Pennsylvania Questions

[Bryan330i]

I am slightly entertaining the possibility of moving to the Philadelphia area. Although I have visited the area and passed through a dozen times, I have not been to the area in about 5 years and have never lived there.

As far as commuting, is it realistic or absolutely insane to take on a daily commute from Wilmington DE to Philadelphia?

Are there some general areas in PA that would be better for commuting? Where would you suggest?

I am just doing initial “what if” type of research into the area.

Thanks!

 

[epj3]

I am slightly entertaining the possibility of moving to the Philadelphia area. Although I have visited the area and passed through a dozen times, I have not been to the area in about 5 years and have never lived there.

As far as commuting, is it realistic or absolutely insane to take on a daily commute from Wilmington DE to Philadelphia?

Are there some general areas in PA that would be better for commuting? Where would you suggest?

I am just doing initial “what if” type of research into the area.

Thanks!

Not insane at all - a LOT of people do it. I believe delaware's state/local taxes are also lower than PA's? So it would make sense to live there. I know Villanova is a decent place to live, as is PARTS of West Chester. My friend lives in Yardley and that isn't TOO bad.

I live in Lancaster county which is a GREAT area. Even though there is an increase in traffic, it's still a suburban area - but it's mixed with everything. People take bus trips from the bordering states to come to Lancaster for the shopping and tourism... It's a VERY nice area, and I would definitely live here my whole life if there were jobs in the fields I want to enter...

I'm sure Kirby will have better advice though... property costs around here are lower than a lot of places, but in some area's (Manheim Township), the prices are insanely high.

 

[Stitch]

Yeah, you have kids. You will consider the school distinct. Villanova University was one of those colleges that I went to. It is right in the mainline area, where all those multi-billionaires live, but still have sth 250,000 and up in Haverford, Montgomery Co. The closest end to Philadelphia of Mainline. Or even right inside Mainline, there is Wayne. Doctors love these areas. If you want a bit closer to DE, try Kennett Square, Chester Co, PA . Nice and quiet neighbourhood. It is like 15 to 20 mins to DE Wilmington. You can even skip the highways & use the back roads.

 

[Kirby]

Philadelphia is a short drive on I-95 from Wilmington, as Stitch said, around 20 minutes in normal traffic, up to an hour during rush hour. There are some bottleneck areas where traffic gets backed up, usually in the vicinity of the Phila. Airport and I-476 (called the "Blue Route" by locals).

A lot of people who work in the greater Philadelphia area are moving out further and commuting up to 45 min to an hour from the northwest and west areas. Real Estate and car insurance in Berks and Lancaster county is much lower (25% to 50%) than Chester and Montgomery counties. Like any of the large cities, the closer you live to the city, the higher real estate costs are. Cost of living, other than real estate and insurance, is fairly even throughout the area.

My wife did this drive for several years twice a week when she was in a Master's program. Most recently, she has applied for a post MD fellowship, we find out Wednesday if she was accepted by her first choice which is in downtown Phila. If so, she'll be doing the commute daily for 2 years.

 

[epj3]

Philadelphia is a short drive on I-95 from Wilmington, as Stitch said, around 20 minutes in normal traffic, up to an hour during rush hour. There are some bottleneck areas where traffic gets backed up, usually in the vicinity of the Phila. Airport and I-476 (called the "Blue Route" by locals).

A lot of people who work in the greater Philadelphia area are moving out further and commuting up to 45 min to an hour from the northwest and west areas. Real Estate and car insurance in Berks and Lancaster county is much lower (25% to 50%) than Chester and Montgomery counties. Like any of the large cities, the closer you live to the city, the higher real estate costs are. Cost of living, other than real estate and insurance, is fairly even throughout the area.

My wife did this drive for several years twice a week when she was in a Master's program. Most recently, she has applied for a post MD fellowship, we find out Wednesday if she was accepted by her first choice which is in downtown Phila. If so, she'll be doing the commute daily for 2 years.

Not to mention the futher away from the city, the nicer the neighborhoods and the schools (k-12.....for the most part anyways).

My friend and his company drive out to philly every day and they don't have any complaints, except when coming back and there's an overturned tractor trailer.

 

[Bryan330i]

Thanks for all the information. This gives some real direction to my decision.

I was originally thinking DE because it was most familiar. The other areas all of you pointed out look great also.

This whole move seems like a monstrous task but I need to get my kids out of this place. Oh well, I guess I just keep chipping away at the obstacles and one day it will happen. I just don’t want to be in a position of needing to travel back here all the time.