Possible cross country relocation: Los Angeles to Philadelphia (Chester, West Chester: apartments, to rent)

[1200RT]

First and foremost, i know this is a very open-ended post. Throw some suggestions out and lets see where this takes us. I apologize for the vague question.

Sometime in the next 4 month, I may have the opportunity to take a job in Phili - in the city. I will be moving from Los Angeles (Santa Monica to be specific).

With that being said ... I have zero zero knowledge of the area. I grew up in Northern NJ, and have spent quite some time in NYC, but very little time in PA.

So .. .lets have it. Where to live? How to commute? How much is living going to cost?

Details:

-I will make this move with my girlfriend.
-no kids. no pets. 2 cars.
-We don't need more than a 1 or 2 bedroom apartment, but are accustomed to higher class dwellings.

-I would prefer not living IN the CITY of Phili. What suburbs around the area may work? Safe, public transportation commute(?),rental property(*).

*buying a home is not in the cards right now, mainly because I do not know how long term this move will be for - probably a few years, but no longer.

Thanks in advance.

[kidphilly]

What do you like about Santa Monica and the N Jersey/NYC areas that you would be looking for, that may help in locating a neighborhood. There is nothing exactly like Santa monica in Philly or N Jersey/NY for that matter, non city vibrant neighborhoods are more sparce and typically will offer less than Snata Monica and the city neighborhoods while more vibrant are much more city than what Santa monica is.

[1200RT]

Actually, other than location and weather, there is very little that i like about santa monica.

I think i would prefer to live on the "quieter" side of things .. so probably suburbs of some kind. I understand that Phili has much more of a city "center" than LA does, which I prefer. I could very much see living in a quieter neighborhood and commuting (car, train, bus?) into the "city".

[kidphilly]

Originally Posted by 1200RT

Actually, other than location and weather, there is very little that i like about santa monica.

I think i would prefer to live on the "quieter" side of things .. so probably suburbs of some kind. I understand that Phili has much more of a city "center" than LA does, which I prefer. I could very much see living in a quieter neighborhood and commuting (car, train, bus?) into the "city".

Then check out West Chester, Downingtown, Pheonixville, and Skippack in the broader sense - Philly has great disparity between the city and the burbs - but most are within an hour of the city if you desire

[kidphilly]

Oh and while Spring and Fall are pleasant - the summers are hotter and winters are colder but you know this if you lived in N Jersey, bascially exactly the same weather

[Avalon08]

1200, glad to see you have already learned the proper term is "the city"...LOL.

Yes, your post is open-ended....there are zillions of suburban towns in the Philly suburbs, including the Jersey side of the river. I've lived in SoCal and am familiar with Santa Monica...and you're right, LA doesn't have a city center anywhere near that of Philly's.

If I were you, I'd live as close to the city as I could get. Sounds like you're young and will want to take advantage of all the city has to offer. You're also renting, so you don't need to move to the boonies (like Skippack or Downingtown...LOL) to afford a home. There are plenty of quiet neighborhoods and apartments very close to the city, or trains routes into the city.

Just as a ballpark, I'd think your "luxury" apartments are going to be at least $1400 and up.

Good luck with the job!

[rainrock]

Radnor,Wayne,Chesterbrook,Devon,Malvern,Bryn Mawr,Haverford are nice quiet family areas about 10-20 miles west of the city. Depending on exactly where you would live its within walking distance of regional rail that will take you to Center City Philly.

Chester Springs,Exton,West Chester,Downingtown are a bit further out but worth looking into. A little more fresh air and elbow room out there. 1 Hour from Center City but you can also ride the rail into Center City from Thorndale,Downingtown + Exton stations.

Good luck.

Here is the rail map of (Septa) to give you an idea how extensive the regional rail sytem is. Id recommend the towns on the Thorndale Line. FWIW the orange line(Broad Street Line) is the city most of the rest of the map are the suburbs.

[rainrock]

Originally Posted by Avalon08

If I were you, I'd live as close to the city as I could get. Sounds like you're young and will want to take advantage of all the city has to offer.

Yes.

Center City is definitely worth some consideration. Many many great neighborhoods make up Center City. It catches people off guard just how pleasant Center City is. If you are young this is the place to be.

Now some of the other hoods of Philly? Whew now thats a different story.

[1200RT]

Thanks for the map! That helps a lot.

I *do not* think I will want to live in Center City. I am relatively young, as pointed out, but I am definitely settling down. I've done my share of city living, and would prefer a quieter setting in the suburbs.

So .. how much of a problem is it going to be to find a nice apartment in a place like Bryn Mawr? I realize these are mostly single family home areas .....

Also ... are places like Bryn Mawr their own "towns"? Or are they still under the "rule" of Philly?

[JasmineFlower]

Originally Posted by 1200RT

-We don't need more than a 1 or 2 bedroom apartment, but are accustomed to higher class dwellings.

What do you mean by higher class dwellings? Like luxury condos? And what would you be willing to pay to rent one? Since that means different things to different people. If you are looking on the main line, there are definitely high end condos in Bala on Presidential Blvd that can be rented, but they'd be expensive.

Bryn Mawr will have apartments. So will other areas on the Main Line.

Is Bryn Mawr under the rule of Philly? Its in a different county than Philly, part of a suburban township (Lower Merion), its not governed by the mayor of Philly or the city council of Philly. Hope that answers your question.