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Old 10-08-2014, 02:56 PM
 
10 posts, read 16,649 times
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Hi all,

We're considering moving from Brooklyn to Philly. I'd welcome your thoughts on possible neighborhoods, etc.

A little background: If we move, I would be working in Center City. My husband's work situation is a little less clear. He may be in Center City or he may be commuting to Wilmington. We're in our 30s. No kids yet. We have a cat, a dog (60 lb. hound mix) and a car. We'd love to live within city bounds for a year or two before moving we start having kids and move to the suburbs. We currently live in Brooklyn and like good restaurants, craft beer and culture. I'm an avid runner, so access to decent routes or at least a means to get to decent routes is important to me (we currently live 1.4 miles from Brooklyn's Prospect Park). Ideally, we'd like to rent a one or two bedroom with a max budget of $2,500/month (cheaper than that would be preferable). I like the idea of a row house, but I'm really open to suggestions/input.

We'd love some neighborhood suggestions based on the above. We're really not super knowledgeable about Philly. Thanks in advance for any input.
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Old 10-08-2014, 03:46 PM
 
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Welcome to Philadelphia!

You have a good amount of options when your budget is $2,500. In your situation, I think your best bet is to rent right now. The last thing you would like to do is to buy a house at an area that you're not familiar with. Once you rent a year or two, you'll explore and understand more about Philadelphia and probably figure out where you would like to live.

I think a few places to consider are the following:

Rittenhouse - they have lofts where it is pet-friendly and some places have parking for an extra fee. This place is pretty close to a lot of eateries, nightlife, and a running trail. A lot of people run around that area, and depending how far you go, you can go to the art museum and Kelly Drive.

Manyunk - This place is a 15 drive away from the city but you get to live where a lot of the young professionals are. It's a town with a lot of eateries as well but a lot of hills and tight roads. It's a nice area as well.

Fishtown - This is an up and coming town. This place has a lot of eateries and it's not too far from downtown. They are definitely redeveloping the area and it's looking pretty nice. It's pretty close to 95, where it'll be a nice ride for your husband going down to Wilmington.

So, there are definitely more places out there but this is probably a good start. If you don't like to rent, there are definitely other options like houses and condos. So see what you think!

Last edited by toobusytoday; 10-08-2014 at 07:30 PM.. Reason: Realtor solicitation is not allowed.
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Old 10-08-2014, 09:04 PM
 
Location: Philadelphia, PA
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Is your husband possibly working within walking distance of any of the wilmington stations?
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Old 10-08-2014, 11:59 PM
 
Location: Philadelphia
221 posts, read 397,723 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by benjai08 View Post
Welcome to Philadelphia!

You have a good amount of options when your budget is $2,500. In your situation, I think your best bet is to rent right now. The last thing you would like to do is to buy a house at an area that you're not familiar with. Once you rent a year or two, you'll explore and understand more about Philadelphia and probably figure out where you would like to live.

I think a few places to consider are the following:

Rittenhouse - they have lofts where it is pet-friendly and some places have parking for an extra fee. This place is pretty close to a lot of eateries, nightlife, and a running trail. A lot of people run around that area, and depending how far you go, you can go to the art museum and Kelly Drive.

Manyunk - This place is a 15 drive away from the city but you get to live where a lot of the young professionals are. It's a town with a lot of eateries as well but a lot of hills and tight roads. It's a nice area as well.

Fishtown - This is an up and coming town. This place has a lot of eateries and it's not too far from downtown. They are definitely redeveloping the area and it's looking pretty nice. It's pretty close to 95, where it'll be a nice ride for your husband going down to Wilmington.

So, there are definitely more places out there but this is probably a good start. If you don't like to rent, there are definitely other options like houses and condos. So see what you think!
To be clear to the OP who's not super knowledgable about Philly, Manayunk and Fishtown are neighborhoods within the City of Philadelphia, but outside of the Center City (Philly's downtown section).

If your husband is driving to Wilmington, I'd also check out Queen Village and Pennsport in South Philly adjacent to 95.
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Old 10-09-2014, 05:48 AM
 
Location: Philadelphia
221 posts, read 397,723 times
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*Center City - without the random "the"

Last edited by Snwmn5; 10-09-2014 at 05:57 AM..
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Old 10-09-2014, 06:49 AM
 
Location: East Mt Airy, Philadelphia
1,119 posts, read 1,454,554 times
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You can live anywhere in Center City with the budget you specified. East of Broad St has advantages for driving to Wilmington (better access to I95). West of Broad St is better for access to 30th St Station (SEPTA to Wilmington) and the Schuylkill River Trail (great for running).

Someone mentioned Manyunk: yes, lots of night life, and excellent access to running trails. But getting to Wilmington by car (or rail, for that matter) would be tiresome. Also, being in your 30's you don't quite match the post-college demographic that seems to pervade the night life. (FWIW, it's not 15 miles from Center City. Maybe 7-8).

Fishtown and Northern Liberties are either up and coming or "already there" - good access to I95, but parking can be gruesome and I've never looked at either location and thought it'd be a good place for running.

West Philly (with a western border of, say, 48th St) has lots of nice areas, is close to 30th St Station, and would require only a relatively short time on the Schuylkill Expressway before getting onto I95 Southbound. Lots to do, courtesy of Penn-Drexel proximity, and good schools if you're in the right catchment area.

Personally, I'd rent for a while west of Broad (Fitler Square, Rittenhouse) and get used to the city, then make a neighborhood choice if you want to buy.
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Old 10-09-2014, 10:02 AM
 
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Thank you all. This is tremendously helpful.
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Old 10-10-2014, 12:28 PM
 
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Another suggestion, Art Museum area. Not as convenient for heading to Wilmington, but easy access to Fairmount Park for running, and good demographic mix too.
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Old 10-10-2014, 02:40 PM
 
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Wow, Fishtown is slowly recovering from being East Kensington but I can't imagine why someone would move there.

Manyunk would probably be the best for the money if you don't mind a ton of 21-24 year olds all over the place. It has a tendency to make 30-somethings feel old.

Rittenhouse is nice but parking is tough. It is also pretty expensive. Fitler Square area might be a tad less money. There is better parking in this area and also a park where you can take your dog off a leash.

If it were me, I'd go near the Art Museum. There is plenty to do and you would have the areas along the river to run with your dog. It's an ideal place for an avid runner. The trail runs all the way up past Manyunk and beyond the city limits.
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Old 10-10-2014, 04:01 PM
 
10,787 posts, read 8,689,959 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Droop View Post
Wow, Fishtown is slowly recovering from being East Kensington but I can't imagine why someone would move there.

Manyunk would probably be the best for the money if you don't mind a ton of 21-24 year olds all over the place. It has a tendency to make 30-somethings feel old.

Rittenhouse is nice but parking is tough. It is also pretty expensive. Fitler Square area might be a tad less money. There is better parking in this area and also a park where you can take your dog off a leash.

If it were me, I'd go near the Art Museum. There is plenty to do and you would have the areas along the river to run with your dog. It's an ideal place for an avid runner. The trail runs all the way up past Manyunk and beyond the city limits.
I will third the Art Museum area. I live there and it takes me about 15 minutes to walk to 30th St Station and I'm an old coot. Should take the OP less time, I'm sure.
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