Adam Goren of the punk band Atom and His Package once called Oreland his home. Other notable residents include former Temple University football coach Wayne Hardin, and Tommy Conwell of the Tommy Conwell and The Young Rumblers band.
Spanning two townships -- Springfield and Upper Dublin -- Oreland is a small census-designated community of just 1.5 square miles in Pennsylvania. As a suburb of the northwest portion of Philadelphia, Oreland is home to about 5,678 people (according to the 2010 Census). It has a crime rate much lower than average for the United States.
Moving to Oreland
Landlords here typically charge the first month's and last month's rent when you sign the lease, and some charge an additional month as a security deposit. If you're bringing pets to your new digs, you'll likely have to pay a pet deposit as well. There are some all-bills-paid apartments, but they are few and far between. Make sure you can handle the rent and the utilities.
What to Bring
To have the best chance at getting approved for the rental you want, bring ID, proof of income, and your checkbook along on tours. Make sure your credit is good or find someone willing to cosign for you. When vacancy rates get low, landlords get picky.
Neighborhoods in Oreland
Unlike towns that have well-defined neighborhood borders, Oreland is a census-designated community. This basically means it is defined only for statistics and isn't an official town or city. In many cases, such places are like one large neighborhood, and Oreland is no exception. In fact, it isn't even all that large. Here are a couple of sections of town to consider as you hunt for house rentals or apartments for rent in Oreland:
Church Road/Paper Mill Road: Low vacancy rates and high rents are the name of the game in this part of Oreland. With patience, however, you can find attractive rental condos, homes for rent, and townhomes. This section of town gets a walk score of 25, which means you'll need to gas up your car to fill your belly at Oreland Pizza and get your java infusion at Whistle Coffee Cafe .
East Oreland/Sunnybrook: This part of town is a better option if you're looking for lower-cost apartments. Rents here trend toward half the price of those in the Church Road/Paper Mill Road area. You'll find single-family homes, a few smaller apartment buildings, condos, and duplexes for rent here. The walk score is still 25, though, so you'll need a car to go to Oreland Quick Mart or Prime Food Sales. Heading to Connell's Pub? Make sure to call a cab.
Living in Oreland
Oreland is a quiet, little community and not so much a hub of activity. You will, however, find such things as grocery stores and shopping venues as well as enough restaurants to keep you fed. You're going to want to travel to nearby Willow Grove, however, to go to the mall, and Glenside or Philadelphia for entertainment. For example, the Flutterby Theater Company in Glenside offers musicals and plays; and Philadelphia -- just minutes away by car -- offers everything from restaurants and theaters to museums and nightlife.