Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Pennsylvania > Philadelphia
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 07-11-2012, 08:16 PM
 
Location: Philadelphia, PA
8,700 posts, read 14,615,693 times
Reputation: 3663

Advertisements

Hey! Glad you are sort-of enjoying your first days in Philly. It's a shame you ended up in an OK area. Where neighborhood are you living in?

Hopefully you can explore more and more of the city and maybe find a place that you can live in and feel more comfortable where you could possibly move to next year if you are renting. I'd suggest checking out the Clark Park and Spruce Hill area in University City in West Philadelphia. These areas are sort-of Pittsburgh-ish. The area is centered around 43rd street and Baltimore Ave.

I would also check out the Northwest part of the city like Manayunk, Chestnut Hill and Roxborough because they are also very Pittsburgh-ish. However these areas are further from Center City but there are still two Regional Rail lines that service the Northwest. Also, Manayunk has some pretty awesome nightlife along the Main Street corridor.

Explore more of Center City however! Check out Society Hill and Washington Square West and South Street. Also, check out Rittenhouse Square and Fitler Square. I would also check out the Fairmount/Art Museum neighborhood along with Eastern State Penitentiary. As for South Philly, there are a TON of areas to explore in South Philly. From Queen Village, Bella Vista and Graduate Hospital to Passyunk Square, The Italian Market and East Passyunk Crossing/ East Passyunk Ave.

Hope you can explore more and check out some other great areas!

Let us know what area you are in, maybe we can give you some tips or info on the area.

Last edited by RightonWalnut; 07-11-2012 at 08:45 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 07-11-2012, 08:37 PM
 
Location: Pennsylvania
5,725 posts, read 11,666,100 times
Reputation: 9828
Welcome. You'll have to change your location status.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-12-2012, 08:22 PM
 
Location: Philadelphia
44 posts, read 78,692 times
Reputation: 18
Quote:
Originally Posted by Summersm343 View Post
Hey! Glad you are sort-of enjoying your first days in Philly. It's a shame you ended up in an OK area. Where neighborhood are you living in?

Hopefully you can explore more and more of the city and maybe find a place that you can live in and feel more comfortable where you could possibly move to next year if you are renting. I'd suggest checking out the Clark Park and Spruce Hill area in University City in West Philadelphia. These areas are sort-of Pittsburgh-ish. The area is centered around 43rd street and Baltimore Ave.

I would also check out the Northwest part of the city like Manayunk, Chestnut Hill and Roxborough because they are also very Pittsburgh-ish. However these areas are further from Center City but there are still two Regional Rail lines that service the Northwest. Also, Manayunk has some pretty awesome nightlife along the Main Street corridor.

Explore more of Center City however! Check out Society Hill and Washington Square West and South Street. Also, check out Rittenhouse Square and Fitler Square. I would also check out the Fairmount/Art Museum neighborhood along with Eastern State Penitentiary. As for South Philly, there are a TON of areas to explore in South Philly. From Queen Village, Bella Vista and Graduate Hospital to Passyunk Square, The Italian Market and East Passyunk Crossing/ East Passyunk Ave.

Hope you can explore more and check out some other great areas!

Let us know what area you are in, maybe we can give you some tips or info on the area.
I am in Germantown.....I don't like it at all. My block is quiet, but I do not feel safe over here at night at all....I feel like I can never catch a late train. I love my apartment....I wish I could just pick it up and move it to a different area. I was in a position where I needed to find a place to live in one day, and this was the best I could find. The people that live in these houses seem nice and normal, but it gets very sketchy outside.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-12-2012, 08:36 PM
 
Location: Philadelphia, PA
8,700 posts, read 14,615,693 times
Reputation: 3663
Yeah I can understand. Germantown is an area of the city which is just starting to see gentrification and interest from developers. It will be a nicer place in 10 or so years, but not really the greatest place to be as of right now. It is also a little ways off from all of the activity in Center City.

I assume your lease is only a year? If so you can move somewhere else once your lease is up. If you want to stay in the Northwest part of the city I'd suggest Manayunk since it seems like you want to be around more people. Manayunk is a great area with a ton of young professionals and great nightlife along Main Street.

If you want to move closer to Center City well then you have a whole slew of options. I would suggest spending the time at your apartment now to walk around the city, especially around Center City and areas surrounding like Fairmount, Northern Liberties, Bella Vista, Queen Village, Graduate Hospital, University City, Clark Park, Spruce Hill, etc. etc. to get an idea of where you might possibly want to move after your lease is up. Also, start contacting some places now because some place in Center City have a year long waiting list.

There are a ton of new apartment highrises starting to go up however if that is your thing.

For example, the Arch is a new apartment building in Center City right next to Comcast Center... and this is only one of like a dozen new residential buildings being built in Center City.

The Arch Apartments - 1701 Arch - Center City Apartments - Scully Company

Hope we can help you out in getting a better spot so you can fully enjoy Philadelphia.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-12-2012, 08:40 PM
 
Location: Philadelphia
44 posts, read 78,692 times
Reputation: 18
Thank you for the info!!! I really appreciate it. Yeah, I feel like I am so far away from everything. I did go to Manayunk a few times and loved it! But I heard people hit your car because the streets are so narrow, and that they do not plow in the winter?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-12-2012, 08:46 PM
 
Location: Philadelphia, PA
8,700 posts, read 14,615,693 times
Reputation: 3663
Quote:
Originally Posted by Emily729 View Post
Thank you for the info!!! I really appreciate it. Yeah, I feel like I am so far away from everything. I did go to Manayunk a few times and loved it! But I heard people hit your car because the streets are so narrow, and that they do not plow in the winter?
It's hard to plow narrow, hilly streets! Haha.

I thought someone from Pittsburgh would understand.

Yeah if you feel far away from everything I would suggest moving down into Center City or in one of the surrounding neighborhoods. I would also suggest finding either a highrise with a parking garage or some smaller residential development with parking spots. Street parking in Philly or any major city is a nightmare. I myself keep my car in a parking garage and rarely ever use it unless I am driving out of the city.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-12-2012, 08:49 PM
 
Location: Philadelphia
44 posts, read 78,692 times
Reputation: 18
Quote:
Originally Posted by Summersm343 View Post
It's hard to plow narrow, hilly streets! Haha.

I thought someone from Pittsburgh would understand.

Yeah if you feel far away from everything I would suggest moving down into Center City or in one of the surrounding neighborhoods. I would also suggest finding either a highrise with a parking garage or some smaller residential development with parking spots. Street parking in Philly or any major city is a nightmare. I myself keep my car in a parking garage and rarely ever use it unless I am driving out of the city.
I would love to live in Center City, but everything seemed so expensive. Maybe this was the way it is supposed to be...in a year I might be able to afford it....maybe I will be making more money then and will have gotten a raise. I walk in Old City every day and think about how much I would LOVE to live down there.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-12-2012, 09:22 PM
 
Location: Philadelphia, PA
8,700 posts, read 14,615,693 times
Reputation: 3663
Well the areas surrounding Center City (Northern Liberties, University City, Graduate Hospital, etc) are cheaper than Center City. So even if you can't afford to live in Center City, you can still live close by.

As for prices in Center City, you can find a nice place in Center City for $1,200 a month. I have a few friends who found nice places in Old City for $1,000 a month but this is rare. With a year to look however, you can probably find some good deals.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-12-2012, 09:26 PM
 
Location: Philadelphia
44 posts, read 78,692 times
Reputation: 18
Ok you know what, I actually will start looking now. If I could find something in the $1k range, that would be ideal, but I could possibly go a little higher. I think I will have settled into life here by then and should have a better feel for my finances. I know for sure I do not want to stay in this area....too far away. I work right in Old City and this commute sort of sucks.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-12-2012, 09:45 PM
 
2,933 posts, read 4,089,100 times
Reputation: 2784
Parts of Germantown, as in the parts that border West. Mount Airy are pretty decent. Other parts, as you get closer to North Philly, are really bad.

You could live in NoLibs or Fishtown and have an easy commute (15 minutes or less) to Old City by bike, bus or el.

Make it a 10-25 minute commute and you've opened up pretty much all of South Philly.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Pennsylvania > Philadelphia

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top