What's the difference between Chestnut Hill, Mt Airy, and Germantown? (Norwood: low crime, houses)

[Lalaboomboom]

We are moving to a Philly suburb (which suburb is TBD) this summer. Many people have recommended Chestnut Hill to us and I've noticed its popular on this forum too. Is it similar to Mt Airy and Germantown? We are looking for a safe neighborhood and are ok with private school. Thanks!

[KansastoSouthphilly]

Originally Posted by Lalaboomboom

We are moving to a Philly suburb (which suburb is TBD) this summer. Many people have recommended Chestnut Hill to us and I've noticed its popular on this forum too. Is it similar to Mt Airy and Germantown? We are looking for a safe neighborhood and are ok with private school. Thanks!

Not sure what information specifically you are looking for but here is some random info on each neighborhood:

These are all city neighborhoods in NW Philly. All three neighborhoods are divided by germantown avenue which serves as the main commercial street of all three. All three are known for having large stone houses and being very leafy. All three have stops on the Chestnut Hill East and West Lines to center city. Chestnut Hill is the furthest out, then Mt. Airy, then Germantown.

Chestnut Hill is the toniest and generally considered the "safest" and is known as being mostly white. It also has several well regarded private schools in the neighborhood including OMC, Spring Side, Norwood, and the Crefeld School. Chestnut Hill's section of Germantown Ave is built up and is very attractive and quaint.

Mt. Airy is known as being diverse and integrated. Its residents are known for being liberal/crunchy. The area is very leafy and beautiful. Mt Airy has its own stretch of germantown ave but it is not as built up as Chestnut Hill but it does have some great spots. The area between Mt. Pleasant and Mt Airy ave is fairly vibrant. People in West Mt. Airy love the "Mt. Airy Village" near the Weavers Way Co-op. The only private school that I am aware of directly in the neighborhood is the project learn school and the Holy Cross catholic school.

Germantown is the largest of the neighborhoods. West Germantown is somewhat integrated but both sides are mostly black. The intersection of Germantown Ave and Chelten is very busy and it has a very large strip of businesses along germantown and chelten ave. The businesses, however, mostly cater to the neighborhoods lower income residents. This is the cheapest of the three neighborhoods, however, it has many attractive houses and many good blocks. The neighborhood has many good private schools including Germantown Friends, Green Street Friends and the Waldorf School. Waldorf is popular among many of the liberal residents of Mt. Airy.

[FrankInPhilly]

First, a clarification: Chestnut Hill is within the Philly city limits. It may have a suburban "look and feel," but it's in Philly.

And yes, there's a lot to recommend. It's beautiful, has lots of non-chain shops & restaurants, is 10+ minutes into the suburbs if you want big box stores, has a low crime rate relative to the rest of the city, is served by two SEPTA rail lines, and is adjacent to 1000s of acres of woods (Wissahickon Creek). In general, housing is pricier than W. Mt Airy, which is pricier than E. Mt Airy, which is pricier than Germantown. The same 'hood to 'hood comparison could also be made for crime rates, but keep in mind that in some areas housing/crime/etc. vary almost on a block by block basis. A dart thrown into a Chestnut Hill map is almost always going to land on something nice and safe, maybe ditto for W Mt Airy. For E. Mt Airy and G'town, you need a realtor to help you throw the dart :-)

[FamousBlueRaincoat]

Originally Posted by KansastoSouthphilly

The neighborhood has many good private schools including Germantown Friends, Green Street Friends and the Waldorf School. Waldorf is popular among many of the liberal residents of Mt. Airy.

Also worth mentioning, lots of kids go to these private schools in Germantown from Mount Airy and Chestnut Hill, and plenty of them use the extremely frequent bus service on SEPTA's Route 23 to get back and forth.