My daughter moved home from Ohio to take a job at the University of Pennsylvania. It's a good career step for her and she can start a master's degree.
The downside is that it is over an hour to commute from our home, so she needs an apartment.
Any suggestions? She's thinking about Manayunk.

Define reasonably priced.

Is she looking to rent or to buy?

I have no idea what rent will be considered reasonable. I know she has sticker shock after living in and around Columbus.
If necessary, Dad will subsidize her to keep her in a safe area.
She's renting, not buying.

Do you have a ballpark number? That'd be helpful. How far of a commute is she willing to have?

Sorry I've been absent - I haven't had a chance to talk to her or her mother.

I know they have been looking at 1 bedroom apartments in Manyunk and the Main Line. It sounds like she's not interested in the "University Bubble".

No one has told Dad (Me) what rents they are seeing. I will know eventually.

She would like to be able to take the train instead of driving, but she will be keeping her car down there.

Hi, I attended Penn so I know the area.  She's smart by staying out of West Philly, which is where Penn is located.  It wasn't that great many years ago and with crime skyrocketing due to lax enforcement it's not getting any better.  Even parts of Philadelphia that were considered relatively 'safe' are seeing regular violent events nowadays.

Your daughter is smart to be thinking about places that can access Penn without driving, especially as traffic is very bad (and parking almost impossible to find in some areas).  Traffic will just get worse as office workers return to the office.  Further, there has been an uptick in carjackings and catalytic converter thefts so driving is no longer completely safe either.  

There have been increasing acts of violence on the public transit systems, mostly the subways but I would also avoid the bus systems.  If she wants to take public transit to work I would recommend (in the name of safety) to ONLY look at the SEPTA regional rail lines (or if she has a lot of money, Amtrak).  Basically you want a line that doesn't go through any of the bad areas of Philadelphia, to avoid picking up any bad actors.  

In particular, given where she is looking, the Norristown high-speed line (the so-called "flying coffin") is off the table, because it starts in a not-so nice area (Upper Darby) and ends in a similarly sketchy place (Norristown -- with all apologies to Bill Geissele).  Worse it connects directly to the blue line subway (Market-Frankford) -- which might be tempting as it goes directly through Penn's campus but it goes through the area of Philly that is known for drug tourism (Kensington) and you will find a lot of tweakers riding that line.  

Without knowing more about your daughter's preferences I would say look at where the SEPTA R5 Regional Rail line (aka Paoli Thorndale) runs (west of Philadelphia).  It runs mostly through wealthy western suburbs and drops her off nearest to Penn at 30th Street Station, which admittedly is 3-4 blocks from the east edge of Penn's campus.  This line has the disadvantage of not stopping at the Penn Medicine regional rail stop, which may be closer to her work location.  If she is looking at the Main Line (a safe suburb) then this is right up her alley.

Manayunk should be relatively ok and I would not have an issue with her taking the Norristown Manayunk regional rail line (note this is not the same as the flying coffin line, which is the Norristown high speed line) although it does stop at one or two stations in sketchy areas before getting to 30th Street Station (Temple University, North Broad Street and Allegheny stops).  The Norristown Manayunk regional rail line stops at 30th Street Station and at Penn Medicine.  

Hope it all works out!

If she's working at UPenn, I would highly suggest Graduate Hospital.  I live there now and half the neighborhood seems to be doctors or nurses at UPenn.  The neighborhood is complete gentrified.  The rent is expensive, but not as expensive as Rittenhouse.

She's actually going to be working at Ryan Veterinary Hospital.

She doesn't want to live at the campus. I will say - I hadn't been aware of the Graduate Hospital neighborhood. Does the Penn shuttle go over there? She liked the option of taking the shuttle from 30th St. Station.

What she is seeing so far is $1100 and up for 1 bedroom apartments, with parking an extra fee. In Columbus she had a very nice garden apartment in a nice area for $900.

Thanks for the help guys - she and her mother are going down to look around on Friday. She starts work on Monday, she isn't looking forward to the 1 hour + commute.

^^ Let us know where she thinks she'd like to live and we can provide more info.   I would have said $1,100/mo for a one-bedroom in nice area was cheaper than I was expecting.

I will defer to FSB above on Graduate Hospital, although my eyebrows did raise a bit at the suggestion.  I lived just north of there in the early 2000s (on the same block as a bar named Ten Stone) but more recently commuted by bicycle through Point Breeze daily for several years until the pandemic hit.  

The issue with Graduate Hospital (which is technically south of South Street in that area) is that it is immediately next to a neighborhood called Point Breeze, which was a high crime area even before the pandemic. After the events arising from Covid (and the subsequent lax/non-enforcement of many criminal statutes) it's much more of a security risk than before.  You don't want to live near the criminals, they know that there are easier pickings in the nicer neighborhoods and Graduate Hospital is basically next door.  

Oh, and while the name should not scare you, Graduate Hospital is also next to a neighborhood called The Devil's Pocket.  The name was given many years ago so it's not really relevant now.    But you get the idea ....

My friend's daughter did her Masters at Penn as well, she bought a place at The Phoenix which is at 16th and JFK I think.  There are units there for rent.

If she wants to enjoy the nice parts of Phila, I would recommend the center city area, somewhere off Rittenhouse Square.  This area is generally safe and as long as she is aware of her surroundings, she should be ok.

The Graduate Hospital area is also nice.

If she wants to be in the suburbs, I would suggest she live in  the Main Line area like Ardmore, Bryn Mawr, or as far as Wayne on the Main Line.  I used to live in Devon and took the train in to the city every day and it was very convenient.  The Main Line area is a safe place as well.  She'll also be closer to King of Prussia which is a large shopping/lifestyle hub.

Here are my suggestions:

Center City district
Rittenouse Square area
Graduate Hospital Area
Main Line suburbs

If you're willing to help out, she should be able to find a place in any of these locations.  I lived in Rittenhouse and Main Line area, so I'm partial to these places.

When I asked a similar question 2-ish years ago, someone recommended Conshohocken.  Other than one really obvious dive bar, it's safe.  I can walk to the train stop in 5 minutes, unless there is too much ice on the ground.  My rent isn't too bad, but I'm splitting a townhouse - that may be a deal breaker.

I wish you both good luck, and hope she succeeds in her studies and work.

I don't know Stockshift but I have a lot of experience with Penn, the surrounding area, and traveling into the city from the suburbs.  I agree 100% with everything he said.

Now that she has been working there a few days her perspective is changing a bit.

She's more willing to consider University City. She isn't very eager to live across the river.

Most of the apartments that she likes are closer to St. Joes - Wynnefield heights and City Avenue.

I will say - most of what she's considering is closer to $1500. per month. They're paying her a bit more than she expected, so that helps.

Five years in Columbus but she's not real excited about downtown Philly.

Thanks Guys!

I don't know much about Philly but I was in the Elkins Park/Jenkinstown area last week looking at Optometry schools with my daughter.  It looked nice enough and it appears that the Warminster train runs from there to the Penn Med station.  About 30 minutes.  There were a bunch of apartment buildings in the area that look decent from the outside.

I don't have personal experience with City Line Avenue or the area around St. Joseph's but my impression is that it's a nicer area and should be relatively safe.    

I would choose either of those two areas over University City (which is technically West Philadelphia but is generally comprised of Penn's campus) in current times.  I have not lived in University City in many years but it wasn't great in the 1990s and as the city is devolving I would not expect it to get any better.  The only saving grace with University City is that Penn has a dedicated official police force (they are full LEOs, not glorified security guards) but with the current lax enforcement of laws by the district attorney I don't know if the Penn police force has any real deterrent power any longer.  

Best of luck!

In my experience, Penn's police department have been very, very good but even they can't fight city hall and the changing times.

FYI Penn's longtime 'tough on crime' Police Chief recently 'retired'.  Perhaps coincidently she was the subject of a number of rallies and protests because she was, well, 'tough on crime'.  There is a search committee for her replacement that is being headed by Penn's VP of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.  Do the math.

My daughters is still looking. She's getting tired of the commute, especially on the Schuylkill Expressway. On a more positive note, she likes the work and her coworkers.

Most of what she has liked is in East Falls. She's looking at a place in Manayunk tomorrow.

Friday she's looking at an apartment in a new building in "West Kensington" near the Temple Episcopal hospital. When I hear anything with Kensington in it I think "hell no", but I know that Philly neighborhoods are pretty individual so I thought someone here might have thoughts.

Thanks Guys

Nope.

https://www.phillypolice.com/crime-maps-stats

There is absolutely no way in Hell I would let her live anywhere near Kensington.  That part of the city is terrible.  No. Way. In. Hell.

Manayunk is a nice area as well relatively safe, though not my first choice of places I'd recommend for my daughter.

You mentioned she doesnt like the Schuykill commute, this is understandable, which is why I recommend she live somewhere in the western main line suburbs.  She can take the train in and be there in less than 30 mins if she takes the express trains.  

How about Havertown? There's a place there she's been trying to rent - it appears the agent may be a bit dense.  She did tell me last night that the greener a neighborhood is the more she likes it.

She drove into Kensington yesterday and realized that her father was correct.

The place in Manayunk rented today, so she didn't see it.

Thanks Guys

If she's twentysomething Manayunk is where she wants to be.    There is a nightlife scene in the area, lots of bars, restaurants, cafes, etc..  Parking is a bitch though.  Bala Cynwyd and the surrounding area is out of the city and not far from where she wants to be.    South to Delaware county is more for families there isn't much for a young person there.

Havertown is nice enough but not much of a nightlife.

Havertown is a nice middle class suburban town, it's next door to me, my wife works there. Has a pretty significant population of Koreans who seems to be fine. As a Dad I would be fine with my daughter living there.

Manayunk is very 20-30 year-old oriented, lots of outdoor dining, easy access to the great Schuylkill River Trail which you can ride all the way into Philly. It's got a lot of bars so good for nightlife. It floods a lot though and can be a bitch in the snow because it is super hilly and the roads are not well maintained.

I also recommend looking at the towns on the Septa R5 rail line, typically called the Main Line area. Paoli, Devon, Wayne, Bryn Mawr all have nice apartment complexes available and the city is only a short train ride away. I lived in Paoli for a few years out of college in an apartment and it was fine for us.

She signed a lease in Havertown. We're moving her in on June 3rd.

Thanks Guys!