Thinking about moving to Philly with husband & 4 children (Philadelphia: middle-class, renting)

[tj416]

Good Morning All,

I was thinking about moving to Philly, but I wanted to know the best place to live for a biracial(white/black) family with 4 children (13,8,3,6mths). I am moving from Bloomfield, NJ. This neighborhood was diverse and I am looking for the same in Philly. I am just looking for a change in environment and of course cheaper "rent" and better school system. I work in the accounting field and my husband is a teacher so we both have solid backgrounds. I just wanted a neighborhood that is family oriented, working middle-class, school system is beyond good to be called a "public-school" or maybe even a charter school. Once I drove thru Philly I believe it was around south st and they had run-down housing and people were standing out on corners. I was so disgusted, but then I heard that was just that part of philly and please forgive me, because I really don't know what side I was on maybe south (if this sounds about right). I would like to move around December of this year. I plan on renting for now, until I get to know the area better. Please help your advised and opinions will help me out alot. Thank you in advance

[ElijahAstin]

Cheltenham and Abington could be potential winners. Both are pleasant areas, with decent schools and sizable African American enclaves. But the question is how much are you willing to spend?

[tintin19119]

If you talking about living in Philly.I would say West Mt. Airy is very diverse,so is East Mt. Airy the further north you go.I come from a biracial family and I grew up in Mt. Airy.Mt. Airy has always been a melting pot,even when the rest of the city was not.

[PennKid]

Originally Posted by tj416

Good Morning All,

I was thinking about moving to Philly, but I wanted to know the best place to live for a biracial(white/black) family with 4 children (13,8,3,6mths). I am moving from Bloomfield, NJ. This neighborhood was diverse and I am looking for the same in Philly. I am just looking for a change in environment and of course cheaper "rent" and better school system. I work in the accounting field and my husband is a teacher so we both have solid backgrounds. I just wanted a neighborhood that is family oriented, working middle-class, school system is beyond good to be called a "public-school" or maybe even a charter school. Once I drove thru Philly I believe it was around south st and they had run-down housing and people were standing out on corners. I was so disgusted, but then I heard that was just that part of philly and please forgive me, because I really don't know what side I was on maybe south (if this sounds about right). I would like to move around December of this year. I plan on renting for now, until I get to know the area better. Please help your advised and opinions will help me out alot. Thank you in advance

If you want a safe neighborhood with decent schools in the working-to-lower-middle class range, I would probably refer you to the Northeast or to Roxborough, especially coming from Bloomfield. Mt. Airy and Chestnut Hill, while leafy, are quite expensive, and the river wards (Fishtown, Bridesburg, Port Richmond) might be too dense and monoracial for you.

I would suggest to look into homes in the school catchment for Mayfair Elementary, Crossan Elementary, Rhawnhurst Elementary, Solis-Cohen Elementary, Disston Elementary, or any of the schools beyond the Pennypack.

Here is a map of their catchments:
City Maps

These are all high-achieving schools (above state average) in a not very high-achieving district. As far as your 13-year old, if you live in the Solis-Cohen, Crossan, or Rhawnhurst catchments, Northeast is his designated high school, and it's so-so overall, but has a pretty impressive magnet program. Mayfair and Disston zone to Lincoln High, which is passable at most. Beyond the Pennypack, they would be zoned to George Washington, which is also so-so, better than Lincoln, for sure, but seemingly below Northeast.

But there is also a well-developed system of charter and magnet high schools in Philadelphia, which if your 13-year old got good marks in, he could easily get into. I went to Bodine (25th in the state out of ~600 public high schools). Many of my friends went to Central High School (2nd in the State). There are a handful of others, such as Carver (20th, I think) or Freire (about 30th). Masterman, the very best high school in the state, is also a magnet, but usually, they don't take transfers.

To give you an idea of what the NEast looks like, architecture-wise, here is a very typical Northeast Philly block:

mayfair, philadelphia - Google Maps

here is a slightly more spaced-out one:
mayfair, philadelphia - Google Maps

hope this helps!

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by PennKid

Beyond the Pennypack, they would be zoned to George Washington, which is also so-so.

Has GW gotten better in recent years? My cousin graduated in 2002 and said the school environment was horrific.

[PennKid]

Originally Posted by HeavenWood

Has GW gotten better in recent years? My cousin graduated in 2002 and said the school environment was horrific.

Two of my really good friends went to GW and graduated in 06 and 07, respectively, and when asked about their high school, they would shrug their shoulders and say "it was just average. Not terrifying but not stellar by any means." I got the impression that it was what you made it- if you were a smart kid and you took AP classes, you were in a good spot, but if you wanted to get yourself in with the wrong crowd, that was a possibility too. I think it's made some cosmetic improvements in recent years with the physical school, and been much stricter about policy violations, but it's probably not that different.

Honestly, I wouldn't want my kid going there (I would try to have him/her get into Central or Bodine or the other magnets, or Swenson and or Philadelphia Academy, which are the far NEast's respected charter schools). If for some reason, however, my kid didn't qualify, I would feel better with GW as a last option that almost any other neighborhood based Philly public school (maybe except for NEast).

Northeast, which seemed to be on a downward slide in the early 2000s, seems to have really gotten its act together recently. I've heard nothing but good things from parents with kids in the magnet school.

[jennm59]

Hey there -
I've lived in west Mt. Airy in the past (and there is a big difference between west and east), and I can say that the neighborhood is really friendly to biracial couples, families, kids, etc...and you'll find many people there who are also biracial. One of the things about W. Mt. Airy that I did like, is the diversity, and how everyone seems to live so well together. Good luck!

[angelseo]

I think it is a good area as i to my knowledge..There is a descent school too for your kids and both of you can also find a better job near to your home town..Please see all the facilities in prior and then think of shifting..