Boston > Philly neighborhood comparison (Ardmore, Narberth: houses, neighborhoods, to live in)

[Sduponth]

Hi! Can anyone familiar with both cities share what neighborhoods in Philly or towns in neighboring PA/NJ suburbs are most comparable to Brookline or Jamaica Plain in Boston? Interested in finding a similar vibe: mix of home styles, walkability, shops/retail, progressive sociopolitical vibes, etc. TIA!

[Duderino]

Current Boston area dweller here. I'd look into Ardmore, Narberth, Bala Cynwyd, East Falls, Mt. Airy, western Germantown, or lower Chestnut Hill for what you seek.

Collingswood is a possibility on the NJ side.

Good luck.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by Duderino

Current Boston area dweller here. I'd look into Ardmore, Narberth, Bala Cynwyd, East Falls, Mt. Airy, western Germantown, or lower Chestnut Hill for what you seek.

Collingswood is a possibility on the NJ side.

Good luck.

The only ones with similar walkability are Chestnut Hill or maybe Ardmore.

[Muinteoir]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

The only ones with similar walkability are Chestnut Hill or maybe Ardmore.

East Falls, Mt. Airy, and Germantown are all very walkable.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

The only ones with similar walkability are Chestnut Hill or maybe Ardmore.

I'm a Germantowner, west side, and I can attest that it's quite walkable. In terms of cultural vibe, I'd say it's closer to Jamaica Plain than most of the other neighborhoods the OP asked about: it certainly has more of a countercultural aroma about it* than most other Philly neighborhoods save maybe parts of Powelton Village and Cedar Park in West Philly (I'd also suggest you at least give that last neighborhood a once-over as well).

And in addition to the other neighborhoods Muinteoir listed, Narberth is also very walkable. Like Ardmore, it has a downtown clustered around its Regional Rail station, and the residential sections fan out from it. You may feel like you stepped through a time warp and landed in the 1950s there; I sure did.

In terms of similarity of the housing stock, no Philly neighborhood is going to bear much resemblance to its Boston counterpart given the prevalence of rowhouses and twins in the city. Control for that, however, and you will probably find similar attitudes. Brookline, for instance, would be a cross between Mount Airy and Chestnut Hill. In terms of physical appearance, the Main Line communities mentioned (Ardmore, Narberth) might come closer, and Ardmore's downtown does resemble Brookline's Coolidge Corner in terms of intensity of use.

All of these neighborhoods lean left politically, though that's a more recent development on the Main Line than in the city. Mt. Airy and Germantown have the most progressive bent (you will occasionally find me at Uncle Bobbie's Coffee & Books, the coffeeshop/bookstore owned by progressive Black intellectual notable Marc Lamont Hill on Market Square in the middle of Germantosn). Narberth is probably the most centrist of them.

*If you follow avant-garde jazz, the Sun Ra Arkestra still plays on without its founder in a house on Morton Street on Germantown's east side. Not even the collapse of its back half three years ago dislodged them; I think there was a successful fundraising campaign to rebuild it.

[Duderino]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

The only ones with similar walkability are Chestnut Hill or maybe Ardmore.

I'd absolutely disagree. Brookline and Jamaica Plain are heavily semi-suburban dense residential. They're not extremely commercial, if that's what you're getting at. And every single example I mentioned in the Philly area has some type of walkable village street/core and is loaded with sidewalks.

Street views for comparison:

Narberth: https://goo.gl/maps/tGxp6ne1EDyFWRjE7
Narberth: https://goo.gl/maps/frGkpBmxLQs552W36

Mt. Airy: https://goo.gl/maps/NMy6ewa9w2Rzyy4w9
Mt. Airy: https://goo.gl/maps/WvysLYdUPQtSZW2r6

Germantown: https://goo.gl/maps/hmr2ZY7Fnm5HRyhH6
Germantown: https://goo.gl/maps/JLGRubGq3cEU9Q7w9

Brookline: https://goo.gl/maps/MhvmSRHH8yEZ4WLG9
Brookline: https://goo.gl/maps/HjmRHw8ZqdJMjwV68

Jamaica Plain: https://goo.gl/maps/Gf48RnM1TWCQoeik9
Jamaica Plain: https://goo.gl/maps/zgs1CtFv7y8jg6qz5

East Falls: https://goo.gl/maps/EPYKuwCZfHq36Wtt5
East Falls: https://goo.gl/maps/Q4oksx2xSCjNBfaz8

Bala Cynwyd: https://goo.gl/maps/eDi5fvUt2Rfo4gTq5
Bala Cynwyd: https://goo.gl/maps/fJcQVV4qftRzLEET6

[wlorrie]

I'm from Brookline and lived in Philly for 6 years. Chestnut Hill does have that Brookline/ Jamaica Pond JP vibe. I would check out Chest Hill if you plan to live in the city.