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I’m contemplating a move to Philly after I finish grad school. I’m looking for some tips and advice on neighborhoods to live in and which ones to avoid. I’ve never been to Philly before, but I will be visiting a friend who lives there in March. I currently live an hour north of Boston and I was originally planning on starting my career there, but I am now considering Philly because it seems slightly more affordable. I expect to earn around $50k in my first year.
I’m a gay man and I’ve heard from other gay men that Philly is a nice and accepting place to live.
This is my first post on the topic and I’ve been seeing this questionnaire floating around.
When are you moving? Fall 2019 Where are you coming from? Manchester, NH Why are you moving? My friend has been recommending Philly for the last five years. Where will you be working? TBD but most likely in the city. Have you been here yet? Negative. Visiting in March before I officially decide.
Will you buy or rent? Definitely rent. If buying, are you looking for a house or a condo? N/A If renting, are you looking for an apartment, a townhouse or loft? Apartment or loft. Do you prefer hi-rise or walk up? Doesn’t matter.
Do you have a preference of living in a NJ or PA suburb? Neither. I want to live in the city so that I can sell my car.
Are you married or single? Single Do you prefer public or private schools? N/A Do you have pets? Two cats Do you want or need a yard? Nope. I live in the center of a city now and have never wanted one. Are you keeping a car? No. This is one the reasons why I am considering Philly. Owning a car is too much of a hassle. Besides, getting rid of it will let me save more money. Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? Active. I grew up in a small town (500 or so people) and before living where I do now, the largest place I lived had around 7500. I hate that way of life because it’s too simple and mundane. The last town I lived in didn’t even have a coffee shop. Right now, I live in a city of 100k and I’m finding that I wish it was bigger.
What do you want to be closest to?
Grocery stores, vet clinics, subway stations, bus stations, etc. Just your ordinary things you’d need to live.
Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood?
Diverse preferred
Favorite Beverage - Craft Beer, wine, water? Beer personality with a hops allergy. So, wine and water, I guess.
My friend gave me a list of neighborhoods that I should consider:
Old City- Seems nice but apartments are a bit pricy.
Fishtown- Seems nice. Odd name but I do like the sign with the cats on it.
Point Breeze- I would need to walk around this one to get a feel for it. Since it’s more centered, I get the impression that it’s a block-by-block case unless I am mistaken.
Northern Liberties- No opinion, really. I haven’t seen enough apartments pop up on hotpads in this area to feel one way or another.
South Philly- Isn’t the mafia in this area?
Ones I’ve looked at:
Manayunk- Some of the buildings seem old but affordable.
Germantown- Again, old buildings but affordable. My friend said that this area should be avoided, though.
People who live in town will jump in and answer all your other questions, but I just wanted to chime in on your impression of South Philly. While the mafia still exists in Philly, it is neither visible nor a factor in the daily lives of 99% of Philadelphians. See the below excerpt from Wikipedia.
Quote:
Current status
Merlino continues to serve as the boss of the crime family. He has run things by proxy since his release, delegating most duties since 2011 to Ligambi, Steven Mazzone and John Ciancaglini. In 2016, it was reported that some members were involved in Philadelphia's booming construction and home rehab industry. On August 4, 2016, Merlino was arrested on charges of racketeering, overseeing an illegal gambling business and insurance fraud. On August 12, Merlino was released on a $5 million bond. The jury failed to reach a verdict and a mistrial was declared in February 2018. Merlino agreed to plead guilty to reduced charges in order to avoid a retrial and is facing up to two years in prison.
In April 2018, four members and associates in New Jersey were arrested on drug trafficking charges. They are accused of distributing large amounts of methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl and marijuana.
Reputed leader Joey Merlino was sentenced to two years in prison in October 2018 on illegal gambling charges.
OP, fwiw, there are 5 openly gay fairly regular posters on this board. Two millennials and three Boomers(I'm one of the Boomers). Philadelphia is definitely gay friendly so no real worries there.
You will get answers although you might have to be patient.
OP, it's interesting that you would associate the mafia with today's S. Philly. Yes, they still exist but they seem to be pretty absent publically speaking. The last major Don in the city, Joey Merlino, is still in prison, afaik.
Today, some S. Philly neighborhoods are more known for their food scene.
I’m contemplating a move to Philly after I finish grad school. I’m looking for some tips and advice on neighborhoods to live in and which ones to avoid. I’ve never been to Philly before, but I will be visiting a friend who lives there in March. I currently live an hour north of Boston and I was originally planning on starting my career there, but I am now considering Philly because it seems slightly more affordable. I expect to earn around $50k in my first year.
I’m a gay man and I’ve heard from other gay men that Philly is a nice and accepting place to live.
This is my first post on the topic and I’ve been seeing this questionnaire floating around.
When are you moving? Fall 2019 Where are you coming from? Manchester, NH Why are you moving? My friend has been recommending Philly for the last five years. Where will you be working? TBD but most likely in the city. Have you been here yet? Negative. Visiting in March before I officially decide.
Will you buy or rent? Definitely rent. If buying, are you looking for a house or a condo? N/A If renting, are you looking for an apartment, a townhouse or loft? Apartment or loft. Do you prefer hi-rise or walk up? Doesn’t matter.
Do you have a preference of living in a NJ or PA suburb? Neither. I want to live in the city so that I can sell my car.
Are you married or single? Single Do you prefer public or private schools? N/A Do you have pets? Two cats Do you want or need a yard? Nope. I live in the center of a city now and have never wanted one. Are you keeping a car? No. This is one the reasons why I am considering Philly. Owning a car is too much of a hassle. Besides, getting rid of it will let me save more money. Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? Active. I grew up in a small town (500 or so people) and before living where I do now, the largest place I lived had around 7500. I hate that way of life because it’s too simple and mundane. The last town I lived in didn’t even have a coffee shop. Right now, I live in a city of 100k and I’m finding that I wish it was bigger.
What do you want to be closest to?
Grocery stores, vet clinics, subway stations, bus stations, etc. Just your ordinary things you’d need to live.
Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood?
Diverse preferred
Favorite Beverage - Craft Beer, wine, water? Beer personality with a hops allergy. So, wine and water, I guess.
My friend gave me a list of neighborhoods that I should consider:
Old City- Seems nice but apartments are a bit pricy.
Fishtown- Seems nice. Odd name but I do like the sign with the cats on it.
Point Breeze- I would need to walk around this one to get a feel for it. Since it’s more centered, I get the impression that it’s a block-by-block case unless I am mistaken.
Northern Liberties- No opinion, really. I haven’t seen enough apartments pop up on hotpads in this area to feel one way or another.
South Philly- Isn’t the mafia in this area?
Ones I’ve looked at:
Manayunk- Some of the buildings seem old but affordable.
Germantown- Again, old buildings but affordable. My friend said that this area should be avoided, though.
One of the gay Boomers I mentioned lives in Germantown. Hopefully he will say something. Germantown is a big area with a rich history; it played a prominent role during the American Revolution.
People who live in town will jump in and answer all your other questions, but I just wanted to chime in on your impression of South Philly. While the mafia still exists in Philly, it is neither visible nor a factor in the daily lives of 99% of Philadelphians. See the below excerpt from Wikipedia.
My high school history teacher used to say that mafia members make the best neighbors because they protect their turf and encouraged us to live near them.
But I kind of took this with a grain of salt. The guy was loved by many because he taught several generations of students in my town, but the general consensus was that he was one card short of a full deck. We once had a lock down drill and it was later announced that it was called to get us away from our lockers so that a police dog could sniff them for drugs. When this came over the intercom, he yelled "THE HELL YOU DID!", grabbed a wrench from his supply closet and stormed to the main office ranting about constitutional rights. He would also stand on desks and homework papers on fire, yell "MONA BABY!" whenever he saw a picture of the Mona Lisa, and would randomly stare at ceilings in large crowds to see how many heads would turn. Very very knowledgable in world history but not the kind of guy I would ask for adulting advice from.
OP, it's interesting that you would associate the mafia with today's S. Philly. Yes, they still exist but they seem to be pretty absent publically speaking. The last major Don in the city, Joey Merlino, is still in prison, afaik.
Today, some S. Philly neighborhoods are more known for their food scene.
As I said in my post, I have never been to Philadelphia.
People who live in town will jump in and answer all your other questions, but I just wanted to chime in on your impression of South Philly. While the mafia still exists in Philly, it is neither visible nor a factor in the daily lives of 99% of Philadelphians. See the below excerpt from Wikipedia.
What Flyers Girl said. If the OP would look at a map of Philly, he'd see that South Philly is a HUGE area, with many different kinds of neighborhoods. My kids moved from the 'burbs to Philly over 10 years ago, and have lived in different areas, but mostly in South Philly. They keep bugging me to move down to the city...if I did, I'd probably move to Passyunk Square. Very walkable, lots of good restaurants and shopping.
But I digress. Please do not be afraid of South Philly.
My high school history teacher used to say that mafia members make the best neighbors because they protect their turf and encouraged us to live near them.
But I kind of took this with a grain of salt. The guy was loved by many because he taught several generations of students in my town, but the general consensus was that he was one card short of a full deck. We once had a lock down drill and it was later announced that it was called to get us away from our lockers so that a police dog could sniff them for drugs. When this came over the intercom, he yelled "THE HELL YOU DID!", grabbed a wrench from his supply closet and stormed to the main office ranting about constitutional rights. He would also stand on desks and homework papers on fire, yell "MONA BABY!" whenever he saw a picture of the Mona Lisa, and would randomly stare at ceilings in large crowds to see how many heads would turn. Very very knowledgable in world history but not the kind of guy I would ask for adulting advice from.
Just so you know, the traditional Phila. Mafia is not even worth talking about anymore. There are two S. Philly neighborhoods where some still live tho: Girard Estates and Packer Park. Ironically they are nice looking/ safe neighborhoods, perhaps, for just the reasons you say above.
OP, tell us how old you are. That will help narrow down choices you should look at.
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