Penn Alexander School in West Philly??? Other Great Public Schools in Philly and beyond? (Philadelphia: apartment, crime)

[Lansdowne Resident]

Hi There,

We are considering moving to West Philadelphia from Lansdowne so our daughter can attend the Penn Alexander School. The attendance zone is basically 40th-46th streets between Sansom and Baltimore Avenue. Some general questions are:

Is it possible to buy a nice place under 200k?
Is this a place where stable families (as opposed to college party houses) live?
What are the taxes like?
Is it relatively safe?

Thanks for your time and feedback!!!

[phillyzoo]

Originally Posted by Lansdowne Resident

Hi There,

We are considering moving to West Philadelphia from Lansdowne so our daughter can attend the Penn Alexander School. The attendance zone is basically 40th-46th streets between Sansom and Baltimore Avenue. Some general questions are:

Is it possible to buy a nice place under 200k?
Is this a place where stable families (as opposed to college party houses) live?
What are the taxes like?
Is it relatively safe?

Thanks for your time and feedback!!!

Unfortunately home prices in that area are extremely high because of Penn Alexander. You will need to at least double your budget before you can sniff that catchment.

There are tons of families out there because they absolutely have to live in the catchment to go to that school.

Taxes I'm not sure about.

Safety is about as good as you'll get in the city. I live in a neighborhood that is more fringe than what you are talking about and we feel pretty safe.

[orrmobl]

Safe at night, no. Property damage, yes. Why not get a townhome in a good suburban district or even Upper Darby? Or even stay in Lansdowne and go Catholic school?

[phillyzoo]

Originally Posted by orrmobl

Safe at night, no. Property damage, yes. Why not get a townhome in a good suburban district or even Upper Darby? Or even stay in Lansdowne and go Catholic school?

Maybe he wants some diversity and city living. This neighborhood is as safe as anywhere in the city at night. I have friends that live in the exact areas he outlined and they have no problems with safety or property damage. Maybe you have an experience to share?

[fifi le pew]

Originally Posted by phillyzoo

Maybe he wants some diversity and city living. This neighborhood is as safe as anywhere in the city at night. I have friends that live in the exact areas he outlined and they have no problems with safety or property damage. Maybe you have an experience to share?

agreed. I know three families who live in this catchment. They LOVE it and the city. None have had any safety problems nor property damage. Neighbors tend to look after neighbors. This school zone is filled with families who are invested in their local public school. It is a great family neighborhood, in my opinion, but, as a prior poster stated, the housing stock is expensive. The catchment for Penn Alex is small, so you won't find anything for a family in your price range.

Also, if you are thinking about moving for kindergarten, I believe you are not guaranteed a spot, even within catchement. Since kindergarten is not required by law, they do not have to provide all catchment kids with a kindergarten spot and I believe it does fill up and some kids are shut out for kindergarten. If you are in-catchment, they have to take you at the 1st grade level.

[eggtimer]

Safety in that neighborhood isn't much of an issue. I lived in that neighborhood for years before Penn Alexander existed and it was perfectly safe. With the home prices skyrocketing and the Alexander school the neighborhood has transformed even more in the last decade. There are tons of families, young couples, and students throughout.

With all that said, a budget of under 200k isn't get you in that neighborhood. Maybe a small apartment? Under 200k probably won't get you much east of 52nd st.

[phillyzoo]

Meredith, McCall, Greenfield, and Bache Martin. All convenient to CC but are in neighborhoods where the housing is rather pricey, definitely more than $200k. BM is probably the best kept secret of te bunch. Their scores may not be that great but one can never rely on test scores to know how he school is doing. BM has a new principal and recently received a $7mil grant to turn it into a magnet school. Technology will be updated and academic program offerings willl rival and in some cases beat the other schools I mentioned. It would also be easier to get into, for now.

[orrmobl]

Originally Posted by phillyzoo

Maybe he wants some diversity and city living. This neighborhood is as safe as anywhere in the city at night. I have friends that live in the exact areas he outlined and they have no problems with safety or property damage. Maybe you have an experience to share?

Oh I don't know. Maybe you should take 5 minutes to google West Philly crime...every time I do, I find something pretty awful. This is from a quick search mind you but with the economy in the toilet, people get more and more desperate so the marginal areas become hunting grounds real quick...but I guess I'm just paranoid.

Here you go:

Crime and Crime Again :: News :: Philadelphia City Paper :: Philadelphia Arts, Restaurants, Music, Movies, Jobs, Classifieds, Blogs

[phillyzoo]

^^^^^^ "West Philly" is a pretty big area. The areas that the OP is asking about is not that bad, especially in the Penn Alexander area. I agree, you are paranoid.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by orrmobl

Oh I don't know. Maybe you should take 5 minutes to google West Philly crime...every time I do, I find something pretty awful. This is from a quick search mind you but with the economy in the toilet, people get more and more desperate so the marginal areas become hunting grounds real quick...but I guess I'm just paranoid.

Here you go:

Crime and Crime Again :: News :: Philadelphia City Paper :: Philadelphia Arts, Restaurants, Music, Movies, Jobs, Classifieds, Blogs

Please stop feeding the hysteria. A vast majority of the crime you speak of is in areas most of us would never go into willingly. Yet you (and many others) use it like a club to defend/uphold your bland choice of where you live apparently. To those of us not living our lives via unrealistic fears, it gets old. Give it a break.