Up & coming areas, best places to buy now? (Philadelphia: for sale, apartment)

[jessy5_25]

What are the new up and coming areas of Philadelphia?

Id like to buy a house in an up and coming area, I am priced out of Northern Liberties, and I feel like NL is already there.

Does anyone think Francisville will be the next area to take off?

[pman]

francisville may never be like nl but it seems a good bet to become more like the neighbkrhoods south and west

[robkaos]

Port Richmond, eastern side. Still mostly a family oriented area, close to renewed Fishtown, Northern Liberties, and easy access to I-95. I'm unsure if Francisville will improve in ways that Fairmount has in the past decade or so, or if it will become another Brewerytown; basically be the "hype" of what's next, and still remain heavily blighted in spots, with crime issues. To me, it's still far too close to Strawberry Mansion, which is one of the top three worst areas in the city.

[pman]

Originally Posted by robkaos

Port Richmond, eastern side. Still mostly a family oriented area, close to renewed Fishtown, Northern Liberties, and easy access to I-95. I'm unsure if Francisville will improve in ways that Fairmount has in the past decade or so, or if it will become another Brewerytown; basically be the "hype" of what's next, and still remain heavily blighted in spots, with crime issues. To me, it's still far too close to Strawberry Mansion, which is one of the top three worst areas in the city.

francisville isn't brewerytown by any stretch of the imagination (for better or worse). francisville's main problem is lack of people. brewerytown and sm aver very poor neighborhoods. francisville is bordered by fairmount, spring garden, and a part of north philly that is slowly coming into temple's orbit. according to a recent PBJ article, the city is working to redevelop the leon sullivan lot. it will probably never be fairmount but it seems a pretty safe bet that it will be much nicer than it is now. in the past two years, fairmount ave has been a construction zone non-stop. that street's only problem bar is up for sale. now is probably as good a time as any to get in. that isn't to say port richmond doesn't have it's positives as well. (worth noting that francisville isn't far at all from either northern liberties or fishtown either). brewrytown prices are way down from their highs, which means it will probably continue to improve at a slow clip (problems run deep there but people are also moving into point breeze)

[Marius Pontmercy]

There's still the matter of the Divine Lorraine, Fairmount's only problem giant high-rise Victorian apartment building/hotel.

[PennKid]

I would agree that Port Richmond is probably the most up-and-coming area that side of Market, with the East Passyunk/ Lower Moyamensing neighborhoods in South Philly the most up-and-coming in that neck of the woods. Port Richmond is seeing plenty of overflow from the gentrification of Fishtown (itself overflow from Northern Liberties), and it's considered stable and quiet enough to move a family into (yuppies more so than hipsters). The part of PR south of Lehigh is already indistinguishable from Fishtown, with the Portside Arts Center finally allowing hipsters to channel their wannabe artsiness back into the community, and the Green Rock being the 'cool' place to be. The part of PR north of Lehigh has seen fewer newcomers, and remains a lower-middle class neighborhood mostly composed of Polish immigrants and their descendants, but is rapidly becoming the only place to go. I think new houses were just built on Cedar or some street right around there to accomodate these types.

[pman]

Originally Posted by PennKid

I would agree that Port Richmond is probably the most up-and-coming area that side of Market, with the East Passyunk/ Lower Moyamensing neighborhoods in South Philly the most up-and-coming in that neck of the woods. Port Richmond is seeing plenty of overflow from the gentrification of Fishtown (itself overflow from Northern Liberties), and it's considered stable and quiet enough to move a family into (yuppies more so than hipsters). The part of PR south of Lehigh is already indistinguishable from Fishtown, with the Portside Arts Center finally allowing hipsters to channel their wannabe artsiness back into the community, and the Green Rock being the 'cool' place to be. The part of PR north of Lehigh has seen fewer newcomers, and remains a lower-middle class neighborhood mostly composed of Polish immigrants and their descendants, but is rapidly becoming the only place to go. I think new houses were just built on Cedar or some street right around there to accomodate these types.

I guess north broad didn't get that memo
Starr and Vetri to be neighbors | Philadelphia Inquirer | 10/07/2010

[TrickBaby202to215]

Strawberry Mansion is HARDLY one of the worst areas in Philadelphia! Kensington, Hunting Park, Olney, Nicetown, even GERMANTOWN are all much worse! I'm in love with Strawberry Mansion. I love the people and how genuine, honest, and usually hospitable they are-if they're not hospitable; it's been my experience that's only because somebody mistreated them first. I also love the old architechture that was built by the Freedmen's beaureau between 1840-1880 there. I also love the strong, beautiful, dark skinned, tall, manly, naturally intelligent men (who really are potentially very smart, but they don't always choose it) in that area. Both the people and the housing are suffering, for sure; but they have potential to be the greatest. It's a great place to buy or keep housing in the family right now because the area's appreciating in value. I never have had any fitna or bad experiences with the people who live in Strawberry Mansion; and I'd like to buy and fix up a house there. I'd also like to find a good Muslim brother who wants to better himself and live right to marry.

[sweendog024]

How about South Philly south of Washington between 5-8th streets down to around oregon. It is sandwiched by two good neighborhoods, but it is a little bit rough around the edges from what i've heard and seen.

[Pennsport]

Good housing deals to be found in that stretch, but it has a long way to go before it cleans up IMO. The upside is that it isn't necessarily dangerous, just kind of dumpy and poor. So, you can safely live in that cooridor and walk to the "better" more established neighorhoods. This isn't the case in many transitional areas which are neighored, or worse, surrounded, by some serious bad news.

For what it's worth, I believe that as Passyunk Square continues to expand, this corridor will slowly get eaten into and refurbished just as the historically Asian parts of Bella Vista did years ago. 8th to 11th Streets just over Washington are also getting massive overhauls. As that area improves, it can't help but have an impact on the area directly East.

With all this said, I think it will take this stretch a longer time to pull it together than it will other neighborhoods mentioned in this thread.