Job offer in Philly

[tminmur]

Hey I need help with trying to figure out where to live when I get this job in Philly. I have been reading about the cost of living is higher in NJ than PA, and the taxes are higher in NJ than PA. but I can not find a nice place to live for my family in PA. there is NO parking at the Hospital I will be working at so I need access to the train, walking distance from the 30th street station.

Please tell me some cities that would work for me. I have 5 kids all in school, and looking for housing around 450K-550K. need access to public trans, and love to find small township that has a great downtown and restaurants. a brewery would be great near by but not needed.

Looking to move myself up there in the next month and then my family in the next year or so.

Thanks

Thomas

 

[agrazela]

Check out Newark, DE. It has everything on your list and is a straight 30 mile train shot to Philly.

I grew up there and went to UD.

 

[The542]

I think anywhere on the Main Line would be a good fit. I'm in Wayne, Delaware County, five minute walk to the Strafford station, Radnor School District is highly rated, and a great restaurant scene. But also there's train stops in Paoli, Berywn, etc... All nice areas.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

New Jersey isn't terrible if you find the right place. As stated there are many ways to get into Philly to get to 30th st. station.

NJ does have the highest property tax. and unless Philly changed something (don't believe they have) there is a tax to work in Philly

 

[nutty_gnome]

NJ is terrible. I live here and would rather be across the river. The public schools suck unless you can afford to be in the much more expensive areas. Taxes blow here and no relief is in sight.

We would dearly love to live in pa near langhorne/newtown area for the council rock school district.

Most of the places in DE that are commutable (lol at sitting on 95 for 5 hours a day) stink.

Good luck with your decision, but try to find a philly suburb.... There are plenty that are homey and affordable if you look around.

Newtown langhorne fits your bill with a downtown, beer, brewery, and home prices. Schools are great.




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[fuelish]

Check out Bristol, PA....north of Phila, a quaint OLD small borough (I grew up there, my dad rode the train - there's a station in town, or at least there was -to 30th St station every day to work, iirc)....been a long time, but it sure looks a lot nicer now than when I lived there. And then you can brag that you live in the town memorialized in the song "The Bristol Stomp" ....and there are many family owned pizza/hoagie shops in that one small town, it's not overrun by corporate pizzas!!! Cesare's is my fave...

 

[tcxryno]

Check out Yardley PA. I moved here from north of Pittsburgh about 2-3 years ago. Great small town neighborhood, My wife and I got a 3BR, ~2000 Sq Ft. House, with an in ground pool and finished basement for 300K, bout 7K a year in taxes. Great school district, I don't have kids yet, but its supposed to be "award winning." Pennsbury school district(not sure what all they mean by 'award winning'). Favorite part of our little town is the Brewery. Just opened up about a year and a half ago.
vaultbrewing.com
Its an old bank they turned into a brewery, see photo from this past weekend, Blackberry blonde, a Kolschfest, and a scallop ceviche.
The local homebrewclub hosts thier meetings at the brewery.
http://www.riversidehomebrew.com/
And there is a train station right in the middle of town that will take you to 30th St. station, I think its about a 40min ride.
Feel free to PM if you want any other info or opinions.

Cheers!

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

NJ is terrible. I live here and would rather be across the river. The public schools suck unless you can afford to be in the much more expensive areas. Taxes blow here and no relief is in sight.

We would dearly love to live in pa near langhorne/newtown area for the council rock school district.

Most of the places in DE that are commutable (lol at sitting on 95 for 5 hours a day) stink.

Good luck with your decision, but try to find a philly suburb.... There are plenty that are homey and affordable if you look around.

Newtown langhorne fits your bill with a downtown, beer, brewery, and home prices. Schools are great.




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Actually that's not entirely true about NJ. While it's true many of the best places in NJ are expensive. Haddonfield being a perfect example. It's not cheap but it's not Moorestown.

Also NJ you can easily send someone to a quality private school. My parents did that and it rocked for college, my brother was able to get a free ride to a very good school.

 

[dfess1]

Check out Lansdale, Ambler, Flourtown. basically, go to septa.org, click on the reginonal rail link, and find something along that. Stay out of the Philadelphia county itself. If you live in the city, I believe it's 6% city wage tax. If you just work in the city, its only 4% (at least it was when I lived in Roxborough 10 yrs ago).

I live in Flourtown. While there isn't a downtown, a mere 4 min drive takes me to Chestnut Hill which has an Iron Hill (brew pub), a really nice main street with a bunch of shops, and two more brew pubs in 5 min drive in either direction on the same road (Earth Bread and Brewery, Barren Hill Tavern and Brewery). You can also be down in the City proper in about 25 min by car, or have your pick of 3 different regional rail lines all within a 5 min drive from Flourtown (they are: Doyleston/Lansdale, Chestnut Hill East, and Chestnut Hill West lines).

Also, if you're into biking, you're only a 2 mile ride to the trail head of the Wissahickon Trail, which is a wide multi use path, that brings you down to the Schuylkill River Trail which will bring you directly into the city, or out to other suburbs.

That all said, regardless of where you go, you couldn't' have picked a better beer drinking city on the east coast. Enjoy!

 

[tminmur]

I'm up here in Philadelphia now... just finished with the job interview. I think I nailed it. Thank you everyone for the sage advice.

 

[jbehrens709]

Check out the Media Wallingford Swarthmore area. Nice little downtown areas, iron hill brewpub in downtown Media. Not too far out to Downingtown where Victory Brewery is located and very convenient to trains.

 

[temple240]

I lived in PA all my life and just moved to NJ because of the lack of affordable realestate in PA in the areas that I would want to live in. Just bought a house in Cherry Hill that is 1 mile from haddonfield and we couldn't be happier. Property taxes are $7k but we saved a lot of money on the house and NJ allows you to deduct your Philly wage tax from your state tax which is a big deal (can't do that in PA). Also, Patco is much cheaper than septa to get into the city. Flying fish is a big name brewery I'm the area and a new brewery is about to open in cherry hill.

Commuting into Philly can be a real ***** depending on where you live so choose carefully.

 

[milldoggy]

Media is a great town and pinnochios is a awesome bottle shop. Wayne is also a great town, teresas and the little downtown is nice.