Moving to Philly from San Diego CA - Please advise on neighborhoods for a couple w/a 6mo baby. (Ardmore: homes, pros and cons)

[frankgn87]

actually if you did read this thread you will see that someone called me out.. Then, and only then, I only stated the facts..

Originally Posted by rotodome

Great, so let's turn every topic into an off-topic murder anecdote!

And if you read my posting, you'd know that I was from Philly. I don't live there at the moment, but then neither do you.
If you care, my family all lives there, and I am there frequently.

[mltimes]

the Main Line is not particularly convenient for a commute to Delaware. Swarthmore or even Media might be a better fit, both geographically and culturally.

Also, while others have mentioned the city wage tax on your wife's income, I dont think I saw any mention of the Philadelphia Business Privilege Tax that you may be subject to.

[Avalon08]

Originally Posted by frankgn87

I agree but neither of my employees were doing anything illegal when they got shot.. All I'm saying is just be careful out there folks..

Not to belabor the murder tangent, but Frank -- where were your employees killed? (What areas of the city?)

To the OP, PLEASE don't get side-tracked by this "murder rate" discussion. These crimes are primarily happening in the 'hood areas of the city, where I assume you won't be living or frequenting. For example, the latest three were part of a carload of young teens on their way to a street fight with another group. The stepfather (age 30!) of the second group unloaded 12 rounds into the car. I mean, school night, after 10 PM, young 14-year-olds packed into a car....and the stepfather, when arrested in a motel with a female, was more concerned his wife would find out about the female than his arrest for the murders. This type of thing won't be part of your life.

Obviously, in any big city, one has to be careful. But Philadelphia is a great city -- MUCH different from Southern CA (I've lived in both), but Philly is my hometown and I absolutely love it. I've never actually lived in Center City but have always had it on the Bucket List. I have lived on the Main Line, and agree with the above OP that it is a wonderful area...wish I could have afforded a home there.

[frankgn87]

North and west Philly..

Originally Posted by Avalon08

Not to belabor the murder tangent, but Frank -- where were your employees killed? (What areas of the city?)

[kidphilly]

Originally Posted by frankgn87

North and west Philly..

Fair enough and sorry for your loss. I would never advocate many areas of North or West Philly as being safe although both have some decent areas.

None of the areas the OP has discussed are in those areas

I did bring it up as I find every thread where Philly is mentioned is barraged by your unsafe mentions. I would not say that Philly in general does not have crime issues though most are isolated to particular areas. That said Center City while much safer is a large urban city and should always be approached as such. Philly is not immune to crime by any means but honestly as long as you are not wandering though the bad parts which are not in Center City or Chestnut Hill by any stretch it is not significant

[Pine to Vine]

Originally Posted by JaxMax

We're used to living in an active city lifestyle.

We have narrowed it down to 3 areas and would like your opinion/feedback on them as well as recommendations for any other cities.

Rittenhouse Square or Washington Square?

Chestnut Hill?

Other areas you recommend?

Center City is the most urban collections of neighborhoods in the city. Both of your first two are in CC and are great options, with RS being more expensive and WS is a bit younger in demographics. Society Hill, just east of WS is also nice (and also expensive), and is more solidly residential with less commercial mixed in than the first two (a pro or a con?). Also, Fitler Square to the west of RS is quite nice and is somewhat more affordable that RS, plus I see a number of families with children there. All of these neighborhoods blend seamlessly into one another, so if you find you prefer the feel of one, they are all contiguous and quite close to one another.

Just south of Society Hill and WS are Queen Village and Bella Vista. The also offer a nice mix of residential and commercial, and being contiguous to Center City, are convenient and afford you easy access to the "active city lifestyle" you are seeking. South of RS and Fitler Square is Graduate Hospital - all gentrified with new townhouses still going in, this neighborhood is a bit grittier than Queen Village and Bella Vista east of Broad Street.

To the north of CC, I would avoid Old City, as it is filled with partying tourists. Fairmont, near the Art Museum has some nice properties, but for my money, is a bit too far to walk to CC on a regular basis. Lots of folks like it, however.

Finally, Chestnut Hill would be nice for you if you wanted to live in a small English Village. It oozes charm, but is a world away. Very different from the first two neighborhoods on your list as well as those I've outlined above.

Hope this helps a bit.

[frankgn87]

thanks... One guy was a close friend of mine.. great person

Originally Posted by kidphilly

Fair enough and sorry for your loss. I would never advocate many areas of North or West Philly as being safe although both have some decent areas.

None of the areas the OP has discussed are in those areas

I did bring it up as I find every thread where Philly is mentioned is barraged by your unsafe mentions. I would not say that Philly in general does not have crime issues though most are isolated to particular areas. That said Center City while much safer is a large urban city and should always be approached as such. Philly is not immune to crime by any means but honestly as long as you are not wandering though the bad parts which are not in Center City or Chestnut Hill by any stretch it is not significant

[Hobokenkitchen]

Originally Posted by frankgn87

North and west Philly..

I must be missing the relevance - did the OP mention that he wanted to move his family into the 'hood?

Ok back on topic, we live in Rittenhouse now (close to Fitler) and we LOVE it! Fabulous, walkable neighborhoods and close proximity to shopping and the river pathway which is a great place to take the kids to run around or go jogging with the stroller.

Washington Square is nice, but if I had to pick between there or Rittenhouse I would choose Rittenhouse every time!

Love Chestnut Hill and the charming downtown which has a lovely village feel. Completely different type of living to downtown.

I like the houses on the Mainline but find the towns lacking in charm. When I heard how wonderful it was I went out there expecting a string of Chestnut Hill'esque main streets. It was not like that at all.
If I had to pick a place I would go with Radnor or Wayne which I think have gorgeous residential areas and a passable main street. Not in the league of Chestnut Hill though (for me).
I would avoid King of Prussia like the plague. Zero charm and you can drive to the mall from anywhere in the area.

Remember if your wife is working in downtown Philly you WILL be paying Philly wage tax. Sadly it's unavoidable and the biggest downside to the Philly area.

I think you would love being downtown for at least your transition period - then you can move out to the 'burbs when you've had some real time to explore the options.

I don't think you can go wrong with Rittenhouse or Fitler - it's just a lovely area.

[frankgn87]

Originally Posted by Hobokenkitchen

I must be missing the relevance - did the OP mention that he wanted to move his family into the 'hood?

.

You are missing something. We drifted away to getting murdered if you were not in a gang or doing any illegal activities.. Stay with us here man! lol

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by Hobokenkitchen

I must be missing the relevance - did the OP mention that he wanted to move his family into the 'hood?

Ok back on topic, we live in Rittenhouse now (close to Fitler) and we LOVE it! Fabulous, walkable neighborhoods and close proximity to shopping and the river pathway which is a great place to take the kids to run around or go jogging with the stroller.

Washington Square is nice, but if I had to pick between there or Rittenhouse I would choose Rittenhouse every time!

Love Chestnut Hill and the charming downtown which has a lovely village feel. Completely different type of living to downtown.

I like the houses on the Mainline but find the towns lacking in charm. When I heard how wonderful it was I went out there expecting a string of Chestnut Hill'esque main streets. It was not like that at all.
If I had to pick a place I would go with Radnor or Wayne which I think have gorgeous residential areas and a passable main street. Not in the league of Chestnut Hill though (for me).
I would avoid King of Prussia like the plague. Zero charm and you can drive to the mall from anywhere in the area.

Remember if your wife is working in downtown Philly you WILL be paying Philly wage tax. Sadly it's unavoidable and the biggest downside to the Philly area.

I think you would love being downtown for at least your transition period - then you can move out to the 'burbs when you've had some real time to explore the options.

I don't think you can go wrong with Rittenhouse or Fitler - it's just a lovely area.

Where on the Main Line did you find lack charm? Bala, Narberth, Ardmore, and Bryn Mawr in particular have great main streets in my view. I do agree that the more isolated parts can come off as a bit sterile, though.