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Peersonally think that Chicagos streets are too wide for my likings. And Center City and Downtown Chi have equal population desity (I think Phillys #2 densest I believe, correct me if I'm wrong). But it's really a tight built out world class active all hours Vs. A large wide steet world class super active during buisness hours. It's about preference. My friend from Paris been to NYC, Chi, and stayed close to us in Philly. He said that Chicago has the best skyline, NYC had the largest, and he was overwhelmed by all the people(but he's used to that in Paris). And he said he liked Phillys dense downtown and it reminded him of Paris, whe he loved Chicago, but said it was "all American" shiny and new. and Philly was "the most European"...
Philadelphia is 3rd densest downtown. San Fran is 2.
Peersonally think that Chicagos streets are too wide for my likings. And Center City and Downtown Chi have equal population desity (I think Phillys #2 densest I believe, correct me if I'm wrong). But it's really a tight built out world class active all hours Vs. A large wide steet world class super active during buisness hours. It's about preference. My friend from Paris been to NYC, Chi, and stayed close to us in Philly. He said that Chicago has the best skyline, NYC had the largest, and he was overwhelmed by all the people(but he's used to that in Paris). And he said he liked Phillys dense downtown and it reminded him of Paris, whe he loved Chicago, but said it was "all American" shiny and new. and Philly was "the most European"...
Kinda interesting especially since I read long ago that people thought Philadelphia was the "most American" big city. But then again, when I look at DC's wide boulevards and mid-sized to large circles and roundabouts, Boston's twisting and narrow and hilly streets (Google streetview), and Philly's narrow streets (Google streetview) I realize that these cities' urban planning really harkens back to the way some European cities are laid out. I think this one of the many great qualities that makes these three cities so unique to this country. Chicago's skyline really does scream all-American for some reason though The massive NYC skyline looks like something from another world sometimes! Probably one of the reasons why I call New York City the 20th-Century Babylon A splendid masterpiece of diverse architecture mixed in with some grit and dirt as the city unleashes its inner-Gotham! LOL
Philadelphia on average is MUCH MUCH cheaper than D.C... For a one bedroom, you can find a nice place in a highrise for $1200- $1300 a month. New construction will cost you more of course, at around $1700- $1800 a month. A rowhome/townhome in Center City will cost you around $1000-$1100 a month. Right outside of Center City you're looking at about $800 a month. In far off neighborhoods like the Northwest you're looking at maybe $600 a month. The Northeast will be the cheapest at around $400 a month but that area is mostly car oriented and lacks a ton of public transit. It's also a ways from all the action in Center City.
Man where do I start. There are a lot of nice areas in the city. Center City, most of South Philadelphia, University City and surrounding neighborhoods in West Philadelphia like Spruce Hill and Powelton Village, City Line Avenue Corridor in far West Philadelphia like Wynnefield and Overbrook, parts of Southwest Philadelphia like Eastwick and Elmwood, Lower North Philadelphia like Northern Liberties, Fairmount, Spring Garden etc, the Riverwards like Fishtown and Port Richmond, Upper North Philadelphia like East and West Oak Lane, practically all of the Northwest like Manayunk, East and West Mt. Airy and Chestnut Hill, and practically all of Northeast Philadelphia are all nice areas.
The areas you'll want to avoid are:
-Grays Ferry and parts of Point Breeze in South Philadelphia
-Basically the central core of West Philadelphia like Carroll Park, Mill Creek, Dunlap, parts of Cobbs Creek.
-In Southwest Philadelphia, Kingsessing
-In the Riverwards, you'll want to avoid West Kensington
-In Northeast Philadelphia, you'll want to avoid Frankford, Oxford Circle, Castor Gardens and Lawncrest
-In Northwest Philadelphia, East Germantown
-Then we come to North Philadelphia. Contrary to popular belief, not all of North Philadelphia is bad. The southern portions that border Center City are all very nice like Fairmount and Northern Liberties, etc. The northern portions like East and West Oak Lane, parts of Olney, Fern Rock etc. are also nice. However, most of North Philadelphia is bad, and it is the worst area of the city. The majority of murders in the city occur in North Philadelphia. Basically everything north of Temple University you'll want to avoid. If you then follow Broad Street up North, once you cross under the train tracks around Einstein Medical Center, that's when things start get better again. Specific neighborhood names you'll want to avoid are Strawberry Mansion, North Central (also called North Philadelphia west on Google Maps- this is the area West of Temple University, once you get passed about 19th street it gets pretty bad), Hartranft (this is the area to the East of Temple, it's also called the Badlands by locals), Glenside (to the immediate North of Temple's campus, once you get passed Susquehanna it gets pretty bad). Other areas to avoid are Fairhill, Allegheny West, Tioga/Nicetown, Hunting Park, Juniata Park and Feltonville.
Gentrifying areas? There are a TON in Philadelphia.
Center City
Basically all of Center City is nice. There is one section called Callowhill immediately North of Vine Street that is all old factories and manufacturing plants. This area is currently seeing redevelopment as all the old factories are converted into lofts.
South Philadelphia
-South portions of Graduate Hospital (Southwest Center City)
-Dickinson Narrows
-Point Breeze
-Newbold
-West Passyunk
-Grays Ferry (just starting to see gentrification)
West Philadelphia
Walnut Hill
Southwest Cedar Park
West Powelton
Mantua
Dunlap
Haverford North
Belmont
North Philadelphia
Spring Arts
West Powelton
Francisville
Brewerytown
Olde Kensington
Ludlow
Yorktown
Parts of Sharswood
Templetown (area surrounding Temple University)
Riverwards
The Delaware Waterfront (never ghetto, just an old manufacturing area. Seeing a ton of redevelopment)
Fishtown
Parts of Kensington
Northwest Philadelphia
Parts of East Germantown
Tons of nightlife. Rittenhouse Square, Washington Square West, Old City, South Street, Northern Liberties/Fishtown/Delaware Waterfront, University City, all over South Philadelphia like Bella Vista/Queen Village, Graduate Hospital, Passyunk Avenue, Xfinity Live! at the Sports Complex, Manayunk, Chestnut Hill, more laid back bars all throughout the Northeast, Atlantic City, tons of places throughout the suburbs like New Hope, West Chester, etc. Whatever you want, Philadelphia has. What are you looking for specifically and I can point you in the right direction? Nightclubs? Casual Bars? Sports bars? Music Venues?
Theater? All over Center City really. The main theater district is the Avenue of the Arts on South Broad Street between City Hall and South Street though.
Restaurants? Again, all over. Center City, University City, South Philadelphia, Lower North Philadelphia, all over the Northwest.
Festivals? What are you looking for exactly? There are always all kinds of festivals occurring.
No problem! Visit the Old City area obviously. Tons of History. Independence Historic Park, Betsy Ross House, etc. Walk around the historic Society Hill neighborhood. Visit Chinatown. Stop in at Reading Terminal Market. Check out Rittenhouse Square and the upscale shopping along Walnut Street and check out the historic wealthy neighborhoods of Rittenhouse Square and Fitler Square. Visit Washington Square West (the Gayborhood). The Avenue of the Arts (South Broad Street). South Street (between Front and 7th streets). The Italian Market in South Philadelphia. East Passyunk Avenue. Museum Mile (Ben Franklin Parkway). Fairmount neighborhood and Eastern State Penitentiary. University City (Penn Museum, bunch of Art Museums, great restaurants, Penn's historic Ivy League Campus). Also in West Philadelphia check out Clark Park and the historic Victorian neighborhoods of Woodland Terrace, Spruce Hill and Cedar Park complete with Trolley's/Streetcars still running on the streets. Visit Northern Liberties (the Piazza at Schmidt's, tons of great bars and restaurants). See the Northwest section of the city- very beautiful area. Manayunk has great bars, restaurants and shops. Chestnut Hill has great historic buildings and mansions as well as great restaurants and shop along Germantown Avenue. Mt. Airy also has great restaurants and shop along Germantown Ave. Visit the massive Fairmount Park. Please Touch Museum, Japanese Gardens, Waterworks, Boathouse Row, the Zoo (first zoo in America). Also, if you're into this, check out some of the great beer breweries in the city. Yards Brewery in Fishtown, Triumph brewing company in Old City, Manayunk Brewery, Iron Hill Brewery in Chestnut Hill.
Let me know if you need any more info. Hope this helped
Thanks Summers! That's almost crazy that Philly is THAT inexpensive, even in the nicer areas!!! Thanks for giving me the lowdown on the neighborhoods too and their safety levels and amenities as well! I am history buff, so I'm more than confident that Philly will have a never-ending abundance of things to do in this category.
As for nightlife, I do like Hip Hop clubs, basic Dance clubs, Comedy clubs (like the Improv in DC), live music venues (examples in DC are like 9:30, Verizon Center, Madams Organ, Howard Theater, etc.), casual bars or happy-hour bars, and of course sports bars (I'll be 21 this September btw). Btw, any interesting off-the-beaten path type of restaurants I should know about?
Yep, those are the type of festivals that I like! Such as ones that are similar to Made In America or Roots Picnic, St. Patrick's Day Parade (The Irish can really dance!), 4th of July celebrations, and weird type of events such as that "Running with the Micks" clip lol.
And thank you for outlining the places that would make for a fascinating visit, I really will try to check Philly out one day! Heck, maybe even this summer (What are the best times to visit your city?), especially considering that Philly is only a 2 hour away!
Are there a lot of areas of Philly, outside its downtown, that significantly lower it's overall density?
If so, just curious, where does Boston fall in terms of "downtown density"?
Well where Philly exceeds Boston in the core, is Philadelphia has a TON of residential highrises and skyscrapers, where Boston does not. Also, yes... there are areas outside of the core that bring down Philadelphia's density. Parts of Northeast Philadeplhia, parts of Northwest Philadelphia, neighborhoods on the edge of the city like West and East Oak Lane, Wynnefield, Overbrook, etc. Also, the massive Fairmount Park, FDR Park, Wissahickon Gorge, Pennypack Park, Tacony Creek Park, the Navy Yard, industrial zones along the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers, parts of Southwest Philadelphia, the Sports Complex in South Philadelphia, the Marshlands in Southwest Philadelphia, the Philadelphia International Airport and the Northeast Philadelphia Airport, and not to mention, large swaths of ghetto land with empty lots in North and West Philadelphia are ALL areas that drive down population densities. If it wasn't for these areas, the city would be MUCH denser. The core of the city is EXTREMELY dense... and much more so than Boston.
This shows a good example of the differences and why Philadelphia exceeds Boston in density in the core:
And thank you for outlining the places that would make for a fascinating visit, I really will try to check Philly out one day! Heck, maybe even this summer (What are the best times to visit your city?), especially considering that Philly is only a 2 hour away!
Spring is by FAR the best time. Not too hot, not too cold. Ton of tourists come this time. Everyone is out walking the streets. You could come in early summer too, before it gets too hot and before everyone heads for the shore! Lol
If you want to start a thread in the Philadelphia Forum, we can chat some more and I can give you more recommendations on nightlife/restaurants, etc. I don't want to litter this thread.
Well where Philly exceeds Boston in the core, is Philadelphia has a TON of residential highrises and skyscrapers, where Boston does not. Also, yes... there are areas outside of the core that bring down Philadelphia's density. Parts of Northeast Philadeplhia, parts of Northwest Philadelphia, neighborhoods on the edge of the city like West and East Oak Lane, Wynnefield, Overbrook, etc. Also, the massive Fairmount Park, FDR Park, Wissahickon Gorge, Pennypack Park, Tacony Creek Park, the Navy Yard, industrial zones along the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers, parts of Southwest Philadelphia, the Sports Complex in South Philadelphia, the Marshlands in Southwest Philadelphia, the Philadelphia International Airport and the Northeast Philadelphia Airport, and not to mention, large swaths of ghetto land with empty lots in North and West Philadelphia are ALL areas that drive down population densities. If it wasn't for these areas, the city would be MUCH denser. The core of the city is EXTREMELY dense... and much more so than Boston.
This shows a good example of the differences and why Philadelphia exceeds Boston in density in the core:
It seems like Philly has more residential integration in its financial district than Boston does. The Financial District in Boston as well as the West End are pretty sparsely populated (15-20k ppsm), but other than that it seems like Boston is much denser in the core than Philly. Philly does seem to have a much larger footprint of dense areas though, which is where it definitely overtakes Boston.
The aerials don't really tell the whole story - namely that Boston has more height in its neighborhoods like Back Bay, South End, Fenway, etc. Boston has a census tract over 100k: boston - Google Maps - One of my friends lived in this neighborhood, it is mostly Berkeley students.
Well where Philly exceeds Boston in the core, is Philadelphia has a TON of residential highrises and skyscrapers, where Boston does not.
Thats's a good point, I guess. Though maybe it'll change if we actually start building Filenes/Copley Place/TD Towers.
Still you didn't really answer my question: where does Boston fall in terms of downtown density, in your opinion. Chicago must be up there too, yes?
I'd also like to point out that the area you showed on goolgle maps isn't what I'd call Boston's "core". The financial district isn't (at this point) a residential district so of course it's not going to be very densely populated. I've always assumed that this was true for all cities, but apparently downtown Philadelphia is very residential?
Anyway, I zoomed in on one of Boston's denser parts (which I know is Beacon Hill) and one of philly's denser parts (south of downtown?) and this is what I got...
Also, yes... there are areas outside of the core that bring down Philadelphia's density. Parts of Northeast Philadeplhia, parts of Northwest Philadelphia, neighborhoods on the edge of the city like West and East Oak Lane, Wynnefield, Overbrook, etc. Also, the massive Fairmount Park, FDR Park, Wissahickon Gorge, Pennypack Park, Tacony Creek Park, the Navy Yard, industrial zones along the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers, parts of Southwest Philadelphia, the Sports Complex in South Philadelphia, the Marshlands in Southwest Philadelphia, the Philadelphia International Airport and the Northeast Philadelphia Airport, and not to mention, large swaths of ghetto land with empty lots in North and West Philadelphia are ALL areas that drive down population densities.
This is interesting, because it seemsto me like Philly is the opposite of Boston in this regard.
Philly's clearly denser than Boston. They're not even on the same level.
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The massive NYC skyline looks like something from another world sometimes! Probably one of the reasons why I call New York City the 20th-Century Babylon
A splendid masterpiece of diverse architecture mixed in with some grit and dirt as the city unleashes its inner-Gotham! LOL
Thanks for giving me the lowdown on the neighborhoods too and their safety levels and amenities as well! I am history buff, so I'm more than confident that Philly will have a never-ending abundance of things to do in this category. 
