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Old 01-15-2015, 07:23 AM
 
8 posts, read 24,638 times
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Hi! My husband & I are recent transplants to Philly (moved here in May from DC), and we are now considering buying in Point Breeze. As we are still fairly new to the city, and learning the ins and outs of the different neighborhoods, we'd appreciate any insight/advice/feedback on Point Breeze; e.g. crime/safety, walkability, community, things to do, etc. Thanks!
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Old 01-15-2015, 09:54 AM
 
Location: East Aurora, NY
744 posts, read 766,083 times
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Generally it is safest east of 18th street. It is improving but it is still a pretty rough neighborhood with a good bit of violent crime. Not sure I would recommend it to people who are not very familiar with Philadelphia. Many people believe the housing values will continue to rise and they probably will, but, the prices seem pretty high already IMO.
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Old 01-15-2015, 10:15 AM
 
Location: Philadelphia
12,000 posts, read 12,842,421 times
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What neighborhood are you currently in? Is this an investment property or will you be living there (or both)?

KansastoSouthPhilly is correct in that East of 18th Street is safer, but then that's not really Point Breeze, which is centered more around 20th-24th Streets. As a very general rule of thumb, the closer you are to South Street to the North and Broad Street to the East the safer and (more expensive) the home will be. Exceptions of course abound.
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Old 01-15-2015, 10:50 AM
 
Location: Philadelphia
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Point Breeze encompasses a fairly large area. Most of the development is happening in the northern portion (north of Wharton Street). There have been some recent bar/cafe openings - American Sardine Bar (18th & Federal), OCF Coffee House and Breezy's Cafe (20th & Federal), and Madira Bar & Grill (21st & Wharton). There have been some attempts to rejuvenate Point Breeze Ave but there is a lot of resistance by some of the old-timers.

The southeastern portion of Point Breeze - also known as Newbold - is also a decent area from roughly Broad to 17th/18th and Snyder to Tasker with the South Philly Taproom, Ultimo/Brew, Circles, Hardena within its bounds. It is also close to the Broad Street subway and walkable to all the restaurants and bars on East Passyunk Ave.

In any case, make sure you do your homework and visit where you would like to live at all hours of the day/night to see if you are comfortable in that particular area.
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Old 01-15-2015, 10:53 AM
 
Location: Mount Laurel
4,187 posts, read 11,862,480 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 2e1m5a View Post
What neighborhood are you currently in? Is this an investment property or will you be living there (or both)?

KansastoSouthPhilly is correct in that East of 18th Street is safer, but then that's not really Point Breeze, which is centered more around 20th-24th Streets. As a very general rule of thumb, the closer you are to South Street to the North and Broad Street to the East the safer and (more expensive) the home will be. Exceptions of course abound.
Agreed

Very big area and varies from street to street. I worked on a rehab with someone 2 years ago on 19th and Tasker. House broken in twice during work. Had to install alarm and it went off once. It's changing there but there are still some rough area.
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Old 01-17-2015, 12:43 PM
 
Location: Philadelphia
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My wife and I bought a house on a side street of 19th and Wharton March 2014. It's very quiet where we are and we haven't had any problem, but I still wouldn't call this place safe yet. I usually walk the dog after dark just in case. The foot traffic has increased a bit since we've moved in so we don't mind walking to Sardine Bar or Madiras, but we're usually home early; 10 or 11 at the latest.

As far as getting anywhere else, the 17 or the 7 can get you anywhere you need to be downtown or you can transfer if you're going somewhere else. There's also the 215getacab app or uber which both work great when it's cold.

All in all I'd say I'm very happy living here. It's quiet, property values are raising with all the construction going on, some more vendors are on their way in or will be, the school on 19th and wharton will probably be turned into condo's or something and the area should be really nice in a few years.
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Old 01-17-2015, 08:26 PM
 
252 posts, read 231,661 times
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Any particular reason you've singled out PB as a place to buy vs other neighborhoods?
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Old 01-18-2015, 01:23 PM
 
Location: East Coast
2,932 posts, read 5,395,000 times
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Point Breeze is an up and coming neighborhood that isn't quite there yet. Right now the most desirable part of the area is called Newbold: Broad St. (east) to 18th St. (west); Washington Ave. (north) to Wolf St. (south). The Newbold Neighbors Association boundaries are slightly different, but you get the picture...

Newbold Neighbors Association - Civic and Community Group invested in the future of South Philadelphia
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Old 01-18-2015, 07:34 PM
 
252 posts, read 231,661 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LibraGirl123 View Post
Point Breeze is an up and coming neighborhood that isn't quite there yet. Right now the most desirable part of the area is called Newbold: Broad St. (east) to 18th St. (west); Washington Ave. (north) to Wolf St. (south). The Newbold Neighbors Association boundaries are slightly different, but you get the picture...

Newbold Neighbors Association - Civic and Community Group invested in the future of South Philadelphia
I live just north of this area LibraGirl is describing. I live above Washington Ave in G-Ho. I didn't realize this was the most desirable part of PB. If this is the most desirable part, I hate to think of the other areas of PB. I do hope I'm not offending anybody. Every time I cross Washington Ave into PB, it just FEELS different to me. Different= Very Sketch. My husband walks with me in this hood and the only reason I go to this area is because I have friends living there. The only place that I know of for fun is the Sardine Bar, which is great. Otherwise, I wouldn't frequent the neighborhood for anything else. I stay in Graduate Hospital and go north into Center City for the good stuff.

OP: I personally wouldn't buy in this area if you're looking for a hood to live. If you flip properties for profit, it's maybe different story, but I wouldn't buy here at this time if you're looking for a walkable, safe, and vibrant community. Bottom Line: If you don't want/can't afford Center City, you could try other places close to CC. Try to Stay north of Washington on the West Side of Broad.
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Old 01-24-2015, 08:17 AM
 
Location: Philly
68 posts, read 88,019 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ionlyused59 View Post
I live just north of this area LibraGirl is describing. I live above Washington Ave in G-Ho. I didn't realize this was the most desirable part of PB. If this is the most desirable part, I hate to think of the other areas of PB. I do hope I'm not offending anybody. Every time I cross Washington Ave into PB, it just FEELS different to me. Different= Very Sketch. My husband walks with me in this hood and the only reason I go to this area is because I have friends living there. The only place that I know of for fun is the Sardine Bar, which is great. Otherwise, I wouldn't frequent the neighborhood for anything else. I stay in Graduate Hospital and go north into Center City for the good stuff.

OP: I personally wouldn't buy in this area if you're looking for a hood to live. If you flip properties for profit, it's maybe different story, but I wouldn't buy here at this time if you're looking for a walkable, safe, and vibrant community. Bottom Line: If you don't want/can't afford Center City, you could try other places close to CC. Try to Stay north of Washington on the West Side of Broad.
I can agree with you here.

I am currently looking out my window to Washington Ave into PB. I live on Kimball St (One block north of Washington). We literally live on the fringes of G-Ho, and looking into our PB counterpart on the other side of Washington doesn't look inviting or developed. It looks completely bombed out. The 25th street bridge doesn't help with matters either. The area needs at least 5 more years of steady development before the area is good. Another 5-10 years until it reaches down to University Ave (think Penn project).

Now, with Newbold that is a different story as others have pointed out. It's still definitely up-and-coming, but in a LOT better shape than PB is from 20-25th.

OP: There are still some affordable homes in the G-Ho area if you look towards Grays Ferry. We live near there, and enjoy it. Also, look into East Passyunk area as well. It's very neighborhood-y there and lots of development going on. Fairmount/Spring Garden is another option as well. I wouldn't single out PB as your only choice. The prices they ask for homes there is high IMO...there's still too much crime and blight in the area to ask for those prices.
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