My husband and I would like to leave Center City for the suburbs -- essentially I need a yard and a dog and a horse to regain my sanity after years spent in New York and Center City. But since we're not from this area, we really have no idea where even to start looking.

The ideal situation would be somewhere quiet (I'd even take rural over suburban) with a reasonable commute to Center City (I say "reasonable" as someone who once got used to an hour commute). We're on starving student salaries, so the more affordable the better -- like under $1000 (or am I dreaming?). Could anyone at least point us in a direction? We just got Philly Car Share, so for the first time since we've lived here we actually have the option of leaving the city to look at other areas, but we don't even know where to start. Northeast of the city? Northwest? Southeast? As someone who has seen almost nothing of Pennsylvania except what's within a mile or two of Center City, I'm a bit lost.

Thanks in advance!

Just a thought--there are plenty of areas within the City that have yards and are quiet and are affordable, and will give you room for a dog and access to public transit. Look NE and NW.

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Would you care for some cheese with that whine? PBers possess a gene to whine about everything.

WE'RE PHILADELPHIA, DAMMIT! GET IT? GOOD!

Like HGurl said, you can probably find a place in Manayunk/Roxborough/Germantown or somewhere in the Northeast. I'd also add University City/West Philly to the list. Moving to the suburbs, especially the "rural" areas almost certainly requires you to buy a car. Car sharing is awesome if your primary mobility is walking or transit, but can't really help you if you have to drive four miles to pick up some toilet paper. You should keep that in mind when you're looking.

I suggest that you look in the rural areas of Upper Roxborough, especially by the Nature Center. You might be able to find an old unimproved farmhouse. Also, Fairmount Park has an impressive inventory of Park Houses which they rent to try to keep them up, which they do a poor job of. If proximity to horses is most important, there are at least three stables in Roxborough for people who ride in the Wissahickon; obviously they are proximate to the park. Green Lane next to the Park (in Lower Roxborough) has both stables and cheap apartments, but they are from the 60's. River Road isn't particularly horse friendly (more boat friendly, but it is only about a mile from Courtesy Stables, if you are willing to hoof it over a semi-abandoned and very rural Port Royal Ave), but it is rural, picturesque, and cheap, sort of like the rural south (Alabama?) in Philadelphia. Very jarring. Old Florida also comes to mind.

Yeah, I'm not even a 'burb hater like many others on PB, but I think that the suggestions of everyone else so far are spot on. You are better off in the more remote areas of Philly than in the burbs. In your price range, you'd have to get something which would be in an inner ring burb, which is often more congested than areas of the city.

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Drown the fishes.

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions so far...and feel free to keep 'em coming!

We are going to check out some of the outlying areas of the city (as some have mentioned, Germantown, etc) as soon as we can. Someone also suggested the New Hope area to me today, so we might try to take a drive up there, too.

And I should have mentioned that I will, by the time we're ready to move, have a car -- my brother is upgrading and selling us his for cheap.

Thanks again!

Incidentally, Billy, do you know whom one might contact to get more information about the park houses? A friend mentioned it to me years ago, but I had completely forgotten. I can't seem to find any information on the Park's site.

New Hope is beautiful, expensive and far from CC.

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Would you care for some cheese with that whine? PBers possess a gene to whine about everything.

WE'RE PHILADELPHIA, DAMMIT! GET IT? GOOD!

There is a ranger station on Wissahickon Avenue in Blue Bell Hill, which is a really beautiful small village in the city mostly surrounded by the Park, and the city employees there should be able to send you in the right direction. If they are unhelpful, ask for Tom Doyle, one of the rangers there; he might need to do some digging, but he can find out; he was born in a Park house, which sadly is now in ruins.

Thanks, Billy - I appreciate the help!