Philadelphia Edge Cities/Suburbs for 30-Something Singles (Lancaster, King of Prussia: apartment complex, rentals)

[weathermandan]

Hello Everyone,


I'm a 36-year old single male professional. I work 100% from home (when not traveling) and can live anywhere, most recently in Chicago, Dallas, and Tampa. Will be relocating back to the Philadelphia area (originally from the Lehigh Valley) in a month or two to be within easy driving distance of family and friends during the ongoing pandemic.


I am looking for easy access to Center City for dating and nightlife (outdoors for now), but not sure that I want to live in the city. So I've been looking primarily at the edge cities and more happening urban-suburban places like Ardmore, Bala Cynwyd, and King of Prussia. I definitely want to rent an apartment or townhome, and I'm looking for brand new or very new (within last 1-2 years) construction. Conshohocken and West Conshohocken appear to be very popular with young single professionals, however I can't find any new construction rentals there. I have found some brand new apartment communities in Ardmore, Bala Cynwyd, and King of Prussia, but I wanted to check if I may be missing any other areas that are popular among 30-something singles. I do like that downtown Ardmore and the KOP Town Center are walkable areas with restaurants and some things to do nearby, whereas Bala Cynwyd may not be as walkable or safe. Access to a train station will be important when the pandemic improves later next year, but for now I would likely be driving into Center City so access to a train line isn't a must-have. As for budget, I'd like to spend around $2000/month for a one-bedroom unit with covered parking. New townhome rentals in safer areas close to the city or in the city appear to be in the $2500-3500 price range so I will probably be limited to an apartment.



Any thoughts, comments, suggestions?


Thank you for the help!


Dan

[thedirtypirate]

Nothing is going to replicate the dating scene in the city. I also don't think the dating scene differs much from suburb to suburb. Your budget is correct for new construction. If you can, I would just visit and walk through the main areas of each and pick the one you like the most.

[FindingZen]

Bala Cynwyd is safe, unless you mean crossing the wider parts of City Avenue on foot.

King of Prussia doesn't have convenient train access and isn't walkable at all beyond the Town Center or doing laps around the Mall complex.

If you can compromise with your new construction requirement, Conshy may be your best bet. Otherwise, Ardmore would be a good base with bars and restaurants sprinkled up Lancaster Avenue out to Wayne.

[Mr. Map Man]

New construction rentals in these areas tend to be large complexes rather than townhouses. Perhaps you could consider renovated units? That would expand your options quite a bit and give you the sense of new construction that you desire.

[MarketStEl]

I might suggest that you do consider looking around the Regional Rail stations anyway, in part so you won't have to move when moving around on public transit is worth it again — but it's worth noting that using public transit is much less risky from a health-and-safety perspective than is commonly believed because air actually circulates much better and changes more frequently inside the vehicles than it does in any other indoor setting:

SEPTA trains and buses have great airflow — which means less coronavirus risk for riders | Billy Penn

One recently-built apartment complex I would recommend you look at is Maybrook in Wynnewood. It's a large apartment building that sits on the 37-acre grounds of a mansion built in 1881 by a local booze baron; the mansion has some of the community amenities, including a large ballroom, a dining room and a billiard room; it also offers community gardens, walking trails on its grounds, a dog park and spa, a swimming pool, a tennis court and more. It's also about 300 feet or so from Wynnewood Regional Rail station, and there's a shopping center with a Giant supermarket, a couple of big-box stores and some casual eateries next to the station on the other side of the tracks.

Wynnewood isn't walkable in the way that Bala or Ardmore are, but this building is fortuitously sited such that those things Wynnewood has to offer, even its Whole Foods supermarket about 1/4 mile west of the shopping center, can be reached on foot. You can also walk from it to Narberth, the time-warp town that has a very homey feel and a nice town center. (Both Narberth and Ardmore are also one stop away from Wynnewood in opposite directions: Ardmore away from the city, Narberth towards it.)

You're going to find rental houses and townhouses a good bit harder to come across, no matter where you look in this area, but it seems to me that you're fine with apartments anyway. This complex is one of the best I've run across in the 'burbs.

[chessimprov]

You should consider these parts of the city: Northern Liberties, East Falls, Wynnefield Heights- I think they meet your space requirements enough, but you can find parking for your car all within your budget. The last two are somewhat more suburban even though within the city limits. Conshohocken and Manayunk are worth considering too, though more dense I'd say.

Bala Cynwyd is very safe, but not particularly walkable unless you're willing to walk/take a bus for a long while (like 1 hr+)