South Kensington/Old Kensington (Philadelphia, Washington: 2015, apartments, loft)

[tuc23841]

Hello! Looking for any insights into what it's like living in the south kensington/olde Kensington area. The area seems to be building up quickly with lots of new development. My partner and I were thinking of moving our family there right on the border of the neighborhood with Ludlow. Would you deem this area to be safe? It feels fairly accessible to center city for work as well as local restaurants and bars. I did notice some graffiti throughout the neighborhood as well as abandoned warehouses, but believe that will likely be cleaned up as the area continues to improve.

Thanks!

[thedirtypirate]

What are some close cross streets so we can have a better idea where you are talking about exactly?

[Tweb66]

Is it safe? No, I don't think so. I am starting to look for places to buy and if I want something Center City adjacent, for what I want these types of neighborhoods (newer housing in the fringes, creeping deeper into N Philly) are the only ones I can afford. I went to Temple in the 00s and these areas, when I was in school, you would never dream of visiting, let alone live in. I've walked around recently, and no, its not safe. At least not safe enough to live in. I will go there to visit a friend or go to a bar/restaurant but I am not moving there.



At the prices they are charging for the new townhomes/condos, you can find older, smaller places in South Philly and Fairmount among other places.

[nelsondvm2015]

Olde Kensington is definitely a neighborhood in transit like Point Breeze, but it’s benefited by two currently trendy neighborhoods. It’s definitely not as pretty currently do to the industrial history, but it’s currently showing a quick increase in good restaurants and bars. You need to be careful there, but that can be said about any neighborhood in this city currently. I used to be up there a lot and felt comfortable. Package theft is much worse up there than my experience in South Philly.

[thedirtypirate]

Originally Posted by nelsondvm2015

Olde Kensington is definitely a neighborhood in transit like Point Breeze, but it’s benefited by two currently trendy neighborhoods. It’s definitely not as pretty currently do to the industrial history, but it’s currently showing a quick increase in good restaurants and bars. You need to be careful there, but that can be said about any neighborhood in this city currently. I used to be up there a lot and felt comfortable. Package theft is much worse up there than my experience in South Philly.

I find it somewhat interesting you would say this. I think the more "industrial"-look of the neighborhood is one of the big appeals of that area of the city vs. say somewhere like South Philadelphia that always had a much more modest and uniformed look. Package theft too is definitely a block by block thing and something that needs to be addressed where ever.

I also happened to look at the OP's couple other posts, and they seem to have some familiarity with the area already and aren't just blindly going into the neighborhood.

My personal opinion is this: The neighborhood was 100% dead before. Which may seem like a bad thing, but I actually think sometimes it works in a neighborhood's favor. Way less car traffic, a more relaxed vibe, a bit more breathable and green. A decade ago, Taco Riendo felt it was out on an island by itself. North 5th street is now a pretty interesting commerical corridor with a number of old factories remade into loft apartments. IMO, it's a bit more gentrified there than basically anywhere in Point Breeze beyond a block or two off of Washington. With that said, it is also far closer to the badlands and everyone feels differently about that. Some of the subway stations are absolutely a mess and the general experience on public transit and specifically the MFL is going to have you running into a lot more un-family like characters than most places in the city.

[Jsd8675]

Where? Closer to Girard and Front there are weirdos. People shooting up, begging, vagrants, etc. The farther you get away from both of these streets the more acceptable the area.

[tuc23841]

Thanks everyone. We currently live in the Olde Richmond section so are slightly familiar, but still like to hear personal experiences of people in the actual neighborhood. Apologies that wasn't clearer in my original note.

We are looking around the 4th and Jefferson area, which feels far enough removed from Girard station, but still close enough to transit. Additionally far enough from the northern edge of Norris Square which might not be as developed. I know we are fairly close to ludlow, but driving around there seems to be a lot of development happening.