Philadelphia Neighborhood Questions (York, Dauphin, Penn: fit in, apartments, violent crime)

[NJhighlands87]

I'm looking to move into Philly sometime after September 1, and have a few questions about what area will be the best fit for me.

Quick Background:
-In my 20s, grad student/working professional, looking for a neighborhood where I'll fit in.
-Mondays and Wednesdays I'll need to be on Temple main campus in the morning, followed immediately by a trip to Mt. Laurel for work. Fridays I'll only need to be at Temple, and every other day I have no commuting obligations. The trips to Mt. Laurel do necessitate a car. I also have other work, research, and family obligations that have me traveling everywhere from northwest NJ to New England to Bucks County to DC.
-Budget is around 900$, I'm perfectly happy with a studio, as long as I can fit a bed, a TV, a bookshelf, and a desk. I'm out of town visiting friends and family about 25-30% of the time anyways. I might be open to a roommate situation, but it would not be my first choice.

Priorities:
-Somewhere that won't be a total nightmare with parking and driving to NJ, (relatively speaking, I know Philly is a city scaled for people, not cars).
-Safety. This is a relative term as well. Obviously something can and does happen anywhere (just had an armed robbery in daylight here in Haddonfield). I'm often on foot and am out late traveling by myself frequently, but I'm also a fairly tall male with some street smarts. I'm ok with the occasional beggar and wouldn't be bothered by a drug deal or two in the general vicinity, but would prefer not to be somewhere where break-ins or violent crime is frequent. When I lived near Temple Campus, a late-night walk to an area like 10th and Diamond didn't bother me, but a walk up to Dauphin or York would be intimidating.
-Activity. If I'm living in the city, I want to take advantage of the fun and exciting things here. I'd like a neighborhood with some cool bars, coffee shops, and fitness venues nearby, where I can hopefully meet young, outgoing, creative types, rather than a quiet residential area where everyone is married with 2 kids. Somewhere with good ethnic food and a South Asian population might be nice, but certainly not a requirement.

Areas I'm looking at:

I notice a lot of apartments in my price range in Powelton Village. I love the architecture there, parking doesn't seem too bad, and I could pretty easily ride a bike to Temple, and the highway is nearby for getting into NJ. My concerns are A) Safety? I presume the whole area is being gobbled up by Drexel-fication, but how far does this extend? Would I be ok at Spring Garden? Anywhere north of Spring Garden? Most apartments I've been interested in are around 33rd and Hamilton, is this locale fine? B) Population. Is Powelton all Drexel undergrads, or are there some professionals or grad students there too? C) Activity. There don't seem to be many restaurants or bars in the immediate vicinity. I assume most people just walk down further into U City for activity?

Aside from Powelton, I've also noticed a lot of decent apartments along Baltimore Ave. It seems like there are more businesses in this corridor than in Powelton, and it's a bit more connected to UPENN. There are a number of older mid-rise buildings in the area, not sure if any are decent residences though. How far west can one go and still be fairly safe? Is 52nd Street roughly the cut-off?

Outside of University City, I really like Fairmount as well as Grad Hospital, but it seems I'd get more for my money across the Schuylkill, and parking would be more difficult. Fishtown might also work given its proximity to 95, but I never see many apartments listed on Craigslist or Zillow.

Areas I'm less familiar with...
South Philly. I know Queen Village/Bella Vista and East Passyunk are out of my price range. I kinda like Newbold because it seems cheap, has easy subway access, and has some good bars and coffee shops, but I'm not sure how safe it is, or how many youngish people live there.
Alternatively, I think Manayunk sounds really interesting, seems it has a fun crown, greats bars and restaurants, fitness activities, close proximity to parks, and a bit less urban feel (which I'm ok with) but I'm not sure it'd be a good fit. Is it mostly the post-college crowd, or could slightly older folks still fit in there? And would the commute down to Temple and on to NJ be awful?

Sorry for the long post. Any input on any of my above concerns would be greatly appreciated.

[MikeNigh]

Last I knew you could get a studio in center city for $900. If you could do that I'd recommend that at least for a year to learn which neighborhood you'd rather move to.

[NJhighlands87]

Originally Posted by MikeNigh

Last I knew you could get a studio in center city for $900. If you could do that I'd recommend that at least for a year to learn which neighborhood you'd rather move to.

The impression I got from reading other posts here is that while I could afford to live in Center City on that budget, keeping a car there would be expensive. Also, 900 is my absolute max, I'd prefer a bit less if possible.

[Christ O]

never heard of Newbold. they took that tract of land from the Pt. Breeze section, between that and the Southwest Center City section of South Philly. these neighborhoods never in my life been known as nice or safe..

[MissClutterbuck]

Originally Posted by Christ O

never heard of Newbold. they took that tract of land from the Pt. Breeze section, between that and the Southwest Center City section of South Philly. these neighborhoods never in my life been known as nice or safe..

It has been a long time since you've been here then.

Graduate Hospital/SOSNA is safe, and has gotten safer within the past several years.

Point Breeze still has rough spots where I certainly wouldn't venture at night, but it is improving and the "Newbold" section is up and coming.