Moving from the Boston area to Philly--Need help with areas... (Philadelphia: rent, townhomes)

[JHG722]

Originally Posted by PhillyViaBoston

Either way. As a Celtics fan I ignore it.

Hopefully, next time, you spell my alma mater correctly. Go Aces.

[krisbell]

I noticed that you said:
[LEFT]And don't forget East Mt Airy. you'll get way more bang for your buck than WMA (but as more and more people discover EMA, this is changing, rapidly). I live in the Upper part of E. Mt Airy. There is one trouble spot of EMA, that is relatively poorer with more crime.....specifically the area SE of Gorgas, between the R7 line and Germantown Ave...along Chew Ave. Somehow this area stigmatizes the rest of EMA, despite that it only takes up 25% of the neighborhood AND it borders on WMA as well.


I am looking at a rental house at Slocum & Chew. Is this an undesirable area? I am moving from my current place in the PR/Fishtown area because I feel unsafe & want a quieter, safer place.

Please let me know.

THanks!
[/LEFT]

[jennm59]

Hey there and welcome to Philly. Living in the city of Philadelphia means that you will most assuredly want to send your child to private schools...so if that is a concern, you might consider the burbs.

If you do decide to live in Philadelphia, you might look in Chestnut Hill. I used to live in New England for many years and it is the closest that I have come to finding the same type of community. Chestnut Hill is safe, clean, but fairly pricey...however, if you are used to Boston prices...it will be a break for you.

Mt. Airy would be good also...as long as it is WEST mt. airy. East can be quite dangerous. It is full of trees, hippies, and young lawyers/families with money who are into environmental issues, professors, etc...a great place to have a pet or a family.

Manayunk I would rule out if you have a family. It is most 20-somethings or folks right out of college and feels much that way. The crime is really low there, but there is very difficult parking (I get my hair cut in manayunk) and it comes across as very youthfully trendy but not family-oriented or professionally oriented.

I'd go with West Mt. Airy or Chestnut Hill.

[phillymedic]

WOW i have a great house to sell and am looking to move to the North Shore area we should talk!

[G Goo]

Originally Posted by jennm59

Mt. Airy would be good also...as long as it is WEST mt. airy. East can be quite dangerous.

I live in East Mt Airy, and my neighborhood is decidedly NOT dangerous. Care to elaborate on your sweeping generalization?

Maybe i should just skip the wait. There is a small part of EMA that borders Chew Ave that has relatively more crime and is more run-down. This area borders WMA as well, but somehow only stigmatizes the rest of EMA.....probably because of statements like this.

EMA can be a great choice because it has the same quality housing stock, transportation choices and proximity to shops and restaurants as WMA and CH but for less money. But that is changing fast as people discover the neighborhood and get over the undeserved stigma.

[2e1m5a]

Originally Posted by krisbell

I am looking at a rental house at Slocum & Chew. Is this an undesirable area? I am moving from my current place in the PR/Fishtown area because I feel unsafe & want a quieter, safer place.

Please let me know.

THanks!
[/LEFT]

Slocum and Chew is not the most desirable area of East Mount Airy, to put it nicely. Unless you are looking for an investment property (because I do believe this area is improving for the better) I would avoid the box bounded by Washington Lane to the south, Gorgas Lane to the North, Germantown Ave to East and Chew to the West. Outside of that area, EMA is very quiet and safe.

[yesec9]

Originally Posted by 2e1m5a

Slocum and Chew is not the most desirable area of East Mount Airy, to put it nicely. Unless you are looking for an investment property (because I do believe this area is improving for the better) I would avoid the box bounded by Washington Lane to the south, Gorgas Lane to the North, Germantown Ave to East and Chew to the West. Outside of that area, EMA is very quiet and safe.

I have heard quite a few people saying this. Is it really that bad in that little pocket? I am a young white guy looking to buy, and I saw one going up for sale for 50k. I work in Wyndmoor so it is very close. No way can I afford Chestnut Hill. Buying anything over 80k within the next few years would be out of the question. Would I really be that out of place around Gorgas & Musgrave? I grew up partly in West Germantown and partly in Elkins Park. Do you think people looking to rob would specifically target me, and/or, know I live there and act accordingly??

If that is indeed a depressed area, then, how is the area around, for example, Chew & Washington as compared to Gorgas & Musgrave?? I assume it gets better the further "north" you get?

I prefer to see this place as a starter home...

[2e1m5a]

Meehan st and the blocks close to Gorgas Ln always intrigued me because they are a few blocks away from continuous, beautiful neighborhoods from Gorgas Lane-North all the way to the end of Chestnut Hill. The area will improve the more Germantown Ave is developed and there is also a pretty big commercial/housing transit development going in at Washington Lane and Chew which will really benefit the area. Overall I believe the area looks worse than it actually is. I would feel comfortable living just about anywhere in Mount Airy but then again I grew up here and live in West Germantown now.

Gorgas Lane and Musgrave is a great area but gets a little rough as you travel down Musgrave. But it is very close to DT Mount Airy and is right around the corner from the Library, Acme and playground. $50K sounds like a great price for Meehan St.

[sullivjo]

Recently moved here as well from Mass... lower Main Line is quite similar to Newton and Brookline. This includes the communities of Wynnewood, Merion, Narberth, Ardmore, Radnor, Villanova, Bryn Mawr, and Wayne...These should all bring you to Market East on the Paoli/Thordale line in about 30 minutes or less. (Driving would take much longer!) Even parts of Overbrook Farms would have some family friendly homes. This is part of Philly, so I wouldn't rely on the local public school there, but the rent would be cheaper than Main Line while still being close to all the amenities. However, if price in not an issue I would choose one of the Main Line communities. You will still find it to be cheaper than the immediate suburbs of Boston. Lots of shopping, restaurants, great schools and parks, and community activities, and you are still super close to the city to take advantange of the museums and center city.

[PennKid]

I would second all the suggestions that Mt. Airy, in virtually all of its western side and most of its eastern side, is a wonderful place to live. However, if you are also looking for a place that is 'artsy', walkable, vibrant, and near a university, and with easy access to excursion destination, I would recommend the two parts of West Philly bordering Penn and Drexel, Spruce Hill/Walnut Hill and Powelton Village, respectively. The former has a very healthy commercial strip with small eateries, bike stores, organic-food-stores, yoga places, etc, and the latter is more quaint. They both have a reputation as very very liberal and progressive, and as the home of activism in the Delaware Valley. They both have stellar public schools, too- Penn Alexander, and Powel, respectively, that make it easy to feed into one of the city's renowned public schools.

Here are two street shots:

In Spruce Hill:

48th and osage - Google Maps

and Powelton Village:

powelton village - Google Maps

Think, for Boston comparisons, of JP and Mission Hill, respectively.

PS, I lived in Dorchester for a while and I don't think it's all a ghetto, not even remotely. The only reason I mention it on this forum is because I think that the DOt has many similarities to Lower Northeast Philly, which I've always thought to be a relatively healthy, if slightly not-perfectly-upkept part of Philly.