Philadelphia: A Great Place to Live (York, Clark: for rent, crime rate, neighborhoods)

[Muinteoir]

Hey all,

It is about fourteen months that I’ve lived in Philly, and I want to share why I love living here. I grew up in Upstate New York and in my young adult life I have lived in many places in the USA in almost every region. Philly’s reputation is changing, but it still gets a much worse rap than deserved. The criticism usually involves trash on the streets or crime. However, people in the know are aware of what a star Philly is among major U.S. cities. Here is why I love living in Philly and plan to stay:

• An urban fabric and social history that lead to both distinct neighborhoods and a cohesive city environment. I love the different neighborhood vibes, from the Italian Market European-lite feel, to the hustle of Center City, to the Baltimore Ave trollies with chess in Clark Park, and to the bridges, bluffs, hills and nature of Northwest Philly. With all these distinct neighborhoods, the city is well connected by public transit and the neighborhoods run smoothly into one another.
• One of the best downtowns in the country. As a gay man, I go to CC for my nightlife and love the gayborhood. I have never lived somewhere with a real gay ‘hood. Rittenhouse square offers a really great urban shopping experience. I usually dislike shopping, especially in malls, but I actually enjoy it there. There are skyscrapers and there are narrow, rowhome filled streets. Center City is grandeur, quaint and intimate all at once.
• All of the cultural offerings, including fantastic museums, amazing food - about any cuisine I could ask for, theater, concert venues, jazz clubs, etc.
• History. I appreciate the historical significance of Philadelphia and how it is celebrated in the city. I am a big fan of historical architecture, of Philly has much.
• The sports. Yeah, everyone else hates us, but I love how fanatic the fans are here. 2017 was a great year to move to Philly. Fly, Eagles fly!
• Location. Philly has access to so much. 1-2 hours to mountains and beaches. NYC is within two hours. DC is within three. People on C-D will scoff at this as an attribute of Philly, but if you are someone who likes to take weekend or day trips, it is nice to have so many options within a short day's drive.
• Cost of Living. Philly offers so much for so little. All of this and, and compared to living in Albuquerque, I only pay $100/month more for rent and yet make $15k more a year. On a teacher’s budget, I plan to buy a little rowhome here in the next 1-2 years.
• Future outlook. Philly is in a great spot where it is growing, but it isn’t booming at an unsustainable pace. At its current pace, it looks to continue to add jobs and more millennials, and it has the housing stock and infrastructure (well, public transit, maybe not highways) to withstand slow growth.

So, I know it’s not perfect here. The trash problem is real. Drivers often suck. And yes, we need progressive solutions to problems with crime (note: the crime rate is slowly trending downward). With all this, I’m so glad to live here. I hope Philadelphian pride continues to grow.

[kyb01]

Loved your post, OP !

Thanks so much!

[lpranger467]

Great post, probably need a new DA if we want crime to decline

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by lpranger467

Great post, probably need a new DA if we want crime to decline

Crime has been declining steadily for the last decade plus.

Policing, cultural and demographic shifts more than the DA's office are responsible for the drop.

[Mayvenne]

I do know of quite a few people (friends of my "kids") who are in their 20's to 30's - who are moving here or entertaining moving here from Boston, NYC and DC due to the affordability. It's not that cheap but compared to those other locations, it is way more doable.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by lpranger467

Great post, probably need a new DA if we want crime to decline

Actually he isn't problem. The PPD is. Look at how our idiot police commissioner handled the Starbucks situation. Great example of how basically incompetent they are.

Krasner has not been as soft on crime as I thought he would be.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

Crime has been declining steadily for the last decade plus.

Policing, cultural and demographic shifts more than the DA's office are responsible for the drop.

Homicides have been going in the opposite direction for the past two years. They have been going up since Ramsey retired.

[cpomp]

Originally Posted by kyb01

Actually he isn't problem. The PPD is. Look at how our idiot police commissioner handled the Starbucks situation. Great example of how basically incompetent they are.

Krasner has not been as soft on crime as I thought he would be.

100% agree. Philadelphia also needs a lot more police to get a full handle on crime. Lets start with a 1000 more officers, and a large dedicated force on foot at all hours of the day.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by cpomp

100% agree. Philadelphia also needs a lot more police to get a full handle on crime. Lets start with a 1000 more officers, and a large dedicated force on foot at all hours of the day.

My ex BIL, who is retired PPD, talks about it a lot. The lack of deployment in certain situations.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by cpomp

100% agree. Philadelphia also needs a lot more police to get a full handle on crime. Lets start with a 1000 more officers, and a large dedicated force on foot at all hours of the day.

You weren't alive when cops regularly raided gay establishments because we were criminals. So although I understand your POV pretty much be careful what you wish for.