Chestnut Hill vs. Mt Airy (Lincoln: relocating, real estate, rental)

[NomadGirl27]

Upon our recent tour of the Philly area we've decided that we really love Chestnut Hill. Everything about it seemed great. However, when we looked online for rentals (we are going to rent for a year before buying) we saw that there were slim pickings. However, there were a lot of rentals in Mt Airy and it seems like they are pretty close to each other. But when we drove through Mt Airy it seemed like a totally different vibe. People seemed to be really rude there. It was like as soon as we went under the little bridge going north on Germantown Ave, things got friendlier going into Chestnut Hill.

Is the perception we got accurate? I've heard that East Mt Airy isn't as nice as West Mt. Airy. Is it the same of Chestnut Hill? Is there much crime that trickles into Chestnut Hill from other areas?

Thanks for your input

[juniperbleu]

I don't think that perception is accurate at all. I've had several friends and relatives who lived in Mt. Airy and everyone is generally pretty open and friendly. It's a fairly diverse area and (in my opinion) a great place to live.

As far as East vs. West, I've generally had a better impression of West Mt Airy, but there are nice areas in East Mt Airy as well. Just check it out and you'll be able to see. As for Chestnut Hill, it's more of a "top of the hill" vs "bottom of the hill" thing going on. There tends to be (or is perceived to be, I haven't checked up on it) more crime at the "bottom" as you get closer to Germantown, but generally it's still safe. Germantown itself has improved, and with it the crime in that area of Chestnut Hill has gone down as well. There are exceptions, things can happen, but in general it's very safe. I have no qualms walking around there.

[ajb842]

I would have to say I also disagree with the perception of Mt.Airy vs Chestnut Hill. I know most of my neighbors and we all get along very well. We share a common alley for parking and a long driveway which goes to my house and my next door neighbors-we all share the burden of shoveling snow, and even went in together to purchase a snowblower for all to use! That being said, I recognize this may be just my little area and there may be other areas where people aren't so friendly. In general though, I have found Mt Airy to be very friendly. The nicer areas I think are below Stenton Ave going towards Lincoln Drive.At the beginning of Lincoln Drive it is absolutely gorgeous, look around Allens Lane, West Mt Pleasant, West Mt Airy Ave, Glen Echo Rd, West Durham and Wellesley St. I go to the Wawa on Germantown Ave almost every am and feel safe and have had no problems. Further up Germantown Ave you hit Chestnut Hill, which is beautiful. Money-wise, you may get more for your money in Mt Airy. I would try to stay west, but as someone else mentioned, parts of east are great. In between Stenton and Germantown Ave is technically East Mt Airy, but you need to drive through there, it's lovely. The homes are gorgeous, the trees, and some very wealthy people live there. Look between Allens Lane and Gorgas, and check out Anderson St, Crittenden St., Boyer and Durham. I can't imagine anyone not thinking it's very nice there.

[littlefamily]

When we first moved into the area, we also looked at both Mt Airy and Chestnut Hill. Chestnut Hill is a quaint, friendly, walk to everything area, but it also has a certain "elite" type vibe - and the businesses tend to focus more towards that clientele.

We found that West Mt. Airy also has the same positives - quaint, friendly and lots of walk to businesses, but with a certain (as my husband puts it) "granola" vibe. Mt. Airy has the co-op and other "green" type businesses that help give it that feel.

We have children and found both areas to be very family friendly and also pet friendly!

We did end up buying in Chestnut Hill only because the house we found suited us better. I'm guessing we would have been just as happy in Mt Airy. Unfortunately we also ended up having to sell about a year after buying. The positive is that the home held its value very well (although the company relocating us picked up the real estate transfer tax and other costs of selling).

We didn't look in East Mt. Airy, so I don't know that area well enough to comment.

Now we are back and had a heck of a time finding a decent rental and ended up in the suburbs. Good luck in your search!

[NomadGirl27]

Yeah maybe we just happened to come across a random situation that isn't that common when we went to Mt. Airy.

There was road construction going on on Germantown Ave. so when we turned onto it from a side road in Mt. Airy it seemed kind of hectic. About a block down we had this car full of people behind us honk their horn very long and rudely. After the 2nd obnoxious time, I pulled over to let them pass us and they all stuck their heads out the window and yelled as they passed by. After they passed and I was looking for an open in the traffic to get back out on the road, some lady screamed at me from across the street that I couldn't park there. I obviously wasn't parking there and when the people so rudely honked at me, I was following the normal flow of traffic on the one lane road with road construction. It's not like we were driving slowly.

So anyway, after being in Chestnut Hill all day and having a really pleasant experience with that and meeting a lot of really nice people, we decided to drive down into Mt. Airy and immediately got berated for just driving!

We didn't see as much of Mt. Airy but from what we saw, there were some really nice homes on the west side (north) of Germantown Ave. We didn't even check out the east side because once we had that experience, we just went back up to Chestnut Hill.

What is the neighborhood that is south of Mt. Airy? Does anyone know of a good site where I can check out crime statistics for each area?

Thanks for the replies!

[orrmobl]

I worked with exactly 1 person from each Chestnut Hill and Mount Airy (not sure East or West). The guy from Chestnut Hill was one of the nicest people I have ever known. The one from Mount Airy, while nice after getting to know him, had a gruff exterior a mile thick, a huge chip on his shoulder, and was somewhat paranoid.

Solely based upon these two guys I wouldn't hesitate to live in Chestnut Hill and would not want to live in Mount Airy...

[maf763]

That's funny.

[Pilot1]

Originally Posted by orrmobl

I worked with exactly 1 person from each Chestnut Hill and Mount Airy (not sure East or West). The guy from Chestnut Hill was one of the nicest people I have ever known. The one from Mount Airy, while nice after getting to know him, had a gruff exterior a mile thick, a huge chip on his shoulder, and was somewhat paranoid.

Solely based upon these two guys I wouldn't hesitate to live in Chestnut Hill and would not want to live in Mount Airy...

I don't think you can base an assessment of two areas on two people. However, I would have to agree that Mt. Airy is "rougher" than Chestnut Hill by a pretty good margin.

[orrmobl]

Originally Posted by Pilot1

I don't think you can base an assessment of two areas on two people. However, I would have to agree that Mt. Airy is "rougher" than Chestnut Hill by a pretty good margin.

Maybe not but I sure wouldn't want the second guy as a neighbor - decision made!

[solibs]

Originally Posted by Pilot1

I don't think you can base an assessment of two areas on two people.

agreed. how does she know that the rude drivers are from Mt. Airy?

However, I would have to agree that Mt. Airy is "rougher" than Chestnut Hill by a pretty good margin.[/quote]

"Rougher"? What does that mean?