Advice on finding a place to live

[Tone509]

Orrmobl,

I'm an average-sized, non-intimidating guy who has managed to avoid trouble in Center City as well as University City. But you may have a valid point that a woman may perceive things and draw attention differently. Nonetheless, in terms of being able to apply common sense and learned street wisdom to urban living, I don't think Philly is much different than other larger cities.

[orrmobl]

Tone,
I agree completely, as I'm a short fat guy who has never gotten into any trouble but have been sketched out walking through the L tunnels on a empty rainy saturday afternoon. I also have had to pull a homeless man off a female coworker on a lunch smoke break at 17th and market as well...which goes to show that cities have an inherent danger factor, this factor is increased for women traveling alone, and that women especially should be given the cold hard facts when deciding to live here, or in any other big city for the first time...

As for restaurants, I think its a total cop out to say you don't have access to fine dining if you live in the burbs...Fishtown ain't Northern Liberties yet and I would argue you could live in Delco or the Main Line and go into the city just as easily PLUS have access to Main Line/Media/Chesco/Wilmington restaurants et al without the pain in the ass of parking in the city...

[Tone509]

It's all a matter of preference, I suppose. The city and suburbs have their advantages and disadvantages, which may change depending on how one's household evolves. I happen to be biased towards the belief that living in one of Philly's more popular neighborhoods can be an overall positive experience for a single person, whether male or female.

[billb7581]

Originally Posted by Duderino

In comparing the city to the suburbs, are you really going to say that there is the same sort of variety? I believe that's what the poster was referring to. If you want TGI Fridays or Applebee's, then you'll be fine in the 'burbs. However, the city offers things that are a lot more unique from all over the world. You typically don't find such an amenity in a "dump."

Including rampant crime!

[Duderino]

Originally Posted by billb7581

Including rampant crime!

High crime =/= Rampant crime.

Look at this map from 2007 and you'll see how there's a CLEAR difference in violence from neighborhood to neighborhood. To give the most drastic example of this crime disparity, the violent crime rate in Center City is 3/10,000 residents (on par with many suburbs), whereas one neighborhood in North Philadelphia is as high as 25/10,000 residents. "Rampant" implies that it's randomly distributed throughout the city, when that's factually not the case:

Violent-Crime Rates in 2007 | Philadelphia Inquirer | 02/01/2008

Please look at the facts before you make ignorant comments.

[emroyka]

Originally Posted by orrmobl

Hey Brooke, are you a man or woman? If you are a man, I can discount your opinion right there as you have probably have half or a quarter of the concerns of a young woman living and working in the city.

Single female, under 5 feet tall so I hope my opinion at least won't be discounted. I haven't felt unsafe living in Center City (Wash West neighborhood). Of course I exercise common sense and would be cautious about walking alone past 11PM, but that's an easy concession to make.

If you want to drive to work and have a big house and a better school district in a more aesthetic (aka less ghetto) area, then by all means choose the suburbs. But fear of crime shouldn't deter someone from Center City.

[orrmobl]

On the contrary, females under 5 feet are always paid attention to. In fact, I married one!

[billb7581]

Only 31 rapes.....Yeah!!!!!!

[mizfoxfire2001]

I know this was a year ago but I am also relocating to Philly and I am single and like yourself safety is a big concern. Now that you've been there for a year, can you recommend some areas to move to? I've been to the Center City area and it seems safe but now that you've been there what is your opinion. Any advice you can give is greatly appreciated.

Originally Posted by goodfriend

Hello

I am moving to Phily to work in UPENN. I am a single female and I am considering places to live. Safety is my utmost priority. At this point I am planning on driving (5miles or so) to UPENN (38th and walnut) and would also like to live close to a train station. I am considering suburbs like narberth, wynnewood, ardmore. Any advice on safety in these areas? Could you name any specific apartments that you may know of? Please let me know if there are any other options.

I am also considering Chestnut hill area. But it seems like (atleast on maps.google.com) that chesnut hill is further away `10miles from university city while narberth and ardmore less. Will the driving distance/time a lot different between main line area and chestnut hill?

Thanks

[solibs]

this thread is funny for two reasons -

1. when it comes to violent crime, if you're going to be a victim the odds are that you will know your assailant. Ergo, fear of crime in the city should be about the fear of stranger danger (isn't that called agoraphobia?). Men are more than twice as likely as women to be the victim of a violent crime perpetrated by strangers. Women know their assailants 78% of the time. In other words, ladies, the streets are safer for you than for men and you should be 4x as worried about the men you know than the men you don't know.

2. There really is jack to do in the suburbs. My new job has me on the road everyday in the northern 'burbs. I'm bored just watching the place pass by my windshield and I get to go home every night. It's 2009 and all I wanted for lunch was a friggin' falafel sandwich. Driving around Central Bucks and Montgomery you'd think I was in Iowa. I got off at Spring Garden on the way home just so I could hit the falafel carts on 38th St. Oh and Bahn mi? Forget about it. The options for lunch consist of Wawa, fast food, or some place like Cosi or Panera. I don't do McDonald's and i've completely worn out Wawa and Cosi . . . and after getting lunch one day at the Whole Foods in Jenkintown I've also come to realize what a rip-off Wawa is.

To be fair, there are some cool towns in the suburbs. Some places I would consider living. But for the most part, fwiw, the lifestyle there seems to be all about trophy collecting. A trophy house that you fill with other trophies - the trophy wife and kids, cars, the 3 plasma tvs, the wii, xbox, and all the other things you need to keep you from remembering how bored you are. Then you have the trophy yard that your kids use until they're 9 or 10 and after that you'll use a few times a year for socializing with family or people you've already known for years and maybe you'll invite the new guy from work.

In a nutshell it's about staying within the boundaries of what's familiar and comfortable and whether that's by design or it's from a lack of exposure to things that are new and different - the results are seen in a lot of the responses here.