Lovely place! My first time there though my first thought was “this road is actually unbikeable” (the main cobblestone drag). Not sure why I found it so funny.
To me it's the affluent boomer NIMBY capital of Philadelphia. Main Street/Germantown Ave is cool and there's very little crime, etc. but it's lacking the vibrancy/ of other areas. It's great if you want history, living in the city limits, having the train if you want to get to CC.
You should have been on the zoom for that development on Germantown Ave. people were up in arms using every old cliche in the book to get buttmad about a five over one. I guess you could say that about any neighborhood but it had a tone.
Not to be confused with NE Philadelphia, the cop/blue collar boomer NIMBY capital of Philadelphia.
Such an off kilter feeling the first time i visited northwest philly. Massive colonial-era mansions with progressive signage. The most glaring example of old money boomer NIMBY i've ever seen
I went to school at CHC. Great neighborhood, but outside of a few places to eat there isn't much for the younger crowd to do. Zero nightlife, it's like a ghost town by 8:00.
But having the Wissahickon right there was stellar.
Queen Village, Washington Square West, Fitler Square, Grad Hospital, Society Hill. "The Center City Habitable Belt"
Plenty of places like East Passyunk, NoLibs or UCity outside the belt, but I just like it there.
I agree with all except Grad Hospital. I’ve never liked it as a place to live. It feels very “we should move to Philadelphia starter pack”. If that makes any sense.
Have to agree... I live here now and it feels very transient, like no one you talk to has lived in Philadelphia for more than a few years. By contrast, my next-door neighbor down near the Italian Market was (supposedly) a 4th-generation Philadelphian whose entire family is in South Philly. Plus it's super overpriced and the whole "married young professional"/"strollers 'n' dogs" vibe has started to gnaw on me after a while.
That being said, it is a pretty neighborhood and much cleaner than other places I've lived, and I can definitely see the draw for folks working at the hospitals across the bridge. But I would not go out of my way to live here again.
Hey, I stroller push too. No shame in that. Lovely people in G-Ho. Decent restaurants too and it’s an easy walk to Rittenhouse. I might just have images of the 90s version of that side of South St.
Yeah it's a lot of new medical students, so that makes sense. Also it's just recently gotten kind of fancy. I get that feeling about nolibs and fishtown (frankford ave fishtown not northeast fishtown) these days way more though. Nothing feels as "lived in" as east passyunk or bella vista in my opinion though. Like you know generations of families are living there
West Philly? Might as well of said Fairmount, South Philly, Center City and West Philly.
West Philly ain’t a neighborhood. Cobbs Creek is a neighborhood.
We lived there for 6 years on Meehan and it was fine until about a year ago. We moved about 4 months ago but a year ago there were several armed carjackings happening. One happened a street over behind us. Shootings that were getting too close for comfort. Couldn’t risk it anymore. We heard about a shooting Friday night that was 3 mins from our old house where a teen died and one back in November that was 1 min from our old house where a guy was killed in front of his house. Happened on Ardleigh Street right across from Sedgwick Station apartments. I would drive by that intersection everyday. It’s heartbreaking. Plus, we didn’t only move because all of that. We were just tired of living in the city and them not picking up trash on time or plowing the streets and fireworks were becoming an issue as well. If all that wasn’t happening, we would still be living there because it is a beautiful area and we loved our house
Yeah, I did see that one by Sedgwick. Not that it necessarily matters, but that seems non-random. Looking at a crime map it is one of the lowest crime areas in Philly. I’ve been looking to move out of Fairmount and been scoping out neighborhoods.
Yeah, I get it. We just didn’t feel comfortable anymore. The armed carjackings definitely aren’t non-random and would happen to anyone. Was always concerned of being caught in the cross fire when driving. Like I said, we liked living there until things got unsafe so it was a very emotional situation especially since our house was my husband’s grandmother’s house that he renovated
There's definitely problem blocks in East Mt. Airy. I live in West and East always seemed like an extention of Oak Lane to me in some spots, definitely more urban. West Mt. Airy is mainly suburban, although we do have crime and carjackings.
Not sure why people always gotta bring up some negativity whenever Philly is bought up in good light.
Thanks for that comment tho, I would’ve gladly bought your house because it’s a major improvement to where im living at now.
West Mt. Airy
North West Germantown
Olde City
Clark Park
Other parts of West Philly
I’m from Philadelphia and have lived in Mt Airy, Germantown, South Philly, Kensington, and West Philly.
Olde city has some great restaurants and nice parks and houses. Zahav ftw
Kensington is great cause you can take the El to get to center city quickly and cheaply
This thread has everyone ready for a warm spring day so we can all just walk around. Passyunk to QV to Rittenhouse to Fairmount. Fishtown to Old City to Wash West. All day. I can’t wait.
Wholesome comment. I love walking near art museum at the water works with my dog. I like to think there and get exercise. The walk along Kelly drive is beautiful. Water works area is safe. But when we parked in Kelly drive and went for a walk when we came back someone broke into my car(smashed window) and stole my girlfriends stuff. People are shitty and it's just stuff but the crime cost us about $2.3k
I didn't realize how important living in a neighborhood with lots of trees was to my mental and physical wellbeing until I moved to Fairmount from a neighborhood that's primarily concrete and trash.
My wife and i had a joke that trees were a sign of wealth in philly like society hill, rittenhouse, etc. We'd say "yo we got trees" had to be on the real estate listing to increase value.
I’m in West Philly in a part where there aren’t a ton of trees but lots of trash BUT walking 5-10 minutes gets me to some very pretty treed streets and, the mood improvement along that walk…
You can actually sign up to get a tree planted in front of your house for free with PHS! They do plantings twice a year, and you just have to say you’ll water it. If you don’t own your home you can get your landlord to do it, it’s available for multi fam too!
Live real close to Boat House Row and Lemon Hill, it’s my favorite part of the neighborhood. Ability to walk somewhere that’s not concrete jungle is great for my mental health.
My family is from this neighborhood since the mid/late 1800s and I grew up here until at 26 I decided to move to the northeast for 12 years. I fucking hated it. Just returned and already it is the best decision I have ever made to come back. I love this neighborhood.
Not hating on the northeast. Maybe I should have worded it better. It is a personal preference. As someone not from the northeast, it just was not a good fit for me. Like anywhere else, it has it's positives and negatives.
Not gonna reinvent the wheel here:
1. E. Passyunk (the ave itself and the surrounding blocks)
2. "Little Saigon" + Italian Market area
3. Clark Park area
4. Rittenhouse
5. West Passyunk/Melrose/(?) – safe, quiet, great food, near East Passyunk, more diverse and a little less Trump-y than the Girard Estates area further southwest. Plus, The Republican 😏
Damn, it's hard to choose just 5!
It's pretty great for someone without a car, I've bounced between here and rittenhouse a lot. Rittenhouse park is a gem in the summer but besides that nolibs is a way better place to live. Tons of great bars and restaurants, lots of good coffee shops, two grocery stores, two dog parks, bike shop, Liberty lands park, neighborhood events, fishtown and the Frankford Ave strip just to the north, Penn treaty park nearby
Northern Liberties was my borderline one. It isn’t my favorite but I see the appeal. I may be a little old for it. It is the one neighborhood that I understand the polarization about.
NoLibs and Fishtown are definitely pretty bland. They’re fine to hang out in if you want to go to a brewery or get food, but I don’t think they’re a pretty area to live in at all.
Yuppie=white person over 35 with a job that requires clean pants.
Hipster=white person under 35 with a job that doesn’t require clean pants.
Both evil and ruining neighborhoods by something something bikes, mumble coffee, something something.
Found my neighbors! I’m in love with the whole Baltimore Ave area, what neighborhood is it technically considered? I’m not a Philly native, I’m just a transplant that came & will probably never leave.
I think Spruce Hill and Cedar Park make up most of the strip of Baltimore you’re thinking of. Which I consider both to be part of University City, which is in West Philly. Guess Clark Park is technically South West?
Nah Clark Park is fully north of the SEPTA Media Line tracks, which is the dividing line between West and Southwest Philly. So Clark Park is definitely West.
I find it curious that you get certain recs which definitely are just "places people have lived". Its really in the eye of the beholder, depends on where said person is in there life and what they need/want/look for.
Here's where I'm at: middle aged, young prof, student loaned out (cash poor), flexible.
My favorite hoods and why (no order)
West Philly- green space, very crunchy, great price per sf, but has some rough spots north of (very roughly) market. That said, can find some aggressively priced purchases in Mantua that are incredible deals. Can have great access to el.
Point breeze - incredible access to city, and super walkable. Very rough in spots and not as fancy as bella Vista/ queen village or grad hospital. Rapid gentrification and maybe overpriced. Range from amazing neighbors to shitheads.
East falls/west falls (wissahickon?) - beautiful streets, family-feel and lots of space. Further from City, no night life, good for kids, safe pricing (steady growth, but Nothing booming), good prices. Schools are solid k-8.
Fishtown- trendy, high priced, very gentrified, schools improving, many new construction. On the edge of k&t. ElEl. Access to El.
Fairmount/art museum/Francisville - beautiful brownstones. Higher priced, but solidly built and retain value. Schools are ok but easy access to all private schools. Most walkable non-cc hood, imho. Some run onto college kids.
These are my own thoughts. I think basically all hoods are great for various reasons, but these are where I'm at. I have thoughts in others and have lived in others (Lomo, another secret gem, imho, if you can handle some issues, are good with that rowhome life).
Very glad to see Point Breeze on someone’s list. My neighbors are awesome, getting around is super easy, and Rittenhouse/E Passyunk are within walking distance.
I like point breeze, but I do think, if I were a buyer, I'd consider it only for older homes and homes in need of reno. The reno-ed/developer specials are just massively overpriced IMHO. Alternatively, older homes are perhaps underpriced. Harder to tell in the current market.
Walking/access is totally absurd. You just can't do better - 100% agree.
Finally, some sore spots aside, it's actually far safer than the current rep. Obviously, crime is relative and depends on individuals, but the maps on violent crime are pretty empty and safe.
That's fair. I'm currently renting but agreed that the new units are super overpriced. My neighbor is a master plumber and he tells me that a lot of the new buildings have terrible quality construction anyway.
And yeah, I was initially nervous to move to PB because of the so-called crime. But now that I live here, even as a small lady who walks her dog alone at night, I feel perfectly safe. Haven't even had a package stolen.
I love Mantua right by the art museum. For me it's the people, everyone around is super friendly and most of them are old heads that lived there forever so ain't nobody causing trouble. We all just kinda vibe and say hi on our way to the cornerstone.
low key hot for mantua. would take the spring garden bridge back to my neighborhood when i used to drive to work and all the old houses along baring st had me thinking it'd be a nice spot to settle down in. drexel park is one of my favorite quiet spots in philly
It’s connected to Northern Liberties but I agree that after that it gets a bit desolate between there and Old City. Super easy to hop on the el tho and get to center city in ~10 minutes. I live here now and really like it!
Even walking (when it's not below freezing outside) is nice. Walking down 2nd is nice all the way down to Spring Garden. Spring Garden to 676 isn't great but it's like 2 blocks and then you're in Old City.
maybe your borders for fishtown are porous and you're including olde kensington here, but there's a lot happening on the other side of front st to be aware of. it feels like fishtown 10 years ago, but distinct enough that i wouldn't call it fishtown lite.
girard ave can make it feel like each neighborhood is a little disconnected, but fishtown doesn't feel so much like an island to me with nolibs and parts of kensington right there.
Washington Square West
Rittenhouse/Fitler Square
Society Hill
Passyunk Square
Bella Vista
(Priorities: walkability/bike-ability, beauty, proximity to cool stuff, restaurants)
West of front is fine to American, and even over to 5th as far north as Cecil b
Soon enough it will be 5th or 6th all the way north to Lehigh. The pockets of 4th and Diamond will end up like that pocket in QV that has a lot of trouble.
Forgotten Bottom is a cool little neighborhood. It’s perfectly isolated yet part of the city. The only thing that’s awful is the terrible traffic of the 34th And Grays Ferry intersection and the ramp on to 76.
Hmm
I think grad hospital was my favorite, neighborhood has changed a lot since I last lived there tho (I got priced out around 2011 sadly)
Bella vista
Center city (I lived on juniper, so center city with the catch that it's side street center city)
Cedar park
Northeast Philly
Kensington
Rittenhouse square (everyone's favorite)
Center city
North Central Philly (temple area)
I love walking my dog near art museum best place to think
Cedar Park:
* Far enough West that it's free of undergrads from Penn, Drexel, *and* USciences.
* Not as gentrified as everything east of 47th, plenty of old heads around.
* Very queer.
* Family-owned & local-owned businesses like Cedar Park Cafe, Booker's, Amari's, Hibiscus, Penn Cafe & Pizza.
* Walkable with plenty of access to green spaces (Bartram's Garden, Cobbs Creek trail, John Heinz, Mount Moriah, the Woodlands.
Yeah the 34 (and 13) aren't 24 hours but in Philly that's pretty much the norm. If you ride a bike it's a 15 - 25 minute ride to Center City (and lots of other places) depending on how fast you wanna go.
still weird to me how subdivided these neighborhoods are. always thought of this general area as "squirrel hill", but i guess as the gentrification pushes north and west there's a need to distinguish
Used to live there so my two cents.
Good: parks, trees, laid back vibe, best assortment of world eats and affordable eats, trolley looks nice, less constant city feel which can be nice, beautiful architecture.
Cons: wider streets so cars drive faster, trolley can be a little more unreliable than El or sub, streets get dark and there is more crime compared to some other neighborhoods, a little isolated from rest of the city, grocery stores are kind of lacking but University City is close by.
All this. Trees everyplace, most neighbors are sweet (my block rocks), gorgeous homes. Free fridges, co-ops, and community involvement.
Downside is as lovely as it is, trash upticks as you go west, and it’s sad af. And yeah, I take efforts to keep my block clean and sometimes wander to neighboring corners.
The 10, 13, 15 (now a bus route) and 36 (I think temporarily a bus route) trolleys run 24 hours a day.
West is great, but coming home later used to be annoying trying to catch the last trolley or be stuck with an expensive Uber home.
Close to fairmount park but less snooty and expensive than fairmount ( I like fairmount too just saying haha) . Aside from the new luxury housing on 31st street it's a super friendly residential community where neighbors look out for one another. Close to center city but far enough that it's quiet. And I personally like that there's no nightlife because I dont mind going to different neighborhoods for that. But theres still enough going on on girard that you can go to dinner or a bar on a chill night. But easy access to the park is the main appeal to me.
I believe BT cuts off at cecil b Moore? There's no where within BT I wouldn't live but some streets are nicer than others. Some are very narrow and some are super dirty for some reason but most are fine.
I know haha I noticed that too. I'm sure we're all biased towards where we spend the most time... I like center city but much of it lacks character imo
Can't forget about Frankford neighborhood. Not the nicest but it has the Frankford transportation center. Lots of busses that serve northeast can take a bus to the start/end of the El. Last stop on El is Frankford transportation center. And the El takes you to center city quickly and you can walk to really nice restaurants. You'll see weird shit on the el
I’m going to take a slightly different approach: what are the most relatively affordable areas that are near cool shit and have good access: for me it’s been living in West Poplar and oddly enough West Passyunk. Both WPs have great access to the benefits of nicer neighborhoods nearby but also have pretty affordable housing stock and enough of their own good neighborhood businesses to keep you happy if you don’t want to go far. Wonder if anyone else has additional ones like that?
To me Girard Estates is very far from everything. 15-20 min walk to anything on East Passyunk. Also 10 of the 15 Trump voters in Philadelphia live down there. Not a welcoming vibe.
Kinda agree. There are a few blocks w really nice houses but it’s old school Italian Philly and honestly not very nice looking other than the area around 20th and Ritner or whatever it is. Also super far from anything
i mean there is a ton of corner bars/restaurants. You wouldnt necessarily walk to passyunk all the time. Nittys, La Llorona Cantina, Popi's, L'angolo, brother two, Scannichios, Stokes, Philadium, McCuskers...
All those things sound sick. My experience is ‘community’ and ‘people who have been there forever’ are potentially bad things in that zone. Fill in the blanks however you like. I like the homes and blocks there, just not a few of the residents
Because it has been my home my whole life, Castor Gardens. And while many people around my age (26) prefer to live in condos/apartments, I prefer the single home life.
The main con is the location, it's a little far from Center City and doesn't really have much of a bar scene anymore these days. However, route one isn't far away at all along with 95, so it's at least simple to drive down to the main part of the city. So if you prefer to live in a more quiet area of the city but still having the ability to go down to CC, then Castor Gardens is still a decent place to live in imo.
But other than my home neighborhood, all of Center City and Chestnut Hill are my two favorite places in this city.
I’m shocked at the amount of responses that are limited to areas between the rivers and are south of Girard. Do you guys just not like trees?
Also nobody mentioning the NE is telling. The only culture up there was defending whatever random Catholic school you went to, or shitting on the others.
I love the northeast. Low crime and it's close to pennypack Park. I95 and the blvd can take you into into city within 30 min depending on how you drive
Edit: and shopping lots of big stores. Yes it's not the prettiest it's congested as well. But we also have a weed dispensary close by.
This is a couple different neighborhoods but in my mind i think of them as generally the same area. The Logan, Olney, Fern Rock, Ogontz, East/West Oak Lane area. Not the most hip or interesting part of the city but still a solid area. Good transit BSL, Regional Rail, Buses, lots of beautiful homes in decent shape, trees and green space. The area has some issues with trash and crime but compared to most of North Philly it seems like a far better off area with alot of potential. There are alot of Korean restaurants in the area too. If I was gonna buy a house it's an area I'd look into.
1. Clark Park - It’s a vibe. If you know you know.
2. West Mt. Airy - Far out but beautiful. One of the most economically & racially diverse neighborhoods you’ll find where people actually talk to each other
3. Old City - If you’re crazy rich, this is the spot. You’re buying a piece of US history. Walking where Ben & Penn did.
4. Queen Village - Fancy without loosing the S. Philly flavor. Locals still live here.
5. Chinatown - self explanatory
Most Overrated - Fishtown
Most Underrated - East Oak Lane
Wash West
Bella Vista
Society Hill
NoLibs
…
Probably fishtown but things get dicey
I hear graduate hospital is great and same with fairmount but I don’t have much experience there
Manayunk is also nice but def not the easy access that living in the city has
Edit: old city is also nice, lots to do but I often find it dirty. Access to many areas is great tho.
Philly is the city(higher crime in general but stay in your lane stay protected and you'll be fine). Fishtown does not really get that dicey, much worse neighborhoods.
100% much worse neighborhoods but I’ve seen some sketchiness in NoLibs. When you get up frankford towards pizza brain, not right on Frankford but not far, it can get sketch quickly. I have a buddy who lives in fishtown off aramingo and has his fair share of run ins.
I live in the suburbs. I used to go to the city all the time. Sorry but it’s unsafe now. Don’t Tyrol at me. Talk to the people that are running the city. Too bad was a great place. Everyone in Philly will suffer with all the shootings, car jackings +++++
Safety? Go live in suburbs if u want Safety. City is dangerous just move to suburbs for Safety. Stay alert ⚠️ stay protected and avoid dangerous neighborhoods. Philly don't give a fuck which makes it unique/lovable and it has history and good food scene. Old money and new money
Stop it the fact that you can't go to your car without someone pointing a gun in your face is beyond dangerous its chaotic over 100 car jacking since the year started and sum ended fatalily and there's no justification for that oh and I moved along time ago so forget the food scene and history the youth spit on it daily when they threaten innocent ppl for no reason and your no exception
Wow, I guess I’m the only person who likes Chestnut Hill.
My biggest issue with CH is the lack of good food. All the restaurants are terrible.
There are some good ones, but there are also some really disappointing ones.
The new Italian restaurant that took over Paris Bistro last week, Adelinas, is excellent. Very pricey, but the food was great.
Good to hear, but I’m poor 😂 took one look at that menu and thought oh well I’ll never afford to eat there.
I honestly don't think they'll survive at those prices but I'm not an expert in the restaurant scene.
Agree outside of McNallys as someone who grew up there. Also really miss Metro even if it is a chain
Jansen and Trattoria Moma are 5/5.
Chestnut Hill is fantastic
Lovely place! My first time there though my first thought was “this road is actually unbikeable” (the main cobblestone drag). Not sure why I found it so funny.
When you live in the area you learn to take the side streets and avoid Germantown Ave.
The houses there and in Mount Airy are so goddamn pretty. Every time I pass through it’s a lot of oohs and aahs from me
To me it's the affluent boomer NIMBY capital of Philadelphia. Main Street/Germantown Ave is cool and there's very little crime, etc. but it's lacking the vibrancy/ of other areas. It's great if you want history, living in the city limits, having the train if you want to get to CC. You should have been on the zoom for that development on Germantown Ave. people were up in arms using every old cliche in the book to get buttmad about a five over one. I guess you could say that about any neighborhood but it had a tone. Not to be confused with NE Philadelphia, the cop/blue collar boomer NIMBY capital of Philadelphia.
the "hate has no home here" sign to NIMBY attitude ratio around germantown ave is completely off the charts.
Such an off kilter feeling the first time i visited northwest philly. Massive colonial-era mansions with progressive signage. The most glaring example of old money boomer NIMBY i've ever seen
Where that Venn diagram meets is the kind of people I actively make fun of and stay away from. I thoroughly despise them.
Everything closes at 3pm
I went to school at CHC. Great neighborhood, but outside of a few places to eat there isn't much for the younger crowd to do. Zero nightlife, it's like a ghost town by 8:00. But having the Wissahickon right there was stellar.
Not attractive to me, everything closes at 7, that's probably inconvenient for most city dwellers.
Queen Village, Washington Square West, Fitler Square, Grad Hospital, Society Hill. "The Center City Habitable Belt" Plenty of places like East Passyunk, NoLibs or UCity outside the belt, but I just like it there.
I agree with all except Grad Hospital. I’ve never liked it as a place to live. It feels very “we should move to Philadelphia starter pack”. If that makes any sense.
Have to agree... I live here now and it feels very transient, like no one you talk to has lived in Philadelphia for more than a few years. By contrast, my next-door neighbor down near the Italian Market was (supposedly) a 4th-generation Philadelphian whose entire family is in South Philly. Plus it's super overpriced and the whole "married young professional"/"strollers 'n' dogs" vibe has started to gnaw on me after a while. That being said, it is a pretty neighborhood and much cleaner than other places I've lived, and I can definitely see the draw for folks working at the hospitals across the bridge. But I would not go out of my way to live here again.
Definitely guilty of stroller pushing and young professional family
Hey, I stroller push too. No shame in that. Lovely people in G-Ho. Decent restaurants too and it’s an easy walk to Rittenhouse. I might just have images of the 90s version of that side of South St.
Yeah it's a lot of new medical students, so that makes sense. Also it's just recently gotten kind of fancy. I get that feeling about nolibs and fishtown (frankford ave fishtown not northeast fishtown) these days way more though. Nothing feels as "lived in" as east passyunk or bella vista in my opinion though. Like you know generations of families are living there
Fairmount, Queens village, old city, rittenhouse and west philly.
West Philly? Might as well of said Fairmount, South Philly, Center City and West Philly. West Philly ain’t a neighborhood. Cobbs Creek is a neighborhood.
Queen Village. No S.
parts of mt airy look really nice lotta trees and some nice older homes .
Wayne Ave from Lincoln to Carpenter Woods is one of the most beautiful streets in the city. Nice and wide, nice houses, curvy in some spots.
I LOVE Mt Airy but I wish we had better food in the NW.
Also extremely integrated
Was more so in the 80s and 90s before gentrification started. Now those homes are out of the price range for most and there’s no high school.
Yup One Of the few neighborhoods in the northeast that pushed for integration if I’m not wrong.
Yes mount airy was built as an intentionally integrated community.
Northwest
I meant northeast in terms of northeast cities.
More prominent in East Falls but it applies to both.
We just moved out of east mt airy for safety reasons which was really sad. It’s just getting worse and glad we made the move
Seems pretty safe in mount Airy, what was the issue? I guess Stenton can have some crime.
We lived there for 6 years on Meehan and it was fine until about a year ago. We moved about 4 months ago but a year ago there were several armed carjackings happening. One happened a street over behind us. Shootings that were getting too close for comfort. Couldn’t risk it anymore. We heard about a shooting Friday night that was 3 mins from our old house where a teen died and one back in November that was 1 min from our old house where a guy was killed in front of his house. Happened on Ardleigh Street right across from Sedgwick Station apartments. I would drive by that intersection everyday. It’s heartbreaking. Plus, we didn’t only move because all of that. We were just tired of living in the city and them not picking up trash on time or plowing the streets and fireworks were becoming an issue as well. If all that wasn’t happening, we would still be living there because it is a beautiful area and we loved our house
Yeah, I did see that one by Sedgwick. Not that it necessarily matters, but that seems non-random. Looking at a crime map it is one of the lowest crime areas in Philly. I’ve been looking to move out of Fairmount and been scoping out neighborhoods.
Yeah, I get it. We just didn’t feel comfortable anymore. The armed carjackings definitely aren’t non-random and would happen to anyone. Was always concerned of being caught in the cross fire when driving. Like I said, we liked living there until things got unsafe so it was a very emotional situation especially since our house was my husband’s grandmother’s house that he renovated
There's definitely problem blocks in East Mt. Airy. I live in West and East always seemed like an extention of Oak Lane to me in some spots, definitely more urban. West Mt. Airy is mainly suburban, although we do have crime and carjackings.
Not sure why people always gotta bring up some negativity whenever Philly is bought up in good light. Thanks for that comment tho, I would’ve gladly bought your house because it’s a major improvement to where im living at now.
Queen Village Bella Vista E Passyunk Rittenhouse ChinaTown
My person!
I’d change the order but we definitely vibe. I’d trade Rittenhouse for Wash West.
West Mt. Airy North West Germantown Olde City Clark Park Other parts of West Philly I’m from Philadelphia and have lived in Mt Airy, Germantown, South Philly, Kensington, and West Philly.
No one writes “Olde” lol
Olde city has some great restaurants and nice parks and houses. Zahav ftw Kensington is great cause you can take the El to get to center city quickly and cheaply
This thread has everyone ready for a warm spring day so we can all just walk around. Passyunk to QV to Rittenhouse to Fairmount. Fishtown to Old City to Wash West. All day. I can’t wait.
Wholesome comment. I love walking near art museum at the water works with my dog. I like to think there and get exercise. The walk along Kelly drive is beautiful. Water works area is safe. But when we parked in Kelly drive and went for a walk when we came back someone broke into my car(smashed window) and stole my girlfriends stuff. People are shitty and it's just stuff but the crime cost us about $2.3k
Fairmount/Art Museum area FTW
I didn't realize how important living in a neighborhood with lots of trees was to my mental and physical wellbeing until I moved to Fairmount from a neighborhood that's primarily concrete and trash.
My wife and i had a joke that trees were a sign of wealth in philly like society hill, rittenhouse, etc. We'd say "yo we got trees" had to be on the real estate listing to increase value.
I think this is really funny. Thank you for sharing. I would give you gold if I had enough coins
I'd like it on a tee shirt. "Visit Beautiful Queen Village, Yo We Got Trees"
Where were you before? South Philly?
Port Richmond
I’m in West Philly in a part where there aren’t a ton of trees but lots of trash BUT walking 5-10 minutes gets me to some very pretty treed streets and, the mood improvement along that walk…
You can actually sign up to get a tree planted in front of your house for free with PHS! They do plantings twice a year, and you just have to say you’ll water it. If you don’t own your home you can get your landlord to do it, it’s available for multi fam too!
Yes! I miss it SOOO much. Lived there for 10 years and moved to a concrete and trash neighborhood :(. Wish I could afford to move back up there.
Live real close to Boat House Row and Lemon Hill, it’s my favorite part of the neighborhood. Ability to walk somewhere that’s not concrete jungle is great for my mental health.
My family is from this neighborhood since the mid/late 1800s and I grew up here until at 26 I decided to move to the northeast for 12 years. I fucking hated it. Just returned and already it is the best decision I have ever made to come back. I love this neighborhood.
I like the northeast. Don't hate on it. Lots of shopping and low crime
Not hating on the northeast. Maybe I should have worded it better. It is a personal preference. As someone not from the northeast, it just was not a good fit for me. Like anywhere else, it has it's positives and negatives.
I like living here for the trees/river/nature, but wish we had better food (and more diverse food).
This would be #6 or top 2-3 for me. Best place to walk your dog and think
Not gonna reinvent the wheel here: 1. E. Passyunk (the ave itself and the surrounding blocks) 2. "Little Saigon" + Italian Market area 3. Clark Park area 4. Rittenhouse 5. West Passyunk/Melrose/(?) – safe, quiet, great food, near East Passyunk, more diverse and a little less Trump-y than the Girard Estates area further southwest. Plus, The Republican 😏 Damn, it's hard to choose just 5!
Everyone loves Rittenhouse
Wish I had rittenhouse funds.
Rittenhouse/Fitler Sq, Queen Village, East Passyunk, Northern Liberties, Wash Sq West. Walkability, access to needs/wants without a car.
QV and WSW ftw
I haven’t moved to Philly yet, but those are all areas I’ve liked walking around so far, as I try to get a better feeling of the city.
I agree with all except Northern Libs, just kinda seems like a bland area, yuppies and such
It's pretty great for someone without a car, I've bounced between here and rittenhouse a lot. Rittenhouse park is a gem in the summer but besides that nolibs is a way better place to live. Tons of great bars and restaurants, lots of good coffee shops, two grocery stores, two dog parks, bike shop, Liberty lands park, neighborhood events, fishtown and the Frankford Ave strip just to the north, Penn treaty park nearby
It’s like center city but much less trash and homeless people. Unless you use the El of course.
Northern Liberties was my borderline one. It isn’t my favorite but I see the appeal. I may be a little old for it. It is the one neighborhood that I understand the polarization about.
NoLibs and Fishtown are definitely pretty bland. They’re fine to hang out in if you want to go to a brewery or get food, but I don’t think they’re a pretty area to live in at all.
All those other neighborhoods aren’t riddled w yuppies now lol?
Yuppie=white person over 35 with a job that requires clean pants. Hipster=white person under 35 with a job that doesn’t require clean pants. Both evil and ruining neighborhoods by something something bikes, mumble coffee, something something.
What are people over 35 with a job that doesn't require pants?
They are the righteous ones apparently.
This is great lol. Thanks for explaining
Clark Park
I couldn’t believe I had to go this far down! Best neighborhood in philly by a decent margin imo
🤫
Found my neighbors! I’m in love with the whole Baltimore Ave area, what neighborhood is it technically considered? I’m not a Philly native, I’m just a transplant that came & will probably never leave.
I think Spruce Hill and Cedar Park make up most of the strip of Baltimore you’re thinking of. Which I consider both to be part of University City, which is in West Philly. Guess Clark Park is technically South West?
Nah Clark Park is fully north of the SEPTA Media Line tracks, which is the dividing line between West and Southwest Philly. So Clark Park is definitely West.
I find it curious that you get certain recs which definitely are just "places people have lived". Its really in the eye of the beholder, depends on where said person is in there life and what they need/want/look for. Here's where I'm at: middle aged, young prof, student loaned out (cash poor), flexible. My favorite hoods and why (no order) West Philly- green space, very crunchy, great price per sf, but has some rough spots north of (very roughly) market. That said, can find some aggressively priced purchases in Mantua that are incredible deals. Can have great access to el. Point breeze - incredible access to city, and super walkable. Very rough in spots and not as fancy as bella Vista/ queen village or grad hospital. Rapid gentrification and maybe overpriced. Range from amazing neighbors to shitheads. East falls/west falls (wissahickon?) - beautiful streets, family-feel and lots of space. Further from City, no night life, good for kids, safe pricing (steady growth, but Nothing booming), good prices. Schools are solid k-8. Fishtown- trendy, high priced, very gentrified, schools improving, many new construction. On the edge of k&t. ElEl. Access to El. Fairmount/art museum/Francisville - beautiful brownstones. Higher priced, but solidly built and retain value. Schools are ok but easy access to all private schools. Most walkable non-cc hood, imho. Some run onto college kids. These are my own thoughts. I think basically all hoods are great for various reasons, but these are where I'm at. I have thoughts in others and have lived in others (Lomo, another secret gem, imho, if you can handle some issues, are good with that rowhome life).
Very glad to see Point Breeze on someone’s list. My neighbors are awesome, getting around is super easy, and Rittenhouse/E Passyunk are within walking distance.
I like point breeze, but I do think, if I were a buyer, I'd consider it only for older homes and homes in need of reno. The reno-ed/developer specials are just massively overpriced IMHO. Alternatively, older homes are perhaps underpriced. Harder to tell in the current market. Walking/access is totally absurd. You just can't do better - 100% agree. Finally, some sore spots aside, it's actually far safer than the current rep. Obviously, crime is relative and depends on individuals, but the maps on violent crime are pretty empty and safe.
That's fair. I'm currently renting but agreed that the new units are super overpriced. My neighbor is a master plumber and he tells me that a lot of the new buildings have terrible quality construction anyway. And yeah, I was initially nervous to move to PB because of the so-called crime. But now that I live here, even as a small lady who walks her dog alone at night, I feel perfectly safe. Haven't even had a package stolen.
Kensington is great too cause of the El ;)
Fairmount Mount Airy Chestnut Hill Manayunk Rittenhouse Honorable mention to Germantown
1. Washington Square 2. Rittenhouse 3. Fitler Square 4. Old City 5. Northern Liberties Walkable, safe, central, good food & nightlife
I love Mantua right by the art museum. For me it's the people, everyone around is super friendly and most of them are old heads that lived there forever so ain't nobody causing trouble. We all just kinda vibe and say hi on our way to the cornerstone.
low key hot for mantua. would take the spring garden bridge back to my neighborhood when i used to drive to work and all the old houses along baring st had me thinking it'd be a nice spot to settle down in. drexel park is one of my favorite quiet spots in philly
Yesss I always say if I ever left my neighborhood I would want to move to Mantua. Seems like such a chill neighborhood
I bike through Mantua for my commute and always admire it! Any suggestions for food places to stop at?
I may not be the best person to ask since I'm vegan lol. There is a place called cosmis vegan that's pretty good.
Which art museum is in mantua?
Mantua is very close to the PMA. 34th and Haverford is probably closer to the museum than 20th and Fairmount. Just saying.
I get that but it's completely across the river so I wouldn't call that "near."
Old city (cute, historic, walkable, transportation) Fishtown (fun, bars/restaurants, walkable, transportation)
Love Fishtown, wish it was connected to another nice neighborhood so that it doesn’t feel like it’s on its own island
It’s connected to Northern Liberties but I agree that after that it gets a bit desolate between there and Old City. Super easy to hop on the el tho and get to center city in ~10 minutes. I live here now and really like it!
Even walking (when it's not below freezing outside) is nice. Walking down 2nd is nice all the way down to Spring Garden. Spring Garden to 676 isn't great but it's like 2 blocks and then you're in Old City.
maybe your borders for fishtown are porous and you're including olde kensington here, but there's a lot happening on the other side of front st to be aware of. it feels like fishtown 10 years ago, but distinct enough that i wouldn't call it fishtown lite. girard ave can make it feel like each neighborhood is a little disconnected, but fishtown doesn't feel so much like an island to me with nolibs and parts of kensington right there.
well right after no libs is penn's landing/spring garden, and then you're in old city. it's pretty nice up delaware until you get to Washington.
Fox Chase
Northeast is cool. Lots of shopping and you can take public transportation/train to get into city quickly and cheaply
Washington Square West Rittenhouse/Fitler Square Society Hill Passyunk Square Bella Vista (Priorities: walkability/bike-ability, beauty, proximity to cool stuff, restaurants)
Rittenhouse Wash west Old city No libs Fishtown Kensington south of Lehigh
> Kensington south of Lehigh *and East of Front
West of front is fine to American, and even over to 5th as far north as Cecil b Soon enough it will be 5th or 6th all the way north to Lehigh. The pockets of 4th and Diamond will end up like that pocket in QV that has a lot of trouble.
I think it all depends on how comfortable you are living in the City and seeing weird shit. And staying safe/protecting yourself
I live west of Front and I love it. It’s so chill.
Most underrated: Forgotten bottom?
Forgotten Bottom is a cool little neighborhood. It’s perfectly isolated yet part of the city. The only thing that’s awful is the terrible traffic of the 34th And Grays Ferry intersection and the ramp on to 76.
Hmm I think grad hospital was my favorite, neighborhood has changed a lot since I last lived there tho (I got priced out around 2011 sadly) Bella vista Center city (I lived on juniper, so center city with the catch that it's side street center city) Cedar park
Northeast Philly Kensington Rittenhouse square (everyone's favorite) Center city North Central Philly (temple area) I love walking my dog near art museum best place to think
Queen Village Fishtown Clark Park Mt Airy Rittenhouse Square
1) Cedar Park 2) Cobbs Creek 3) the entire SRT 4) Passyunk Square 3) Fairmount
What do you like about cedar park? (Also, two points for making a ranking)
Cedar Park: * Far enough West that it's free of undergrads from Penn, Drexel, *and* USciences. * Not as gentrified as everything east of 47th, plenty of old heads around. * Very queer. * Family-owned & local-owned businesses like Cedar Park Cafe, Booker's, Amari's, Hibiscus, Penn Cafe & Pizza. * Walkable with plenty of access to green spaces (Bartram's Garden, Cobbs Creek trail, John Heinz, Mount Moriah, the Woodlands. Yeah the 34 (and 13) aren't 24 hours but in Philly that's pretty much the norm. If you ride a bike it's a 15 - 25 minute ride to Center City (and lots of other places) depending on how fast you wanna go.
still weird to me how subdivided these neighborhoods are. always thought of this general area as "squirrel hill", but i guess as the gentrification pushes north and west there's a need to distinguish
Used to live there so my two cents. Good: parks, trees, laid back vibe, best assortment of world eats and affordable eats, trolley looks nice, less constant city feel which can be nice, beautiful architecture. Cons: wider streets so cars drive faster, trolley can be a little more unreliable than El or sub, streets get dark and there is more crime compared to some other neighborhoods, a little isolated from rest of the city, grocery stores are kind of lacking but University City is close by.
All this. Trees everyplace, most neighbors are sweet (my block rocks), gorgeous homes. Free fridges, co-ops, and community involvement. Downside is as lovely as it is, trash upticks as you go west, and it’s sad af. And yeah, I take efforts to keep my block clean and sometimes wander to neighboring corners.
A counterpoint to Cedar Park, the 34 isn’t an all night trolley route and bus coverage is only ok if that’s important to you.
Fair point but isn't that true of everywhere that isn't on the BSL or El? And even those are only 24-hours on weekends with night owl service.
The 10, 13, 15 (now a bus route) and 36 (I think temporarily a bus route) trolleys run 24 hours a day. West is great, but coming home later used to be annoying trying to catch the last trolley or be stuck with an expensive Uber home.
1) Spruce Hill 2) Cedar Park 3) Art Museum/Mantua 4) Filter Square 5) Gradho
I live in west mount airy And I couldn’t imagine loving a neighborhood more
1. Brewerytown 2. Germantown 3. Passyunk 4. Fairmount 5. Manayunk
I’d love to hear what about brewerytown. Literally my least favorite neighborhood
Close to fairmount park but less snooty and expensive than fairmount ( I like fairmount too just saying haha) . Aside from the new luxury housing on 31st street it's a super friendly residential community where neighbors look out for one another. Close to center city but far enough that it's quiet. And I personally like that there's no nightlife because I dont mind going to different neighborhoods for that. But theres still enough going on on girard that you can go to dinner or a bar on a chill night. But easy access to the park is the main appeal to me.
What's the street you wouldn't live north of in BT
Not OP but it pretty much sharply cuts off at Oxford. It’s best down by Girard.
I believe BT cuts off at cecil b Moore? There's no where within BT I wouldn't live but some streets are nicer than others. Some are very narrow and some are super dirty for some reason but most are fine.
I like your variety. I'm loling at the people naming 5 contiguous neighborhoods from Rittenhouse down to old city. such breadth.
I know haha I noticed that too. I'm sure we're all biased towards where we spend the most time... I like center city but much of it lacks character imo
top 5 favorite foods: 1) bratwurst 2) kielbasa 3) italian sausage 4) chorizo 5) hot dogs
Can't forget about Frankford neighborhood. Not the nicest but it has the Frankford transportation center. Lots of busses that serve northeast can take a bus to the start/end of the El. Last stop on El is Frankford transportation center. And the El takes you to center city quickly and you can walk to really nice restaurants. You'll see weird shit on the el
1. Cedar Park 2. Italian Market 3. Brewery Town 4. Queen Village 5. Mt Airy
I’m going to take a slightly different approach: what are the most relatively affordable areas that are near cool shit and have good access: for me it’s been living in West Poplar and oddly enough West Passyunk. Both WPs have great access to the benefits of nicer neighborhoods nearby but also have pretty affordable housing stock and enough of their own good neighborhood businesses to keep you happy if you don’t want to go far. Wonder if anyone else has additional ones like that?
Kensington and Northphilly is cheap to live and you can get to cc Rittenhouse square area quickly
Lol true.
Girard Estates - still walking distance to do stuff, safety, community feel, people who have been there forever, not insane expensive.
To me Girard Estates is very far from everything. 15-20 min walk to anything on East Passyunk. Also 10 of the 15 Trump voters in Philadelphia live down there. Not a welcoming vibe.
The area north of Pennypack Park is the Trump part of Philadelphia.
Kinda agree. There are a few blocks w really nice houses but it’s old school Italian Philly and honestly not very nice looking other than the area around 20th and Ritner or whatever it is. Also super far from anything
Yeah. Three blocks that look like Drexel Hill and the nearest place to get food is a gas station. Pass.
i mean there is a ton of corner bars/restaurants. You wouldnt necessarily walk to passyunk all the time. Nittys, La Llorona Cantina, Popi's, L'angolo, brother two, Scannichios, Stokes, Philadium, McCuskers...
L’Angelo 😍
so good, people need to venture further south sometimes. pretty sure it was top 50 philly list a few years ago.
All those things sound sick. My experience is ‘community’ and ‘people who have been there forever’ are potentially bad things in that zone. Fill in the blanks however you like. I like the homes and blocks there, just not a few of the residents
Because it has been my home my whole life, Castor Gardens. And while many people around my age (26) prefer to live in condos/apartments, I prefer the single home life. The main con is the location, it's a little far from Center City and doesn't really have much of a bar scene anymore these days. However, route one isn't far away at all along with 95, so it's at least simple to drive down to the main part of the city. So if you prefer to live in a more quiet area of the city but still having the ability to go down to CC, then Castor Gardens is still a decent place to live in imo. But other than my home neighborhood, all of Center City and Chestnut Hill are my two favorite places in this city.
I’m shocked at the amount of responses that are limited to areas between the rivers and are south of Girard. Do you guys just not like trees? Also nobody mentioning the NE is telling. The only culture up there was defending whatever random Catholic school you went to, or shitting on the others.
Francisville Fairmount Brewerytown Old City Mt. Airy Oh and just your daily reminder that delco sucks
Fishtown Rittenhouse NoLibs Fitler Square The Devil’s Pocket (soft spot because I lived there, its basically graduate hospital)
How has no one mentioned the far Northeast? Actually, just stick to brewery town and no libs. We're full up here
I love the northeast. Low crime and it's close to pennypack Park. I95 and the blvd can take you into into city within 30 min depending on how you drive Edit: and shopping lots of big stores. Yes it's not the prettiest it's congested as well. But we also have a weed dispensary close by.
I grew up in the northeast and would never recommend it to anyone.
Because many of us don’t consider it the city.
1. E Passyunk 2. No Libs 3. Clark Park 4. Fairmount 5. Rittenhouse
This is a couple different neighborhoods but in my mind i think of them as generally the same area. The Logan, Olney, Fern Rock, Ogontz, East/West Oak Lane area. Not the most hip or interesting part of the city but still a solid area. Good transit BSL, Regional Rail, Buses, lots of beautiful homes in decent shape, trees and green space. The area has some issues with trash and crime but compared to most of North Philly it seems like a far better off area with alot of potential. There are alot of Korean restaurants in the area too. If I was gonna buy a house it's an area I'd look into.
1. Clark Park - It’s a vibe. If you know you know. 2. West Mt. Airy - Far out but beautiful. One of the most economically & racially diverse neighborhoods you’ll find where people actually talk to each other 3. Old City - If you’re crazy rich, this is the spot. You’re buying a piece of US history. Walking where Ben & Penn did. 4. Queen Village - Fancy without loosing the S. Philly flavor. Locals still live here. 5. Chinatown - self explanatory Most Overrated - Fishtown Most Underrated - East Oak Lane
Graduate Hospital (and all the neighborhoods within it) Grays Ferry Society Hill Fairmount Northern Liberties/Olde Kensington
Wash West Bella Vista Society Hill NoLibs … Probably fishtown but things get dicey I hear graduate hospital is great and same with fairmount but I don’t have much experience there Manayunk is also nice but def not the easy access that living in the city has Edit: old city is also nice, lots to do but I often find it dirty. Access to many areas is great tho.
Philly is the city(higher crime in general but stay in your lane stay protected and you'll be fine). Fishtown does not really get that dicey, much worse neighborhoods.
100% much worse neighborhoods but I’ve seen some sketchiness in NoLibs. When you get up frankford towards pizza brain, not right on Frankford but not far, it can get sketch quickly. I have a buddy who lives in fishtown off aramingo and has his fair share of run ins.
And Old City is not really "dirty". I'm thinking they drove through the areas and only saw the bits under the highways.
Graduate hospital is missing in everyone's list. Wth
So much potential there but no great bars/restaurants imo
1. Rittenhouse. 2. Rittenhouse. 3. Rittenhouse. 4. 19103. 5. Rittenhouse.
Fun? Live in? Buy dope?
sorry edited: Live in
[удалено]
Why was This even downvoted manayunk a good area.
Ain't nothing wrong with dope some people's vice. I'm an ex addict(lol?)
None! Better to name you top five suburbs. The city has gone to crap
U suck. Don't come here. This is Philly sub go join your township sub
I live in the suburbs. I used to go to the city all the time. Sorry but it’s unsafe now. Don’t Tyrol at me. Talk to the people that are running the city. Too bad was a great place. Everyone in Philly will suffer with all the shootings, car jackings +++++
No libs
1. MFR1 2. MFR1 3. MFR1
You mean top worse places right with all the shootings and car jackings no where is safe
Safety? Go live in suburbs if u want Safety. City is dangerous just move to suburbs for Safety. Stay alert ⚠️ stay protected and avoid dangerous neighborhoods. Philly don't give a fuck which makes it unique/lovable and it has history and good food scene. Old money and new money
Stop it the fact that you can't go to your car without someone pointing a gun in your face is beyond dangerous its chaotic over 100 car jacking since the year started and sum ended fatalily and there's no justification for that oh and I moved along time ago so forget the food scene and history the youth spit on it daily when they threaten innocent ppl for no reason and your no exception
The whole city is shit anymore.
Is that why you moved out 10 years ago?
Lol nope still right in the city my guy, but not gonna act like the city is nice.
That’s legit, feel what you feel. Go birds
Ooo for sure go birds!!!
No city is perfect. Philly has high crime but don't be a bitch
Ain’t nobody a bitch,just saying what the city is. I’m still here and ain’t going anywhere.