Living in Houston v. Philly

[lovethelaw2010]

All really nice areas, but all are very expensive (as an aside, what is with the people on this board who live in cities and pay ridiculous rent?!!  I make pretty good bank as a paralegal and I cannot afford more than $650/mo, I don't know what these peoples' jobs are where they're making enough to pay $800 or even $1000+).

TITCR - 650-700 is also my range for off campus. internet+cable+utilities adds up 

I thought the person said that she was married but i could be wrong on that.  I am married and choose to pay a little more in rent to have a nicer bigger apartment that is comfortable and quiet enough to study in.  Even though I study a lot being able to study in the same room with my wife at least helps us feel like we are not missing out on one another nearly as much as if I had to study at the library.  In the end though everybody knows what their budget is and what they prioritize spending money on.  I prob. prioritize housing more so than other things.

[lovethelaw2010]

All really nice areas, but all are very expensive (as an aside, what is with the people on this board who live in cities and pay ridiculous rent?!!  I make pretty good bank as a paralegal and I cannot afford more than $650/mo, I don't know what these peoples' jobs are where they're making enough to pay $800 or even $1000+).

TITCR - 650-700 is also my range for off campus. internet+cable+utilities adds up 

I thought the person said that she was married but i could be wrong on that.  I am married and choose to pay a little more in rent to have a nicer bigger apartment that is comfortable and quiet enough to study in.  Even though I study a lot being able to study in the same room with my wife at least helps us feel like we are not missing out on one another nearly as much as if I had to study at the library.  In the end though everybody knows what their budget is and what they prioritize spending money on.  I prob. prioritize housing more so than other things.

I don't know the OP's relationship status, but I wish people would be clearer about this.  $1000/mo. for a couple is per person cheaper than my current cheap-assed room, but I think $1000/mo. is ridiculous for a single individual (and I would NEVER consider sharing a 1 BR, I'd rather just live in the ghetto).  I think I'd feel uncomfortable paying that much for housing even if I were making 200K and could afford it, because I just think it's ridiculous.

Other people on this board seem to disagree, though.  I'm trying to clear this up in some threads about DC -- people are suggesting to prospective GW and GULC kids that they live in, like, Dupont Circle or Foggy Bottom, and I think that's just totally outside the affordable range for any law student unless they're sharing household expenses with an SO.

Oh I agree with you there.  I (1) would never share a 1 bedroom with another person that isn't my SO, that is weird, and (2) 1000 bucks isn't too bad when you are married.  My wife hardly makes any money and we cover our bills just fine.  However, if I am making 200K I'll be living in a much nicer place than you can get for 1000 a month.

[lovethelaw2010]

All really nice areas, but all are very expensive (as an aside, what is with the people on this board who live in cities and pay ridiculous rent?!!  I make pretty good bank as a paralegal and I cannot afford more than $650/mo, I don't know what these peoples' jobs are where they're making enough to pay $800 or even $1000+).

TITCR - 650-700 is also my range for off campus. internet+cable+utilities adds up 

I thought the person said that she was married but i could be wrong on that.  I am married and choose to pay a little more in rent to have a nicer bigger apartment that is comfortable and quiet enough to study in.  Even though I study a lot being able to study in the same room with my wife at least helps us feel like we are not missing out on one another nearly as much as if I had to study at the library.  In the end though everybody knows what their budget is and what they prioritize spending money on.  I prob. prioritize housing more so than other things.

I don't know the OP's relationship status, but I wish people would be clearer about this.  $1000/mo. for a couple is per person cheaper than my current cheap-assed room, but I think $1000/mo. is ridiculous for a single individual (and I would NEVER consider sharing a 1 BR, I'd rather just live in the ghetto).  I think I'd feel uncomfortable paying that much for housing even if I were making 200K and could afford it, because I just think it's ridiculous.

Other people on this board seem to disagree, though.  I'm trying to clear this up in some threads about DC -- people are suggesting to prospective GW and GULC kids that they live in, like, Dupont Circle or Foggy Bottom, and I think that's just totally outside the affordable range for any law student unless they're sharing household expenses with an SO.

Oh I agree with you there.  I (1) would never share a 1 bedroom with another person that isn't my SO, that is weird, and (2) 1000 bucks isn't too bad when you are married.  My wife hardly makes any money and we cover our bills just fine.  However, if I am making 200K I'll be living in a much nicer place than you can get for 1000 a month.

Haha, fair enough.  I'm so cheap it's not even funny.  I just think if anyone's going to be suggesting places for people to live on this board, they should be suggesting the most reasonably priced neighborhoods possible for a single person.  I mean, if someone wants to take out the loans to pay for a ridiculously high priced apartment in law school, that's their decision.  But I don't think it's in very good faith to tell someone who knows nothing about a city to look in more expensive neighborhoods when there are decent and more budget-friendly alternatives. 

Agreed.  I would never recommend a law student live in foggy bottom or something in D.C.  I don't think midtown houston is too expensive and in all honestly couldn't point to the cheaper and safe areas close to UH.

[Sergio]

Good thread.  I got into Temple PT and applied to Penn State.  I was wondering about areas to live near Temple as well.  Since I would need to start PT, I am also worried about the safety of the area.   I believe the Philly COL is substantially less than NYC, and living in a safe area (hopefully with other young, single people) would be important.

[mpk1516]

Using those criteria, I would recommend looking at Manayunk. It's a 15 minute train ride into Temple, the area is predominantly 20 somethings and you can find comparitively cheap apartments for city living. It is on the outskirts of the city so you won't get the Center City feel, but it is the safest neighborhood within city limits (literally).

[ljk2171]

True, Queens Village could be a little expensive, but you can still find studio's or smaller 1 BR for <$700, but that may still be on the high end. The Manayunk suggestion was a good one, and I would still consider South Philly. If you are living with someone else, you could still find 2 BR apartments in most areas for <$1100 which would bring you in your range. Good luck though, Philly is a great city and I think a lot of people are scared of it for no reason. Congratulations on the acceptances!!!!

[Majmun]

Neither is that great of a city IMO. But between the two, I would much rather live in Houston. Philly is depressing, dangerous, and cold.

Not really true.  The murder rate is redonc high, but street crime is lower than a lot of other cities (DC comes to mind . . .). 

Not true, per capita Philly and DC have very similar rates of street crime.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_cities_by_crime_rate

Apparently property crime is much higher in houston while violent crime is higher in philly.  Notice all of the Arson in Houston wtf?

[mm1405]

Thanks so much for all the advice! Guess the next step is to take a visit and see what yall are talking about!

[amk320]

Just thought I'd chime in.  I haven't heard back from any schools, but I'd like to go somewhere in Philly because I was born and raised in Bucks County, one of the Philly suburb areas.  The friend I plan on living with is also from my area, and we have both heard Manayunk is the safest and best place to be looking for a place to live.  As for the weather, I can tell you that I have spent the last five years in State College doing undergrad at Penn State, and it is so unbelievably cold here compared to the Philly area only 3.5 hours away, it's not even funny.  We routinely get snow here that never materializes around Philly, and it is not uncommon for this area to be a full 10-20 degrees colder.  But what makes State College the worst is the WIND.  Horrible wind, all winter long.  There is no Spring and no Fall in this town.  It's 7 months of brutal cold from October to April, and then it's just as hot/humid as everywhere else in PA from May to September.  And when you wish that wind that made your year so awful was around to cool you off, it's nowhere to be found.

For these reasons and more, I applied to every school in PA *except* Penn State.

[GringoBob]

I submit that the question you really need to ask yourself is where do you intend to settle down after law school.  Temple, UH, and Dickinson are T2 law schools and are recognized more as regional than national schools.  That being said, there's a good chance you'd be landing a job in the local market.  So, do you want to live in Texas or the north east?  Both regions are very different from one another in terms of diversity, culture, politics, history, and weather (which interestingly enough seems to be getting the most amount of attention as a deciding factor, right after crime, which anyone who has lived in a major city realizes is a fact of life).  If you're really concerned about safety then live in Carlisle. Something tells me you'll eliminate Carlisle once you see it. If you're cold, buy a warmer jacket.