To suburb or not to suburb? Moving to philly to work at HUP (Ardmore: real estate, apartment)

[kellyguacamole]

Hi all!

Hoping you can help me with this mental puzzle. Wife and I moving to Philly this summer. She's a nurse starting at HUP. Night shift hits hard (7p-7a) so want to minimize her commute.

I'll be in Fishtown (flexible hours).

We're currently in CT and both have 2 hour+ commutes so looking forward to a fresh start!

Grew up in Philly burbs (Flourtown) but haven't been back since 2006. We want to buy a place that we won't outgrow in 5-10 years (looking to start family next year).

Looking for 4+ bedroom, 1800+ sq foot with parking. Do we hit the suburbs (as short commute as possible) or stay in the city? Trying to think long term about a place and neighborhood with we won't outgrow, with decent public schools... Thank you!!!

When are you moving? June 2019
Where are you coming from? Stamford CT (but currently working in NYC)
Why are you moving? Wife starting as nurse at HUP
Where will you be working? HUP + fishtown
Have you been here yet? Grew up in Flourtown, but left for school in 2006 and never lived here as an adult!

Will you buy or rent? Buy!
If buying, are you looking for a house or a condo? How much can you spend? House with garage, $500k
If renting, are you looking for an apartment, a townhouse or loft? How much can you spend?
Do you prefer hi-rise or walk up?

Do you have a preference of living in a NJ or PA suburb? PA!
(If you answered NJ - post your answers here: [url]https://www.city-data.com/forum/new-j...-philadelphia/[/url])

Are you married or single? Do you have children? Married LGBT
Do you prefer public or private schools? We're 5 years out from thinking about schools, but want to move somewhere for the long term!
Do you have pets? nope
Do you want or need a yard? Yes please!
Are you keeping a car? Yes
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? Quiet but love to be able to walk to a beer, coffee

What do you want to be closest to?
Work Wife works lots of night shifts (7p-7a) so want to minimize commute for her as much as possible
Shopping
Basic services (supermarket, drugstore, etc.)
Nightlife
Train or subway stations As close as possible to get her to HUP 34th & Spruce

Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood? Diverse

Favorite Beverage - Craft Beer, wine, water? Beer & water!

[TownDweller]

Others will not doubt chime in but based on the need for schools, suburbs are probably the better answer. Several suburban train lines will connect to the station at 30th St.

[FKD19124]

I agree. suburban school district is a better choice. You might want to try Conshohocken which has two train stations that go into the city.

Originally Posted by TownDweller

Others will not doubt chime in but based on the need for schools, suburbs are probably the better answer. Several suburban train lines will connect to the station at 30th St.

[KP1983]

My wife works at HUP and we live in Jenkintown Borough. She walks to the Jenkintown/Wyncote train station and it is roughly 30 minutes to University City Station (which brings you right to HUP). Although, I am not sure how the train runs for night shift, but the drive from Jenkintown to HUP is not that bad either (as long as you're not in rush hour!). We lived in Oreland prior to Jenkintown. I also worked at Penn Medicine (corporate) at that time, and I would use Oreland Station to get to 30th St Station. It was not a bad commute, but trains don't come through Oreland Station as frequent as Jenkintown. Again, not sure if you prefer driving or the train, be either way, you will have a lot of options. Side note: Jenkintown Borough has a very small and good public school, we have the White Horse Coffee & Creamery, and my favorite, the relatively new Borough Brewhouse (Neshaminy Creek Brewing Co), along with some other small restaurants and shops. It is a nice walkable suburb that doesn't make you feel like you are in nowhere land. With that said, you can also find these qualities in many Main Line towns (Ardmore, Bryn Mawr, etc.) and towns outside the Main Line (Havertown, Media, etc.).

[FrankInPhilly]

Inner suburbs will generally be, as KP1983 pointed out, a good fit for HUP commute. Just keep in mind that the farther West you go (think of 8 to 12 on a clock), the more problematic it will be getting to Fishtown.

[KansastoSouthphilly]

The lines that go to U City station are:


Airport
Warminster
Wilmington
West Trenton
Media/Elwyn


Since one of you will be driving to Fishtown regularly I would recommend looking at towns along the Warminster and West Trenton Lines.


Jenkintown Station is on both lines and I think is your best bet. Your budget should afford you something nice. I would also maybe look in Glenside.

[JacksonPanther]

Jenkintiwn to Fishtown, Google claims 34 minutes (in the middle of the day), I95 and Cottman Ave. Does that sound right to those of you familiar with that part of town?

[NewtownBucks]

I would think maybe Bala Cynwyd might be a good place to look, too. That's pretty centrally located with it's own little downtown area plus close proximity to Narberth and Manayunk. Lower Merion schools are great. You'd have to look into the real estate situation. A lot will be out of your budget, but I'd guess there is probably some stock in normal people's range, too.

[NewtownBucks]

Originally Posted by JacksonPanther

Jenkintiwn to Fishtown, Google claims 34 minutes (in the middle of the day), I95 and Cottman Ave. Does that sound right to those of you familiar with that part of town?

I don't know why you would get off 95 at Cottman to go to Fishtown. The Girard exit dumps you right there.

[TownDweller]

One thing about these inner ring suburbs is typically high property taxes. A $500k property could cost the same after taxes as a $400k or a $600k property in another area. Something to consider...