Northeast Philadelphia in the 70s/80s (Levittown, Sharon: section 8, apartment complexes, rentals)

[NortheastPhilly]

I was born in the 90s and lived near Summerdale and the Boulevard until the year 2000, and my family got out. I’ve never lived to see the Northeast in all its glory and have only heard stories about how great it once was. Older relatives grew up in Northwood and they have great stories of the old neighborhood. People can glorify the past, but I truly believe that it was a special place that I’m sad I missed out on.

Are there any neighborhoods that currently resemble what the Northeast was, give or take 40 years ago?
Anywhere that might be heading that direction in the near future?

[Sammy215267]

I was born in '90 went to school in the Rhawnhurst area (Rhawnhurst, Wilson Middle, Northeast)....i recall growing up the area was much nicer to me as time moved on the area i noticed did change. It seem like it lost its niceness. This is coming from a kid who grew up in Southwest Philly. I go to the area now and sometimes im like "This area was once nice". It's not like North Philly or anything but it's lost its polished image i feel. The further Northeast...past Academy / Grant the area still looks the same as i recall.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by Sammy215267

I was born in '90 went to school in the Rhawnhurst area (Rhawnhurst, Wilson Middle, Northeast)....i recall growing up the area was much nicer to me as time moved on the area i noticed did change. It seem like it lost its niceness. This is coming from a kid who grew up in Southwest Philly. I go to the area now and sometimes im like "This area was once nice". It's not like North Philly or anything but it's lost its polished image i feel. The further Northeast...past Academy / Grant the area still looks the same as i recall.

Yes, it's the same up there. Around Pennypack Park is pretty much the same. Fox Chase looks the same to me.

[jastuto]

I grew up in Mayfare during the 70/80. It was a safe, nice place. We rode our bikes everywhere, hiked through Pennypack, used the public pools and played sports in the neighborhood parks. A big thing was cruising Roosevelt Mall on the weekends with the tunes cranked up and windows down. I moved out in the early 2000's. Much of NE was rezoned section 8 around the same time. When Kensington/Fishtown started to gentrify is pushed the "diversity" out and they moved into NE. The neighborhood is now a dump. Crime, dirt, drugs and prostitution. You can keep diversification, I'll move the the suburbs.

[PHL10]

Originally Posted by jastuto

The neighborhood is now a dump. Crime, dirt, drugs and prostitution. You can keep diversification, I'll move the the suburbs.

I always find comments like this funny. It’s as if all the city neighborhoods are equivalent and all the different suburbs are as well. For example, I don’t think Bristol or Levittown or Pennsauken are doing much better than Mayfair these days and some suburbs like Sharon Hill are actually doing worse. City neighborhoods like Chestnut Hill, Somerton, and Packer Park aren’t suffering from “diversity” as you put it but I see you didn’t move there either.

Usually the story of fleeing the City (especially the NE most recently) is a more fundamental cultural phenomenon IMO. You wanted peace and quite and a big yard, right? Which you likely would have chose regardless of anything turning into a dump. You don't have to play victim, I'm not judging you or your choices. Choosing to live in the suburbs is preferred by the majority of the country regardless of what is happening is a 3 square mile neighborhood in Philadelphia. You made a reasonable choice - just own it.

[harriet1954]

For me it's all very sad. I was born in 1954 when the homes on the Boulevard between Rhawn and Cottman (Lexington Park) had all just been built. I have the most wonderful memories of my old neighborhood. We ended up in Fox Chase off of Verree when I went to Northeast but it was still safe and still good. Moved to California for 4 years, came back, lived up near Red Lion and Verree, moved to Jersey where I've been since 1987. I honestly would never go back to the Northeast except to eat at the other Nick's Roast Beef on Cottman. It's very depressing for me because I know what it once was and how safe it was.

[Indiana Tony]

Originally Posted by jastuto

I grew up in Mayfare during the 70/80. It was a safe, nice place. We rode our bikes everywhere, hiked through Pennypack, used the public pools and played sports in the neighborhood parks. A big thing was cruising Roosevelt Mall on the weekends with the tunes cranked up and windows down. I moved out in the early 2000's. Much of NE was rezoned section 8 around the same time. When Kensington/Fishtown started to gentrify is pushed the "diversity" out and they moved into NE. The neighborhood is now a dump. Crime, dirt, drugs and prostitution. You can keep diversification, I'll move the the suburbs.

An area can not be "rezoned sectioned 8," private property owners determine whether they want to accept vouchers or not.


Unfortunately, for NE Philly, a lot of landlords couldn't find paying tenants to occupy their apartment complexes, so they turned to the Section 8 program (now called Housing Choice).


In neighborhoods like Mayfair and Holmesburg, business-minded immigrants from China and Russia and people like Marc Gold and the DeMarco brothers bought hundreds of cheap rowhomes specifically targeted to Section 8 for the guaranteed rent payment from the government.


What the government allowed to happen in working-class neighborhoods throughout the country is criminal.


As far as 'diversity' being pushed out of Fishtown and Kensington: If you're talking about racial diversity, it isn't true. The people "moving up" at that time from those neighborhoods were majority white. The 'diversity' mostly arrived through Section 8 and the working-class being able to afford cheap rowhomes.

[FKD19124]

I think that depends on the type of rentals you have. if you have a complex, then I believe you are obligated to rent out so many units to section 8.

However, since the 90s's when all the high rise housing projects started coming down, and the trash moving into the northeast started, people moved out and outsiders started gobbling up properties to rent out as section 8 because it is a guaranteed check from the govt.

Originally Posted by Indiana Tony

An area can not be "rezoned sectioned 8," private property owners determine whether they want to accept vouchers or not.


Unfortunately, for NE Philly, a lot of landlords couldn't find paying tenants to occupy their apartment complexes, so they turned to the Section 8 program (now called Housing Choice).


In neighborhoods like Mayfair and Holmesburg, business-minded immigrants from China and Russia and people like Marc Gold and the DeMarco brothers bought hundreds of cheap rowhomes specifically targeted to Section 8 for the guaranteed rent payment from the government.


What the government allowed to happen in working-class neighborhoods throughout the country is criminal.


As far as 'diversity' being pushed out of Fishtown and Kensington: If you're talking about racial diversity, it isn't true. The people "moving up" at that time from those neighborhoods were majority white. The 'diversity' mostly arrived through Section 8 and the working-class being able to afford cheap rowhomes.

[PHL10]

Originally Posted by harriet1954

We ended up in Fox Chase off of Verree when I went to Northeast but it was still safe and still good. Moved to California for 4 years, came back, lived up near Red Lion and Verree, moved to Jersey where I've been since 1987. It's very depressing for me because I know what it once was and how safe it was.

Safe? Wow, if you were originally from Summerdale or Wissinoming, I might see what you are saying but to my eyes, Fox Chase and Bustleton are about as safe as they ever were or at least not unsafe. Unless the word "safe" is code for something else, I don't think your lamenting is rational.

[gwillyfromphilly]

I never got this fascination with people who used to live in a neighborhood 30+ years ago but left and now want to say things like "This neighborhood was so great back then" or "this neighborhood isn't like how it used to be". If your neighborhood was so great back then, why did so many people leave that neighborhood in droves? If it was such a great neighborhood, the residents living there during that time would've fought hard to keep that neighborhood great! The majority of the people who used to live in those places, didn't pass down their homes to their future family lineages. With all that wealth and stability leaving the neighborhood, what did you think would happen to those places generations later?

The people who left the neighborhood only have themselves to blame for the long term decline of that neighborhood. Then they want to comeback 40 years later and complain how crappy the neighborhood is now??