour from two different train stations. The train from Ardmore is very limited.

[KansastoSouthphilly]

My fiance is from Buffalo and I have spent a lot of time in Elmwood village. I think it is a lovely urban neighborhood. Honestly I agree with DXB that Ardmore might be a pretty close approximation. There are lots of shops, bars, and restaurants on and near Lancaster avenue plus it has the amtrak station. I know its not in the City but it seems to have a lot of what you want. Times will be limited but coming back you can always take regional rail from 30th st or just uber. I don't think your budget can buy a big enough house in fitler square but you might have some luck in graduate hospital. The area where West South Street meets grays ferry ave kind of reminds of me of Elmwood village. Just know that parking will be difficult. Buffalo is a very easy city to move around by car; Philadelphia is not.

Mt. Airy might be a good choice. Parking is more plentiful and you seem to like it. If you are looking to live near some amenities you can live either near Carpenter station which would put you in easy walking distance to the Mt. Airy Village. This is a very small commercial area that pretty much just hays a (very popular) coffee shop, coop, dry cleaner and a couple of shops. This is one of the more expensive parts of Mt. Airy but you should still be able to find something in your budget. You can also live near allens lane station which will put you near the main stretch of Germantown Ave. There a decent amount of drinking/dining options here though it is pretty limited as far as retail is concerned. You might also be able to find a smaller house in Chestnut Hill. Chesnut Hill stretch of Germantown ave has many restaurants/retail/bars/coffeeshops etc.