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natalina

natalina

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Anyone live in or around Philadelphia? My husband has an offer to transfer there, but neither of us has ever been. If you live there or have in the past, what do you like or not like about it? We love cities (met while living in SF) but also love the outdoors and spend a lot of time hiking, camping, going to the lake/ocean, etc.

We''d love any feedback!

Thanks!
 
I live in northern Delaware, about 20 minutes south of Philly. Honestly, our little state gets a few giggles (dela-WHERE?!), but I love it here. We''re in such a fantastic area, from so many aspects. Geographically, we''re an hour from beaches in 3 states, 2 hours from skiing in the Pocono mountains, 2 hours from NYC, 3 hours from DC, an hour from Baltimore, within 2 hours'' driving from no less than 4 international airports (Philly, Baltimore, Newark NJ, and LaGuardia), and right on the Amtrak NE corridor line! Economically, Delaware has one of the highest per-capita incomes in the country, yet our cost of living is very low (especially compared to the other top 10 per capita income states such as NJ and CT with very high COL). We have no sales tax and ridiculously inexpensive property taxes compared to PA and NJ as well. And the state itself is lovely - lots of rich history here (they originally wanted to make what is now colonial Williamsburg in New Castle DE, another historic colonial town), beautiful landscapes (I''m partial to the rolling hills in the north, Brandywine Valley, but south is lovely farmland), hmmm what else? I could go on and on! Honestly, I''ve lived elsewhere and I''m very happy here. It''s certainly not perfect but no place will be perfect in all aspects!
 
We just moved to Philly not too long ago. DH and I like cites too. We find that Philly is not vibrant enough. Philly couldn''t give me the big city feel.

If you like the city life you may want to consider living in center city. The public transportation system is quite good. Night life in center city is quite good too. The rent for a one-bedroom apt is ranging from $1000-1300 (more if you want a newer apt). The rent can be cheaper further away. Parking is a problem in center city.

DH and I aren''t the outdoor type, so we can''t tell you much about outdoor activities.

Are you still living in SF?
 
Hi,

I grew up in the suburbs right outside of Philly and would move back there if I could (FI and I are in Germany for a bit instead) Center city is great and you are about 90 minutes from Atlantic City/Jersey Shore where I know I spent every weekend during the summer. I grew up in the suburbs known as the Main Line and there are tons of parks, but there is the same in the city too near the art museum and such. People also row and bike along the drive by the art museum during the summer.

If you have questions about specific areas within the city feel free to ask.
 
My husband and I were Philadelphia for 4 years during med school, and just moved away 6 months ago to Delaware (which I HATE, but it is thankfully only for a year!). And I miss it unbelievably much. We make the drive back whenever we can, which is not often enough because I work a lot.

If you''re a city girl, I definitely second living in Center City. There is a ton to do, restaurants are great. It''s definitely not NY, but for me, that is a good thing. I like a more manageable city, which it definitely is. It has a lot of nearby suburbs that are lovely, as well. If you can swing it, I''d definitely recommend a visit to get a feel of the city and see if it the place for you.

Re: outdoors. Everyone goes to the NJ shore in the summer on vacation (some to Delaware too), so that is pretty accessible. Not sure about hiking around the city, but we have found a great park in Delaware so it is definitely out there.
 
icekid, you''re in DE too? That''s so funny!

What about it don''t you like?
 
Philly has some very good and very bad areas.

Good areas

Chestnut hill: Pro - beautiful houses, old style philly (cobblestone streets ect), nice community.
Con: Kind of out of the way. I think there is a nice trail near by that is kind of hidden. I used to go there all the time and run. Pretty safe during the day cause lots of people were out. There were no signs of city life. Just trail, trees, and creek. You could run, walk, or bike on it.

Main line: Pro - very nice area, beautiful homes. Lots of shopping.
Con: expensive

Center city: Pro - lots to do, lots of history. You get that city feel. There are good areas and bad areas, so you would need to do some research. I loved south street, but that is a very young person''s type place. The museum area has Fairmount park which has a nine trail around the river ending at the famous "rocky steps" there are multiple runners/bikers/rowers their daily, and it is a pretty safe area to work out.

Con: Noise, drunk people yelling in the streets at 2 am, parking,

Places to avoid at all costs:

North philly
Germantown

That is all I know about the immediate area. Lots of people live in NJ and DE as well.
 
Date: 1/11/2009 10:16:34 AM
Author: GossamerAngel
icekid, you''re in DE too? That''s so funny!

What about it don''t you like?
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sorry for the slight threadjack, natalia.

Gossamer- I am in Delaware- only for 5 more months though
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Delaware- well, where to start? I hate having to drive 20 minutes to get anywhere (could WALK 15 min and be anywhere in Philly)- it''s such an effort to do anything! well, there''s not much to do anyway. the traffic is terrible, it is relatively expensive to live considering the location IMO. strip malls, strip malls, strip malls. I do enjoy the lack of sales tax though
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Yah, I got to thinking about it, and if it''s vibrant, round-the-clock city living you''re after, Delaware is probably not the best place to settle down
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I guess I don''t think the traffic is terrible because I''ve lived here so many years and know all the dozens and dozens of back ways and alternate routes to get everywhere, while avoiding the busy main roads like Concord Pike, Kirkwood Hwy and Limestone Rd.
 
I grew up in Philly but live in Chicago now. I miss the shore!
 
I live in Philly now, and have also lived in the suburbs in years past. Honestly, I hate living in Center City and can't wait to move back out to the 'burbs, but I'm not a city person. For the time being, though, it's just too convenient for school/work to live here so I deal with it. Like any city, Philly has good things and bad things, and it's all so subjective, but here's my take on it:

The Good:
If you live in Center City, you can walk just about anywhere if you have the time. It takes about 45 minutes to walk river-to-river, if you're in okay shape. Since it's so compact, most stuff you need is within a few blocks (excluding grocery stores...there are way too few of these, but there are some great farmers' markets!). There's a really nice jogging/bike trail along one river, already mentioned by LtlFirecracker. There's a thriving arts and culture scene, if you like that, and lots of good restaurants. There are also some urban parks scattered around, like Rittenhouse Square, Washington Square, and several others, which is nice.

If you live in the suburbs, try to choose one with a SEPTA train line, especially if you'll be commuting into the city. There are lots of suburbs to choose from, my favorite are on the Main Line. Life is slower-paced and you can find nice single-family homes, but since the Main Line suburbs are old rather than new, there's a really nice mix of residential and commercial use. The newer suburbs are further out and tend to have more big-box stores and housing developments. The public school systems in many of the suburban communities are very good.

Either way, the central location is nice because NYC and DC are really easy to get to. The shore is about 1 1/2 hours away and the Poconos are about 2 hours away, so if you have a car it's easy to do outdoorsy things while still living in or close to the city. It's pretty much impossible to get to those places easily without a car, though.

The Bad:
Most places you'd actually want to live in and around Philly are pretty expensive. Not as much as other east coast cities, like Boston, NYC, or DC, but definitely not cheap. SEPTA, the transit system, is mainly train and bus-based, so it can be hard to get around the city (with the exception of Center City) by public transit because you have to transfer a lot and the buses can be pretty erratic. Plus, the trains don't run very frequently on some Regional Rail lines, which makes certain suburbs less attractive than others if you have to commute into the city. It's also not easy to drive into the city as a commuter, since the highways clog around rush hour and the non-highway routes take you through some bad areas. Philly also has a chip on its shoulder because it's not Boston, NYC, or DC...and it has the Eagles, 76ers, Phillies, and Flyers. Sigh.

The Ugly:
The city of Philadelphia has pretty dismal crime statistics. As someone mentioned before, Center City and Chestnut Hill are relatively safe places to live, but I have still been the victim of street crime near where I live. The wage tax is very high if you both live and work in the city, and only slightly lower if you work in the city but live in the suburbs -- yet the city's infrastructure is crumbling (streets, sidewalks, train stations, etc) with no signs of improvement in the near future. In fact, they're fighting right now about whether the city can close down some public libraries to save money because we're in a dire financial situation. Parking is also very ugly in Center City, and if you've ever seen "Parking Wars" you'll understand exactly what that means.


I know it sounds like I'm really down on Philly, but overall it's not awful. I was very happy when I lived in the suburbs and I have a feeling I will be very happy when we eventually move back out there. I just don't like living in the city itself. Honestly, if you're thinking about moving here, you should really come for at least a long weekend and check it out. I don't think I'd ever recommend anyone to move here sight unseen because it has always seemed like a love-it-or-hate-it place to me. Sometimes both at once, actually...

If you have any specific questions, I could probably be more helpful!
 
Philly has something for everyone, regardless of your interests. There are plenty of professional sports teams, the Philadelphia Orchestra, lots of theater and art museums, 3 great science museums, plenty of rock concerts, some of the world''s best restaurants and some excellent jewelry stores. The King of Prussia Mall and the New Jersey shore aren''t too far away. New York is a short train ride away.
 
FI and I purchased a home in a suburb west of the city last year. We chose the area because we could easily afford a single family home and the neighborhood is convenient to the city.
I can''t offer too much insight into the city itself but FI and I have been trying to get out more and enjoy everything it has to offer. We have been pretty happy so far with the restaurants we''ve tried.

One of our favorite things to do on a weekend day when its nice and sunny out is to drive around Southeastern PA on some of the curvy tree-lined back roads. There are a few cute wineries in the area as well that we have gone to a few times for tasting. We have yet to take advantage of the winter sports in the Poconos but it seems that there are many options there.

Recently we managed to get ourselves to NYC entirely on public transportation and for only $22 a person. Not too bad compared to Amtrak. I have to say that this is one of my favorite parts of living in this area- proximity to large cities (Philly, or as others have mentioned- NYC, DC, and Baltimore). I like having the option to take my guests any of these places when they come visit me.
 
Everyone has done an excellent job in describing Philly. Phila is/was made up of many different ethnic neighborhoods.. but most of that has been changing. Exception being Chestnut Hill.. very nice but expensive. I would recommend checking out suburban neighborhoods.. either central bucks ( where I am ).. or Montgomery townships. King of Prussia Mall is one of the best malls in the country. There are some other " bad " areas besides N Philly.. some areas of S Philly and West Philly should be avoided. The city has alot of Character... and people can be on the tough side ( rough around the edges..) . There are also some very nice upscale areas in the city .. Rittenhouse Square, THe Parkway, and new Riverfront Developments. It would be worth checking out. The Sofitel Hotel is nice to stay in
 
Also, If you go in warmer weather .. Check out New Hope PA It is about an hour away from Center CIty Philadelphia

It use to be an old Hippy Artist community on the River . Now it has a lot of cool shopping ( still Artsy ) with some good places to eat.. Marsha Brown ( Owned by Ruths Chris ).. and across the bridge . walk over and check out Lambertiville NJ

Very quaint and funky antique shopping. New Hope is about 20 mins away from us and it is a favorite warm weather day trip
 
Natalia: you can always live in Bucks County and take the train into Philly(about an hour). That way you can have your car to use on weekends to get around. It is tough parking in the city.

There is so much to do in bucolic Bucks county. As crystalheart mentioned: New Hope (playhouse, museum, galleries, shops, restaurants) and across the bridge to Lambertville,NJ (I love the Inn at Lambertville restaurant) Washingtons Crossing State Park, Bowman''s Tower, there''s also Rice''s Market a flea market that has been around for about 1 hundred years. Peddlers Village in Lahaska which has some great restaurants and shopping and festivals. A lot of wineries in the area and local theater. It is close to New York (about and 1 1/2 hours by car) or you can drive to Trenton and take the train to NYC. Not too far to the Poconos for lots of summer fun (rafting/tubing) and winter skiing and about 1 to 1 1/2 hour from the Jersey shore.

crystalheart: I live close to New Hope too.
 
GossamerAngel, lovegem, sba771, icekid, LtlFirecracker, Aprilbaby, Octavia, MadamBijoux, Claritek, crystalheart, and soocool:

Thanks so much for responding. We are not in SF anymore, relocated to West Michigan (BIG change of pace) a few years ago for work. DH is from Chicago originally. Sounds like Philly has lots to offer, with a lot of areas to check out. We think we''d want to be in the city for at least a few years. We will hopefully be taking a trip out that way soon to see what we think. I''ll take all of your advice with me to check it out! Thank you!!!
 
Hi Natalina,

I just wanted to add one more thing now that I see your hubby is from Chicago. I went from Philly to Chicago and it was a smooth transition. I would say they are similar in the fact that they offer culture and lots of options of what to do. Also center city in particular has a lot of younger people and couples. The Rittenhouse area as someone suggested is a great area to live in especially now that a lot of young professionals are moving in.
 
You''re Welcome.. Natalina. Best of luck, I think you will be happy hear. You have been given great information

I am in Bucks Co... around the Doylestown Area..
 
When I typed out my first response I forgot to mention that since you''re in to the outdoors Valley Forge is quite close to Philadelphia. Its free to just go park and walk around and they have a nice bike/jogging path around the whole park. FI took me there on our one year dating anniversary and we had a lovely picnic. There are also some neat little Revolutionary War huts where (I''m not history buff so I could be wrong here) I believe George Washington stayed with some of his troops.

I don''t recall seeing it (though I havent taken the time to read each response in detail) but one of my other favorite things about living in this area is the proximity to the second largest mall in the country- King of Prussia. They have EVERYTHING there. I used to drive up 3-4 times a year from DE but now that I''m only 20 mins away its so great to do all of my shopping in one place. They have everything from Tiffany and Cartier and Louis Vuitton to Old Navy and large department stores. Truly one stop shopping.

I echo other people''s suggestions to look around the Main Line (Manayunk/Roxborough area is my personal favorite) for a place to live if you are going to be commuting to the city. There are many charming old communities along the Schuylkill River. In hindsight, I sort of wish we had looked around there but since I am still in school in DE we needed to find something closer to half way between my work and FI''s work. Where I live we can only really walk to a smallish grocery store and a WaWa (oooh... another great aspect of this area! Best convenience store you''ll ever set foot in). I miss living in a town where I could walk to restaurants and bars. Hence, another benefit of sticking to the Main Line if that matters to you.
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Clairitek.... why do you shop in KOP when you can get things in DE with no tax. When I take my son to school I always stop off at the Christiana Mall...gotta love Coach with no tax..oxox
 
Sorry for the little thread hijack here, but I have a few questions for socool and crystalheart about Bucks county. Both of you ladies live there? How do you like it? Are there things to do? We live in NJ now, but MH will be changing jobs within the next 6-8 months, and we are considering possible relocation. Bucks county would be one of our choices if we were to move out of the area. We absolutely love New Hope and Lambertville (we currently live about 40 mins from New Hope area). We would be mostly looking to get away from NJ''s high real estate prices and insane taxes. I know Bucks is still an expensive area, but mostly everyone I have talked to says its definitely less than NJ....

Any feedback? Thanks in advance!!!!!
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Dani: I''ve been living in Bucks County for the past 20 years. I am less than 10 minutes from New Hope. In the past 20 years it has changed a great deal here. For one, whenI moved here there wasn''t much new construction going on. Now it is quite built up. But there are still areas that maintain that quaint rustic feeling. (Parts of Newtown, Washingtons Crossing, Penns Park, Wrightstown, Wycombe, Buckingham, parts of Doylestown, Plumstead, I find are nice areas)

Knowing northern jersey sticker shock( I grew up in northern jersey), I feel it is still much more affordable living here. Homes are cheaper, taxes are cheaper, and car insurance is cheaper. Plus, is jersey 7% sales tax now?? (My guess is that you are from the New Brunswick area perhaps?)

If you have children or plan to have the children, the 2 school districts I would recommend are Council Rock and Central Bucks (if you are thinking public schools)

I find that there is lots to do here, New Hope of course, Peddlers Village in Lahaska (festivals year round), Rice''s Market, wineries, the Poconos are about 1 1/2 hours north of here. If you like to ride horses, there are a lot of places to ride. There are a few parks in the area. The Jersey shore is about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Sesame Place if you have small kids. etc. I don''t go to Philly much( though there are train stations nearby to take you there), but I drive to Trenton (20 minutes) and take the train to NYC.

We built our house about 14 years ago and while its value has gone up considerably since that time, it is still much much cheaper than NJ (plus we have over an acre of land... some people near us have horses on their property)

I see that there is still a lot of new construction going on here, but mostly very large homes. There are also some 55 and over carriage house communities going in (could be me in a few years) that are gorgeous, and smaller and older homes going on the market as the much older generation can longer take care of their homes and younger people are moving in (getting a bargain!) and renovating.

Let me know if there is anything else you''d like to know.
 
one thing for sure. The weather in Philly is better than Chicago.
 
Natalina, if you want more specific suggestions of places to look, and things to do and see while you''re here, just let us know! I think there are some old "What to do in Philly" threads, too. Do you think you''d want to rent or buy if you move here?
 
Date: 1/14/2009 11:56:05 AM
Author: soocool
Dani: I've been living in Bucks County for the past 20 years. I am less than 10 minutes from New Hope. In the past 20 years it has changed a great deal here. For one, whenI moved here there wasn't much new construction going on. Now it is quite built up. But there are still areas that maintain that quaint rustic feeling. (Parts of Newtown, Washingtons Crossing, Penns Park, Wrightstown, Wycombe, Buckingham, parts of Doylestown, Plumstead, I find are nice areas)


Knowing northern jersey sticker shock( I grew up in northern jersey), I feel it is still much more affordable living here. Homes are cheaper, taxes are cheaper, and car insurance is cheaper. Plus, is jersey 7% sales tax now?? (My guess is that you are from the New Brunswick area perhaps?)


If you have children or plan to have the children, the 2 school districts I would recommend are Council Rock and Central Bucks (if you are thinking public schools)


I find that there is lots to do here, New Hope of course, Peddlers Village in Lahaska (festivals year round), Rice's Market, wineries, the Poconos are about 1 1/2 hours north of here. If you like to ride horses, there are a lot of places to ride. There are a few parks in the area. The Jersey shore is about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Sesame Place if you have small kids. etc. I don't go to Philly much( though there are train stations nearby to take you there), but I drive to Trenton (20 minutes) and take the train to NYC.


We built our house about 14 years ago and while its value has gone up considerably since that time, it is still much much cheaper than NJ (plus we have over an acre of land... some people near us have horses on their property)


I see that there is still a lot of new construction going on here, but mostly very large homes. There are also some 55 and over carriage house communities going in (could be me in a few years) that are gorgeous, and smaller and older homes going on the market as the much older generation can longer take care of their homes and younger people are moving in (getting a bargain!) and renovating.


Let me know if there is anything else you'd like to know.
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Thanks so much, socool!!

Your area sounds sooo pretty!!! Currently I live in central NJ - Morristown/Basking Ridge area. Its so pretty here, but so outrageously expensive!!! I like the sound of everything you've said about Bucks. I love the country-ish kind of vibe, and I do ride horses, so it would be perfect for me! Now only if I could convince my husband!!!
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ps- How's Yardley? I have heard great things about that area!!!
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Dani: Yardley (Lower Makefield)is nice (it is in a different school district- Pennsbury). A lot of 2 story colonials and victorian homes. It is very close to 95 and the Delaware River. Upper Makefield (next town) is a bit more upper class and is in the Council Rock School District. I may be wrong, but I always feltl that Yardley is a bit too crowded. We did however want to live near the Delaware, but thank goodness it never happened. Those homes along the Delaware had been severely flooded on numerous occasions the past few years and many of the homes had to be raised on stilts.

When we first looked for homes back in the late 1980's we looked at an 1800 farmhouse in Yardley. The only problem is that my husband is well over 6feet tall and the ceilings were just about 6 feet. Anyway, the house was out of our price range because back then Yardley was a highly desirable area. I don't think it is as desirable as it was back then.

I know Basking Ridge and Morristown. I went to Fairleigh Dickinson Univeristy grad school in Madison. I remember it being a very beautiful area! If you own a house there you could probably buy a house twice the size here with considerably less taxes. Just to give you an idea. I have a 3000 sq ft home on over 1 acre of land and my taxes are about $7000.00 per year
 
Thanks again for all the advice.
Octavia- We would want to buy eventually, but may rent for a few months in order to determine where we''d most like to be.
 
Sorry to threadjack...

Date: 1/14/2009 9:25:30 AM
Author: crystalheart1
Clairitek.... why do you shop in KOP when you can get things in DE with no tax. When I take my son to school I always stop off at the Christiana Mall...gotta love Coach with no tax..oxox
Click to expand...

You pose a very very good question. You know whats worse? I WORK/GO TO SCHOOL in DE. I drive by the Christiana Mall pretty much every day. I guess after 3 years of living in DE I sorta got sick of it and the novelty of KOP hasn''t worn off. I suppose I can''t really afford big ticket items at the moment so the tax hasn''t made a HUGE difference to me. Though, once I graduate and actually have a real job and can afford the lovely bags in Coach that I lust over so often I will make sure to drive to the little neighbor to the south.
 
Date: 1/14/2009 6:54:45 PM
Author: soocool
Dani: Yardley (Lower Makefield)is nice (it is in a different school district- Pennsbury). A lot of 2 story colonials and victorian homes. It is very close to 95 and the Delaware River. Upper Makefield (next town) is a bit more upper class and is in the Council Rock School District. I may be wrong, but I always feltl that Yardley is a bit too crowded. We did however want to live near the Delaware, but thank goodness it never happened. Those homes along the Delaware had been severely flooded on numerous occasions the past few years and many of the homes had to be raised on stilts.


When we first looked for homes back in the late 1980''s we looked at an 1800 farmhouse in Yardley. The only problem is that my husband is well over 6feet tall and the ceilings were just about 6 feet. Anyway, the house was out of our price range because back then Yardley was a highly desirable area. I don''t think it is as desirable as it was back then.


I know Basking Ridge and Morristown. I went to Fairleigh Dickinson Univeristy grad school in Madison. I remember it being a very beautiful area! If you own a house there you could probably buy a house twice the size here with considerably less taxes. Just to give you an idea. I have a 3000 sq ft home on over 1 acre of land and my taxes are about $7000.00 per year
Click to expand...


Thanks so much for all of this info, soocool!! I appreciate it!! I''m going to start doing my research on the area. Its sounds lovely!
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