Looking to buy a house west of Malcolm X Park, West Philly. 53rd and osage? house the hood? is it hood? (Indiana: 2015, apartment)

[1ondoner]

I think your definition of good is different from mine. Beyond drugs and crime, there are a lot of other things happening. I'll give you one example, littering. To me the biggest problem with such places is the attitude. This makes the whole place a toxic environment. That's why the hood is the way it is.

BTW, you'd be surprised that my kids volunteer in the hood once per week serving people. So yes, I get to go to the hood more frequently than you would think.

Originally Posted by kyb01

I've said multiple times on here that there are good people who live in poorer areas in Philadelphia. And most of them are not involved in crimes. Of course since you will never put toe in any of these places you will never find out personally. Seeing something on tv is such a great resource. And here's my to you.

All I can tell you is that the closest my family, in W. Philly, has ever come to any type of crime was when my granddad made suits for gangsters during Prohibition. So why shouldn't I defend it?

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by 1ondoner

I think your definition of good is different from mine. Beyond drugs and crime, there are a lot of other things happening. I'll give you one example, littering. To me the biggest problem with such places is the attitude. This makes the whole place a toxic environment. That's why the hood is the way it is.

BTW, you'd be surprised that my kids volunteer in the hood once per week serving people. So yes, I get to go to the hood more frequently than you would think.

There's littering in so-called good places in S. Philly, for example, where it's white majority with many homes that are valued at nearly a million dollars. The litter problem is generally city-wide. We've talked about it on this board.

Good for you, though, for allowing your children to be exposed to situations that other suburban parents wouldn't.

What I object to is stereotyping.

[1ondoner]

While there is littering all over Philly, some places are worse than others. It's beyond littering and you have dumping on the sidewalks.

Originally Posted by kyb01

There's littering in so-called good places in S. Philly, for example, where it's white majority with many homes that are valued at nearly a million dollars. The litter problem is generally city-wide. We've talked about it on this board.

Good for you, though, for allowing your children to be exposed to situations that other suburban parents wouldn't.

What I object to is stereotyping.

[StayingAfterSunday]

Wow. This thread began with a logical, valid question. It has degraded, though, to something close to nonsensical.

Since it's now scattered to everything from the amount of litter and who puts it there, to the current cost of West Phila. properties, I'll add my opinion about the latter: Flipping and rehabbing one of those charming old houses does not, of course, restore the neighborhood to its former glory. Those inflated prices we're seeing in much of Philadelphia is more indicative of the rising cost of real estate in the city than it is of the neighborhood itself.

[Von7philly]

how much time have you spent west of 52nd? most of you dont know a thing about it.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by Von7philly

how much time have you spent west of 52nd? most of you dont know a thing about it.

You re-started a year old thread.

Speaking personally, I'm among the few on this board who does know about it ; I was there yesterday.

[PHL10]

Originally Posted by kyb01

Good for you, though, for allowing your children to be exposed to situations that other suburban parents wouldn't.

As long its it's not feeding the homeless on the Parkway.

[KoNgFooCj]

It's fine. I wouldn't worry.

[PhilliesPhan2013]

Originally Posted by FBJ

52nd street is the ghetto high crime section of philadelphia. The nicer and low crime areas of west philly are below 45th street.

It's amazing how much things can change in just seven years. A statement like this would be considered laughable at best and ignorant at worst. Even the blocks south of Baltimore, west of 49th, and east of 52nd are getting redeveloped and pricey, especially after the Apple Storage building on 52nd Street was recently converted to lofts.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with crossing 52nd Street. Nowadays, I'd say that the border between the "good" and "bad" parts of West Philly* is somewhere between 54th and 56th Street, and even that will change in the coming years. With Penn extending the western boundary of its homeownership assistance program to 56th Street, it's only a matter of time until those blocks are as highly desired as those east of 52nd Street.

Speaking of the blocks west of 52nd Street, I can tell that some of you don't know much about them at all. Take a walk along Cedar Ave and see what I mean. One could walk up and down 54th Street and find some of the same three story Victorians that they'd find walking up and down 44th Street, except they're selling at a discount. Some blocks will take a little bit longer to change, which becomes apparent when above Walnut Street; however, change is on the way. Large-scale redevelopment of vacant/underutilized lots along Market Street will help usher in this change, along with making the beautiful blocks north of Market (especially N. 50th Street) in Dunlap much more desirable.

Though I will be moving to Francisville soon, I currently live near 48th and Baltimore in Cedar Park. I've never had any qualms about walking outside at any hour of the night. I know my experience may differ from others since I'm a 6'2" young man, but my girlfriend has also never had a problem walking over to my place from neighboring Spruce Hill alone at night.

*=everything south of Market and north of the Media/Elwyn Line tracks, with Powelton Village included. Lots of people forget that a completely different West Philly exists north of Market and west of 40th.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by PhilliesPhan2013

It's amazing how much things can change in just seven years. A statement like this would be considered laughable at best and ignorant at worst. Even the blocks south of Baltimore, west of 49th, and east of 52nd are getting redeveloped and pricey, especially after the Apple Storage building on 52nd Street was recently converted to lofts.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with crossing 52nd Street. Nowadays, I'd say that the border between the "good" and "bad" parts of West Philly* is somewhere between 54th and 56th Street, and even that will change in the coming years. With Penn extending the western boundary of its homeownership assistance program to 56th Street, it's only a matter of time until those blocks are as highly desired as those east of 52nd Street.

Speaking of the blocks west of 52nd Street, I can tell that some of you don't know much about them at all. Take a walk along Cedar Ave and see what I mean. One could walk up and down 54th Street and find some of the same three story Victorians that they'd find walking up and down 44th Street, except they're selling at a discount. Some blocks will take a little bit longer to change, which becomes apparent when above Walnut Street; however, change is on the way. Large-scale redevelopment of vacant/underutilized lots along Market Street will help usher in this change, along with making the beautiful blocks north of Market (especially N. 50th Street) in Dunlap much more desirable.

Though I will be moving to Francisville soon, I currently live near 48th and Baltimore in Cedar Park. I've never had any qualms about walking outside at any hour of the night. I know my experience may differ from others since I'm a 6'2" young man, but my girlfriend has also never had a problem walking over to my place from neighboring Spruce Hill alone at night.

*=everything south of Market and north of the Media/Elwyn Line tracks, with Powelton Village included. Lots of people forget that a completely different West Philly exists north of Market and west of 40th.

Where in Francisville are you moving to if I may ask?

Yep, most people posting here still won't put a toe west of 52nd St no matter what you or I tell them. As you know Cedar Ave west of 52nd, at 54th St, is still anchored by Mercy Hospital as an example.