Moving. Looking to learn more. (Philadelphia, Erie: 2014, apartments, rent)

[SandyLyle]

Hey all. My girlfriend and I will be moving to Philadelphia within the next four months for her work. We are a mixed race couple, I am White, she is Afro-Latina. We are both in our 30's with no kids, and probably don't plan on having any. Being an a diverse neighborhood is extremely important as Denver is an amazing place, but does lack in that department.

When are you moving? Within the next four months.
Where are you coming from? Denver
Why are you moving? Work
Where will you be working? I work from home, girlfriend will be working near the convention center.
Have you been here yet? I have not. Girlfriend has.

Will you buy or rent? Rent for a least a couple of years.
If buying, are you looking for a house or a condo? How much can you spend? N/A
If renting, are you looking for an apartment, a townhouse or loft? How much can you spend? Any of those will be fine. No preference. Willing to go up to $2000/month for two bedroom.
Do you prefer hi-rise or walk up? Both are fine.

Do you have a preference of living in a NJ or PA suburb? No suburbs.
(If you answered NJ - post your answers here: //www.city-data.com/forum/new-j...-philadelphia/)

Are you married or single? Do you have children? In a relationship, no children. Probably won't have any.
Do you prefer public or private schools? N/A
Do you have pets? Will get a dog.
Do you want or need a yard? Don't need/prefer a yard, but if something comes up, we would take it.
Are you keeping a car? We'll have one car.
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? Doesn't have to be bustling, but definitely walkable. So, if we're in a calm quiet neighborhood, then easy walking distance to restaurants/markets/gyms etc. would be strongly preferred.

What do you want to be closest to?
Work Yes, she will be working near the convention center. But willing to take public transit.
Shopping Sure
Basic services (supermarket, drugstore, etc.) Yes.
Nightlife Yes.
Train or subway stations Yes.

Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood? Again, diverse neighborhood. We strongly value all cultures and beliefs.

Favorite Beverage - Craft Beer, wine, water? Good gin, rye, and bourbon. Wine is solid. Beer is meh.

[lpranger467]

My wife and I are a mixed couple as well, never had a single bad encounter here at all. I think people in Philly have better things to think about most days.

If you want to stay in the city I would consider Manayunk, Fishtown or Fairmount (all neighborhoods withing Philly limits). I mentioned Manayunk because its very close to the cities largest park which offers a wealth of outdoor options. Also Main St in Manayunk is a young-hip area.

[lpranger467]

Additionally there is a regional rail line that goes from Manayunk to CC (downtown) in 20 minutes.

[FindingZen]

You might like West Mount Airy. While no place is utopia, the neighborhood is intentional about cultivating its diversity. It's a leafy, suburban-like neighborhood and is walkable if a bit hilly (although perhaps not by Denver standards). Local-ish shopping and somewhat sedate nightlife exists along or near the cobblestoned streets of Germantown Avenue including up the road in Chestnut Hill and down the road in Germantown. You'll typically encounter people from their 30's on up with more than a few families. Your wife can take the Chestnut Hill West train (once it resumes running post-pandemic) for a 25 minute ride to the Convention Center. Your budget will be generous for a 2BR apartment.

MarketStEl lives just down the road in Germantown and may surely make a pitch for his neighborhood which has its share of both social and economic diversity.

RE: Fishtown, as an African-American I have felt a funny vibe when visiting there even during its more recent renaissance. My Spidey-sense was confirmed during June's confrontation of unarmed protesters by (presumably) longtime local residents armed with bats and the neighborhood cops being indifferent at best and siding with the residents at worst. So while patronizing its restaurants and bars might be fine, I'd do due diligence as a person of color.

Beyond that, I'd agree that most any neighborhood in or adjacent to the two miles of Center City (aka downtown) would be fine for a mixed couple.

[newmarlig]

^ The Chestnut Hill East train as well. And trains are running, masks required.

[MarketStEl]

The Chestnut Hill East line serves East Mt. Airy. The Chestnut Hill West line, which serves the west side, remains suspended for the time being.

And SandyLyle and his (I'm assuming he's male; I'm also a male Sandy) girlfriend should also consider East Mt. Airy too.

The east side contains most of the neighborhood's lower-income residents, but it gets as affluent as the west side all of a sudden once you're north of Meehan Avenue. And the less-well-off part of the neighborhood ain't bad either; you'll find some very nice houses and apartments close to the rail line along the streets to the east of Chew Avenue.

You will probably want to locate closer to Germantown Avenue if you can, SandyLyle. That's the main drag of all three of the neighborhoods of Northwest Philly above the Wissahickon (from south to north, lowest to highest elevation, poorest to wealthiest: Germantown, Mt. Airy, Chestnut Hill), and it's where you will find most of Mt. Airy's restaurants and shops, along with its one regular supermarket. (A community institution is the Weavers Way Co-op, a member-owned grocery store in Mt. Airy Village in West Mt. Airy. It's more along the lines of Whole Foods in terms of what it carries, but members who put in work hours buy it for less. There's also a very good coffee shop, a cool bookstore, and a decent cafe in this smaller commercial district.)

An Aldi supermarket is in the works for the neighborhood. It will open in a new apartment building now about halfway to completion near the neighborhood's southern end on Germantown Avenue's west side. You'll probably run into me in it once it opens.

The poster who recommended Manayunk to you does have this much right: It attracts a younger crowd to its Main Street, which is the only one in the region (save Norristown's) that's actually called Main Street and which is lined with trendy boutiques, pubs, restaurants and bars. Manayunk is the adult playground for much of the Main Line, and if you don't mind that level of activity on the weekends, you might find its hill-town ambience away from the carousers on Main Street appealing.

But Manayunk remains fairly white. Mount Airy has a reputation for integration it earned back in the 1950s when its residents decided to draw a line in the sand against white flight, panic selling and blockbusting. The neighborhood today is about 65 percent Black and 35 percent White, and East and West Mt. Airy come together along Germantown Avenue.

And the Chestnut Hill East line will take your wife right to the Convention Center — Jefferson Station, its first stop in Center City, lies beneath it.There's also the Route 23 bus, which connects to the Broad Street Subway at Erie station; the BSL is fast while the 23 is slow, though, and the 23 is often crowded even in the time of COVID. The Route XH also goes to Erie station and crosses Mt. Airy east to west near its center.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by FindingZen

RE: Fishtown, as an African-American I have felt a funny vibe when visiting there even during its more recent renaissance. My Spidey-sense was confirmed during June's confrontation of unarmed protesters by (presumably) longtime local residents armed with bats and the neighborhood cops being indifferent at best and siding with the residents at worst. So while patronizing its restaurants and bars might be fine, I'd do due diligence as a person of color.

I don't avoid Fishtown like I used to before a bunch of younger, better-off white folks moved into it, but that incident proved that Old Fishtown hasn't completely died yet.

It's going to be hard to tell, too, where it survives: I know this uber-green architect who moved from South Kensington into the neighborhood last year. On the weekend after George Floyd got murdered, he was talking with one of his neighbors on his block about events and was taken aback when that neighbor said that the reason he could move in was because "we kept it nice for you by keeping the [Blacks] out." He took major umbrage at this remark, and for at least a week after that (when I spoke with him about the events surrounding Floyd's death), they hadn't spoken to each other.

Beyond that, I'd agree that most any neighborhood in or adjacent to the two miles of Center City (aka downtown) would be fine for a mixed couple.

That's true too, and in the diversity department, I'd also recommend the Center City neighborhood of Washington Square West as well (though 2br apartments for <$2k/month will be scarce there). That neighborhood is also home to Philadelphia's Gayborhood, and a lot of medical and art students live in it too thanks to the presence of Thomas Jefferson University and the University of the Arts in it.

[bigfish1]

Fishtown and Manayunk are both great neighborhoods but are probably the least diverse in neighborhoods in the city. If you want to be near either of the two but live in a diverse neighborhood I would suggest Germantown (near Manayunk) and Norris Square (Near Fishtown). Norris Square has a very strong Puerto Rican community. Another part of the city that is very diverse that I havent heard mentioned would be South Philadelphia around the Italian Market and especially below Washington Avenue. Even though the its called the Italian Market and there are still staples such as Di Bruno's the neighborhood is probably one of the most diverse in the city. There are large and growing Asian (mainly Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Indonesian) communities and Latinx (mainly Mexican/Central American). South Philly is cool because it is very very walkable and the 47 bus or the BSL will take her right to the convention center. But the tight streets make your block quieter at night while still be very centrally located.

[Flyers Girl]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

And SandyLyle and his (I'm assuming he's male; I'm also a male Sandy) girlfriend should also consider East Mt. Airy too.

FYI - I could be wrong, but I think the poster's username is an homage to Phillip Seymour Hoffman's character in Along Came Polly. A mediocre movie, but Hoffman did what he always does and created a truly memorable--and hilarious--character.

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

I don't avoid Fishtown like I used to before a bunch of younger, better-off white folks moved into it, but that incident proved that Old Fishtown hasn't completely died yet.

Thanks for sharing the link to your article. That provides some perspective about how far things have come.

It's going to be hard to tell, too, where it survives: I know this uber-green architect who moved from South Kensington into the neighborhood last year. On the weekend after George Floyd got murdered, he was talking with one of his neighbors on his block about events and was taken aback when that neighbor said that the reason he could move in was because "we kept it nice for you by keeping the [Blacks] out." He took major umbrage at this remark, and for at least a week after that (when I spoke with him about the events surrounding Floyd's death), they hadn't spoken to each other./

I have a friend who lives there who happens to be Black. She chose to live there because she had longtime friends who, along with their extended family, were Fishtown lifers. So her "family of the heart" disproves the neighborhood's old stereotype. They also probably talked to people about not messing with her.

That's true too, and in the diversity department, I'd also recommend the Center City neighborhood of Washington Square West as well (though 2br apartments for <$2k/month will be scarce there). That neighborhood is also home to Philadelphia's Gayborhood, and a lot of medical and art students live in it too thanks to the presence of Thomas Jefferson University and the University of the Arts in it.

That would be a perfect walking commute for the OP's wife. The only trade off, as you say, would be what you can get for $2K.