live in Center City or commute

[NewtownBucks]

Originally Posted by brickinthewall

Any safety tips for south Philly? I saw online that anywhere south of South Street is not safe, but graduate hospital area seems to be fine?

Anywhere south of South St is not safe?!? That is definitely not true at all. Saying all of South Philly IS safe except small pockets of Greys Ferry and Point Breeze is much closer to the truth. Graduate Hospital is a really nice up and coming neighborhood, and I'd also recommend checking out East Passyunk or Dickinson Narrows, which was named the 2nd hottest neighborhood in the country a couple years ago (don't know that I agree with *that*, but it's certainly not unsafe in any way).

https://www.phillymag.com/property/2...entire-nation/

I'd also recommend Pennsport as a good neighborhood to live, but there's no easy commute to City Hall from there (it's walkable in nice weather, but you'll get sick of winter fast...), so I'd recommend not straying too far from Broad in S Philly just for the public transportation option.

[chessimprov]

I feel like Northern Liberties is a bit expensive and overrated. Seems like I keep hearing stuff happen there once in awhile. Maybe that's changed now?

"Francisville and visited the area--it didn't look very safe to me."
I'm not too keen on it myself, although it seems to be okay. Seems things may get sketchier north of Girard Ave. It was like 3-5 years ago, but someone got mugged at an event I was going to north of Girard College. They got caught right away, but it annoyed me and I'm glad I went to the college from the south side.

Univ. City might be pricy for you, but Clark Park area is worth a look in West Philly is the only thing that stick out for me for having a car and living in the city maybe based on your budget and desires for commute time.

Since you need your car and with a very limited budget, I don't think living right in the city is best for you. Plus it'll be an easier transition for you to move closer. You can always move into the city later on if that is your ultimate goal.

I think you should look into these areas more since you need your car. Easier to have your car and more space for your money. Manayunk/Ardmore/Conshohocken (ranked based on distance). You can also consider East Falls, maybe Roxborough, maybe Wynnefield Heights. Manayunk can get dense unless you don't mind paying for parking like $6/day and some of those lots are probably monthly too.

[BK_PHL_DEL]

Since you are keeping your car and are not too keen on city living, the outlying neighborhoods along any of the regional rail lines might be a good fit since you can drive and park at the station and then take the train in to 30th or Suburban/Jefferson.

- Manayunk
- Wissahickon
- Roxborough
- East/West Mt. Airy
- Germantown
- East Falls
- Chestnut Hill (probably out of your price point)

[brickinthewall]

Thank you all so much! I'll definitely look in to south Philly and Manayunk/East Falls/etc., and keep an eye on the closer neighborhoods and hope that I get lucky

After emailing a few landlords/leasing offices, I realize that it's a bit early for an Oct move-in. So I'll restart apartment hunting next month, with all of your advice/tips in mind!

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by BK_PHL_DEL

Since you are keeping your car and are not too keen on city living, the outlying neighborhoods along any of the regional rail lines might be a good fit since you can drive and park at the station and then take the train in to 30th or Suburban/Jefferson.

- Manayunk
- Wissahickon
- Roxborough
- East/West Mt. Airy
- Germantown
- East Falls
- Chestnut Hill (probably out of your price point)

Just to establish my bona fides on this:

As you will note from the header of my posts, I live in Germantown - East Germantown, to be specific. This is the poorer side of the neighborhood, though you can find sections of it that are pretty nice, in particular the streets parallel to the main thoroughfare I live on between my street and the Awbury Arboretum three blocks north.

However, three of the 12 murders that took place in East Germantown in the previous two years took place on my block, two of them beside the same stop 'n' go beer deli (so called because state liquor law gave this place a deli license but it sells no deli fare), about two months apart from each other.That place got shut down two months ago, and my block and the intersection it's on have been a lot quieter since. (The third took place against the wall of a shop that was then vacant but now houses a used appliance dealer at the opposite end.)

Yet I haven't had anything untoward happen to me in the five years I've lived there. Nor have any of the friends I invite up to visit had anything happen to them too. My next-door neighbor, who's now lived in the vacant house he repaired and moved into for about a year and a half, told me about six months after he moved in that he lived in a "safer" neighborhood where his car got broken into all the time. He hasn't had a single break-in since moving to my block.

Generally speaking, in poorer neighborhoods, the people committing such mayhem as takes place aren't interested in you, the random person they don't know from Adam's housecat. They're usually settling scores between people who know each other, and you can go about your business. Your odds of getting caught in crossfire should someone start shooting (and I don't go to bed to the sound of gunshots) are lower than they are of getting hit by a bus turning the corner of the same intersection where that beer deli stands.

Germantown's sub-neighborhoods vary from my fairly destitute pocket to the very affluent Tulpehocken Station Historic District in its northwest corner, near the Regional Rail station of the same name. Houses there are large and elegant, the streets are tree-lined and attractive, the blocks are quiet at night, and the sale prices have only lately begun to approach $350k. You're probably not going to find better housing values anywhere else in the city - and that's because everyone who's never been to it or lives outside it thinks it's a "dangerous" neighborhood. It isn't really, not most of it.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by brickinthewall

Any safety tips for south Philly? I saw online that anywhere south of South Street is not safe, but graduate hospital area seems to be fine?

Saw online where? Certainly not on this board.

Bella Vista, Pennsport, Hawthorne, Queen Village and East Passyunk. Are all South of south. All are fine in my opinion.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by chessimprov

I feel like Northern Liberties is a bit expensive and overrated. Seems like I keep hearing stuff happen there once in awhile. Maybe that's changed now?

"Francisville and visited the area--it didn't look very safe to me."
I'm not too keen on it myself, although it seems to be okay. Seems things may get sketchier north of Girard Ave. It was like 3-5 years ago, but someone got mugged at an event I was going to north of Girard College. They got caught right away, but it annoyed me and I'm glad I went to the college from the south side.

Being a bit specific.

Francisville ends at Girard Ave. Its boundaries are: Corinthian Ave on the west, Broad St on the east, Fairmount Ave on the south, and Girard Ave on the north.

[selhars]

OP, you seem to feel the need -- or perhaps you just prefer -- to move all the way into the City.
If your commute is an-hour-and-a-half each way now, you could cut that to 45 minutes each way and still be much improved in terms of less travel time.

Perhaps you feel that if you're going to move, you might as well be as. close. as. you. can. But you don't have to live all the way in Center City. Why not just a good closer in suburb? Easier to keep the car, AND offers you more options. Will you be driving the car every day? Or commuting on public transit some times? most times? and the car is just for client meetings? How often is that? (I ask about that because moving and parking the care could be a pain. Doesn't have to be, but could be unless you have your own space or use a garage.)

Also depending on where you live/work...if you plan to travel back to the previous home base in the north suburbs often -- then that might also have a slight influence on your choice. (I mentioned that because when I worked in DC, I knew I'd be coming back to Philly often, so living south of DC in Virginia just made no sense, so I only looked in MD to live.) Same could be for you. IF you're going back to northern Bucks or MontCo a lot (or farther).....why consider in far South Philly (as great as it might be)? Live on the north side of town. But again that's only if that travel back north is a factor for you.

[brickinthewall]

Originally Posted by selhars

OP, you seem to feel the need -- or perhaps you just prefer -- to move all the way into the City.
If your commute is an-hour-and-a-half each way now, you could cut that to 45 minutes each way and still be much improved in terms of less travel time.

Perhaps you feel that if you're going to move, you might as well be as. close. as. you. can. But you don't have to live all the way in Center City. Why not just a good closer in suburb? Easier to keep the car, AND offers you more options. Will you be driving the car every day? Or commuting on public transit some times? most times? and the car is just for client meetings? How often is that? (I ask about that because moving and parking the care could be a pain. Doesn't have to be, but could be unless you have your own space or use a garage.)

Also depending on where you live/work...if you plan to travel back to the previous home base in the north suburbs often -- then that might also have a slight influence on your choice. (I mentioned that because when I worked in DC, I knew I'd be coming back to Philly often, so living south of DC in Virginia just made no sense, so I only looked in MD to live.) Same could be for you. IF you're going back to northern Bucks or MontCo a lot (or farther).....why consider in far South Philly (as great as it might be)? Live on the north side of town. But again that's only if that travel back north is a factor for you.

Thanks for being so thoughtful!

I won't be going back to north suburbs, and my hometown is so far away that it doesn't make a difference if I live in south Philly or north Philly--I would need to go to the airport anyways.

Client meetings happen approximately once a week. But then if I don't have a car, how do I go to grocery stores/malls/hiking/etc.? It's really hard to image to be without a car...especially if in the end I have to live in suburbs.

I really feel the time spent on commute is such a waste and would love to reduce it to as little as possible. 40 minutes each way would be an improvement for sure, but it's still a waste of time. That being said, you're right about more options --perhaps the only options will be in suburbs, due to my budget and requirements for safety/kitchen size/keeping a car. So I'll keep an eye open for suburb options!

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by brickinthewall

Thanks for being so thoughtful!

I won't be going back to north suburbs, and my hometown is so far away that it doesn't make a difference if I live in south Philly or north Philly--I would need to go to the airport anyways.

Client meetings happen approximately once a week. But then if I don't have a car, how do I go to grocery stores/malls/hiking/etc.? It's really hard to image to be without a car...especially if in the end I have to live in suburbs.

I really feel the time spent on commute is such a waste and would love to reduce it to as little as possible. 40 minutes each way would be an improvement for sure, but it's still a waste of time. That being said, you're right about more options --perhaps the only options will be in suburbs, due to my budget and requirements for safety/kitchen size/keeping a car. So I'll keep an eye open for suburb options!

Just so you know:

I have a driver's license but haven't owned a car in the 35 years I've lived here.

Then again, I'm a single individual, no kids.

On those rare occasions when I will be hauling back more than I can carry in my hands or a granny cart (e.g., a trip to Ikea for some furniture), there's car sharing.

If I've misplayed my time and find I need to get somewhere quicker than public transit is likely to take me, there's Uber and Lyft.

About the only unmet need car sharing, rental cars and ridesharing can't fill is my inner teenager's desire to drive a stick. The point, however, is to get there, and these fill the bill.