Reply to Leaving DC for a lower COL area

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The top two hospitals in the United States are in Cleveland and Rochester, MN. #3 is in Baltimore, #5 is in Michigan, #11 is in St. Louis, #12 is in Phoenix, #14 is in Philadelphia, #15 is in Pittsburgh, #17 is in Nashville, and #19 is in Durham.

Whoever said lower COL areas have crappy hospitals has no idea what they are talking about. [/quote]

Nice homes and good schools are hardly cheap in Phoenix, Philly, or Durham.

These are still real cities.  Not that much cheaper, especially if you want decent neighborhoods[/quote]

We live in Philadelphia. I can buy a house in an excellent school district and still be close to Center City for 500k or less. I'm not sure why people are pretending it's somehow no different from DC. There are expensive areas and if you want a large beautiful house in a top neighborhood with top public or private schools you will pay for it, sure, but it'll be cheaper than the equivalent in DC. And even the Mainline has affordable housing for 500k and under. They won't be large and will usually be attached semi-detached housing, but you get great schools, a pleasant neighborhood and a short commute via regional rail to Center City.

Most of our neighbors are highly educated people who went to the best colleges and universities in this country. I don't think they're any less intelligent than people in DC or Boston. They all have great jobs. I find the self-absorbed, self-important perspective of so many DC people chilling rather than informative.

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Thinking about a move to the Philly area and wondering where you ended up, PP. [/quote]

We still live in Center City but are eyeing a move to the suburbs next year for schools. We really like Wyndmoor, which is just north of Chestnut Hill and has great schools and a lovely housing stock. It's more varied than most Main Line towns and a bit more laid back and we like the Chestnut Hill shopping area along Germantown Avenue. Main Line towns are slightly closer and we will still look into the towns. The housing stock varies greatly. People think it's all mansions but it's not. It's a mixture of mansions and family housing and even affordable duplexes and rows. It entirely depends on where you go in each town. Schools are excellent. Of the towns we like Wynnewood and Merion Station, both closest to the Center City. We also like Wayne but it's a bit further out. Narberth is the most affordable of the Main Line towns, along with Ardmore, but most of these towns feed into the same schools (Lower Merion), with Wayne feeding into Radnor schools (also excellent).

Other towns that get rave reviews are Swarthmore/Media and on the NJ side, Haddonfield.

We are also talking to knowledgeable people about navigating the Philadelphia schools. Some of the neighborhood elementary schools are excellent. The city-wide examination entry high school, Masterman, is one of the best in the nation. It's middle schools that are the problem. We're still exploring the pros and cons of buying in places like Mount Airy or Chestnut Hill itself. [/quote]

Hello Philly! I live out in the Western 'burbs. Moved here from DC a few years ago. I own a small little cottage type house that would have cost me 3 times as much back in an equivalent area in the DC 'burbs. I can walk to the train and my commute total time (door to door) is about 1/2 hour. We can also walk to a few restaurants, and drive 5 minutes to others. My family is much happier here. We have found the locals to be very friendly and inviting.

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