I bet there are more bad dudes at 10th and Butler than Rt 23 and Spring Mill. Crime stats seems to back up my statement.

Some might call you 1 way, or ignorant for judging something before trying it.

I agree. I also think the suburbs are a great place to live..and they generally have better school and crime rates than the city. If people care more about public education and saftey, the burbs make a lot of sense. Esp when housing is cheaper and they are missing that wage tax.

We have lost over 4,000 soldiers in Iraq because the Middle East has oil and our suburban car culture needs that oil. The US must become independent of Middle East oil. The car-based suburbs are the problem. Our car-based culture is the problem. If we hadn't built our world around oil, and built it around, for instance, tar sands, it would be the Canadians rolling in the dough and the Twin Towers would still be standing. Who are we kidding?

yeah, and I'm sure the kids of the people choosing between Queen Village and Haverford are hanging out on 10th and Butler.


I've spent time in the suburbs and lived in rural areas. it's not like i have no idea what it's like. i just really prefer the urban. also loathe the expense of cars, and the cost and time committment of large house and garden maintenance. to each his own.

again, that's kind of unfair. people who live in the city CARE a lot about public education and safety. it's just not their number one priority in choosing a place to live.

Housing is cheaper in lower Merion than Philadelphia? really? I had no idea.

Last time I checked, a house with the same value in lower merion as mine in Philly is paying four times as much property tax.

For some reason people seem less bugged by huge property taxes than by wage taxes, which are scheduled to go down every year for the next several. Not forseeing reductions in suburban property taxes in the near future.

again, both have their pros and cons.

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Adlerian PLEASE SEEK ANOTHER THERAPIST, this one IS NOT WORKING

kinda off topic, but Canada is actually the second largest oil producing nation in the world. I always find that interesting.

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Adlerian PLEASE SEEK ANOTHER THERAPIST, this one IS NOT WORKING

How about 4th and Christian?

I agree on the smaller home and land. It is possible to strongly prefer the city but acknowledge the good in the burbs. (something that seems quite difficult for you)

Who said that? I can say that my boss sold his home on Delancy for a place in Villanova...and he is pocketing a lot more $$$ every month. I can also say that I pay a lot more $$$ for my EF row than my parents pay for their Drexel Hill row. EF and DHill have similar demographics and DHill has better public schools. Grade schools are way better, and Upper Darby is much better than Rox. (which isn't saying much unfortunately)

According to the Inky, 49% of kids from Upper Darby High go on to a four year college, 34% go on to a two year college, and 1% enlist in the military. The numbers for Roxborough High are 60%, 20%, and 10%, respectively. Not a world of difference, IMO, except for serving their country. Also, Drexel Hill is famous for its confiscatory property taxes. As a percent of value, I am sure that you get a much better deal on property taxes than your parents.

Their prop taxes are $300 more than mine per year. Their home is prob worth $190k and is a little larger than mine. My dad hasn't paid city wage for 12 years. He works 10min away and my mom is able to walk or take a bus to everything. (she has never driven)

wow this got hostile..

anyways newtown/doylestown area is really nice. newtown a little less expensive. many families great schools and a nice downtown

Will someone go back and re-read the OPs post? They need a 'reasonable commute' to CC. There are nice burbs, sure, but unless you're talking inner-ring suburbs, where things will get more expensive because of that proximity to CC, some of the suggestions won't work. They are lovely suburbs, BUT... Newtown and Doylestown are an hour from CC BY TRAIN!

I stand by my recommendations of the NE (yes, Virginia, there really are nice, convenient areas of the NE, WITH yards and parking and very close to public transit and ALL manner of shopping (hint, saves on gas!) and an easy commute to CC. Or the NW, which is very pretty, and there are places with yards, parking, etc.

But you may have all scared Zannebar off. Sheesh.

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Malloy: You are being somewhat disingenuous: your parents' house may be a little larger than yours, but at 190k it is worth alot less than yours (300k). Also, your taxes of $2350 are quite high by Philly rowhouse standards, commensurately with the value of your house. The taxes on a rowhome are usually in the $1500 range.

The overall picture you paint of Upper Darby High School is not impressive. A '3' rating out of 10 beats Roxborough's '2', but doesn't justify your claim 'Upper Darby is much better than Rox. (sic)', which implies that Upper Darby is actually a good school, while Roxborough is a bad school, when in reality they are both at the bottom of the totem pole. While I do admit that Roxborough's standardized test scores are significantly lower than Upper Darby's, I believe that that is because Roxborough has a large population of black students, and blacks statistically don't do as well in standardized tests, irrespective of their processing abilities. I detect the same trend at work in Central High School's test scores.