another "where should i live" thread LOL (Philadelphia: apartment, renting)

[ans81576]

hi.

yes i know, there are tons of threads of this nature already posted. i've read a few of them. but there's so much information, and so many different places listed, that it's hard for me to narrow it down. also i have a very limited time frame to make a decision (2 weeks!).

below is some info about me. so - where should i live? thanks for your help!!

- When are you moving? around jan 31, in two weeks

- Where are you coming from? currently northern NJ, although a born & bred new yorker

- Why are you moving? love philly! it fits who i am, love the vibe. i now have the opportunity to move, so i figure why not.

- Where will you be working? no job yet. that's my next step after getting settled.

- Have you been here yet? yes. had friends who live there and would visit them.

- Will you buy or rent? rent, limited budget, see question #4. lol

- If renting, are you looking for an apartment, a townhouse or loft? How much can you spend? i'm actually looking for an apartment share/house share situation. seems like the easiest (and cheapest) way to facilitate a quick move. no more than $600 a month.

- Do you have a preference of living in a NJ or PA suburb? no suburbs! i'm a city girl and i dont mind a little grit.

- Are you married or single? Do you have children? single, no kids.

- Are you keeping a car? no car, will be relying on public transportation

- Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? hmm. a happy medium if possible.

- What do you want to be closest to?
Work - no job yet
Shopping - absolutely
Basic services (supermarket, drugstore, etc.) - absolutely
Nightlife - no, i don't do clubs, bars, etc.
Train or subway stations - absolutely

- Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood? i'm a diverse girl myself so i'd prefer a diverse neighborhood. oh and i'm in my 30's, would prefer not to live around a bunch of old people but at the same time don't wanna be surrounded by college kids. *sorry* lol

- Coke or Pepsi? coke!!!


eagerly awaiting some direct, to-the-point answers. thanks again!

[mancat100]

Welcome to Philadelphia!!!

Until recently, I did not own a car and was able to function well by a combination of walking and SEPTA (continuously) and Philly Car Share and taxis (occasionally).

Here are the areas I've lived in and they all worked well without a car. Washington Square West and Rittenhouse areas in Center City. Bella Vista. South Philly just off Passyunk and Dickinson. Spruce Hill area of West Philly. These areas all have walkable amenities, a pleasant lifestyle, and transit access.

I think Center City might be a stretch on your budget, but you might get lucky. In West Philly you can get a lot of students, so just stick to the upper 40's streets around Baltimore Ave. There are a fair number of students in Center City too although they don't rule the roost like in parts of West.

[ans81576]

hi mancat, thanks for your detailed response.

you mentioned a few places i've never even heard of *lol* but i will look into them (washington square west, bella vista, spruce hill). i actually went to see an apt in university city today....the area seemed pretty shabby - n. 40th & lancaster. is that area indicative of the neighborhood as a whole?

south philly is nice, but for personal reasons i think i'll stay away.

thanks again!!

[RightonWalnut]

Originally Posted by ans81576

hi mancat, thanks for your detailed response.

you mentioned a few places i've never even heard of *lol* but i will look into them (washington square west, bella vista, spruce hill). i actually went to see an apt in university city today....the area seemed pretty shabby - n. 40th & lancaster. is that area indicative of the neighborhood as a whole?

south philly is nice, but for personal reasons i think i'll stay away.

thanks again!!

Absolutely not. 40th and lancaster is not even University City, it is Mantua, a bad neighborhood of West Philadelphia (although it is slowly improving). I feel bad for you, we must have missed your thread!

If you Google "University City, Philadelphia," it shows you the boundaries via a dashed white line.
university city philadelphia - Google Maps

Some other nice neighborhoods that surround University City in West Philadelphia are Powelton, Spruce Hill, Woodland Terrace, Clark Park, Squirrel Hill, Cedar Park, Southwest Cedar Park and Garden Court. Walnut Hill, West Powelton, and to a lesser extent, Mantua, are all gentrifying.

This is my favorite area of West Philadelphia, it is the Spruce Hill neighborhood
philadelphia - Google Maps

You can probably find something for your budget in those neighborhoods. Do you have the opportunity to get a roommate?

Other areas you can look into that might be in your budget are:

South Philadelphia
Pennsport
Queen Village
Bella Vista
Passyunk Square
East Passyunk Crossing
Moyamensing
Packer Park
Marconi Plaza

North Philadelphia
Fairmount
Spring Garden
Poplar
Francisville (gentrifying and still less polished)
Fishtown (gentrifying and still less polished)
Spring Arts (gentrifying and still less polished)
Templetown (if you don't mind living around students

Also, if you don't mind being away from Center City, you can live in Manayunk. It is a cheap alternative to the core of the city but offers good public transit to Center city.

There are also plenty of options in Northeast Philadelphia, but public transit is lacking and the lifestyle is more suburban (like far Queens or Staten Island).

Hope you can find a place!

Hope this helped

[ElijahAstin]

The OP is going to have a tough time finding a studio or one-bedroom for $600 in most of these neighborhoods, although if she's willing to put up with a roommate or two, her options will expand considerably.

[rraC ynnaD]

Too bad she needs diversity, the River Wards would be perfect.

[scosm]

As Summersm said where you went to wasn't really in University City. Definitely not the nicest area. If you look at Google Maps at the right zoom level, you will see neighborhood names of Walnut Hill, Spruce Hill, Cedar Park, SW Cedar Park and Squirrel Hill. I would focus on those areas of University City which are a little farther from the Universities but also pretty nice neighborhoods, very diverse, great architecture, great public transport access, with lots of house/apartment shares at affordable prices. You could roughly look in the area of 42nd to 50th streets, Walnut to Kingsessing streets (although you would probably want to chop off the south west corner of this area past the train tracks). Baltimore Ave is the main commercial strip of this western area of University City.

[ans81576]

wow! thank you so much everyone. so many great responses; i really appreciate it.

however, i think i'm gonna put my philly move on hold & try again for march. it's just too hard to pull this off with such limited time (only 8 days now). i'll take the whole month of february to do more searching, and will definitely use all of your responses as a resource.

oh and yes, HeavenWood, i'm looking for a house-share.

thank you all again. i'll let you know where i end up!

[RightonWalnut]

Originally Posted by ans81576

wow! thank you so much everyone. so many great responses; i really appreciate it.

however, i think i'm gonna put my philly move on hold & try again for march. it's just too hard to pull this off with such limited time (only 8 days now). i'll take the whole month of february to do more searching, and will definitely use all of your responses as a resource.

oh and yes, HeavenWood, i'm looking for a house-share.

thank you all again. i'll let you know where i end up!

Probably a smart decision, this will ensure you end up in a good location, instead of just rushing into things.