Best Place to Rent Near 30th Street Station (Philadelphia, Lancaster: apartments, rentals)

[Flanneur55]

I've been offered a job in Lancaster, but being more of a city person, I'm thinking of living in Philly and commuting daily via Amtrak. I've only visited Philadelphia a couple of times, so I'm hoping you can help me find a good neighborhood.

To keep the commute somewhat manageable, I'd like to live in walking distance of 30th street station. While I like an urban environment, safety is probably more important to me than anything else--much more important than trendy or cool or lots of nightlife. I won't have a car, so easy access to grocery stores and public transportation is probably second on my list of priorities.

Any thoughts about where I should look? I'd like a one bedroom and can spend up to about $2000 with utilities (although ideally I'd be closer to $1500). Originally, I'd thought Rittenhouse would be good, but I'm not seeing many rental listings on Craigslist, and random Googling has led me to worry that maybe the area isn't quite as safe as I'd assumed.

Thanks for any feedback!

[phillies2011]

Originally Posted by Flanneur55

I've been offered a job in Lancaster, but being more of a city person, I'm thinking of living in Philly and commuting daily via Amtrak. I've only visited Philadelphia a couple of times, so I'm hoping you can help me find a good neighborhood.

To keep the commute somewhat manageable, I'd like to live in walking distance of 30th street station. While I like an urban environment, safety is probably more important to me than anything else--much more important than trendy or cool or lots of nightlife. I won't have a car, so easy access to grocery stores and public transportation is probably second on my list of priorities.

Any thoughts about where I should look? I'd like a one bedroom and can spend up to about $2000 with utilities (although ideally I'd be closer to $1500). Originally, I'd thought Rittenhouse would be good, but I'm not seeing many rental listings on Craigslist, and random Googling has led me to worry that maybe the area isn't quite as safe as I'd assumed.

Thanks for any feedback!

Rittenhouse is about as safe as can be in a major city. It's simply square in the middle of a six million person metro and directly adjacent to Philly's biggest employment center. There are a ton of people around and crime happens. So while the amount of crime that happens in the area may seem high, put in perspective of how many people live and work there it's got one of the lowest crime rates of any neighborhood in Philly. If you're a city person you'll definitely feel safe in Rittenhouse.

If you look away from Rittenhouse, to maintain proximity to 30th street you'll have to look in university city. University City while also safe, in general caters to students and the quality of the places there tend to leave something to be desired considering the price you'll pay. There are however a number of 1 bedroom apartments in the area that will likely be in your price range.

A brand new apartment building called Evo is being constructed right by 30th street station in University City and would likely be perfect for your needs, it however won't be ready for another year, so I doubt that helps you unless you aren't moving for awhile.

[Flanneur55]

Thanks very much for the response! I hadn't considered University City since I don't want to live around undergrads, but it sounds like I should add it to the list.

Any thoughts about either Fairmount or the area of Center City directly across the bridge from the train station? One building that looks like a possibility is the Metropolitan. Does that seem like it might be a good fit or is it too far?

[ThomasDarcy]

There are several nice highrise apartment buildings right across the river on Chestnut and Market from 30th street station. This part of the city is all still the "Rittenhouse" neighborhood. At $2000/month you should be able to find something within your budget -- but these buildings are about the fanciest apartments in the city, with doormen, gyms, pools, nice views, etc.

The newest (completed) building designed for rentals is this one: http://www.2116chestnut.com/

The Murano is right down the block -- its a condo building, but you can find apartments for rent by owners: http://www.themuranocondominium.com/

You can get much cheaper rents in lowrises and rowhouses a couple of blocks away from these towers -- they lack the building amenities, but the neighborhood is obviously still very fancy.

[james777]

You might want to check out the area around Spring Garden Street, Hamilton Street and the Art Museum area where there are lots of mid and high rise apartments and townhouses. I would take that area any day over Rittenhouse Square as far as safety goes. It is more residental with less riff-raff, and just a short walk to Whole Foods, but also convenient to Rittenhouse Square for restaurants and shopping.

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by james777

You might want to check out the area around Spring Garden Street, Hamilton Street and the Art Museum area where there are lots of mid and high rise apartments and townhouses. I would take that area any day over Rittenhouse Square as far as safety goes. It is more residental with less riff-raff, and just a short walk to Whole Foods, but also convenient to Rittenhouse Square for restaurants and shopping.

Just to clarify a bit: Rittenhouse is one of if not "the" most wealthy neighborhoods in the city. If there are issues with "riff-raff", it is because the park from which the neighborhood gets its name is a very popular communal spot for people from all walks of life. Of course, mild street wisdom in the later hours is always helpful...but the OP's budget should be well enough to find a 1BR apt just steps from numerous affluent amenities.

[james777]

Quote:
Originally Posted by james777
You might want to check out the area around Spring Garden Street, Hamilton Street and the Art Museum area where there are lots of mid and high rise apartments and townhouses. I would take that area any day over Rittenhouse Square as far as safety goes. It is more residental with less riff-raff, and just a short walk to Whole Foods, but also convenient to Rittenhouse Square for restaurants and shopping.

Originally Posted by Tone509

Just to clarify a bit: Rittenhouse is one of if not "the" most wealthy neighborhoods in the city. If there are issues with "riff-raff", it is because the park from which the neighborhood gets its name is a very popular communal spot for people from all walks of life. Of course, mild street wisdom in the later hours is always helpful...but the OP's budget should be well enough to find a 1BR apt just steps from numerous affluent amenities.

In the OP's original post, he said: "safety is probably more important to me than anything else--much more important than trendy or cool or lots of nightlife. I won't have a car, so easy access to grocery stores and public transportation is probably second on my list of priorities."

I am well aware of the exclusivity of Rittenhouse Square, but when he mentioned safety as his first priority, I directed him to the Art Museum area because there you do not have the riff-raff that hangs in the Rittenhouse Square Park. The riff-raff is not in Rittenhouse because it is a communal gathering place for people from all walks of life, the riff-raff is there because the police are not. If there were more of a police presence in Rittenhouse Square, there would not be the pesky and all too often threatening aggressive panhandlers, nor would it be a gathering place for the rejects of society. Since his second priority is grocery stores, the most popular grocery store in Center City, Whole Foods, is closer to the Art Museum area than Rittenhouse Square. Seeing that he doesn't care about nightlife, I thought he would not mind being on the other side of the Parkway, which is further from Center City nightlife. For those reasons, if my priorities were the same as the OP's, I wouldn't even give Rittenhouse Square a thought.

[ThomasDarcy]

(I'm not sure when you were last in Rittenhouse square, but there are always several police officers in the park -- and although there are plenty of teenagers hanging out there at night, I've never felt threatened or seen any crime)