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Where would you live in Philly?
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Anonymous
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I know there are a million of these posts about DC, but I am moving to Philly and know very little about the area. I will be working in Center City. We want a walkable neighborhood with good schools where we can get a decent 3-4 bedroom semi-detached or detached for around 400K. (By walkable, I mean we only have one car and we want to be able to walk everywhere. Think downtown Bethesda.)
What little research I have done indicates that we could possibly swing Chestnut Hill or Collingswood, NJ. Are these the right kind of places? Thanks in advance! |
Anonymous
| what about the main line. Over by Villanova University? |
Anonymous
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Wynnewood or Bryn Mawr. Access to the R5 rail line, lots of little shops and restaurants, and if you really want to walk to a grocery store, there are beautiful residential neighborhoods near the Wynnewood Genuardi's, which is right across the street from the R5 station. Oh, and best public schools in the nation.
Can you tell I've given this some thought? It's my dream neighborhood. 
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Anonymous
| I love Bryn Mawr! We got married there. You're making me miss home... |
Anonymous
Could you please share, on what criteria is the statement in bold based? Thanks. |
Anonymous
Memory. When I lived there (10 years ago, pre-kids) there was much noise about how the Lower Merion school district was ranked near the top of US News and World Report's list. Or was it Upper Merion? I don't remember. Don't take my word for it! |
Anonymous
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Definitely the Main Line -- Bryn Mawr, Radnor, Wynnewood, Ardmore, Bala Cynwood. There are many more nice areas as well on the Main Line, but those are some of my favorites. Great schools, great neighborhood vibe, restaurants, shops, and you can take the train very easily into the city. I grew up in that area and would kill to move back if only I could do the same kind of work I do here in DC up there.
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Anonymous
| agree main line. My mom grew up in Narberth. |
Anonymous
| Radnor. Wayne Township. |
Anonymous
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OP, we actually moved from DC three years ago to Philly and live in Chestnut Hill (though still frequenting DCUM ). I'd be happy to email with you offline if you're interested.
But in a nutshell: We decided against the Main Line and other suburbs because, like you, we REALLY wanted walkability. We visited the suburban areas when we were looking and just didn't connect with them, and three years later I'm so glad we ended up where we did. The schools around us are not great, but people do make them work (our DS is still very young so we haven't had to make a decision). There are a couple city neighborhoods that have strong public schools, namely University City (near Penn) and Queen Village right near Center City, a wonderful area. Make sure you're in the school district, though--called a catchment here. It's easy to end up on the wrong side of the street or something. Mount Airy/Chestnut Hill (adjacent neighborhoods) are fantastic, but there are other great areas too. Best of luck and welcome to Philly! |
Anonymous
| Radnor is an excellent school district. As is Lower Merion. Both Main Line. |
Anonymous
My Dad is from Narberth! |
Anonymous
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This is 16:11 again, the DC to Philly transplant. I wanted to add that when we were trying to figure out where to live (we didn't know Philly at all either), I found this website invaluable: http://www.philadelphiaspeaks.com/
If you scroll down a bit, there's a forum on relocating to Philadelphia, with a short questionnaire you can fill out. People will then suggest areas to live based on what's important to you. The suggestions given to us were spot-on and really helped orient me in the city. |
Anonymous
| Main Line/Lower Merion |
Anonymous
| I think it might be hard to find what you want in the main line for that price. |