The Decision to Move to the Suburbs

I have a confession to make.  I've been thinking about moving to the suburbs.

When we moved to Philadelphia in 2004 with a toddler and another baby on the way, my husband and I weren't sure if our move would be permanent.  We didn't give a lot of thought to things like real estate, taxes or schools.  A post office, the pediatrician, three grocery stores, several libraries and two independent coffee shops were all within walking distance.  Although the area has its share of crime, it didn't appear to be plagued by the same level of crime and violence that I associate with most major cities. It's green and clean.  The people are friendly and progressive.

Over the next six years, we embraced the Mt. Airy-ness of it all. I walked the babies along Forbidden Drive, met other parents at Allens Lane for playdates, and hopped on the train whenever I got the urge to travel downtown. We shopped at Weavers Way and bought a share in a CSA in the spring. I joined a playgroup, and when that wasn't enough, started a local parenting group--Mt. Airy Parents' Network--with other like-minded parents.

When our daughter turned three, we did the Mt. Airy thing and enrolled her in one of the local cooperative preschools, The Big Backyard. And when she was old enough for kindergarten--after a lot of agonizing--we chose to send her to the local public school, C.W. Henry, in part due to our commitment to the neighborhood. We'd put down roots in Mt. Airy.

I'm sad to report that throughout these years, we've lost a few friends. They aren't dead and they haven't moved across country. These friends moved to the suburbs. I politely listened to their complaints about the city, but didn't really hear them. They were spoiled, I thought. They didn't appreciate the advantages of city life. They were too lazy to get involved and chose to take the easy way out. 

While each friend had very specific reasons for making the move, there was really only one: they were simply fed up. Fed up with poor-performing public schools, a mismanaged city government, gun violence, drugs, abandoned houses, trash, vandalism, and a million other things, and it all seemed to get worse each year.

Well, guess what? I know what the city and this neighborhood offers, I appreciate the advantages of city life, I'm as involved in this community as most folks. And I've been thinking about moving to the suburbs.

My husband and I are finally considering buying home, and those things that seemed unimportant back in 2004--things like real estate, taxes, and schools--are now very important to us. I'd like to think that those friends in Bala Cynwyd and Glenside and other far-off places will read this and accept my apology for being so judgemental.  I now get it.  Everyone has to do what is best for their family, and that's what I'm doing.

Our timing couldn't be worse. The schools, even our much-loved local school, are not just struggling, they're fighting for their lives. Federal, state, city, and district budgets are undergoing painful changes that will affect my family and yours for many years to come. While housing prices and property taxes are lower in Philadelphia than the surrounding areas, we don't know how the budget problems will impact any home we might buy in in the city, as well as the services that we might expect as residents.

When we started thinking about what we needed and valued in a community, we had to seriously look at all of of these things, and the big question for us has been: how does Northwest Philadelphia really match up against the suburbs?

Crime
Crime is right up there with poor-performing schools on that invisible list of reasons to move.  While West Mt. Airy where we currently live doesn't experience the same type or level of crime as other areas of the city, crime is higher here than in many of the suburbs.  I can't leave anything of value in my car, stroll through our neighborhood once it's dark, hang out around the train station, or leave windows or doors unlocked.  However, I'm really not sure that I'd drop any of these long-followed practices no matter where I lived.  And in talking with my suburban friends, I also don't get the feeling that they've opted to live less safely since their moves.  Regardless, the suburbs win on this point.

Housing Availability & Property Taxes
Regarding the availability of affordable, desirable housing, Philadelphia wins this one.  Not only do I find the homes in Northwest Philadelphia architecturally more interesting, there's still quite a bit of affordable housing available to middle class families, particularly in transitional areas of  Germantown and East Mt. Airy.  While there are some suburban communities, such as Cheltenham, that my husband and I consider both affordable and lovely, when taxes are added to the equation, Northwest Philadelphia comes out looking even better.  That said, higher property taxes also often mean more and/or better public services, such as...schools.

Public Schools
Well, there's just no getting around the fact that the suburban public schools are better funded, and more money often translates into more and better stuff.  More extracurricular activities, nicer facilities,  fine and performing arts programs, foreign languages, sports, well-stocked libraries staffed with librarians, gifted support, and, as much as it pains me, better standardized test scores.  I know that there are many less-tangible benefits to my children attending a city school.  However, I covet their stuff, and I just can't envision Philadelphia's public schools being in a position to offer what's available to children at suburban schools no matter how many fundraisers we hold, grants we pursue, or dollars we stretch.  When there's a good chance that my kids' school will lose our one full-time art teacher next year while Copper Beech Elementary in Abington has four art teachers, the suburbs win this one.

Culture
It's hard for me to talk about the cultural benefits of living in Northwest Philadelphia without gushing.  Of course, the many museums, theaters, restaurants, and historical landmarks are only a short train ride away, and we try to take advantage of their proximity, just as many of our suburban friends do.  However, there's really no need to leave Northwest Philadelphia if we're looking for culture.  We experience it everyday just by living here.  My kids know that the Battle of Germantown occurred just around the corner, that Johnson House was part of the underground railroad, and why there are cobblestones and hitching posts our neighborhood.  They've taken dance classes, attended summer arts camp, and visited the gallery at Allens Lane Art Center.  Northwest Philadelphia is so thick with libraries, galleries, bookshops, and festivals that it's a rare weekend when we actually take that short train ride downtown.  Northwest Philadelphia for the win.

Community
I really don't know what it's like living in other areas of this city or, for that matter, in the suburbs, but in Mt. Airy, there's a spirit of community that's unlike any other I've experienced.  I've described it as a small town in the middle of a big city.  While walking through the neighborhood, we've been invited to admire gardens, play with a new pet, and join in catching fireflies.  People are friendly and seem happy to be living here.  It's often noted that Mt. Airy is diverse, but I think it's more than that -- it's accepting and welcoming of differences.

Neighbors also watch out for each other.  That theory was tested this winter when I broke my arm and no one was available to pick up our kids from school.  Just minutes before dismissal, my husband phoned neighbors who gladly picked up our kids and watched them until we returned home later that evening.  It was a small thing to them, but it meant a lot to us.

And it's been this issue of community that keeps bringing us back to why we should stay in Northwest Philly.  Each of us have to decide what is most important.  For us, it's community.  We've taken measures to stay safer and we can supplement our children's education, but we don't want to lose what we value most in a neighborhood.  And so this summer we begin our search for a home in Northwest Philadelphia.