What is Philadelphia's most beautiful neighborhood? (Red Lion, Valley Green: best neighborhoods, 2013, apartments)

[Avalon08]

Jtom605, thanks for posting the photo of Tacony Music Hall! My friend's husband owns the building and is responsible for the beautiful renovations. I'm sure they will be glad to hear it was listed in a discussion about Philadelphia's most beautiful neighborhoods!

[jtom605]

Originally Posted by Avalon08

Jtom605, thanks for posting the photo of Tacony Music Hall! My friend's husband owns the building and is responsible for the beautiful renovations. I'm sure they will be glad to hear it was listed in a discussion about Philadelphia's most beautiful neighborhoods!

No problem. Your friend's husband did a great job with it.

[Goldblum57]

Point Breeze

[Antdawg1]

I thought this would be nice threads to bring back to see how people feel about this topic currently. Any thoughts?

[PHILLYUPTOWN]

Originally Posted by voilalaura

Washington square west and also lombard-spruce around 24th street.

If I could give five it would be:

Spruce Hill - Stunning collection of 3/4 story Victorians with porches, pre war apartment houses and a full tree cover. Grand well used park nearby. Great commercial corridor with a trolley line that adds to its beauty (Baltimore Ave).

Washington Square West - Many many quaint tiny side streets of cobblestone/Belgian block as well as some apartment high rises and midrises; a good mix. Feels like the Villages due to its diversity of housing stock and types which adds to the feel. Basically a mix of the energy of Rittenhouse with the quaintness of Society Hill.

Manayunk - Very old and diverse row housing stock on a hillside overlooking a river and Belmont Hills; what more can you ask for. Nice park spaces with the Wiss nearby, a transit viaduct that adds to its quirkiness; a beautiful Main Street, island with housing, lots of hillside stairs (an explorers) lots of lofts….but it’s all about the hills and how the grid deviates because of them; makes for great angles and views.

Chestnut Hill - A mix of grand estates and relatively modest rows and twins; both planned and designed by some of the best architects of their time. A beautiful Main Street; longest stretch of cobble/Belgian in Philly; with trees that are lit up throughout the corridor. A great tree cover and directly connected to the best park in the city. The neighborhood is on a hill that gently slopes upwards. Highly walkable with a family atmosphere. Two train lines which add to the overall beauty.

Society Hill - Highly photogenic due to its historical nature, historical housing stock and well…history. Plenty f quaint side streets for exploring. Plenty of pocket parks that connect which is unique in this city. Close to the waterfront. Headhouse is beautiful in its own right. Bordered by two neighborhoods that could easily be on this list (the beautiful loft district that is Old City and QV with its beautiful Fabric Row and Bainbridge area). It can be sleepy but that’s part of the charm; you can explore it and take it all in more freely than Rittenhouse.

HM goes to Germantown. You can easily see that if this neighborhood were revitalized it could easily be a top 5 neighborhood with its diverse housing stock, plethora of historical properties, access to the park and generous tree cover, transit access and highly walkable grid; all of which contribute to its beauty.

[thedirtypirate]

^good list but personally I will always be partial to Fitler Square and Rittenhouse. They’re are most complete Industrial Revolution era neighborhoods.

[skintreesnail]

For me it's between fitler and society hill/gayborhood. Specifically for these type of blocks:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/JFWNHDLo6aGgo1nJ6
https://maps.app.goo.gl/NiDi615Mk9CnMLTP9
https://maps.app.goo.gl/KbYdjq84Ldo9uroa9
I definitely get the argument of chestnut hill/mt airy too.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Pb5E8nottSQiauyr7

[rotodome]

Originally Posted by skintreesnail

For me it's between fitler and society hill/gayborhood. Specifically for these type of blocks:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/JFWNHDLo6aGgo1nJ6
https://maps.app.goo.gl/NiDi615Mk9CnMLTP9
https://maps.app.goo.gl/KbYdjq84Ldo9uroa9
I definitely get the argument of chestnut hill/mt airy too.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Pb5E8nottSQiauyr7

I love my Spruce Hill/Cedar Park as a neighborhood & community, but that little intersection of Quince and Irving in WashWest in the first link is one of my favorite spots in this or any city.
I lived and worked right around there for years and would walk through it whenever possible.

[PhilliesPhan2013]

As someone who grew up here, has been to every neighborhood, and has lived in a few, here is my list (in no particular order):

Greater Center City:
Fitler Square
Washington Square
Rittenhouse
Society Hill
Old City
Graduate Hospital
Bella Vista
Queen Village
Northern Liberties
Fairmount
Fishtown

West Philly:
Spruce Hill
Walnut Hill
Powelton Village
Cedar Park
Squirrel Hill
West Powelton
East Parkside

South Philly:
East Passyunk Square
Point Breeze
Girard Estates

North Philly:
Strawberry Mansion
Brewerytown
Nicetown
South Kensington
Norris Square

Northwest Philly:
Germantown
Mount Airy (both sides, especially north of Gorgas in East Mount Airy)
Chestnut Hill
Wissahickon
East Falls
Manayunk
Roxborough
Andorra

Northeast Philly:
Northwood
Oxford Circle

Southwest Philly:
Kingsessing

Overall, I'd say that Northwest Philly is the prettiest section of the city overall. I love its rolling hills, stately homes with facades consisting of brick and/or Wissahickon schist, streets lined with mature trees, and easy access to Wissahickon Valley Park. The prettiest dense urban neighborhoods are Queen Village, Fitler Square, Society Hill, Northern Liberties, Fairmount, and Fishtown. The prettiest hybrid neighborhood (structurally dense, but with larger and occasionally single-family twin/single homes) by FAR is Spruce Hill. Powelton Village isn't too far behind either.

Many will disagree with me, but Strawberry Mansion (especially west of Ridge) and East Parkside are also two of the prettiest neighborhoods in the city. To this day, I don't understand why people fled from those neighborhoods during the mid-20th Century. Those neighborhoods should be two of the most desirable in the city, not as downtrodden as they've been over the years.

[gwillyfromphilly]

I think East Oak Lane is underrated for its beauty

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.0551...8192?entry=ttu

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.0587...8192?entry=ttu