Best Neighborhood in West Philadelpia 300K range (Philadelphia, Lansdowne: best neighborhoods, how much)

[SandyTr]

I'm looking to buy a home in West Philly. I know each neighborhood has its own distinct personality. Which would you recommend when it comes to safety and things to do?

[NewtownBucks]

In general, closer to the Penn & Drexel campuses, the better it is for things to do, but a $300k budget is going to be an obstacle in the best neighborhoods. I'd recommend going to the Philadelphia forum and filling out the relocation questionaire. There are plenty of people there who know a lot about the specific neighborhoods that can give you a better answer than me.

[Muinteoir]

For 300K, if you look in the late 40s and early 50s around Baltimore avenue, that would be your best bet. There are lots of things to do along Baltimore avenue (shops, restaurants, Clark Park, fitness studios, etc.) and easy access to Center City via the trolley. In regards to safety, it is about average for West Philly in through there: not as bad as far West Philly, not as safe as inner University City in the 30s.

That would be my suggestion. You will definitely want to have a mod move this to the Philadelphia forum, and also consider providing more info on what else you look for in a neighborhood (commute time from wherever you work, and how you commute, if you have a family, how much space you want, etc)

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by Muinteoir

For 300K, if you look in the late 40s and early 50s around Baltimore avenue, that would be your best bet. There are lots of things to do along Baltimore avenue (shops, restaurants, Clark Park, fitness studios, etc.) and easy access to Center City via the trolley. In regards to safety, it is about average for West Philly in through there: not as bad as far West Philly, not as safe as inner University City in the 30s.

That would be my suggestion. You will definitely want to have a mod move this to the Philadelphia forum, and also consider providing more info on what else you look for in a neighborhood (commute time from wherever you work, and how you commute, if you have a family, how much space you want, etc)

Tbh, you are misjudging "far West Philly" nabs like Overbrook Farms or Wynnefield. Lots of great houses, trees, safety. In fact the OP probably can't afford a house in Overbrook Farms.

[Muinteoir]

Originally Posted by kyb01

Tbh, you are misjudging "far West Philly" nabs like Overbrook Farms or Wynnefield. Lots of great houses, trees, safety. In fact the OP probably can't afford a house in Overbrook Farms.

When I say "far West Philly" I am talking about the area bordered, roughly, by Woodland to the south and Lansdowne to the North. The exact East/West boundaries of gentrification are of course determined by where you are North/South. When I think of places like Overbrook and Wynnefield, they seem like a very different subsection of West Philly, much like how Southwest Philadelphia is its own subsection.