Your City's Iron Curtain

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by thwanko

As others have said, Philadelphia doesn't have a super well defined social dividing line in the city proper at this point. However, the parts of City Ave that aren't St. Joe's campus feel like a fairly sharp divider between Overbrook/Wynnefield and Lower Merion in my experience.

In terms of physical iron curtains, Roosevelt Blvd is one of the most intimidatingly wide and busy streets i've ever seen.

Overbrook/Wynnefield do have very nice housing stock--quite similar to bordering Bala-Cynwyd/Merion/Wynnewood, though a lot of it has been converted into apartments and/or kept up poorly. Many homes are still quite nice though (especially in Overbrook Farms). "Lower" (aka rowhouse) Wynnefield and Overbrook Park are a bit of a different story. Still, while I agree that City Avenue is a definite dividing line, I don't know if I'd call it Philly's Iron Curtain. Cheltenham Avenue is a bit sharper, IMO.

[thwanko]

Originally Posted by HeavenWood

Overbrook/Wynnefield do have very nice housing stock--quite similar to bordering Bala-Cynwyd/Merion/Wynnewood, though a lot of it has been converted into apartments and/or kept up poorly. Many homes are still quite nice though (especially in Overbrook Farms). "Lower" (aka rowhouse) Wynnefield and Overbrook Park are a bit of a different story. Still, while I agree that City Avenue is a definite dividing line, I don't know if I'd call it Philly's Iron Curtain. Cheltenham Avenue is a bit sharper, IMO.

You're right about the housing stock on either side of city line not being that different (except around 76th and city, once you get past the shopping centers). I guess it's more that City Ave itself feels different to me than anywhere else in Lower Merion, so once I reach it I feel like I've entered the city.

Also, you know that intersection where there are two Sunocos diagonally across from each other on city ave and conshohocken? Weirdly enough the one on the Wynnefield side has bulletproof glass and the Bala Cynwyd side doesn't, which seems bizarre and excessive but is interesting I suppose.

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by thwanko

You're right about the housing stock on either side of city line not being that different (except around 76th and city, once you get past the shopping centers). I guess it's more that City Ave itself feels different to me than anywhere else in Lower Merion, so once I reach it I feel like I've entered the city.

Also, you know that intersection where there are two Sunocos diagonally across from each other on city ave and conshohocken? Weirdly enough the one on the Wynnefield side has bulletproof glass and the Bala Cynwyd side doesn't, which seems bizarre and excessive but is interesting I suppose.

There's definitely a difference in feel between Wynnefield/Overbrook and inner Bala-Cynwyd/Merion/Wynnewood; without a doubt, City Avenue functions as a socioeconomic barrier. I just don't think it's iron curtain-extreme.

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by GatsbyGatz

Lake Washington is an iron curtain between Seattle and the snobby suburban 1%-ers in Bellevue.

I don't agree. There are plenty of people in Seattle, such as Madison Park and Magnolia that are more snobby and have more $ than the average Bellevue resident. The median family income in Madison Park is $123k, Magnolia is $103k, Bellevue is only $88,000.

I would not consider there to be an iron curtain in Seattle, even the least safe, lowest income areas are gradually becoming gentrified and mixed income.