Rhawnhurst neighborhood and vicinity (Philadelphia, Reading: apartment, for rent, how much)

[berkswerks]

When are you moving? Probably in a month or two.
Where are you coming from? Reading, PA
Why are you moving? Just finished grad school, got a job in Philly.
Where will you be working? Rhawnhurst.
Have you been here yet? Yeah, just to Center City though.

Will you buy or rent? Rent.
If renting, are you looking for an apartment, a townhouse or loft? How much can you spend? Townhouse or house $1800.

Are you married or single? Do you have children? Single 25 yo no children.
Do you have pets? No.
Do you want or need a yard? It'd be nice to have even a small one.
Are you keeping a car? Yeah.
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? I'd like enough quiet that it doesn't keep me up at night

What do you want to be closest to?
Work. It'd be nice to be within 10-15 mins.

Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood?
Prefer a decent Hispanic presence.

-- What's Rhawnhurst like? Any nearby neighborhoods I should look into? I want somewhere that feels a little less packed than, say, South Philly. More single family homes etc. cuz that's what I'm used to tbh.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by berkswerks

When are you moving? Probably in a month or two.
Where are you coming from? Reading, PA
Why are you moving? Just finished grad school, got a job in Philly.
Where will you be working? Rhawnhurst.
Have you been here yet? Yeah, just to Center City though.

Will you buy or rent? Rent.
If renting, are you looking for an apartment, a townhouse or loft? How much can you spend? Townhouse or house $1800.

Are you married or single? Do you have children? Single 25 yo no children.
Do you have pets? No.
Do you want or need a yard? It'd be nice to have even a small one.
Are you keeping a car? Yeah.
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? I'd like enough quiet that it doesn't keep me up at night

What do you want to be closest to?
Work. It'd be nice to be within 10-15 mins.

Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood?
Prefer a decent Hispanic presence.

-- What's Rhawnhurst like? Any nearby neighborhoods I should look into? I want somewhere that feels a little less packed than, say, South Philly. More single family homes etc. cuz that's what I'm used to tbh.

Rhawnhurst itself checks off most of your important boxes save the one about a decent Hispanic presence. However, there are pockets of Dominican and Latin American (especially Brazilian) settlement a little ways to the south on Castor Avenue in Castor Gardens and Oxford Circle. However, most of the housing stock in those neighborhoods consists of rowhouses, which dominate Philadelphia's housing stock like they do no other city's, while you can find freestanding SFRs on their own lots in Rhawnhurst. Whether you can find them for rent, however, is another story. Most of the rowhouse neighborhoods in the Lower and Central Northeast have rowhouses with front yards but no backyards; that space is taken up by the alleys used to access the one-car garages in the house's basements. (You will find cars parked outside them rather than in them often enough because today's SUVs are longer than the cars of the 1940s and 1950s.) Thus you will find some front yards outfitted with patios and their accompanying furniture. Some of the rowhouses have rear decks built out over their alleys for similar reasons.

My recommendation is that you look in Rhawnurst first because of your preference for a more suburban style of development. You can always drive or take the 59 bus south on Castor Avenue to the areas where the Hispanics live.

[bigfish1]

If you prefer a neighborhood that is a little quieter with a tad bit more space than the lower Northeast and specifically Rhawnhurst may be a good choice. According to most recent Census information the two census tracts that encompass Rhawnhurst are 17.5% and 13.2% Hispanic. So its not huge like areas further south like Juniata but there is still a decent population. The neighborhood is also diversifying quickly also with growing Asian and Black populations. Definitely check the neighbhorhood out because it does at times feel removed from the rest of the city so a car would be highly recommended. If you are into nightlife it may be a little far but I do hear there are some really dope hookah bars up that way if you are into them. I would also like to say that the food in the lower NE can not be beat with the amount of affordable options from all over the world.