Is Philadelphia for me? (young, outdoors, married, kid, workout/cycling, nerd) (King of Prussia: middle-class, for sale)

[Si Wa]

Hey everyone,

I'm an early 20's married male born and raised in Minneapolis, MN. I love my city, but haven't lived anywhere else. I've seen a good portion of the US, and it's made me appreciate what a great city I live in, but I've always wanted to try a new place. I had my heart set on Portland but with it being such a desirable destination right now, changing so rapidly, and rising in cost so exponentially, I am a little apprehensive on moving there at this point.

A little about me so you could perhaps gauge whether or not it would be a good fit.
I'm a young married male with a newborn. I love working out, spending time outdoors and cycling. I tend to be into nerdier hobbies, and am very much into design, art and photography. I'm pretty left leaning and progressive, but not shut off to anyones beliefs or interests.
I am a fulltime musician, and work out of my own studio which I would be able to take with me, so finding a job luckily isn't an issue. I also do some photography work part-time. I love going to see shows at the theatre, and museums.

My biggest concerns would be the lack of outdoor activity and greenery. I live in a relatively urban but low crime neighborhood, and with having a wife and child I would love to know of areas that are similar in Philadelphia.
I wouldn't want to live in a suburb, and am relatively streetsmart, but my area rarely has break-ins, robbery or car theft, if at all. It seems to me like it's a big enough city that anyone could find their niche, but perhaps I'm wrong?

Any solid stable neighborhoods for a young middle-class family that aren't too wild or crime ridden? I'm curious does Philadelphia has a distinct feel in each neighborhood? I love cities like that. I'm looking into Cincinnati as well right now.

FWIW I spent one day in Philadelphia for work and really enjoyed it but barely got to scratch the surface.

I would greatly appreciate your thoughts and advice!

[1ondoner]

It would help if you filled out the following questionnaire in addition to the info you have provided, so that you can get more specific answers.

//www.city-data.com/forum/phila...formation.html

[maf763]

Look into Mt. Airy. Plenty of greenery and opportunity for outdoor activity.

[Kevin1813]

Mt. Airy and Cedar Park (University City) have plenty of green. I'd suggest looking into those.

[FrankInPhilly]

Originally Posted by maf763

Look into Mt. Airy. Plenty of greenery and opportunity for outdoor activity.

Ditto. You won't want for greenery in Philly, esp'ly Northwest Philly (East/West Mt Airy, Chestnut Hill, etc.). These 'hoods are adjacent to or a short drive from Wissahickon Creek (60+ miles of trails, I believe) and not that far from dedicated bike trails that connect Center City to Valley Forge and beyond.

The area is Democratic, left-leaning - but not oppressively so. Philly folk are pretty unfiltered and "forgiving" of other points of view (except if you're a Cowboys fan!)

I think the only drawback, and I hate to have to keep saying this, is the schools. Public schools are spotty at best. You could get lucky and go K-12 in good public/charter schools, but it's a crapshoot at best. So if you're thinking long-term, unless you get lucky with a charter you'd have to think about the cost of private/parochial schools (not trivial!). But looking at a reasonable case scenario: you put the kid in elementary school and by the time you have to make the $ or move decision, that's years away. By then, you'll have had time to scope out charters, etc. and maybe look for alternative location to live in the inner ring suburbs.

[FamousBlueRaincoat]

What part of Minneapolis do you live in (or look to replicate?). I went to the U of M, lived in South Minneapolis most of the time - have lived in Philadelphia for 6 years now - so if you want to share it could be helpful.

By the way - my wife (from St Paul) wanted to move basically for the exact same reason you do - just wanting to live somewhere else to try it out. She really regrets having left the Twin Cities. For what it's worth. I don't necessarily regret moving here, but didn't leave any family behind. In retrospect, I think I probably preferred my time in Minneapolis - although both cities have its pros and cons. Also just for what it's worth. Personal opinions differ by person.

Mt Airy and some parts of West Philly along Baltimore Avenue (such as Cedar Park) are good recommendations, and are probably the only places that sort of share the essence of what I thought made South Minneapolis an interesting place in terms of nice blocks and houses, friendly neighbors, a kind of calm, matter-of-fact liberalism. I currently live in Mt Airy. I lived in Powderhorn in Minneapolis. The main difference being there was way more to do and going on along Lake Street than there are in those neighborhoods in Philadelphia - where a lot of the "action" so to say it in and around Center City.

Philadelphia is a democratic-machine controlled city - but that doesn't necessarily mean it's liberal or leftwing, and I think the difference in outlook in normal people will become pretty apparent to you. For example, even though the Republican Part typically never has a shot at having any kind of meaningful role in local politics, neither does the Green party or really any left-liberal. Think Hillary Clinton versus Bernie Sanders if you will.

By the way, the two neighborhoods that probably compare the best are Linden Hills, Minneapolis and Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia (with Chestnut Hill having a much larger and complete main street, easy walking access to Wissahickon Park for hiking or what have you, and two train lines). Chestnut Hill is next door to Mt Airy, and they're fairly similar - Chestnut Hill being more expensive but also providing more amenities.

[ihatepeoplesomuch]

Since you like greenery and outdoor activity, being in Philadelphia might be a decent place considering how much "greenery" there is within a short drive. Fairmount Park is huge and great for jogging during the daytime, but it's not all that pretty. However, there are some pretty "green" areas just a short drive away near King of Prussia, Gladwyne, and any other surrounding suburb. Philadelphia is a small city but I would recommend that you bring a car with you. SEPTA (the public transportation authority) can be quite dodgy and unreliable at times and you will thank yourself for having a car due to Philadelphia's size- you can easily drive to the woods in 30-40 mins if there's no traffic. Also, having a car here will make shopping so much easier. Philadelphia isn't as densely populated as NYC or other places so a lot of people here still use their cars to do grocery shopping at the local Walmart and Target.
You will probably face higher insurance premiums than in MN but that's a given :/ Also, my friends from out of town noted that the drivers here are "very aggressive" but I honestly don't notice because I grew up here lol. I guess you'll get used to it.

All in all, Philadelphia is a very small city and a short drive will get you in the woods so it'll be good for you.

As for cycling, Fairmount park will be great for that. Also, we have bike lanes on many streets so you can go around the city using your bike with ease when the weather permits.

Every neighborhood does have a distinct feel! It's pretty cool. Fishtown is the more artsy, young, vibrant town while South Philly is much more diverse and family oriented. Rittenhouse is kind of like the "rich" area of center city and Manayuk is a really cool, vibrant, and young area too. The list goes on. However, I would not move into places like Strawberry Mansion or Allegheny West.... These areas have high crime rates and very poor public schools.
If you do care about your child's public school, I would advise you to think about moving to Lower Merion, the nearby suburban area. The prices of houses are very steep but the public high school there is one of the best in Pennsylvania.
The Lower Merion area itself is actually very green and pretty in the summer and fall time!

Also, an important thing to remember is that Philadelphia as a whole does not look as clean as other cities. We have trash on the streets and ugly buildings everywhere. However, just because a neighborhood looks ugly, doesn't mean it's dangerous. I noticed that many of my friends from out of town felt "sketched out" even in the most safe neighborhoods simply because a lot of areas in Philly simply are ugly.

The Best Hikes Near Philadelphia | Be Well Philly

The Area's Best Bike Trails - Be Well Philly

neighborhoods to avoid:
15 of the Toughest Neighborhoods in Philadelphia

Be sure to check out trulia.com for rentals and houses for sale in Philadelphia. In a safe area, I'd say a 1 bedroom apartment should be around $800-1,000 a month.

[Redddog]

Just curious....

What area of the music business are you in?

[Duderino]

Overall, I'd agree that neighborhoods like East Falls or E/W Mt. Airy would be the best bets based on the OP's criteria. These areas tend to be more family-oriented, but you're certainly a short train ride away from Center City if you want more of a culture fix (e.g., museums, live shows galore).

Originally Posted by FamousBlueRaincoat

Philadelphia is a democratic-machine controlled city - but that doesn't necessarily mean it's liberal or leftwing, and I think the difference in outlook in normal people will become pretty apparent to you. For example, even though the Republican Part typically never has a shot at having any kind of meaningful role in local politics, neither does the Green party or really any left-liberal. Think Hillary Clinton versus Bernie Sanders if you will.

I don't find this to be accurate, as Jim Kenney is easily one of the most liberal big-city mayors in the US:

Jim Kenney Wins the Democratic Nomination for Mayor of Philadelphia - The Atlantic

Not to mention, Philadelphians are very clearly on the liberal side of the ideological spectrum based on a recent MIT study:

[papatriot76]

Originally Posted by Duderino

Overall, I'd agree that neighborhoods like East Falls or E/W Mt. Airy would be the best bets based on the OP's criteria. These areas tend to be more family-oriented, but you're certainly a short train ride away from Center City if you want more of a culture fix (e.g., museums, live shows galore).



I don't find this to be accurate, as Jim Kenney is easily one of the most liberal big-city mayors in the US:

Jim Kenney Wins the Democratic Nomination for Mayor of Philadelphia - The Atlantic

Not to mention, Philadelphians are very clearly on the liberal side of the ideological spectrum based on a recent MIT study:

Id have to agree. Being a long time resident (35+...moving soon though) I can honestly say the Dems run the show here.

Its pathetic to say the least.....with its higher than normal wage tax, sales tax (8% vs 6% outside the city), cigarette tax and maybe even a "sugary drink" tax soon. The city is horrible with money and is always trying new ways to "squeeze" its residents for money.