Is Philly crime really as bad as everyone says? (Philadelphia: city hall, rental)

[Pilot1]

Wow, I keep reading about how the crime is so bad in Philly and it disturbs me. I'm a Philly native, but grew up in the western burbs. We moved from Broad St. when I was three. I've been away for a while but get back once in a while to check on my rental property in the Chester Springs area. I rarely venture into the city although I was there recently to have lunch with a business associate. It seemed OK, to me, but I was in Center City near City Hall.

Is the crime really that bad??? Is this just in North and West Philly or everywhere? Guess when I go back I should bring my 9MM.

[Tone509]

If you'll be frequenting the more popular areas of the city, a gun is not necessary. In fact, as you're coming from out-of-state, your permit may not be valid here.

As is often said here, most crime happens between people in lower-income neighborhoods who already know each other. Assuming that you will have no need to visit said areas, you should be fine. Some of the horrible situations discussed in recent threads are a sad, unfortunate aberration.

In short, riding from Chester Springs through West Philly to get downtown won't feel like Death Race (although that was a good action movie.)

[Pilot1]

Originally Posted by Tone509

If you'll be frequenting the more popular areas of the city, a gun is not necessary. In fact, as you're coming from out-of-state, your permit may not be valid here.

I was being a little facetious, but I still have a PA permit as well as a CO permit, so I can legally carry a gun.

As is often said here, most crime happens between people in lower-income neighborhoods who already know each other. Assuming that you will have no need to visit said areas, you should be fine. Some of the horrible situations discussed in recent threads are a sad, unfortunate aberration.

My company used to have an office at Penn as we were consultant to them and I used to drive through West Philly and be nervous. I know how bad it can be, but it seems everyone talks about the crime these days.

[JHG722]

I'm a Temple student, and can say that the reputation of North Philly being completely ghetto, and you'll never come out alive is completely false. Sure, it's not the prettiest place on Earth (slowly changing), but you're not going to get mugged and/or shot everywhere you go.

[john_starks]

eh, its bad......but its not Baltimore...

i always thought if Philly as a hybrid of B'more & Newark

[solibs]

Crime in Philly is no different than it's ever been. Murders were up in '05 and '06. If you're not a black male aged 15-40 you don't have much to worry about.
The hype is mostly thanks to the right-wing Inquirer/Daily News - the editors of which like to remind their mostly suburban readership that the failures of the city rest solely on the shoulders of the Democrat/liberal leadership.

[FromGA]

Where in Philadelphia metro is crime predominant? I think the answer is North and West, but I have some trouble understand what that area covers, can you provide some approximate (street) boundaries? Are you also talking about the Bucks/Chester/Montgomery/Delaware counties? What county is Philadelphia in? Also, is an area such as Manayunk a separate town/city or is it part of Philadelphia?

[solibs]

Atlanta is in Fulton County. The City of Philadelphia is in Philadelphia County - except that the city takes up all of the county. There are no other towns in Philadelphia County except for the city. Manayunk is just a neighborhood/zip code in the city - same as Fishtown or Mayfair.

The suburban counties here are no different than DeKalb, Cobb or Gwinett

That's all I really got out of your question. If you could be more specific about what you're looking for we could probably be of more help.

[FromGA]

Are there truly unsafe areas in the neighboring counties - Bucks...Delaware?

In Philadelphia, the north and west are the unsafe zones. That sounds similar to parts of metro Atlanta (including areas in some neighboring counties to the south and west) that many would not normally venture into. What are some neighborhoods in the north and west of Philadelphia that have the worst reputations? Does this zone stretch further north / west of Manayunk?

Sounds like Center city sounds like midtown Atlanta - happening, liveable, and growing. Was the new high rise (Comcast) built near Center city?

So South and East Philadelphia are so-so areas - not too bad, not great?

[Tone509]

Some of the towns in Delaware County that border West Philly do not have positive reputations: Darby, Upper Darby, Yeadon. Some pin that on the population assumed to be visiting or moving in from West Philly. Others blame it on the sometimes overzealous police force.

Considering that most IT jobs (re: your "Atlanta to Philadelphia" post) will likely be in the suburbs and that you already have a significant family, determining the "safer" areas in-town may not necessarily be relevant unless you're committed enough to urban living to be proactive with the Philadelphia School District as well as endure a possibly lengthy reverse commute. That said, there are areas of NW and NE Philly (there is no "east" ), West Philly (specifically University City) and even Center City that may be comfortable for optimistic families, depending on your budget.

South Philadelphia these days seems to be a bit of a hodgepodge. If you were to find a home towards extreme South Philly, especially in some of the newer developments, you should be okay. Same thing with SW Philly close to the airport.

Yes, the new Comcast tower was built in Center City. Unlike Atlanta, there is really only one skyscraper-filled business hub in the city limits... and Center City is it.

As far as specifying specific city neighborhoods, it would almost be easier for us to reply "yea", "nay" or "maybe" to a community that you are interested in.

Originally Posted by FromGA

Are there truly unsafe areas in the neighboring counties - Bucks...Delaware?

In Philadelphia, the north and west are the unsafe zones. That sounds similar to parts of metro Atlanta (including areas in some neighboring counties to the south and west) that many would not normally venture into. What are some neighborhoods in the north and west of Philadelphia that have the worst reputations? Does this zone stretch further north / west of Manayunk?

Sounds like Center city sounds like midtown Atlanta - happening, liveable, and growing. Was the new high rise (Comcast) built near Center city?

So South and East Philadelphia are so-so areas - not too bad, not great?