Is Mt Airy and Chestnut Hill affordable? (Philadelphia, Wilkes-Barre: rentals, crime)

[W-B proud]

I was in Chestnut hill for the first time on a job interview yesterday and was shocked by how clean, large lots, even woodsy area's in and around Fairmont Park. A deer ran across the boulevard I was on! i have never seen that in a major city before. Everytime I've been to Philly in the past, it was all rowhomes for as long as the eye could see, north philly, south philly, west philly, northern lights, fishtown (well except for Manayunk). I always assumed the entire city was old rowhomes, tight streets, crowded, no parking ect. i don't want to anger anyone, but all the neihborhoods i have been through in the past seemed rundown, dirty, and dangerous for the most part, or to close for comfort and no parking at all (south Philly)...northwest Philly (Germantown ave. area?) seems like an entirely different city to me. I was surprised how "unlike" the rest of the city (that i've seen) it was. I felt more like a suburb then an actual part of the city. I always loved downtown Philly and have wanted to move to the city for awhile now, but was always turned off by the conditions I mentioned above. I have two young children and I don't want to raise them in a bad area with bad, dangerous schools. Anyway, My point is I liked Chestnut hill and Mount Airy from what i saw, but is it affordable for a blue collar guy? or are there similar type neighborhood's that are spaceous and affordable?

[maf763]

Without knowing what you consider affordable, other areas in the city that might not feel as closed in as rowhouse neighborhoods would be Roxborough, Fox Chase, and parts of the Northeast like Academy Gardens or Somerton.

[PeeAye Native]

Philly is definitely not all row homes and small lots. Chestnut Hill and Mt Airy are probably the other end of the scale from what you described as tight streets and row homes.

To answer your question, I think Chestnut Hill is probably more pricey than Mt. Airy, and Mt. Airy is known as being fairly affordable.

In addition to the list in the preceding post, I'd add the Overbrook neighborhood. As you've probably read on here a lot, Philadelphia is a city of neighborhoods. This list summarizes it pretty well: List of Philadelphia neighborhoods - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[W-B proud]

Well the job interview I had will pay between $500-$600 week gross? In Wilkes-barre that goes a long way. I am not oppossed to rowhouse living, but I have two rowdy kids, and would like to at least have a decent sized yard for them to play in, and I would like to have easy off street parking. Is Mt Airy or Chestnut hill considered wealthier area's? All i know is i don't want a neighborhood like Olney (not picking on Olney, just giving a description of what I'm not looking for) or similar mostly for my kids sake. I've been through Roxborough and like it, is it affordable? How about Manayunk...that seems a bit upscale for me, is it?

[W-B proud]

The city I live in, Wilkes-Barre, is much smaller, but tends to have the older, shady, rundown neighborhood's immediately surrounding downtown, the farther the neighborhood from downtown the better and cleaner it seems. Is it the same for Philly?

[newmarlig]

Sorry, but that salary will not go far here.

[G Goo]

I think both Chestnut Hill and Mt Airy will be tough to stretch on your salary unfortunately. There is a small slice of E. Mt Airy between the SEPTA train line and Germantown Ave (N and S) and Gorgas and Upsal St (E and W)that is certainly more affordable, but it is admittedly more run-down and problematic.

Originally Posted by W-B proud

The city I live in, Wilkes-Barre, is much smaller, but tends to have the older, shady, rundown neighborhood's immediately surrounding downtown, the farther the neighborhood from downtown the better and cleaner it seems. Is it the same for Philly?

No, not as a hard and fast rule.

[FindingZen]

By NEPA standards, much of Philly will be more expensive. $500-600/week gross probably translates to about $40K pre-tax. That would be pretty tight as a single person here, let alone with two kids. If an "Olney"-like atmosphere doesn't appeal, you'll likely have a fairly sizeable commute out of the city for a place that may be within your budget.

For example, you could consider the area of Upper Darby/Lansdowne/Clifton Heights and perhaps immediately surrounding areas. This is a working-to-middle class area in Delaware County. The schools are not the "best" in the region but nor are they the worst. From my experience, living west of Landsdowne Avenue - the border of Upper Darby proper and Drexel Hill - would minimize any potential crime issues.

Perhaps slightly more convenient, there may be some NE Philly neighborhoods that might appeal but I'll let others more knowledgeable expound on that.

[templeu]

Not far from Chestnut Hill (5 minutes), are Erdenheim and Flourtown. These towns are part of Montgomery County and the school districts are good. I'm not sure what you're budget is, but you can find rentals for under $1K (2 bed, 1bath). If you are looking for a house, you likely will be looking further out.

[pman]

Chestnut Hill is not affordable, East Mt. Airy might be. also look into East Oak Lane and perhaps the northeast.

Originally Posted by W-B proud

The city I live in, Wilkes-Barre, is much smaller, but tends to have the older, shady, rundown neighborhood's immediately surrounding downtown, the farther the neighborhood from downtown the better and cleaner it seems. Is it the same for Philly?

used to, not any more. most of them are being fixed up (or have been fixed)