Young professional considering Pennsport, South Philly (Washington, Mifflin: loft, houses, neighborhoods)

[sansomchestnut]

Hi everyone,

I am a young professional Asian female house-hunting with my Irish boyfriend in South Philly. I have been looking mostly in Grad Hospital and Passyunk, but have decided to expand my search to Pennsport.

Basically, I've read and heard the following about Pennsport:

PROS: it's relatively safe and affordable, easy commute to 95/Jersey, possibly the next "hot" neighborhood in Philly, and it has Federal Donuts.

CONS: residents are xenophobic, possibly racist, and not many restaurants, cafes, things to do etc.

For the most part, my priorities are safety, nice rehab, and sticking to my budget. I lived in both Rittenhouse and QV for the past 3 years (and NYC before that) so I'm kind of tired of all the noise and traffic. We, for the most part, want to stay in, cook, and start a little garden.

I welcome any comments and feedback about the area. And I am particularly interested in finding out if young professionals are actually moving to/living there and if they like it? Will my boyfriend and I stand out as a inter-racial couple? Is there actually something to the next "hot" neighborhood buzz?

Many thanks for your time!

Sansom chestnut

[Marius Pontmercy]

I never got that vibe. I used to live in Queen Village and walked through Pennsport all the time. I think I've walked the length of 2nd St from Oregon to South and felt comfortable the whole time.

[couldntthinkofaclevername]

Xenophobic? That seems a bit odd.

Anyway, an Asian and Irish couple is no big deal anywhere in the entire metro area. Even in places people might think are "xenophobic" or even "racist".

[bryson662001]

I like it because in addition to the things you mentioned it is so close to all that shopping on Columbus Blvd.

[Pennsport]

Originally Posted by sansomchestnut

Hi everyone,

I am a young professional Asian female house-hunting with my Irish boyfriend in South Philly. I have been looking mostly in Grad Hospital and Passyunk, but have decided to expand my search to Pennsport.

Basically, I've read and heard the following about Pennsport:

PROS: it's relatively safe and affordable, easy commute to 95/Jersey, possibly the next "hot" neighborhood in Philly, and it has Federal Donuts.

CONS: residents are xenophobic, possibly racist, and not many restaurants, cafes, things to do etc.

For the most part, my priorities are safety, nice rehab, and sticking to my budget. I lived in both Rittenhouse and QV for the past 3 years (and NYC before that) so I'm kind of tired of all the noise and traffic. We, for the most part, want to stay in, cook, and start a little garden.

I welcome any comments and feedback about the area. And I am particularly interested in finding out if young professionals are actually moving to/living there and if they like it? Will my boyfriend and I stand out as a inter-racial couple? Is there actually something to the next "hot" neighborhood buzz?

Many thanks for your time!

Sansom chestnut

I'm a youngish professional who moved into Pennsport a year ago. I've lived all over Philly for the last decade and can honestly say this is my favorite neighborhood for the following reasons:
- Location: If you stay in the northern section of Pennsport, north of Reed, you're close to two good-sized parks, an extremely strong core of involved and caring residents (i.e. home owners, not renters), relatively clean streets/walks, minimal noise, and what I would call a substantially safer environment than many other fringe Center City neighborhoods. Also, you're near the River, good running/walking areas, and close to Center City proper. The 57 bus is great -- for 2 bucks I can go from just about my front door to South Street in 5 mintues or Old City in 8 minutes). I'm at North Third in Northern Liberties in 15 mintues.
- Restaurants/pubs: While it's true that Pennsport could use a few more options, there are several good places to get a drink or dinner and again, if you're in the northern section of Pennsport, you're minutes away from the Queen Village/Bella Vista scenes.
Housing Stock and Price: Unlike many neighborhoods outside Center City, I found the Pennsport housing stock to be in fantastic shape. Most of the rowhomes have NOT been neglected for decades and thus have better bones/foundations than other areas. Also, you'll get much more house for your money with very low taxes. For example, my house is 1350 sq. ft., has a roof deck, full basement, 1.5 bathrooms, two walk-in closets and good sized (for South Philly) backyard with pocket garden. The house is also in great shape -- zero rodents, roaches, other issues. I got the place for a good bit under 300k and taxes are 1k. For comparison, just .25 miles North in Queen Village, a similar house would have cost at least 360k and taxes would be around 2,500 - 4k.
- Parking: Better parking options than almost all other densly-populated neighborhoods in the city. You'll seldom have to park more than a block away from your front door. Additionally, I've noticed that smash and grabs are much less frequent than what I experienced in Northern Liberties, Fishtown, Loft District, and when I lived at 12th and Dickenson.
- Safety: The "bad" area of Pennsport is immediately West -- 5th to 8th stretching from Washington Ave. all the way down past Snyder. However, this area is really not bad at all. In fact, they're some of the safest, nicest "bad" streets I've run into. Compare them to north or west of Northern Liberties and there's no comparison.
- Potential: Upside is huge due to general neighborhood layout, proximity to CC, the river and the highways. And, the bonus is you don't have to gamble on a gentrifying area or live in a sketchy location for years before it comes to fruition. It's safe and stable with almost no chance of regressing.

As a white male that keeps pretty much to myself, I can't comment on any racism you might experience. However, I live on a block with a healthy mix of demographics and I've never seen nor heard anything inflamatory.

Basically, if you're looking for a quietier/calmer area in the city that is close to everything, has lots of recreaction options, and has solid homes for fantastic prices, I don't think you can go wrong with the northern section of Pennsport.

[sansomchestnut]

Thank you all for the candid input. This is all very helpful.

To Pennsport - Thanks so much for the info. I was wondering what do you think about below Reed, since I've noticed some houses fromTasker down to Mifflin and possibly down to Snyder.

Thanks!

[Pennsport]

IMO, it's more block-to-block there in regards to safety and a bit more insular South Philly. Again, these are just my experiences from the last year, but further north seems to be much more mixed with new/legacy residents with more of a younger professional vibe.

Although, that wasn't my main reason for staying north of Reed. My main issue with further south is the distance from other neighborhoods and the layout. Once you get below Tasker, it's a bit of a hassle to leave the neighborhood (you're certainly not walking anywhere unless you've got a lot of time and it's a beautiful day), and I find the streets much more packed together. The only open green space in the area is the park at Tasker and 5th I think, and there is no river access or any kind of view. I looked at a few places down there and it wasn't for me.

If I didn't find something in the northern section of Pennsport, I would have looked in the greater Passyunk Sq. area or possibly southern Fishtown. Of course this is just me and what suited my needs...