2019 Thinking of Moving to Philly from the DMV ( DC/MD/VA) (Philadelphia: townhouses, job market)

[Comute18]

Hello,

I am starting a new thread on this as most of the old ones were 5-6 years old and a lot can happen in that time. I am thinking of moving to Philly. I currently live in the DMV. Looking for a change, the job market here is way way to competitive, It is mad expensive here, poor work life balance , the dating scene is ZERO. Time for a change. Can you recommend any cool areas for a single 40/50 something single professional. I am not looking for bars but a place with dining, shopping, a whole foods and wegmans would be nice lol. And a decent night life or just cool things to do.

I have seen several post and even articles on places for young professional to live in Philly but nothing for GenX ( Late 40's and 50')

[Muinteoir]

You’ll need to go to KoP for Wegmans, sadly.

I think your best bet is Center City, South Philly or Fairmount. Neighborhoods like Society Hill, Queen Village and Italian Market might be up your alley.

[Comute18]

cool thanks

[MarketStEl]

Just so you know:

Whole Foods has two locations within the city limits:

--22d Street and Pennsylvania Avenue (just above Ben Franklin Parkway)
--929 South Street

If having one of these within walking distance is a high priority for you, you will want to look for places to live in

Bella Vista
Hawthorne
Logan Square
Spring Garden (southern edge)
Washington Square West (Wash West)

Bella Vista, Hawthorne, and especially Wash West will have more of the amenities you seek and a higher share of middle-aged residents than some other popular neighborhoods. The Italian Market sits at Bella Vista's south edge and extends into Passyunk Square, one of two neighborhoods that are now referred to together as "East Passyunk" by many outside them.

The street bearing that name is chock-full of restaurants, bars and boutiques, catering to a broad mix of patrons. There is also another, less pricey natural/organic food store just outside Hawthorne and within reach of East Passyunk: Sprouts Farmers Market, Broad Street above Washington Avenue. You will also find two or three large Asian supermarkets along that latter street.

One more food shopping tip: You should also check out the Reading Terminal Market at 12th and Filbert streets. Our 126-year-old public market is Eastern Market on steroids - one of the best public markets in the country. It too is convenient to Wash West. (I appeared in an RTM marketing campaign for about a year in the mid-2000s.)

You might also want to check out the "Neighborhood Guide" series of posts on the channel I edit on the Philadelphia magazine website for introductions to living in many city neighborhoods and suburbs.

[NewtownBucks]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

Just so you know:

Whole Foods has two locations within the city limits:

--22d Street and Pennsylvania Avenue (just above Ben Franklin Parkway)
--929 South Street

If having one of these within walking distance is a high priority for you, you will want to look for places to live in

Bella Vista
Hawthorne
Logan Square
Spring Garden (southern edge)
Washington Square West (Wash West)

Bella Vista, Hawthorne, and especially Wash West will have more of the amenities you seek and a higher share of middle-aged residents than some other popular neighborhoods. The Italian Market sits at Bella Vista's south edge and extends into Passyunk Square, one of two neighborhoods that are now referred to together as "East Passyunk" by many outside them.

The street bearing that name is chock-full of restaurants, bars and boutiques, catering to a broad mix of patrons. There is also another, less pricey natural/organic food store just outside Hawthorne and within reach of East Passyunk: Sprouts Farmers Market, Broad Street above Washington Avenue. You will also find two or three large Asian supermarkets along that latter street.

One more food shopping tip: You should also check out the Reading Terminal Market at 12th and Filbert streets. Our 126-year-old public market is Eastern Market on steroids - one of the best public markets in the country. It too is convenient to Wash West. (I appeared in an RTM marketing campaign for about a year in the mid-2000s.)

You might also want to check out the "Neighborhood Guide" series of posts on the channel I edit on the Philadelphia magazine website for introductions to living in many city neighborhoods and suburbs.

I would second the recommendation to look at Bella Vista. This neighborhood is located within walking distance to Center City, South St, South Philly neighborhoods like East Passyunk and Pennsport, and Penn's Landing, all of which are hubs of restaurants and other social activities, and has a nice Whole Foods on 10th & South. It is also located next to Queen Village (with Meredith Elementary), which is a magnet neighborhood for families because of the quality of the school, so there will be more middle aged people in the area as well.

More younger professionals are settling in the neighborhoods just north of Center City - Northern Liberties and Fishtown, and these also have the amenities (except Whole Foods) that you are looking for, but I think the neighborhoods to the South are probably generally closer to your demographic. The one thing that these neighborhoods might have is newer housing stock, as they were old industrial areas that were renovated in the last 20 years with modern townhouses, whereas Bella Vista and other South Philly neighborhoods are more likely to be Philly row houses (many of these are updated/renovated on the inside, but just not as modern). I have no idea if that makes a difference to you.

Good luck.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by Comute18

Hello,

I am starting a new thread on this as most of the old ones were 5-6 years old and a lot can happen in that time. I am thinking of moving to Philly. I currently live in the DMV. Looking for a change, the job market here is way way to competitive, It is mad expensive here, poor work life balance , the dating scene is ZERO. Time for a change. Can you recommend any cool areas for a single 40/50 something single professional. I am not looking for bars but a place with dining, shopping, a whole foods and wegmans would be nice lol. And a decent night life or just cool things to do.

I have seen several post and even articles on places for young professional to live in Philly but nothing for GenX ( Late 40's and 50')

State a housing budget to start. That will help narrow down what neighborhood or area that might suit.
I'm retired so I no longer know about the local job market. I live in Spring Garden/Fairmount, which is pretty diverse and just north of Center City, although it is majority white. One of the largest Whole Foods in the area is in Fairmount.