Help Us Decide Which Neighborhood is Right for Us!! (Philadelphia: hardwood floors, apartment)
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I am very excited to say my boyfriend and I will be moving to Philadelphia this fall! So based off another thread, it seems like the following questions are useful:
When are you moving?
September 2016
Where are you coming from?
Atlanta, GA
Why are you moving?
For graduate school (Drexel)
Where will you be working?
her- Drexel; him- TBD
Have you been here yet?
Yes- when it was 8 degrees in February! Still enjoyed it
Will you buy or rent?
We will rent If renting, are you looking for an apartment, a townhouse or loft? How much can you spend?
This is a big one for us- in Atlanta we have always lived in houses with yards/porches/etc. A lot of outdoor space where we can hang a hammock and grow some veggies. I know this likely not attainable in Philly- the architecture is just different. We would LOVE some outdoor space- either a small patio, porch, or balcony. Do not mind if it is apartment, townhome, or loft.
Do you prefer hi-rise or walk up?
Walk up, probably.
Do you have a preference of living in a NJ or PA suburb?
(If you answered NJ - post your answers here: http://www.city-data.com/forum/new-j...-philadelphia/)
We would like to live in a central Philly neighborhood- not suburbs
Are you married or single? Do you have children?
Not married, no children. A couple moving together.
Do you have pets?
Two cats
Do you want or need a yard?
Would be a major bonus but not expecting anything.
Are you keeping a car?
Will likely bring one car- advice? Happy to take public transit.
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet?
Bustling activity
Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood?
Diverse neighborhood
About us:
We are a young couple (25 and 28) who have lived together in Atlanta for the past 4 years. We are very active in terms of social life and physical activity. We enjoy going to new restaurants, bars, seeing local bands often. We stayed in Fishtown when we visited and really enjoyed all the local shops, etc- this is similar to our neighborhood in Atlanta. I am worried this might be too far for Drexel.
Close proximity to nature/ the outdoors is extremely important to us. We go hiking, biking, and/or kayaking almost every weekend. He is a chef and will not have a problem securing a great job in Philly (has worked in many high end restaurants in Atlanta). I will be in grad school at Drexel. We can afford up to $1,200/mo in rent but would prefer 750-1000. We would be happy in a 1 bedroom, but a loft or studio would be fine if it had access to outdoor areas or a park nearby. What neighborhoods might be able to meet some of these criteria?
Things we prefer: older buildings with charm, large windows, hardwood floors, a fireplace, and (sorry to be so repetitive) a porch/outdoor space.
Are we too ambitious with what we want?
Thank you for any advice and suggestions! Please feel free to ask questions as well
I am very excited to say my boyfriend and I will be moving to Philadelphia this fall! So based off another thread, it seems like the following questions are useful:
When are you moving?
September 2016
Where are you coming from?
Atlanta, GA
Why are you moving?
For graduate school (Drexel)
Where will you be working?
her- Drexel; him- TBD
Have you been here yet?
Yes- when it was 8 degrees in February! Still enjoyed it
Will you buy or rent?
We will rent If renting, are you looking for an apartment, a townhouse or loft? How much can you spend?
This is a big one for us- in Atlanta we have always lived in houses with yards/porches/etc. A lot of outdoor space where we can hang a hammock and grow some veggies. I know this likely not attainable in Philly- the architecture is just different. We would LOVE some outdoor space- either a small patio, porch, or balcony. Do not mind if it is apartment, townhome, or loft.
Do you prefer hi-rise or walk up?
Walk up, probably.
Do you have a preference of living in a NJ or PA suburb?
(If you answered NJ - post your answers here: http://www.city-data.com/forum/new-j...-philadelphia/)
We would like to live in a central Philly neighborhood- not suburbs
Are you married or single? Do you have children?
Not married, no children. A couple moving together.
Do you have pets?
Two cats
Do you want or need a yard?
Would be a major bonus but not expecting anything.
Are you keeping a car?
Will likely bring one car- advice? Happy to take public transit.
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet?
Bustling activity
Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood?
Diverse neighborhood
About us:
We are a young couple (25 and 28) who have lived together in Atlanta for the past 4 years. We are very active in terms of social life and physical activity. We enjoy going to new restaurants, bars, seeing local bands often. We stayed in Fishtown when we visited and really enjoyed all the local shops, etc- this is similar to our neighborhood in Atlanta. I am worried this might be too far for Drexel.
Close proximity to nature/ the outdoors is extremely important to us. We go hiking, biking, and/or kayaking almost every weekend. He is a chef and will not have a problem securing a great job in Philly (has worked in many high end restaurants in Atlanta). I will be in grad school at Drexel. We can afford up to $1,200/mo in rent but would prefer 750-1000. We would be happy in a 1 bedroom, but a loft or studio would be fine if it had access to outdoor areas or a park nearby. What neighborhoods might be able to meet some of these criteria?
Things we prefer: older buildings with charm, large windows, hardwood floors, a fireplace, and (sorry to be so repetitive) a porch/outdoor space.
Are we too ambitious with what we want?
Thank you for any advice and suggestions! Please feel free to ask questions as well
I can say more later, but understand, that Philadelphia isn't just about attached row houses. Did you have time to explore the neighborhood where Drexel is, Powelton Village? It's all Victorian era housing, some with yards. Or the other neighborhoods just west of Penn in University City.
Fishtown may not be as remote to Drexel as you suppose. The Market Frankford Line (subway/elevated) could be used to commute directly to Drexel. The 34th St stop is the Drexel and UPenn stop. So don't count Fishtown out.
Fishtown and "nature/outdoors" are not usually used in the same sentence :-)
East/West Mt Airy have good rail access to Center City, are probably in your price range, have restaurants/bars, and are close to Wissahickon Creek (miles and miles of hiking/bike trails). You might get lucky and find some of the outdoor structural/yard space that you're looking for.
Also: Manayunk (more lively but less possibility of open space/porch/etc. in your price range)
Also: Wissahickon (near Manayunk, adjacent to Wissahickon Creek)
Also: East Falls (no idea of prices, but very nice, although a bit sleepier than the places mentioned above).
With any of these, you're close, in varying degrees, to the Schuylkill River trail - miles of pedestrian/cycling paths that can take you to Center City or Valley Forge and beyond.
You won't have to worry about charm, windows, etc. They're here in abundance (and in varying degrees of maintenance!)
I think you should look right in University City. It has many nightlife options and is very green for a central city neighborhood. It will be easier to park than fishtown. There is a variety of housing and much of it is beautiful and spacious. It will, obviously, be very convenient to Drexel and close to center city.
I am very excited to say my boyfriend and I will be moving to Philadelphia this fall! So based off another thread, it seems like the following questions are useful:
When are you moving?
September 2016
Where are you coming from?
Atlanta, GA
Why are you moving?
For graduate school (Drexel)
Where will you be working?
her- Drexel; him- TBD
Have you been here yet?
Yes- when it was 8 degrees in February! Still enjoyed it
Will you buy or rent?
We will rent If renting, are you looking for an apartment, a townhouse or loft? How much can you spend?
This is a big one for us- in Atlanta we have always lived in houses with yards/porches/etc. A lot of outdoor space where we can hang a hammock and grow some veggies. I know this likely not attainable in Philly- the architecture is just different. We would LOVE some outdoor space- either a small patio, porch, or balcony. Do not mind if it is apartment, townhome, or loft.
Do you prefer hi-rise or walk up?
Walk up, probably.
Do you have a preference of living in a NJ or PA suburb?
(If you answered NJ - post your answers here: http://www.city-data.com/forum/new-j...-philadelphia/)
We would like to live in a central Philly neighborhood- not suburbs
Are you married or single? Do you have children?
Not married, no children. A couple moving together.
Do you have pets?
Two cats
Do you want or need a yard?
Would be a major bonus but not expecting anything.
Are you keeping a car?
Will likely bring one car- advice? Happy to take public transit.
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet?
Bustling activity
Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood?
Diverse neighborhood
About us:
We are a young couple (25 and 28) who have lived together in Atlanta for the past 4 years. We are very active in terms of social life and physical activity. We enjoy going to new restaurants, bars, seeing local bands often. We stayed in Fishtown when we visited and really enjoyed all the local shops, etc- this is similar to our neighborhood in Atlanta. I am worried this might be too far for Drexel.
Close proximity to nature/ the outdoors is extremely important to us. We go hiking, biking, and/or kayaking almost every weekend. He is a chef and will not have a problem securing a great job in Philly (has worked in many high end restaurants in Atlanta). I will be in grad school at Drexel. We can afford up to $1,200/mo in rent but would prefer 750-1000. We would be happy in a 1 bedroom, but a loft or studio would be fine if it had access to outdoor areas or a park nearby. What neighborhoods might be able to meet some of these criteria?
Things we prefer: older buildings with charm, large windows, hardwood floors, a fireplace, and (sorry to be so repetitive) a porch/outdoor space.
Are we too ambitious with what we want?
Thank you for any advice and suggestions! Please feel free to ask questions as well
Thanks, kyb01! Yes, we spent time in Powelton Village and really liked it- but the homes seemed to be out of our range (from a cursory Craigslist search). We do intend to look in that area more when we come back over summer to look for homes. I have heard that most listings only go up about a month or so in advance there. Is that typically the case?
FrankInPhilly- when I mapped East/ West Mt Airy to Drexel, it said an hour by rail. Is this typical for a commute in Philly or is this a suburb?
Does anyone have any resources/ statistics on local crime? Are there any areas in the Powelton Village / University City area that we should avoid?
Thanks, kyb01! Yes, we spent time in Powelton Village and really liked it- but the homes seemed to be out of our range (from a cursory Craigslist search). We do intend to look in that area more when we come back over summer to look for homes. I have heard that most listings only go up about a month or so in advance there. Is that typically the case?
FrankInPhilly- when I mapped East/ West Mt Airy to Drexel, it said an hour by rail. Is this typical for a commute in Philly or is this a suburb?
Does anyone have any resources/ statistics on local crime? Are there any areas in the Powelton Village / University City area that we should avoid?
The train ride from Mt. Airy to University City is about 30 minutes. You get off at 30th st station which is at the eastern edge of Drexel's campus. The trains only leave ever ~30 minutes during peak times and once an hour during non peak times so that may have affected the times on your map. Mt Airy is in the city though it is significantly more suburban than fishtown. Mt Airy is great but be aware that it is pretty limited as far as walkable bars/restaurants/shops in the neighborhood. There are some but a fraction of what a neighborhood like fishtown or university city has to offer. I would recommend living near allens lane station to be near the main drag on Germantown avenue.
Thanks, kyb01! Yes, we spent time in Powelton Village and really liked it- but the homes seemed to be out of our range (from a cursory Craigslist search). We do intend to look in that area more when we come back over summer to look for homes. I have heard that most listings only go up about a month or so in advance there. Is that typically the case?
FrankInPhilly- when I mapped East/ West Mt Airy to Drexel, it said an hour by rail. Is this typical for a commute in Philly or is this a suburb?
Does anyone have any resources/ statistics on local crime? Are there any areas in the Powelton Village / University City area that we should avoid?
It'd take an hour only if the train got lost.
There are two regional rail lines serving the area - Chestnut Hill East (CHE) and Chestnut Hill West (CHW). I think it's only the West line that shares track with Amtrak, and if they both need a particular section at the same time, Amtrak gets dibs. So there may be some delays occasionally because of that. But 1 hour? No way.
Thanks, kyb01! Yes, we spent time in Powelton Village and really liked it- but the homes seemed to be out of our range (from a cursory Craigslist search). We do intend to look in that area more when we come back over summer to look for homes. I have heard that most listings only go up about a month or so in advance there. Is that typically the case?
FrankInPhilly- when I mapped East/ West Mt Airy to Drexel, it said an hour by rail. Is this typical for a commute in Philly or is this a suburb?
Does anyone have any resources/ statistics on local crime? Are there any areas in the Powelton Village / University City area that we should avoid?
To answer the latter re Powelton Village, for newbies like you, I would say stay south of Spring Garden St although I hear that some Drexel students are living north of it now. Regarding the rest of U.C., generally, no further west than 49th/50th Sts beween Chestnut St.,and Baltimore Ave. Also Penn and Drexel have ther own police force.
One word about chef's gigs, I'm sure you realize that Philadelphia gets back and forth "overflow" from NYC, and it has to be wildly competitive. But I'm sure your eyes are wide open about it.
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