I'm moving..... to Philly (Philadelphia, York: apartments, crime, homes)

[lyric4l]

Hello everyone,
I have been reading some of the threads however, all they have managed to do was confuse me more. I am a recently divorced 32 year old woman with no children who wants to start a new. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York and have decided on moving to Phily. I was strongly considering Center City as I like to be in the mix but I read some things that have lead me to change my mind. I have a car and love to drive EVERYWHERE...lol so I would need an apartment that allows me to have a parking space. I have a large 65lb Shep and I already have noticed that many apartments don't accept her and she is certainly my baby. I work in the Social Services field and I am not too worried about getting a job once I get there though I have saved enough at this point to live fine for up to 3-4 months. My max on a one bedroom would be 1,000 per month as I am not sure what type of position will get. I am soooo excited!!
I have been on mynewplace.com, rent.com and a per friendly site looking for apartments and have found a few. Please note that I have NEVER been to philly, the closest would be harrisburg and doylestown PA. Would anyone know any Social Service organizations that are well know and worth me placing an application with? Could you name any specific apartments that you may know of? Also, how about a place called Manayunk?

Thank you so much.

Thanks

[JerzBoy]

Manayunk is a good area. Lots of young professionals live there and lots of bars etc. It would be easier to park there than center city and probly a little cheaper too. 1k isn't going to get you a place in center city w/ a parking space. Parking is extremely tough and expensive down there.

[newmarlig]

You might also want to consider Collingswood, NJ. The New Jersey High Speed Line will get you into center city quickly. It would be a better idea to get a job first. That way it would be easier to make living recommendations.

[Sassygirl18]

I agree with the Collingswood, NJ suggestion. It would be more suitable for you than the city since you want to have a car and you have a large dog. There are nice parks in Collingswood and it's a cute, quaint town with a nice main street (shops, restaurants). The PATCO high speedline is GREAT - I take it every day to work in Philly - and runs right through the center of Collingswood. Gets you to Center City, Philly in about 15 minutes ($5 round trip). It probably wouldn't be too difficult to find an apartment in the $1,000/month range either. The other great thing about Collingswood is you are within a 5 minute drive of Cherry Hill, NJ and Moorestown, NJ which are 2 of the biggest shopping mecas in the area. 2 malls, plus tons of other stores.

Here's a photo of Haddon Avenue, the main street that runs through Collingswood, during the holidays:

[thesixth]

You could also try Northeast Philadelphia neighborhoods if you want to keep the car & have room for your dog.

[newmarlig]

Originally Posted by thesixth

You could also try Northeast Philadelphia neighborhoods if you want to keep the car & have room for your dog.

And live a boring life.

[greenemachines]

I live in Bridgeport, PA. It's very convenient to Philadelphia. About 18 miles but very quick on the main roads. The King of Prussia Mall and Valley Forge Park are about 4 miles away. Apartments here are about $700 and there are lots of them in private homes. Many of them are more lenient about pets. Some will charge an extra amount for security deposit. This is a great town. Police force is excellent. The community is very intolerant of crime and it is almost nonexistent. Lots of people still leave their doors unlocked. You can have it all here! There are at least 4 hospitals in the area and many counseling services, etc. LOL

[Max America]

Coming from brooklyn I would recommend that you find a place in the city core. Not in collingswood or northeast philly, those places are very suburban and nothing like actually living in the city. Manayunk is full of relatively recent college grads and while it's fine it might not be what you're looking for.

It's tough to find a place with parking in the city on your budget, but in some parts, South Philly, Northern Liberties and even Fairmount you can get by with parking on the street.

[GraysFerryB4]

I think being over 30, you are moving out of the Manyunk age group as well. It's like "grad school land". The congestion is heavy and access to the city can be hit or miss with the highway or Kelley Drive. Meaning the 4 mile commute can take an hour on traffic days. My first thought would be the Passyunk Square or East Passyunk Crossing area of S. Philly...the "Pat's & Geno's Neighborhood. Problem with a dog that size, your s/f would be limited on $1,000 a month. The more blocks north you go to center city, the less s/f you will get.
Forget the northeast section of Philly, it's gone straight down hill and you will not get a fresh start there as there is not many people to meet or few places to meet them. You want to be close to the city proper. Collingswood is an excellent suggestion as far as proximity vs. square footage goes. Even though it's NJ, you are closer to CC Philly that many parts of Philly itself.

[FindingZen]

It would appear that the OP never replied to the thread she started over three years ago. Let's hope that she found what she was looking for.