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We will be moving to Philadelphia is a few weeks. We will be renting the first year. My husband has a job in City Center and I homeschool our daughter.
Could someone please describe the difference in vibe between Manayunk/Roxborough and the Mt. Airy/Chestnut Hill areas?
One reason I ask is there seems to be a lot more apartments to rent in Manayunk than east of Wissahickon Park.
Also we are looking at Fairmount/Art Museum, but townhouses that meet our needs (accept pets, have at least a small patio, central A/C, W/D, 1600+ sq ft, new kitchen appliances) are few and far between on craigslist.
As far as looking closer to the city I was also told to look into North Liberties, but I don't know much about it.
FWIW, we are looking for a 3/2 and can pay up to $2800 a month.
I visited Manayunk to evaluate the neighborhood. The only thing I did not like was the steep hills. It is very tiring to walk up the steep hills and driving a car uphill or downhill on a one way street is also unpleasant.
I saw lots of condos. There are even condos overlooking the canal which would be a pleasant place to live. The Manayunk towpath is very scenic, like a path through the woods alongside an old canal.
Main street has many nice restaurants and boutiques including the famous Winnie's Le Bus. There is a bookstore, Pretzel Park, a music store, and many cafes.
The Manayunk Station provides regional rail service to Center City Philadelphia ending at Market East Station. There is also a bus route.
I thought it was a very nice neighborhood with some interesting properties. Some of the houses had unusual architecture.
Manayunk is popular with college aged students. Mt Airy is probably a bit more family oriented. There is a great property management company that specialized in Mt. Airy/ Chestnut Hill properties called George Woodward Company. They typically have homes that meet your specifications, and allow pets with a deposit. George Woodward Co.
I find craigslist to be fairly hit or miss and you never know who exactly you'll be dealing with. You might try going directly through prufoxroach.com website or something similar as those rentals are listed with realtors.
Thanks for the info. I hope to be out in Philly in about 2 weeks, and I will be looking at LOTs of apartments then. while I am waiting for that to happen I am researching the various areas. I hope I find something that fits us.
While you'll find families in Manayunk, as stated above it seems more geared to the college/post-college demographic. Lower Roxborough is more family oriented with lots of rowhomes, upper Roxborough (going west along Ridge or Henry) will have more singles, twins and apartment complexes, and doesn't feel as crowded as Manayunk. Mount Airy and Chestnut Hill are more family oriented and you'll find more of a homeschool community in Mt Airy than probably anywhere else in the city. You'd more likely be looking at renting a house than an apartment, but your budget should be able to find you a nice place, probably even in Chestnut Hill.
I would live in any of these areas. We just bought a house in lower Roxborough about a half mile from Main Street Manayunk. It is a mix of young families, yuppies, college students, and old timers who have lived there since forever. We chose it because its very safe, affordable, close to Main Street, and about a 20 minute commute on SEPTA to CC. Upper Roxborough is more suburban and has less access to the train. Chestnut Hill is pretty far out from Center City, but would be an okay commute on Septa, and has shops on Germantown Ave., Mt Airy is also a residential neighborhood and is a little closer to the city. You may also want to consider East Falls or even Ardmore, which may actually be closer via regional rail than any of the neighborhoods you mentioned. Ardmore has a lot of rentals and shops and restaurants.
Generally, west of the Wissahickon the neighborhoods are somewhat more 'conservative' in a sort of middle-class white-ethnic suburban way, where the Flyers reign supreme, people still often go to church, and people hang American flags from porches (sometimes in excess)...
Manayunk is well-known for its 'fraternity-style' party scene along Main Street, although this never (except for the yearly bike race) spills into the side streets, which are actually really quiet and narrow in a historic-district kind of way. Roxborough is more like a well-maintained urban suburb, and the problems never really go beyond stupid teenager stuff (drinking in parking lots, etc.).
North of the Wissahickon, you have a lot more concentrated wealth, and the neighborhoods have much more of an elite atmosphere... Chestnut Hill is the traditional bastion of WASPdom in Philadelphia, with its mini-mansions and private schools (and its own cricket club!), and Germantown Avenue is maintained to look like a quaint small-town street. Mt. Airy ranges from mostly black in its eastern reaches to mostly Jewish in its western reaches, and despite its wealth, has much more of a countercultural atmosphere, with its residents devoted to various 'progressive' and 'green' causes, and coffee shops proudly advertising free-trade coffee.
One way or another, they're all great neighborhoods, and all would be great places to raise a family. Good luck!
I just moved here 7/25/11...You have narrowed it down to some really nice areas. I looked long and hard and ended up in Roxborough. I'm loving it so far. There are lots of families in this area. Mixed ethnicity. Mixed ages. Parking is good too. Public transpotation is very accessible...SEPTA stop is 4 houses away...the train is at the other end of the street. I'm telling you God picked this area and home for me.
Be sure to think about where you are on a hill for winter parking and driving. Summer is hot hot hot. Traffic is thick when travelling I-76. Try to get a little grasp of the public transportation system so that you'll know what to look for when picking a place to live.
If I decide to live in Philly for the long term...I will most likely remain in this area.
We went to Philly and found an house to rent in Chestnut Hill. I really loved both Chestnut Hill and Mt. Airy but the house we liked was in Chestnut Hill. It's on the southern side, so we are close to Mt. Airy too.
Generally, west of the Wissahickon the neighborhoods are somewhat more 'conservative' in a sort of middle-class white-ethnic suburban way, where the Flyers reign supreme, people still often go to church, and people hang American flags from porches (sometimes in excess)...
Manayunk is well-known for its 'fraternity-style' party scene along Main Street, although this never (except for the yearly bike race) spills into the side streets, which are actually really quiet and narrow in a historic-district kind of way. Roxborough is more like a well-maintained urban suburb, and the problems never really go beyond stupid teenager stuff (drinking in parking lots, etc.).
North of the Wissahickon, you have a lot more concentrated wealth, and the neighborhoods have much more of an elite atmosphere... Chestnut Hill is the traditional bastion of WASPdom in Philadelphia, with its mini-mansions and private schools (and its own cricket club!), and Germantown Avenue is maintained to look like a quaint small-town street. Mt. Airy ranges from mostly black in its eastern reaches to mostly Jewish in its western reaches, and despite its wealth, has much more of a countercultural atmosphere, with its residents devoted to various 'progressive' and 'green' causes, and coffee shops proudly advertising free-trade coffee.
One way or another, they're all great neighborhoods, and all would be great places to raise a family. Good luck!
Oops I meant fair-trade coffee.
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