Relocating and Job Will

[boilermaker29]

When are you moving? January-February 2012
Where are you coming from? Indiana...the land of corn and cheap rent
Why are you moving? New Job
Where will you be working? Home office but need to be within ~1 hour of airport
Have you been here yet? Yes, briefly, but I want guidance so my next trip is the most productive.

Will you buy or rent? Rent
Are you looking for a house or an apartment complex? Small house or private apartment (no commercialized complexes).
How much can you spend? $2,000 / mo with utilities included

Are you married or single? Married
Do you have children? No
Do you prefer public or private schools? N/A
Do you have pets? No
Do you want or need a yard? Meh, dont care
Are you keeping a car? Yes, 2, and I want a garage for at least one of them. It is a highly theft prone car.
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? Somewhere in between.
What do you want to be closest to? Grocery and places to go jogging
Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood? Could care less as long as it's safe and my car wont be broken into.

Any help is appreciated so my next visit is productive!

ps, my bad on the thread title....was going to say job will let me live anywhere.

[BeckyJ]

Pretty much anywhere in the city is only 15-20 minutes from the airport.

For garages, there are some buildings with garages (would you feel comfortable leaving the car in a parking garage; e.g. renting a spot?), or if you can find a house for rent that actually has a garage in the city...that will be much easier in the 'burbs. Many, many people on here will tell you to ditch one of the cars since parking 2 in the city can be rough. Based on your other preferences, it seems to me that you would be happy in any of the neighborhoods around here. I guess it just depends on where there are more places that have garages. I don't know if I've been of any use, but it's hard to give you specific ideas since you seem extremely flexible; I'd say get some ideas on general feel of neighborhoods and then base your search on that.

I'm sure others will tune in shortly with their preferred neighborhoods. I'm in Fairmount and there are very few houses/condos for rent here with garages (possibly in Westrum's Brewery Town development) and a few bigger buildings, and there are some parking garages (which is why I asked about that). The parking garage deal holds true for a lot of Center City as well.

Best of luck.

[boilermaker29]

Because of my work situation, we couldn't get rid of either of the 2 cars, and I'd lean away from parking garages unless they were a lock and key type indoor facility. Based on what I've researched so far, I'm probably not going to want to live in the dense city. I'm young 30's, and a neighborhood like Manayunk looks pretty cool until I look at having to do street parking. Been there and done that in other cities, and while its nice to walk to the bars, I'm just tired of having my property trashed on the street. A condo or small house with 2 car garage would be perfect, I was even looking at going far out like Lansdale. Burbs may be boring, but I'm probably going to have a prego wife within the next year, and then buy a house shortly thereafter....so the bar scene will be limited anyway.

The closest to the city that perked my interest was a place in Wayne.

[billy ross]

Check out Roxborough. It fits all of your criteria.

Because of my work situation, we couldn't get rid of either of the 2 cars, and I'd lean away from parking garages unless they were a lock and key type indoor facility. Based on what I've researched so far, I'm probably not going to want to live in the dense city. I'm young 30's, and a neighborhood like Manayunk looks pretty cool until I look at having to do street parking. Been there and done that in other cities, and while its nice to walk to the bars, I'm just tired of having my property trashed on the street. A condo or small house with 2 car garage would be perfect, I was even looking at going far out like Lansdale. Burbs may be boring, but I'm probably going to have a prego wife within the next year, and then buy a house shortly thereafter....so the bar scene will be limited anyway.

The closest to the city that perked my interest was a place in Wayne.

[five apples]

Because of my work situation, we couldn't get rid of either of the 2 cars, and I'd lean away from parking garages unless they were a lock and key type indoor facility. Based on what I've researched so far, I'm probably not going to want to live in the dense city. I'm young 30's, and a neighborhood like Manayunk looks pretty cool until I look at having to do street parking. Been there and done that in other cities, and while its nice to walk to the bars, I'm just tired of having my property trashed on the street. A condo or small house with 2 car garage would be perfect, I was even looking at going far out like Lansdale. Burbs may be boring, but I'm probably going to have a prego wife within the next year, and then buy a house shortly thereafter....so the bar scene will be limited anyway.

The closest to the city that perked my interest was a place in Wayne.

I think the burbs might be best for you. Wayne is nice and in general the Main Line is a nice area and not far from the Airport.

[MariusPontmercy]

I think the burbs might be best for you. Wayne is nice and in general the Main Line is a nice area and not far from the Airport.

Eh, you can get all that in the city and keep at least some of the proximity. If you do choose the burbs you don't have to move all the way out to the sticks though. Like I said, you can find a place in a quiet neighborhood that has a garage and everything in the city, or in a nearer suburb. You can definitely get the best of both worlds if you look.

Also, Manayunk has a reputation for being sort of a college aged party town, so don't let that get you down about everything urban.

[boilermaker29]

Appreciate the suggestions. I've been using a combination of Zillow and padmapper. Do you guys suggest any other website for searching?

Oh I've lived in urban areas all around the midwest including Chicago, so I'm not basing my urban "stereotype" on Manayunk. Think I'm just to the point Id like a little space

[toxigal]

Appreciate the suggestions. I've been using a combination of Zillow and padmapper. Do you guys suggest any other website for searching?

Oh I've lived in urban areas all around the midwest including Chicago, so I'm not basing my urban "stereotype" on Manayunk. Think I'm just to the point Id like a little space

for rentals I'd check out craigslist.

results of search with rents 1000-1500 and garage.

philadelphia apts/housing for rent classifieds "garage" - craigslist

i am partial to NW.

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/apa/2709549446.html

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/apa/2724284488.html

[BeckyJ]

Some of the closer in Mainline towns might work for you. Or, as toxigal suggested, the NW. There are tax issues to consider as well (city wage tax if you are in Philadelphia, living/working or some combo of those). There are places just outside the city that eliminate that problem. While schools are not on your immediate radar, (you did say you expect to be pregnant in the next year or so) if you're planning on buying I assume you're going to stay put for a while which means you might want to consider that aspect as well.

[billy ross]

Some of the closer in Mainline towns might work for you. Or, as toxigal suggested, the NW. There are tax issues to consider as well (city wage tax if you are in Philadelphia, living/working or some combo of those). There are places just outside the city that eliminate that problem. While schools are not on your immediate radar, (you did say you expect to be pregnant in the next year or so) if you're planning on buying I assume you're going to stay put for a while which means you might want to consider that aspect as well.

The vast majority of suburban towns charge a 1% wage tax, on workers or residents. The wage tax doesn't usually go away at the city line, but it does go down, as long as you stay on this side of the Delaware.

WRT schools, I am in the burbs now, and my daughter's suburban opponent goes to private school. The private schools out here are thriving, while at the same time many city public and private schools are thriving, too. It isn't as simple as city schools bad - suburban schools good. My private high school in the city, located close to you, was 50% made up of city residents when I was there 25 years ago, but now it's 30% city residents, because many people took bad advice like you're intimating only to realize they had gone in the wrong direction. There's a bit of an arms race even now among the private schools, mostly suburban but also in the city, of continually investing tens of millions of dollars in their campi to keep their edge. The suburban public schools, even in profligate Lower Merion, simply can't keep up, while the city schools can at least use accessible off-campus facilities to round out their programs. I'm really looking forward to checking out the changes recently implemented at GA, for instance, and what Episcopal has done is mind-boggling.

[ShoshTrvls]

Least I get trashed, you might also look into some of the towns in South Jersey, which is just a quick Walt Whitman Bridge trip from the airport. Places like Collingswood, Moorestown, Voorhees might be right for you.

[boilermaker29]

The taxes seem to be a lot bigger deal in the Philadelphia region than anywhere else I've lived. Are there any burbs to really watch out for? I wouldn't have any commuter tax as far as I know for a home office.

Not so sure about Jersey.... I've been warned probably a dozen or so times already, not to mention the South Park bit with Snookis.

[caL]

I'd check out Northeast Philly. Nice mix of urban/suburban, close to I-95 which will make your airport commutes easy, most houses have a garage, nightlife tamer than Manayunk but not non-existent like many suburbs. Also very affordable. The Northeast is huge (a third of the city) and most of it is solid middle class but as a general rule of thumb, should you look around, don't look more than a few blocks south of Tyson Avenue and avoid east of Torresdale Avenue. Given your price range you won't need to settle in terms of quality of life.

[billy ross]

I'd check out Northeast Philly. Nice mix of urban/suburban, close to I-95 which will make your airport commutes easy, most houses have a garage, nightlife tamer than Manayunk but not non-existent like many suburbs. Also very affordable. The Northeast is huge (a third of the city) and most of it is solid middle class but as a general rule of thumb, should you look around, don't look more than a few blocks south of Tyson Avenue and avoid east of Torresdale Avenue. Given your price range you won't need to settle in terms of quality of life.

East of Torresdale Avenue at the Torresdale station is quite nice.

The taxes seem to be a lot bigger deal in the Philadelphia region than anywhere else I've lived. Are there any burbs to really watch out for? I wouldn't have any commuter tax as far as I know for a home office.

Not so sure about Jersey.... I've been warned probably a dozen or so times already, not to mention the South Park bit with Snookis.

Every American city you'd want to live in has high taxes. San Francisco. New York City. Chicago. Los Angeles. I don't know why Philadelphians make such a big deal about it here - it's the natural order of things everywhere. You don't move to San Francisco, or all of California for that matter, for the low taxes. Ditto Philadelphia. I spent yesterday trapped in King of Prussia, which is a booming low tax haven just about totally built out and bursting at the seams. I had to make some Saturday morning bank runs, and I couldn't turn left into the Citizen's Bank parking lot on DeKalb Pike (202), so I had to go through some bewildering parking lot lanes to get there and then to get out. Then I couldn't turn left out of the TD Bank parking lot at 202 and Henderson Road. Then U-turns were illegal, so I had to turn around in the McDonald's parking lot to finally get my car pointed south (east?) on Henderson Road. Then later we drove 30mph (when traffic was moving) on I-76 coming home. Noone can walk anywhere there, but it's not like driving is practical either - my mother-in-law was late to relieve us because she was stuck in traffic for a long time getting there from another part of Montgomery County, so everyone just seems to end up stuck in a low quality of life existence in a moonscape of filled highways and bewildering ramps with true and well-kept town centers (as opposed to Norristown) few and far between. It all left me scratching my head as to why people think it makes sense to live there. Then the houses are complete garbage on top of it - I figured I'd try to take some local roads and learn some shortcuts for next time the roads are filled as far as the eye can see. The houses make the little green houses in Monopoly look appealing (I'm talking about the 'neighborhood' behind the Geno's on 202). Me I'd rather pay a little more annually and experience quality (which is what we as a family do now) - I don't want the equivalent of a 1986 Hyundai Excel, no matter how much money I'd be saving. That's what money is for, so that you can live a high-quality life where doing day to day things is a joy as opposed to maddening.

If you are going to look in the burbs, there are some nice, high QOL towns out there. Narberth and Ambler come to mind, as well as Collingswood. People rave about Media, although it was dumpy last time I was there 10 years ago - I understand it's come a long way since. Phoenlxville is really, really nice, with its main drawback being that it's so isolated from the city, with no rail service and clogged highways. As a person who enjoys his drink, it is my policy to somehow not have a car when I go out, and I've got plans for Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights of this week. Last night we walked home from the Ball (in a tux and with no coat) - it was unplanned, but it only took 20 minutes. One of the great things about where I live is that I can - and do - get out to all of the hot spots around Philly by public transit, which makes it easier to avoid DUI's or hurting someone. That would be a sine qua non for me if I were looking for a house, and I've got three kids, one of whom is 21 months old, so I never dreamed that at this stage of my life I'd be able to get out and about like I still do.

[BarryG]

Then the houses are complete garbage on top of it - I figured I'd try to take some local roads and learn some shortcuts for next time the roads are filled as far as the eye can see. The houses make the little green houses in Monopoly look appealing (I'm talking about the 'neighborhood' behind the Geno's on 202). Me I'd rather pay a little more annually and experience quality (which is what we as a family do now) - I don't want the equivalent of a 1986 Hyundai Excel, no matter how much money I'd be saving. That's what money is for, so that you can live a high-quality life where doing day to day things is a joy as opposed to maddening.

Gulph Mills has nice homes and is near rapid transit to the city. But traffic is still terrible if you want to do anything around there.

[kidphilly]

Appreciate the suggestions. I've been using a combination of Zillow and padmapper. Do you guys suggest any other website for searching?

Oh I've lived in urban areas all around the midwest including Chicago, so I'm not basing my urban "stereotype" on Manayunk. Think I'm just to the point Id like a little space

Manyunk to me is a little young based on you saying 30s. I find Manyunk to be mostly newly graduated. I would suggest either Center City, yes there are 24 lots with security (Latimer Garage in Rittenhouse is one example) or the Main Line (Wayne et al)

[kidphilly]

Least I get trashed, you might also look into some of the towns in South Jersey, which is just a quick Walt Whitman Bridge trip from the airport. Places like Collingswood, Moorestown, Voorhees might be right for you.

Agree that the closer towns along the Patco line offer some similarities to the PA Main Line in NJ and honestly the sterotypes are very wrong for this area and this from a PA side devotee

[hubba1]

The taxes seem to be a lot bigger deal in the Philadelphia region than anywhere else I've lived. Are there any burbs to really watch out for? I wouldn't have any commuter tax as far as I know for a home office.

Not so sure about Jersey.... I've been warned probably a dozen or so times already, not to mention the South Park bit with Snookis.

Ha ha.. "The Snookies" and friends are more of a North Jersey thing, South Jersey is actually pretty nice, and right over the bridge from Philly.. property taxes are a bit higher, but for having a yard, and a driveway and better schools, it's worth it.

[caL]

East of Torresdale Avenue at the Torresdale station is quite nice.

You can do very well east of Torresdale, even south of the East Torresdale neighborhood. But the taste of north Philly between Cottman and Rhawn on that side of Torresdale is a pocket I'd hate to see a newcomer get stuck in.

[billy ross]

Ha ha.. "The Snookies" and friends are more of a North Jersey thing, South Jersey is actually pretty nice, and right over the bridge from Philly.. property taxes are a bit higher, but for having a yard, and a driveway and better schools, it's worth it.

There's a huge cheese factor to South Jersey, too. Nicky Scarfo and his jogging suits? South Jersey always gets screwed over by North Jersey, but the sickness which infects the culture of North Jersey is very much in evidence in South Jersey. Cherry Hill, Voorhees. Have you followed what's going on in Camden recently, with the near total breakdown in law and order due to incredibly cynical people being in charge? Very Jersey. Atlantic City, Millville, Pleasantville. They're all very Jersey - morally corrupt. There's a reason Jersey has a national reputation as being a cesspool.

In Jersey they beat their sad sack towns like Trenton down to the ground in the rush for the exits. In PA we work really hard to bring our sad sack towns back to take pressure off of developing the countryside. Lancaster is a huge success story in PA, as are Philly and Pittsburgh, although all three are still in process, with much work remaining to be done. Even in pathetic Chester we put in a fancy soccer stadium in an effort to help the town to heal (hasn't had much impact yet, though).