I took the train to work for years still take it back to my parents in the burbs. Feel like public transport gets a bad rap. Region Rail is filled with business people coming from the suburbs each morning. Only time it's a little bad is past 12am when all the drunks get on. RR is the cleanest mode of public transport.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
PhillyGAF |OT|
- Thread starter esms
- Start date
I took the train to work for years still take it back to my parents in the burbs. Feel like public transport gets a bad rap. Region Rail is filled with business people coming from the suburbs each morning. Only time it's a little bad is past 12am when all the drunks get on. RR is the cleanest mode of public transport.
Captain Tuttle
Member
We're in Tredyffrin and both our lids are in public schools and we're very happy. Taxes are about 6,000/year on our house that we could likely sell for something in the low $500's (houses on our street have been going for more recently). Quality of life is good but it's definitely the suburbs and everything that goes with it, both good and bad. My son is also special needs and we've been really happy with the help that we've gotten through the County (Chester) and the school district.
Dang, my high school is in like the 50's, I thought it was a lot better than that haha.
Then again I was like 11th in my class when I applied to college and end up at a state school so maybe that's correct.
Suck it, LM, 'Stoga, and Strath Haven.
Just kidding, Central League bros
I actually thought Conestoga was tops nowadays
Manmademan
Member
of course it's an option, but a lot of people moving in from outside of the area don't realize just how good the local school districts actually are. You COULD send your kid to private school in the city, but you'd be spending significant amounts of money for an education that isn't any better. That's hard to justify. I'm not the only person who thinks this way- Philly being unable to keep millenials with children inside the city is a well documented problem.
I don't know if that's entirely fair. I spent 4 years in Philly just off girard avenue in fishtown. Walking distance to the piazza, JB's, Frankford Hall, etc. Since moving, the Media area is just awesome, not a single regret about moving down here. And if I want to head downtown (which I do, fairly often) regional rail gets me there easily without having to drive. I don't think I'd be entirely comfortable in say, Malvern- but the suburbs aren't all cookie cutter mcmansions- downtown media is pretty active.
Conestoga is VERY good, but it looks like the total percentage of kids taking and passing the AP exams this year knocked them down in the US news rankings a little bit.
Manmademan
Member
Pfft. State school?
just fucking with you. My high school was ranked nearly dead last. Also went to state school
totipotent.cell
Member
Thanks for sharing your perspectives.
I have been told that Philly suburbs have some of the best public schools around and it would be foolish not to take advantage of them if you can. And if we decide to live in one of those areas, we would not hesitate to enroll our daughter. But as AbortedWalrusFetus already stated, I was mentioning the possibility of going the private school route as a contingency plan rather than our primary preference.
Of course, we can always move to those areas with good district and reply on the regional rail systems, especially for those towns that are further away, and tell my wife to suck it up and deal with it. However, another confounding factor is that, due to the nature of our work, our schedules can be capricious at times and thus relying on a rigid rail schedule system can become very cumbersome. This is a big part of the reason why my wife wants us to drive in to work if we live out in the suburb but as many have already expressed, this is inadvisable.
Manmademan's point about the taxes currently being overhauled (as well as calculating in the wage tax being higher if we reside within the city) is an excellent one and I will keep an eye on that. Depending on the outcome, we may change the calculus in our approach. As such, most, if not all, our criteria for where to buy are fluid; we will have to adjust accordingly as we nail down various unknowns and spend some appreciable time in the various areas.
Thanks for all those that chimed in. There is already a wealth of knowledge many of you provided that I will further look into.
I have been told that Philly suburbs have some of the best public schools around and it would be foolish not to take advantage of them if you can. And if we decide to live in one of those areas, we would not hesitate to enroll our daughter. But as AbortedWalrusFetus already stated, I was mentioning the possibility of going the private school route as a contingency plan rather than our primary preference.
Of course, we can always move to those areas with good district and reply on the regional rail systems, especially for those towns that are further away, and tell my wife to suck it up and deal with it. However, another confounding factor is that, due to the nature of our work, our schedules can be capricious at times and thus relying on a rigid rail schedule system can become very cumbersome. This is a big part of the reason why my wife wants us to drive in to work if we live out in the suburb but as many have already expressed, this is inadvisable.
Manmademan's point about the taxes currently being overhauled (as well as calculating in the wage tax being higher if we reside within the city) is an excellent one and I will keep an eye on that. Depending on the outcome, we may change the calculus in our approach. As such, most, if not all, our criteria for where to buy are fluid; we will have to adjust accordingly as we nail down various unknowns and spend some appreciable time in the various areas.
Thanks for all those that chimed in. There is already a wealth of knowledge many of you provided that I will further look into.
Bay Maximus
Banned
Thanks for this. Will check out burbs close to a rail and will definitely look into Phoenixville and Collegeville.
I look forward to exploring the city and wearing Cubs'/Bears'/Bulls' jerseys at Philadelphia sporting events.
The regional rail schedule is pretty good, tbf to SEPTA. During peak hours most lines run every 15 minutes (I think there's a train to Jenkintown every 7-8 minutes most of the day, since like 3 lines run there), and roughly every half hour during non peak hours. I guess my point being, even with a crazy schedule, I don't think you'd ever have to worry about missing a train and then needing to wait an hour for the next one. There's also the Norristown high speed line (kind of a light rail type thing) that I think runs pretty frequently.
You should still live in the city though, just be aware of the wage tax!
manzoman96
Member
Woot, CB East and West being up there.
CB South represent!
Ace Harding
Member
There are very good public school districts, most of which are on the west side of the Schuylkill. But if you want to live in the city and can afford it, stick with private schools.
BTW, plenty of people live in those main line districts (Radnor, Lower Merion, etc) and still send their kids to private schools like Episcopal or St Joes Prep. By just about any measure the elite private schools are better than their public counterparts. It's just matter of whether it's worth the money for your child and if you can afford it. Some kids are Ivy bound no matter where they go, some need more support, etc.
Oh and forget about the wage tax. If you work in the city it barely matters where you live. For residents it's 3.92%. For non-residents it's 3.49%.
BTW, plenty of people live in those main line districts (Radnor, Lower Merion, etc) and still send their kids to private schools like Episcopal or St Joes Prep. By just about any measure the elite private schools are better than their public counterparts. It's just matter of whether it's worth the money for your child and if you can afford it. Some kids are Ivy bound no matter where they go, some need more support, etc.
Oh and forget about the wage tax. If you work in the city it barely matters where you live. For residents it's 3.92%. For non-residents it's 3.49%.
No one will care. Only Flyers fans are psychotic enough to attack someone over a jersey
Hell yeah, go Radnor. Going to high school there was (mostly) pretty tight.
SolidSnakeUS
Member
I was at East (and graduated from there) when South opened. I think that was... 2003? 2004?
Currently live in Bella Vista renting, looking to buy a house in the next couple of years. Would like to be in a spot where the local school district is pretty decent, but there's also public transportation to get into center city (as I have to go there for work often). Would also like there to be a little activity/nightlife wherever I end up. Looking at Media and Collingswood so far - anybody have other suggestions or can vouch for one of those?
AbortedWalrusFetus
Member
Every time I saw your name I figured you were from Philly because of the bar. Depending on where you live in Bella Vista you probably don't even need to move for a school. Meredith School covers parts of Queen Village and Bella Vista and is one of the best public schools in Philly. Not ALL Philly schools are bad, just most. Once the funding gets ironed out schools like Meredith will continue to thrive.
AbortedWalrusFetus
Member
The PA house unanimously voted against Wolf's tax plan. Great job guys. There's no way the budget is in by the end of the month.
illmatic22
Banned
SolidSnakeUS
Member
By the way, the Lion King Musical was pretty damn good. Not bad seats for what we paid .
.It's been wild here.
- Last week of classes (for quite a long time)
- Signed the lease for my new place come July
- My job's pumped to give me more work once I start full time in about a week
Hope everyone's been doing well.
Good to hear. I've been seeing those banners everywhere.
- Last week of classes (for quite a long time)
- Signed the lease for my new place come July
- My job's pumped to give me more work once I start full time in about a week
Hope everyone's been doing well.
By the way, the Lion King Musical was pretty damn good. Not bad seats for what we paid
Good to hear. I've been seeing those banners everywhere.
AbortedWalrusFetus
Member
I wonder how much of Manayunk is under water.
Yeah, it's more for the old neighborhood name than the bar, but spot on. The problem is that I'm renting in QV/BV area...I don't think I could ever afford to buy. Stepped into an open house for a recently rehabbed townhome at like 6th and Catharine about a month ago, asking price was $940K.
Captain Tuttle
Member
It's crazy going into the Manayunk Brewing Company and seeing the high water mark from that bad flood ten years ago or so.
andthebeatgoeson
Junior Member
Also, consider Jersey. Not as great as living downtown for entertainment purposes but an easy commute. Hop on PATCO and you can be downtown in 30 minutes. Free parking at most Patco stations. The schools are better than in the city.
Although, if you are enamored with the city, they have two, nationally recognized magnet schools (Masterman and Central; I was in 255 for a year). Masterman starts at 5th grade, so you would just have to find a great elementary school and force the kids to work hard to get good grades.
South Philly has some good neighborhoods to buy property and be close to Uni and TJU. Have fun at TJU, great hospital and school. I'm getting all misty thinking about it. Spent 4 great years drunk walking home to 10th and Spruce.
yankeehater
Member
I used to teach at Central, man that was such a great school.
AbortedWalrusFetus
Member
Jersey taxes are too damn high if you make any significant amount of money. It's the same tax rate as Philly, or higher, with none of the benefits of urban living. That said, Collingswood is pretty awesome.
Anyway yeah I am banking on my future kid getting into Masterman or Central, so it's just elementary I've got to worry about. We currently live near Masterman and all of the kids that go there seem great, well behaved, and very motivated.
Move to university city and hope they can get into the Penn Alexander school! Haha.
AbortedWalrusFetus
Member
I am actually contemplating moving into Domus in U. City in the near future. My wife and I kind of want to do a big expensive year of having fun and getting crazy before we settle down and have a kid. Looking at one of the two bedrooms.
I know some people who lived there (being across the street from the law school made it a little convenient haha). So expensive, but so nice. Not a bad plan if ya got the finances for it!
Domus is such a fucking rip. Although, if you've got the money to blow, you might as well.
It's basically a dorm, though. I've been in there a few times and not once was I sober, so be prepared if you pull the trigger.
AbortedWalrusFetus
Member
Yeah it would nearly triple our housing costs, but it would only be for a year so it would basically just come at the expense of our retirement funds/restaurant budget.
All luxury apartments are a rip. The dorm thing has worried me about Domus though, but I was under the impression it was mostly grad students.
It's tough, we have three requirements. We want a place that is pet friendly, has a pool, and has 2br/2ba apartments that are at least 1200sqft. The maximum we want to spend per month is about $3500. Unfortunately finding places with all three of those requirements is actually pretty hard.
http://philly.curbed.com/archives/2015/06/01/where-to-rent-philadelphia-apartment-help.php
Rental buildings in Philadelphia. Was just looking up Evo near 30th street, has a pool on the roof.
Rental buildings in Philadelphia. Was just looking up Evo near 30th street, has a pool on the roof.
Quite a few undergrads and gets decently rowdy on the weekends.
I know of a complex that fits the criteria except for 1.5 bath and no pool for $1950/mo. Depending on how important those two things are, it may be worth checking out.
AbortedWalrusFetus
Member
Evo is dorms almost in the literal sense. The apartment layouts are geared toward students only, not geared toward actual young established adult living.
Good to know. Looks like I'll cross that off the list.
It's actually pretty easy to find stuff if you drop the pool, but that's one of the main things we want. I live in Francisville now, so I certainly wouldn't want to move further from CC or the BSL as Brewerytown would be. I want more downtown nightlife and convenience.
The other thing is, there is not a ton of vacancies in a lot of places. I don't know how, but demand for luxury highrise apartments is huge. Rents for them are being driven up because demand is there and supply is not. That's why we're going to see something like 5-6 luxury highrises being completed in the next 2-3 years.
AbortedWalrusFetus
Member
Agreed on all points.
I'm fine with Brewerytown, though. For a fresh out college grad, it's right in my wheelhouse. Bus runs through the neighborhood as well.
I haven't looked to deep into it but check out if 3737 Chestnut fits the criteria. I think it's supposed to have a pool.
AbortedWalrusFetus
Member
It's a weird hobby I have but I've been following the real estate development scene in the city for almost five years. You really don't get a good picture about how the city is on the brink of exploding unless you do. There will be a dozen tower cranes up this year. That is a very large number for Philadelphia. There are several skyscrapers including the new tallest building in the city being built right now. There's a rumor Comcast might build a THIRD building going around.
If the city can reform business taxes in the way the Philadelphia Growth Coalition has outlined it will be a big deal. I think it will be the tipping point in terms of Philadelphia having stagnant and non-existent job growth to the city booming with jobs.
totipotent.cell
Member
Thank you and others for the input. We will keep NJ in mind. The fact that there is a Wegmans in Cherry Hill makes it extremely tempting.
I'm looking forward to forging a new path at TJU and making Philly my new home. I can't wait to take a short walk to Reading Terminal Market at lunch and trying out every delicious looking food available (and make my wife jealous)!
that's pretty cool! How long ago was this? I graduated 267. One of the things I really, really appreciated about the school that I didn't at the time was the sheer diversity of the student body. As a young dummy, I didn't really appreciate the benefits of that environment until I moved on to undergrad and now my masters program.You ever go on SkyscraperPage? I used to post there years ago but I use it to keep up with development in the city. Great forum for urban development, sounds like you'd like reading it to (if you don't already).
AbortedWalrusFetus
Member
Yup, been reading it for years. All the good real estate blogs too.
Manmademan
Member
Not really. Politics is fun. What the PA house did was split the "revenue generating" and "tax relief" portions into two separate bills for voting. No one wants to be on record as voting for a straight tax raise bill with nothing else attached, because that will just come back to haunt you during election season.
http://www.pennlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/06/get_the_popcorn_curtain_rises.html#incart_river
never intended to pass. didn't get republican OR democratic votes. This is political theatre, but par for the course for the PA general assembly.
what's ACTUALLY happening with the budget?
http://www.pennlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/06/state_budget_wolf_gop_leaders.html#incart_river
a compromise bill between the governor's plan, and the house plan is being hammered out behind closed doors. Neither one has enough support to pass entirely on it's own, so there's going to be some give and take on both sides. Republicans want pension reform (which they won't get) and liquor privatization (which they might) in exchange for the things Wolf wants. we'll see how that pans out.
note that I'm linking to pennlive, which is the harrisburg patriot-news website. The philly dailies are all absolutely fucking horrendous at covering and explaining what goes on in harrisburg.
AbortedWalrusFetus
Member
Yeah I've been following it. You think it will be in by the end of the month though? I see this sort of theater going for a while. On the privatization front there has actually been a lot of steps taken that should appease republicans. Direct mail wine, 12 packs at beer distributors, and a few other advancements. Don't think they'll get full on privatization though.
It's a shame Tom Ferrick doesn't write much any more because he was one of the few political writers that didn't rub me the wrong way. I like Smerconish but he's too focused on national politics which interests/effects me less. I just use newsworks for my political news really.
The food trucks on Drexel and Penn campuses blow the lunch options at reading terminal market out of the water
You will be jelly
Re: the bolded, since when?
BronsonLee
Member
Wait wot, no
Manmademan
Member
republicans don't care about that. they want to bust the union that runs the liquor stores. Everything else is details. I'm actually VERY good friends with the guy who wrote the liquor privatization bill under corbett. Privatization actually loses the state money, it doesn't generate revenue and everyone knows this.
as for the 30th? yeah. maybe slightly longer if things go WAY off the rails, but I don't anticipate that. Like I said- pension reform isn't happening. not only is there not enough support for it within the assembly, but it's unconstitutional. The leadership knows this, so don't expect pensions to be the issue that holds everything up. Wolf doesn't seem attached enough to liquor to let it derail everything else, so I think republicans might get that IF he can make it look like he saved pensions and lowered property tax in the process.
I don't know Tom Ferrick, but Smerconish has always been a jackass. Newsworks is WHYY- not bad but again they're focused on Philadelphia and Jersey, with very little harrisburg coverage. You'll see more on chris christie than you will on the budget negotiations.