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For background, I am an African American female in my late 30s. I grew up in Los Angeles, went to one of the most liberal law schools in the country (Berkeley), and came to Chicago 8 years ago. I love Chicago but have decided that it is time for me to move on (the violence is creeping closer to the downtown area and it's scary). My job has an office in Philly, so I am thinking about moving out there. However, I have a lot of questions about the city. For instance, are there things to do on the weekend (festivals or farmer's markets)? How safe is the city for a single female? Is it dog friendly? Are there dog parks? Is there a running trail similar to the lakefront in Chicago? How diverse is the city?
I copied and pasted all of the questions from the moving forum. Please let me know if you need any more information. Thanks in advance for all of your help.
When are you moving? March or April 2018
Where are you coming from? Chicago, near downtown (South loop)
Why are you moving? The violence in Chicago is spreading closer to the area where I live.
Where will you be working? 300 Spring Garden Street
Have you been here yet? Yes, but only for a weekend.
Will you buy or rent? Rent first and then buy (assuming that I like living in the city).
If buying, are you looking for a house or a condo? I will be looking for a condo
How much can you spend? Up to $300,000
If renting, are you looking for an apartment, a townhouse or loft? Something with a doorman and that allows pets (I have a 9 nine pound dog)
How much can you spend? $2,500 a month
Do you prefer hi-rise or walk up? High-rise
Are you married or single? Single
Do you have children? No children
Do you prefer public or private schools? n/a
Do you have pets? Yes, a 9 pound dog
Do you want or need a yard? no
Are you keeping a car? I have a car but I can get rid of it
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? no preference as long as it is SAFE and I can run. Safety first.
What do you want to be closest to? I am a long distance runner so I would like to be near a running trail. Something similar to Chicago's lakefront or somewhere I can run where I won't be hit by someone texting and driving. I would also like to be near a good indoor spinning studio or gym.
Work (yes, if possible-- I am not really sure where 300 Spring Garden Street is but I really want to live near Center City, so that is more important than living close to work)
Shopping (yes)
Basic services (supermarket, drugstore, etc.) (yes, I would definitely like to be near a supermarket. In the winter, I like to minimize the amount of time I have to spend outside, so I would like to be able to walk to the supermarket).
Nightlife (don't care about nightlife at all)
Train or subway stations (yes)
Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood? Neighborhood that is racially diverse and VERY liberal.
Favorite Beverage - Craft Beer, wine, water? Water (I don't drink alcohol)
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Hello! It is a very exciting time to be living in Philadelphia as it is undergoing a total renaissance and if you are looking into moving I most definitely would consider it.
Center City Philadelphia overall is very safe, violent crime is minimal. Most crime if does occur are things like petty theft, and simple assault between conflicting parties. Once in a blue moon you have some type of random crime. But it is not common. There is billions of dollars of investment right now in Center City Philadelphia, and this reflects the economic rise of the city, and the safety of the area. No one is walking around Center City scared. So I definitely encourage any perceptions of Philadelphia not being safe to not be accurate on any level.
With that, it seems reading your post accessibility to recreational areas are your #1 priority. Philadelphia is blessed to have the largest urban park in the country (and one of the largest in the world), called Fairmount Park. It borders the Schuylkill River, and runs alongs its banks on both sides, and extends far into west, and northwestern Philadelphia. It is an extremely popular area for running, as well as national ranked rowing, hiking, biking, mountain biking, etc. Further extensions of the trail, and you would think you were in a rural trails of the Mid Atlantic, as it is well preserved.
Boathouse Row & Kelly Dr. is our famous running trail, that borders the Schuylkill. One of the main loops is 10 miles (although it extends all the way to Valley Forge National Historic Park (nearly 30 miles out). This trail is very popular, extremely scenic and beautiful, and used heavily. This is located on the western edge of Center City, and extends along its north western neighborhoods.
Therefore I would focus on living in the western areas of Center City. Rental prices are fairly affordable in Center City, and therefore $2,500 gets you some very nice apartments and fairly unlimited options.
Center City is majority educated, democrat and progressive with a mix of all races. So no matter which portion you live in, you will most definitely find welcoming neighbors.
With that I would suggest to look at these western neighborhoods. Something to also know about Philadelphia. We are the city of Rowhomes. While we do have highrise apartment buildings. Largely are housing stock are spacious, charming and very community focused Rowhomes. Just to understand the dynamic of housing options. Philadelphia is also the city of neighborhoods, and each neighborhood offers all the amenities you requested, without needing to leave said neighborhood.
Fitler Square : Very historic, charming neighborhood. University of Pennsylvania is directly across from you on the other side of the river and Rittenhouse is just east of you. So therefore you tend to have alot of families in this neighborhood. It has cobblestone alley streets with over 200 year old rowhomes. There are very limited walk up options with doormen (there are a few on the western fringe of the neighborhood, actually bordering the Schuylkill River and the trail I mentioned.
Con (You are going to be most isolated via public transit to get to Spring Garden)
Rittenhouse Square: This is one of the most dense neighborhoods in the city, and there is a wide variety of walk ups. And this is why I would suggest this neighborhood most to you. It is a very vibrant neighborhood, and is a nexus and center of life not just in Philadelphia, but people from the suburbs. It is extremely vibrant, with shopping, restaurants, nightlife. Everything you could ever want. You also are close to the subway (Market/Frankford Line), which is convenient for commuting.
Logan Square & Spring Garden: Both of these neighborhoods offer many options. These neighborhoods offer close proximity to many of the renowned museums and civic institutions of the city. They tend to be slightly more quiet (especially Spring Garden) than Rittenhouse, but still vibrant bustling neighborhoods.
Washington Square West: I would suggest this, as it offers the best of both worlds in terms of commuting access, (you are very close to the subway), you are slightly further east from the park. But it is a brisk run (1 mile) down beautiful colonial streets, to get you to the park, and really is not a distance that would detract you from your running routine. (I do run to the park all the time from this neighborhood).
Listing outdoor running as one of your top priorities and wanting a trail most like what you have used in Chicago along Lake Michigan, I would definitely suggest those above neighborhoods. You will have unlimited housing options in each given your budget.
Additionally I would add these neighborhoods to explore: Old City(Center City historic district) and Northern Liberties(gentrifying with lots of new construction). Both of these are fairly close to 300 Spring Garden(Social Security Admin bldg ?) and you might be able to walk or bike to work.
If you choose somewhere else in Center City, factor in proximity to the Market Frankford line (aka the El). Its Spring Garden stop is two blocks away from 300 Spring Garden.
Lastly if you do start a new position here do check out Penn Herb, 2nd and Spring Garden. It's a great store for organic and/or homeopathic wares if you care about those things.
You don’t need to answer this question but it’s something to consider, why not just move within Chicago further away from the violence that is creeping toward where you live? I ask that question since Philadelphia, similarly to Chicago is not immune from violence and we do have violence occasionally pop up in areas that are among the safer places in a very brutal way.
For the record, I have lived in the City for my entire life, save about 10 years of my mid-career, and have never been a victim of something I would consider serious. I would just caution that someone who wants to move across the country to escape a seemingly very local problem, may not find the refuge they are looking for here.
The short answer to your question is that center city is a very safe area with a lot of diversity and very few racial issues, there are plenty of very nice high rise and mid-rise condos and apartment buildings, and there are plenty of parks and trails in the city for exercise (I think Philly actually has the largest public park system of any city). There are plenty of great restaurants, concert venues, and nightlife around the city.
I have lived in the Philly area my whole life except for 6 years that I lived in Forest Park (next to Oak Park at the end of the CTA Harlem & Lake Green Line). Chicago and Philly are actually fairly similar, and if anything, Philly is a little less costly. The gentrification and redevelopment that was happening in Chicago in the late 90s/early 00s in places like Wicker Park/Bucktown along the Blue Line around North & Damen is now happening in Philly in the Northern Liberties and Fishtown neighborhoods. Like Chicago, there are neighborhoods in Philly besieged by gangs and drugs and violence, but if you're not associated with that sort of activity and you know which places to stay out of, Philly is very safe.
There are a couple of running trails in the Philly area, however, I think the biggest advantage is the proximity to a lot more races/events in the East coast area than in the Midwest.
The closest you will come to running next to a large water body is the Schuylkill river trail which suffers from the same problem as most trails (runners vs cyclists vs walkers). Fairmont park is closed to traffic on the weekends and it's probably the best in the area, A close second is Valley Forge park.
Over the weekend and when the weather is good, the trails can get crowded but nothing close to what I have seen in New York (NYC is at another level).
Quote:
Originally Posted by aj234
What do you want to be closest to? I am a long distance runner so I would like to be near a running trail. Something similar to Chicago's lakefront or somewhere I can run where I won't be hit by someone texting and driving. I would also like to be near a good indoor spinning studio or gym.
There are a couple of running trails in the Philly area, however, I think the biggest advantage is the proximity to a lot more races/events in the East coast area than in the Midwest.
The closest you will come to running next to a large water body is the Schuylkill river trail which suffers from the same problem as most trails (runners vs cyclists vs walkers). Fairmont park is closed to traffic on the weekends and it's probably the best in the area, A close second is Valley Forge park.
Over the weekend and when the weather is good, the trails can get crowded but nothing close to what I have seen in New York (NYC is at another level).
Only MLK Drive, bordering west Fairmount Park, is closed to traffic weekends during the day time.
Just a note to address the affordability question:
I note that the OP says she can spend up to $300k on a house or condo.
Since she is a single woman, she should be able to find condos for that much or less anywhere in Center City - but she needs to add the condo fees to the monthly mortgage payment to determine whether they really fit within her budget.
I've seen condo fees as low as $80 a month and as high as $450 in running through those weekly "10 Most Affordable Homes in..." posts I put up on Phillymag's Real Estate & Home channel. $450 a month will get you a small apartment in some of the lower-income neighborhoods here (or a room in shared space in many more), and it's a sizable sum to add onto your monthly mortgage payment on a $300k condo.
That $300k condo is likely to be smaller and less well appointed in Rittenhouse Square than it will in other Center City neighborhoods because that neighborhood has the highest house and condo prices in Center City.
I too would recommend looking in Wash West on the whole - it's probably the most eclectic of Center City's neighborhoods in terms of income diversity, racial/ethnic diversity, mix of uses and mix of ages of housing stock.
But I'd also look in Old City, even though it's on the other side of Center City from the Schuylkill River trails. It has loads of condos with character and a decent amount of space in the under-$300k range. Besides, work continues on a bike-hike trail along the Delaware that she could run on. It's largely finished from South Philly to Fishtown, and a good long segment is open in the vicinity of Holmesburg.
The Fairmount neighborhood would be a good fit for proximity to work and proximity to the river trail. Your budget will get you something nice in that area. I'm honestly not sure about the highrise availability, so yes other West CC neighborhoods would be good options for high rises with access to the trail as well. Fairmount would just situate you nicely between work and running. West CC and Fairmount have good access to groceries such as Trader Joe's and Whole Foods that would be walkable.
I do agree with posters who have indicated that Philly and Chicago are somewhat comparable in regards to crime. From what I understand, Chicago has a higher murder rate whereas Philly has an overall higher violent crime rate. I think any "safe" urban neighborhood is always at risk of having crime creep in from other parts of town. Philly is a great city and there are plenty of reasons to want to live here, but I am not sure that moving here for safety relative to the safety of Chicago is the best reason. As others have suggested, you may want to consider moving to another 'hood in Chicago (perhaps farther north).
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