Where to live between Wilmington DE and Philadelphia?

[orrmobl]

I grew up in the area and know it well. It has gone down the tubes with the rest of Southwest Philly. I ate at a Popeye's chicken there maybe 2 years ago and some of the clientele was pretty rough. I used to go to this shopping center when I was a kid and remember it when it was bright, new and clean.

The area now is none of that now; like I said, you get all the city dirt and roughness without the suburban green space and safety...not worth it...

[solibs]

Ahh . . . you're one of those white guys from Southwest who got out before "they" took over?

First - you ate at popeyes. Were you expecting the clientele from Tinto?
Second - you ate at popeyes. Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?

The OP is from Pittsburgh. I have enough respect for Pittsburgh to know that she'll be able to decide for herself what's right for her.

[orrmobl]

Wrong again, but thanks for playing. I was driving through and decided to stop at Popeye's. I knew the demographics of the area had changed but that kind of stuff does not matter to me. The clientele, however, were rough.

The area used to be clean and well kept; today it is not. Somehow you infer that I'm commenting on the color of the residents having something to do with this. The truth is it's their character, or lack thereof, that's the problem.

[solibs]

I'm not inferring anything. I'm connecting the dots to your other posts. Moderator Cut: No need to get personal.
Sorry, but that's not knowing a neighborhood.

I'm there everyday. I'm an occasional user of the Shoprite, the Wendy's and the Subway. I've even had need for the Radio Shack. That strip mall is a lot nicer looking than most of what surrounds it in DelCo and really, doesn't look much different than any place in the suburbs that was built in the 70s. The only noticeable difference is the color of the majority of the patrons.

The same can be said of most of the housing that surrounds it.

[orrmobl]

According to this:
Philadelphia Crime Map - Showing Crime in Philadelphia, PA - Crime Statistics - Crime Alerts - Crime Stops Here

The area had 4 highway by handgun robberies and 1 bar holdup a few days ago and another highway by handgun robbery last month. But I guess I'm just making that up too...

[lititzman2003]

Originally Posted by orrmobl

I grew up in the area and know it well. It has gone down the tubes with the rest of Southwest Philly. I ate at a Popeye's chicken there maybe 2 years ago and some of the clientele was pretty rough. I used to go to this shopping center when I was a kid and remember it when it was bright, new and clean.

The area now is none of that now; like I said, you get all the city dirt and roughness without the suburban green space and safety...not worth it...

We must have been neighbors at one point, orrmobl. I agree about Eastwick. I grew up near 70th & Buist and nothing beyond 70th & Passyunk even existed except for the Food Fair below Grovers Ave. I do remember how fast the houses in Penrose Park sprung up along with the park, retirement community and the stores at Island & Lindbergh. After it rained the park had large areas of standing water and the side streets had large puddles on them. As far as safety is concerned the old Metropolitan Bank used to be robbed every other Saturday and I stopped walking from my house to the old Super Fresh after I was robbed at knifepoint in 1975 so I doubt the area has gotten any better. ALOT of people, both black and white, left SW Philly when it started to decline in the 90's. I think, in order to be objective, no one should judge a neighborhood unless they live in it. Driving through or stopping at a store once a week doesn't really tell you anything about the area.

[orrmobl]

I actually grew up on Front Street in Darby. My grandparents used to live on Buist Ave back in the 50's. My aunt and uncle lived on Lloyd Street until a few years ago. Just visiting them over the years you could see the neighborhood declining.

And driving to the airport, to and from Philly, and to my grandparent's house in Folcroft allowed me to see how things were changing over the years. I couldn't believe how crappy that shopping center and the whole area from the airport down to Island and Woodland Ave had gotten over the years! But it had a Popeye's and I was driving through and it was calling my name so I decided to give it a try.

I was thinking that that area wasn't all that great for quite a while, but Solibs seems so convinced it was, I was giving him the benefit of the doubt...my mistake.

[solibs]

Originally Posted by orrmobl

According to this:
Philadelphia Crime Map - Showing Crime in Philadelphia, PA - Crime Statistics - Crime Alerts - Crime Stops Here

The area had 4 highway by handgun robberies and 1 bar holdup a few days ago and another highway by handgun robbery last month. But I guess I'm just making that up too...

OK, but how does that differ from other, "acceptable" parts of the City?

And why does everything abruptly end at the city limits? What's the point of comparison? We're not really expected to believe that the only crime that happens in the suburbs is two assualts and a robbery in Upper Darby, are we?

[orrmobl]

Originally Posted by orrmobl

Media, West Chester or somewhere around Trolley Square in Wilmington would be great...

It doesn't. That's why I didn't recommend Philly for someone whose bf has no interest in city living.