From Rundown Cities to Elsewhere (2015, apartment complex, renting)
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For those of you who lived in rundown cities (high urban blight) but decided to move elsewhere, which destination was the most opposite in that regard (little to no urban blight)?
Also, how shocking was the difference to you? Would it have made you move sooner?
I gutted it out in a blighted (yet transitional) neighborhood in Philadelphia for almost 5 years and moved to Central Florida (near Orlando) to be closer to elderly parents. The first couple of weeks were pleasantly shocking minus extensive litter on sidewalks and street, filthy air and general decay but one adjusts quickly. In retrospect would I have moved sooner (or not moved there at all)....a resounding yes.
^I have always wondered why your username was 19125. Idk when you are talking about living there but in the past years things have changed quite a bit. You honestly would be probably be shocked by how much has been built on Frankford Ave. Hipsters just love it around there so much. The north end of 19125 towards Kensington Ave. is still sketchy.
Anyway I can give kind of a reverse perspective. I took a job in Raleigh, NC and moved to North Raleigh. I quickly realized my idea of fun wasn't really playing quizzo in a parking lot of a mall or going to the Angus Barn as fine dining (I will say the fried food/bbq was on point though). It was just like living in a giant suburb with those kind of 2-3 story apartment complex buildings tucked behind some trees off of a busy highway like road. Also, forgive me for generalizing but, it seemed that the % of people you would deem a "Bro" is way higher. An intellectual night with the people I knew was going to a wine and paint night. There is nothing wrong with all this stuff. I just felt like it was 1. Boring 2. Could literally have been any suburb in America. 3. Seemed most young people were just trying to extend their frat boy years another year or two.
Moving to Philly was somewhat liberating for me. Just the sheer amount of things going on was probably the first shocking thing. It never stops. I went to Old City Fest yesterday and their literally is no way to compare a place like Raleigh/Orlando.
The more I think about it, the more I realize it is definitely the social aspect of being in a old dense city that I prefer over the new growth cities. As someone who grew up in that purely white upper middle class world, just coming face to face with so many different people from completely different walks of life is cool to me. There is sort of an authenticity to Philadelphia that makes it special, and in my opinion, places like Raleigh/Orlando just don't at all.
To sum up, I would take a more rundown city if 1. the older city has better vibrant neighborhoods. 2. Has better cultural institutions/events. 3. walkability/bikeability/public transpiration 4. Better city parks/recreational space. 4. Better bar/restaurant culture (Not a club guy personally) 5. Better homegrown stores (creative class type places). Just my opinion and not all old dense cities are the same.
Last edited by thedirtypirate; 10-12-2015 at 08:18 AM..
In 1994 my job had transferred me out to Columbus Ohio from Philly . I was living in the Fishtown/19125 area before all the gentrification took place and hipsters ,yuppies , and artsy types moving in. It was a ethnic gritty working class area dotted with corner stores and shot and a beer type corner bars where the only "food " that was sold were bags of potato chips and peanuts, Slim Jims and hard boiled eggs. Some blocks were well kept with small row houses kept in families for generations and other blocks were gritty looking . Frankford Avenue itself had a couple of corner bars , a couple of small mom and pop grocery stores and only one restaurant which was an old school grease spoon breakfast and lunch joint on the corner of Norris ( their breakfast sandwiches were the best) but most of the other buildings were vacant and unused. The Market- Frankford El was only a block and a half away from where I lived and I would always hear the trains while inside the row house I was renting at the time .
There were two bus lines that went right pass my door . I only lived a block from Frankford Ave. which had another major bus line . I didn't have to drive or need a car.
When I moved to Columbus I went into culture shock! Much of the city itself was very post war suburban like with 1950s/60s split level ,both raised and ground ranch and Cape Cod housing stock 1970s/80s apartment and townhouse complexes , strip shopping centers and you need a car in many neighborhoods. Most of the urban walkable areas surrounded the downtown . There is a couple of urban walkable inner ring burbs ( ie Grandview Hts. Central Bexley near Capitol University but the rest of the city and suburbs were sprawling . Some of the older suburbs do have their walkable downtown areas lined with shops, bars and restaurants but as you get further away from those areas the more sprawling and auto centric it becomes.
In 1994 my job had transferred me out to Columbus Ohio from Philly . I was living in the Fishtown/19125 area before all the gentrification took place and hipsters ,yuppies , and artsy types moving in. It was a ethnic gritty working class area dotted with corner stores and shot and a beer type corner bars where the only "food " that was sold were bags of potato chips and peanuts, Slim Jims and hard boiled eggs.
^I have always wondered why your username was 19125. Idk when you are talking about living there but in the past years things have changed quite a bit. You honestly would be probably be shocked by how much has been built on Frankford Ave. Hipsters just love it around there so much. The north end of 19125 towards Kensington Ave. is still sketchy.
Anyway I can give kind of a reverse perspective. I took a job in Raleigh, NC and moved to North Raleigh. I quickly realized my idea of fun wasn't really playing quizzo in a parking lot of a mall or going to the Angus Barn as fine dining (I will say the fried food/bbq was on point though). It was just like living in a giant suburb with those kind of 2-3 story apartment complex buildings tucked behind some trees off of a busy highway like road. Also, forgive me for generalizing but, it seemed that the % of people you would deem a "Bro" is way higher. An intellectual night with the people I knew was going to a wine and paint night. There is nothing wrong with all this stuff. I just felt like it was 1. Boring 2. Could literally have been any suburb in America. 3. Seemed most young people were just trying to extend their frat boy years another year or two.
Moving to Philly was somewhat liberating for me. Just the sheer amount of things going on was probably the first shocking thing. It never stops. I went to Old City Fest yesterday and their literally is no way to compare a place like Raleigh/Orlando.
The more I think about it, the more I realize it is definitely the social aspect of being in a old dense city that I prefer over the new growth cities. As someone who grew up in that purely white upper middle class world, just coming face to face with so many different people from completely different walks of life is cool to me. There is sort of an authenticity to Philadelphia that makes it special, and in my opinion, places like Raleigh/Orlando just don't at all.
To sum up, I would take a more rundown city if 1. the older city has better vibrant neighborhoods. 2. Has better cultural institutions/events. 3. walkability/bikeability/public transpiration 4. Better city parks/recreational space. 4. Better bar/restaurant culture (Not a club guy personally) 5. Better homegrown stores (creative class type places). Just my opinion and not all old dense cities are the same.
LOL. I can offer a another perspective of how things have changed, in the reverse. Durham has become everything North Raleigh is not with actual urban character (old tobacco warehouses, etc) and vibrant downtown neighborhoods, still not transit buzzworthy but definitely more walkable/bikeable, nice redeveloped greenspace, a nationally recognized restaurant scene (yep really, google it), is now one of the most educated cities in the US on average which has lead to the expansion of an already impressive cultural/arts community. All minus the filth and safety issues associated with the "big city".
I tried to rep you but unfortunately City Data would not let me. I got that aggravating message "You must spread the reputation around. I wish CD would lift that rule or get a "like" button.
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