I'm a physician in Chicago, and I have been offered a job at Thomas Jefferson, which I am seriously considering. My wife & I are trying to decide if/where we would like to live in Philadelphia.

I am a city kid (NYC) and my wife is from the deep suburbs. We have come to appreciate different facets of each other's living environments, though. We also have 2 boys, ages 3.5 and 1 year. We have found that an urban-suburban compromise place is really what works best for us. Basically we're looking for something that has a) grass & trees; b) plenty of families with small kids; c) good schools; d) stores/restaurants/parks within walking distance, since I can't stand a place where you have to get in a car to do anything. Also, I won't spend more than 30-35 minutes in a car (or train) commuting. Thanks to the unbelievable real estate market in our current neighborhood, we can spend up to the 600s for a nice house.

I drove & walked in Chestnut Hill when I came to interview, and I thought it was absolutely delightful. I have questions, though, particularly about the schools. Does anybody here know if Jenks, the local K-8, is any good? I've heard mixed things. Someone also mentioned Masterman as a possible option beginning in 5th grade (at least, if my kids can test in!). Also, what would the driving commute be like from Chestnut Hill to Center City during rush hour? (I know the train is also a good option.) Last, are there major problems with city services there (snow & trash removal, etc) as opposed to the suburbs?javascript:emoticon(':what_is_:')

We will also be looking at the Main Line, especially the closer-in parts like Narberth & Bala Cynwyd (? too suburban?), and at Haddonfield (sounds terrific but . . . it is New Jersey).

Many thanks for any sage advise you Phillybloggers can offer.

It took me 15 minutes this morning to drive to Center City from Germantown. I'm about 15 minutes from Chestnut Hill, so you're looking at a half-hour or so by car. About the same by train.

I haven't heard of any problems with snow removal in Chestnut Hill, though there seems to be problems annually in Roxborough, Manayunk, South Philadelphia and the Northeast. Trash removal seems pretty reliable, though I live in an apartment with private services. Can't help you with the schools.

In addition to Chestnut Hill, you might also want to consider West Mt. Airy...it's a great area, it's right next to CH and it's cheaper.

Good luck!

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No commute into center city is easy at rush hour, but it's not bad from Chestnut Hill because you'll minimize your time on I-76, a road that was inadequate on the day it opened (yes, there was a traffic jam on day 1... and every day since then). The quickest route is Germantown Pike east to Cresheim Valley Road to Emlen to Lincoln Drive to I-76. Traffic moves pretty swiftly in the mornings, even on Lincoln Drive. It's when you get to the expressway that you hit traffic—but you've missed a big stretch of it.

Still, the better option is SEPTA, assuming it's still in business by the time you get here. The R7 train goes into center city, and the Market East stop is a block or two from Jefferson.

Service is better in Chestnut Hill than many parts of the city but not quite as good as the suburbs.

Narberth is a quaint little town but a poor substitute for Chestnut Hill. And you'd be kind of stranded in the 'burbs, making the commute harder. You'd have to take Montgomery Avenue and then a bunch of back roads to Manayunk and hop on I-76 at Belmont Avenue. So, vis-a-vis Chestnut Hill, it's a longer commute and less interesting place to live... but no city wage tax and probably slightly better services. Your call.

Cross Bala Cynwyd off the list. It's the red-headed step child of the Main Line. Very bland, and there's lots of traffic congestion.


Ahhh, he's not even here yet and already he's bad-mouthing New Jersey. You'll do fine. ;-)

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Look at Collingswood, NJ too. It's just over the river, about 15 minutes from Center City by the PATCO rail line (small commuter trains that turn into a subway in Philly), and it's a really nice little town, I think, with an old-fashioned main street and a nice park along a river. The western edge of Collingswood abuts Camden, which is pretty rough, but other parts of the town are very pleasant.

The PATCO line stops right at Jefferson U., pretty much, so it'd be an easy commute.

Anybody know anything about the schools (and magnet/charter school options) in Chestnut Hill? My wife is very concerned about this. I know that Lower Merion and Haddonfield both have excellent school districts.
(But man, do you pay for it . . . the property taxes in Haddonfield are pretty astonishing.)

The School District of Philadelphia website has some stats, including test scores, for most of their schools:

https://sdp-webprod2.phila.k12.pa.us...choolsInfo.jsp

Harder to get info on private, parochial and charter schools.

I say buy a $500K house in Wash West (close to Jefferson) and use the other $100K to send your kids to Friends Select (one of the best private schools in North America!), The Philadelphia School, or St. Peter's. If you are looking in Chestnut Hill, you have the Chestnut Hill Academy (I think that it's all boys, though), and Crefeld School (a little off-beat, but very high quality).

Why is Bala-Cynwyd the "bastard stepchild" of the Main Line? It looked nice enough to me -- maybe a little more suburban than I'd like, but also very close to Fairmount Park, Manayunk, and some commercial stuff on City Ave. I would assume the commute is pretty reasonable too. If it's a "cachet" thing, then that's fine -- I like to avoid cachet whenever possible.

As for my comments about NJ -- as I mentioned, I'm a New Yorker, and we say the same things about Jersey that you Philadelphians apparently do. (On the other hand, this dinky little state one-eighth the size of PA has 15 electoral votes and a population that is 23% professional people.) I got the impression that Haddonfield, while IN New Jersey, is not OF New Jersey the way, say Cherry Hill is.[/quote]

It would be silly to live in Wash West and spend that kind of money on private school when there's a very good free public elementary school right in the neighborhood - McCall. My wife and I have toured it twice and talked to parents, and it's near the top of our list of favorites for when our daughter turns 5.

Look here and click on #1, "General George A. McCall School," to get a bit of info:

http://centercityschools.com/map_n_info.htm

More info here:

http://www.mccall.phila.k12.pa.us/

As far as being in the city goes, I think University City might fit into your needs nicely as well. Its more diverse than Chestnut Hill (or any place in the suburbs for that matter), but I tend to think it makes it more interesting. Its still very urban...most of the houses are attached, with many twins, and a handful of singles. But, it was built with more green space in mind. Clark Park is a fabulous amenity of the neighborhood and a gathering place for the community. Trolleys connect the area very well with Center City for an easy commute (under 15 minutes). The new Penn Alexander school is a highly rated elementary school that was just built two years ago. After that, Masterman and Central High are your best options for Public Education.

Housing prices seem to be well within your range...$300 to $500, for the most part. But you get a LOT of house for the money.

The areas to look at would be Spruce Hill and Garden Court. Check out the University City section for more threads. And check out www.urbanbye.com & www.odonnellre.com for listings in the area.

Good Luck

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