Questions about different neighborhoods in Philly to live in

[AgelessStranger]

Defensive? LOL. Merely pointing out your slight at the far NE. And yes you did state, not imply, it has a bad "vibe". Whatever that is.

[Clark Park]

Originally Posted by SKJSS

You'll want to stay out of North or West Philly. Bad neighborhoods (not all, but a lot), high crime, high poverty ...

Not true.

A very large chunk of West Philly comprises the neighborhoods of the University City District: Powelton Village, Woodland Terrace, Spruce Hill, Walnut Hill, Cedar Park, Garden Court, Squirrel Hill, etc.

Most of these neighborhoods are rather safe, and in the case of Spruce Hill and Garden Court, homes can range anywhere from $375,000 to over $1 million. It is an area filled with young professionals, college students, older 'empty-nesters', 'hipsters', LGBT folks, middle and upper-middle class families, etc. There is a huge range of ethnic restaurants and quaint shops.

It is a young, lively, and yet architecturally beautiful area of shady streets and Victorian homes.

You will get more "bang" for your buck in University City than across the Schuykill in Center City.

[SKJSS]

Hence why I put in paranthesis "not all, but a lot". I am aware of some of the pockets of nice neighborhoods on the west side of the Schuykill. But for the OPs desires, I don't see those spots as good of a fit as either CC or even Roxborough/Manayunk. Plus, a lot of those pockets in University City are bordered by some really tough neighborhoods.

And as I mentioned originally, I was painting with a "broad brush", I wasn't going block by block or pinpointing individual pockets. Even in the CC area I recommended, there are several neighborhoods included, not just one. In general terms, if you ask Philly area folks about north or west Philly, they are more thought of as having some very tough neighborhoods. With the OPs lists of wishes, I would argue that the broad brush stroke of "center city" is the best spot to be. If anyone is offended by it, sorry. No offense meant, but you'll take it how you take it. Heck, after I moved out of Philly, I lived in the Glenolden area...and if someone asked me about it, I wouldn't give it an overly glowing review, I would call it "OK"...so I'm not going to be defensive of an area because I once lived there.

[eastwestcoast]

Originally Posted by SKJSS

Hence why I put in paranthesis "not all, but a lot". I am aware of some of the pockets of nice neighborhoods on the west side of the Schuykill. But for the OPs desires, I don't see those spots as good of a fit as either CC or even Roxborough/Manayunk. Plus, a lot of those pockets in University City are bordered by some really tough neighborhoods.

And as I mentioned originally, I was painting with a "broad brush", I wasn't going block by block or pinpointing individual pockets. Even in the CC area I recommended, there are several neighborhoods included, not just one. In general terms, if you ask Philly area folks about north or west Philly, they are more thought of as having some very tough neighborhoods. With the OPs lists of wishes, I would argue that the broad brush stroke of "center city" is the best spot to be. If anyone is offended by it, sorry. No offense meant, but you'll take it how you take it. Heck, after I moved out of Philly, I lived in the Glenolden area...and if someone asked me about it, I wouldn't give it an overly glowing review, I would call it "OK"...so I'm not going to be defensive of an area because I once lived there.

Not trying be defensive here, but for what the OP is looking for, I have to agree with Clark. University City should not be counted out. It's right across the river from Center City and well-connected with the MFL, trolleys, and regional rail all running through it. Tons of other people in their twenties live there and the housing is (somewhat) more affordable than Center City. Plus there are ever-growing numbers of restaurants, bars, etc. not to mention jobs coming west of the Schuylkill... just look at the construction boom all around Penn and Drexel. Sure bad parts of West Philly are adjacent to U. City, but that does not make it a dangerous place to live as long as you remain aware and don't live at the fringes. Not saying it's better than living in Center City, and having to live around so many college students can be annoying in terms of noise and demand for housing, but it should at least be an area on the OP's radar.

[charlesxm]

Originally Posted by eastwestcoast

Not trying be defensive here, but for what the OP is looking for, I have to agree with Clark. University City should not be counted out. It's right across the river from Center City and well-connected with the MFL, trolleys, and regional rail all running through it. Tons of other people in their twenties live there and the housing is (somewhat) more affordable than Center City. Plus there are ever-growing numbers of restaurants, bars, etc. not to mention jobs coming west of the Schuylkill... just look at the construction boom all around Penn and Drexel. Sure bad parts of West Philly are adjacent to U. City, but that does not make it a dangerous place to live as long as you remain aware and don't live at the fringes. Not saying it's better than living in Center City, and having to live around so many college students can be annoying in terms of noise and demand for housing, but it should at least be an area on the OP's radar.

Thanks for the insight. I walked around University City while I was there and found it pretty nice. Im planning on going back to school for a PhD, so it would be nice to be in that area.

[Better Than You]

Originally Posted by AgelessStranger

Defensive? LOL. Merely pointing out your slight at the far NE. And yes you did state, not imply, it has a bad "vibe". Whatever that is.

Don't you know (according to CD) Philadelphia only has three areas? - Center City, West Philly and South Philly. lol

[chessimprov]

There are many hiking groups from meetup.com around the Philadelphia area. I used to frequent them more, so I have a sense of the paths around. If you have time to frequent those a bit, they may have places that give you a sense of what you're looking for too. Kelly Dr. is why people say CC or University City. That's certainly the best spot when you talk of kayaking, but too expensive for your range most likely. You might want to consider certain sections of East Falls, Manayunk, or Roxborough possibly. It's near part of the Kelly Dr./Martin Luther King Blvd. loop, an ending point for the main trail for Fairmount Park (I believe that trail is called Forbidden Path), the Manayunk towpath, and Centennial Park. There might even be a "path" for what used to be part of the R6 from Lower Merion to Manayunk, but I've never seen it and I don't think you're supposed to go over it. I think people do anyway though, lol.

Clark Park is nice for events and community, but there's only so much place to jog and certainly no place to kayak there. Of course you could drive in to the place you need to to kayak. I think the area I suggested could still be close enough to the city but has amenities that fit you best.

When Clark was talking about getting more "bang for your buck", don't forget to consider the time you have to try the things around you too. You can be close to all the hip places and things you want to do, but if you don't have time to do all those things you'd want to do, then it turns out that living in that area is more like having the potential to get your money's worth rather than actually having it. Only you can truly figure that part out.

As for the NE, there is Pennypack park, which is kind of far NE. I'm not sure about places to kayak nearby there, and there might be places across the Betsy Ross in to NJ if you end up going in that area.

King of Prussia and surrounding areas are near Valley Forge Park. Beautiful park, but traffic heavy for getting in to Univ. City or to Temple if you were going there from KOP. No kayaking that I know of nearby. The Appalachian Mountain Group centers itself near this area, and they are very reputable and care about the safety of all its hikers for hiking. They do many other activities and have overnights and hike and do other outdoor activities. As someone who is not into outdoor activities, I enjoy their hiking groups. The attitude is very professional. You might not get that same vibe in others, and there are others that I don't know of that well.

Ridley Creek park is also a decent size. No kayaking that I know of nearby.