Please Help - Advice on Areas To Live? (Philadelphia, Chester: real estate, to rent)

[NewToPhilly007]

Hi Everyone,

My wife and I will be moving from CT to PA/NJ, where I will work in Philadelphia. Access to a train line will be helpful and safety is a very high priority. Also, proximity to good schools, for my wife's work is key.

We would like to rent for the first year or so, until we buy a home.

Do you have any suggestions for towns that are outside of Philadelphia, but provide the above accessibility? We are thinking a place like Cherry Hill may be a good fit.

Thank you advance

[Jfoldno7]

Since you are concerned about schools I will list some PA-side options by school district, most of which will meet your other criteria (safe, access to trains into Philly):

In Chester County:
Tredyffrin-Easttown S.D.
Phoenixville S.D.
Great Valley S.D.

You could also consider West Chester S.D. for Chester County but most of that district is a little more removed from rail access (since the R3 was cut back to Elwyn).

In Montgomery County:
Lower Merion S.D.
Upper Merion S.D.
Springfield S.D.
Colonial S.D.
Methacton S.D.
Jenkintown S.D.
Abington S.D.
Upper Dublin S.D.

And in Delaware County:
Haverford S.D.
Radnor S.D.
Wallingford-Swarthmore S.D.

I tried to list the school districts that would be considered both safe and provide easy access to SEPTA and Amtrak trains. I don't know nearly as much about the NJ side school districts so I'll leave that to someone else. Just google maps of each county's school districts if you need to see where these are on a map.

[nbeach]

Cherry Hill is a very nice area. I'm not sure about the schools, but I grew up 15 minutes from CH and it's viewed as an upscale, wealthy area. Collingswood, Merchantville, Mount Laurel/Medford are also nice areas in Jersey if you don't mind a bit of a longer commute.

[GraysFerryB4]

I grew up in Philly and you will not be able to send your children to the public school system in Philly is safety is a concern. They are urban nightmares. The PA suburbs mentioned are all very good but proximity to trains varies. Most schools mentioned are above average. I live in Collingswood, NJ where the schools are "very good" with new libraries and expanding spending per pupil. Living in NJ for schools is worth the property tax which will blow your mind. Living in Philly, you will have to pay private school tuition ALONG with your city wage tax so you will take a double hit. The commute to Philly from Collingswood is under 15 minutes by train and runs extremly well 24/7. The town is very diverse, cultural and trendy. The homes are median priced (200k+). Good luck!

[solibs]

On the NJ side I would check out Collingswood, Westmont and Haddonfield.

Westmont (aka Haddon Twp) and Haddonfield have great schools and nearby Cherry Hill, Voorhees and Haddon Heights also have really good schools. Be advised though, if your wife is a teacher she should take a number now and be prepared to wait in line for a while if she's hoping for a job at the best districts.

On the PA side the commutes to Center City are longer. I'd look in a wide swath from Abington/Jenkintown (just north of the city) through Cheltenham, Whitemarsh/Plymouth Meeting, Chestnut Hill, Mt. Airy, Roxborough, and across the river into Upper Merion, Lower Merion and the boroughs and townships down to West Chester Pike.

If you tell us what you're looking for in a rental, what part of Philly you'll be working in and where your wife will be working we can be of better assistance.

[mainlinegm]

Radnor school district is a gem. If you're thinking in terms of private schools or prep schools, there are a ton all around the Philly area.

Other suburbs I would suggest:

Lower Merion Township
Haverford Township
Newtown Square/Broomall - a little further from train service but in good proximity to the city
Tredyffrin Township
Wayne
Swarthmore
West Chester - Might be a little out of your way

[kimrocktherealtor]

in NJ I would say Collingswood, Haddonfield, Haddon Heights, Westmont, Cherry Hill, Vorhees.
in PA I would say Yardley. I would normally suggest Newtown, but since you want to be close to the train, I would go with Yardley - has a train station for quick access to the city, great schools and extremely safe (to the point it was actually ranked the LOWEST crime in the entire state of PA)

[cd2cd]

One of the nicest areas outside Philadelphia is called the "Mainline" in Lower Merion Township.

A Mainline town called Bryn Mawr has great schools nearby, both public and private and is a nice place to live in.

Trains, highway access, several colleges, restaurants, shopping, movie theater, library, are all walking distance or close by.

[kelb]

Contact me if you are interested in a great townhouse that is a two minute walk to the Yardley train.

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by kelb

Contact me if you are interested in a great townhouse that is a two minute walk to the Yardley train.

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