Info about Philadelphia and suburbs (York, Franklin: rent, crime, how much)

[Quackers]

Hi all,

We are looking at moving to the Philly area from upstate NY. We don't know much about the area, we chose it to be close(ish) to Chinatown, as my husband is Chinese. Here's what I need help with. Can anyone give some info about the Chinatown in Philly? Is it good, not good, has anyone lived close by, are there any Chinese schools there?

I have a young daughter, so I would like to know which areas have the best school districts.

We don't need to stay in the actual city of Philly, we are open to suburbs as well, which is where we need the most help. Can anyone recommend any areas to look? We'd like to be in a nice neighborhood, but not so far out that we have an hour drive to the grocery store.

Thanks for all your help!

[solibs]

If you want to live in the city and send your kid to a Chinese school that's completely possible. Most Chinese in the city live in Chinatown or in South Philly. The Asian community in South Philly is very diverse but it's majority Vietnamese.

If you want to live in the suburbs you'll find some towns with significant asian populations in Delaware County and in Camden County - particularly in Cherry Hill.

[mltimes]

There is a Chinese Catholic parish and school in Chinatown-- Holy Redeemer-- that draws some Catholic and many non-Catholic students from Philadelphia and the surrounding areas. By all accounts, the principal and staff at Holy Redeemer are excellent.

A local public elementary-- McCall-- teaches Chinese as the students' second language. Philadelphia public schools have a bad reputation but McCall Elementary is generally considered to be excellent.

The Independence branch of the Free Library at 5th and Market also has a significant Chinese language section, which is a nice resource.

I don't know much about Chinatown or the Chinese population in the city otherwise. However, if you are thinking of moving to Chinatown proper, please be aware that there has been some talk of casinos moving into the Gallery shopping mall, which borders Chinatown. It's not clear if/when this may ever happen but it is an issue of some concern to residents.

[WinterinAmerica]

Originally Posted by Quackers

Hi all,

We are looking at moving to the Philly area from upstate NY. We don't know much about the area, we chose it to be close(ish) to Chinatown, as my husband is Chinese.

Chinatown is dead in the heart of center city so being in the burbs is going to be a haul no matter where you live...but.

I would highly recommend my neck of the woods, Cheltenham Township which is right across the street from Philadelphia. A great school system, one of the most ethnically and racially diverse suburbs, and you can jump on the train from at least three stations and be in the heart of Philly - the East Market St station is two blocks from the heart of Chinatown - is 20 minutes (driving will take you 45 min to an hour if you can find a place to park).

[solibs]

I completely forgot that Chinatown kids go to McCall. I used to ride past there every day when I worked at 5th & Market. If the kids on the playground were any guide that school is about half asian.

It's worth noting and taking into consideration if you're seriously considering moving to Chinatown proper (that's not likely as you either need to know someone or you need to get on a waiting list to live there) but I seriously doubt that one casino on Market St. is going to have much of an impact on Chinatown.

Also, Cheltenham is a good suggestion but, just FYI, the Ben Franklin Bridge pretty much ends in Chinatown. It's a much quicker commute from the western end of Cherry Hill or via PATCO.

[fifi le pew]

If you choose to live in Chinatown your public school would be McCall. As others mentioned, it is a well-regarded public school. My child attends, and we are thrilled with it. It is approximately 40-50% Chinese. We are not Chinese, but thrilled with the fact that all kids get daily Chinese instruction, starting in kindergarten.

If you decide to move to the Chinatown area, you should contact McCall school before you rent or buy, just to make sure the address is within that zone, because if you are not in the neighborhood zone, it is very difficult to transfer in.

If you are looking for suburbs, I agree with the Cheltenham suggestion, since it is more diverse that most. I also recall the the Wallingford-Swarthmore school district has a decent number of Asian students and is, in my opinion, a premier school district without quite the pretension of Lower Merion (which is considered excellent, but a little less diverse, in my opinion)

[Quackers]

Thank so much for all the info! I'm looking to be close to Chinatown, but not in it. Our relatives (who live very close to Chinatown in NY) found a bus that travels between to two Chinatowns, which means more family involvment, so this is a huge perk for us. We are really more rural at heart, but after living in a very small town for the last year, we have come to realize the limits this type of living has, especially academically for our little one. So I think suburbs are a good option for us.

Thanks for those housing suggestions. Just to get an idea, how much do homes typically run in those areas? What type of reputation does south Phily have? Are these considered "good" areas for raising a family? I'm guessing yes, but with such a big move I like to get lots of detail. That, and truth be told I'm nervous about the crime that tends to accompany city living. Maybe I should stop watching so much Law and Order...

I'm especially happy to hear about the Asian presence. In my town now, we only have 2 Asian residents. And yes, my town is that small I want my daughter to have more access to her culture, so this is big for me.

About McCall, is it a public school for kindergarten-12th or just an elementary school? And can you guys let me know how you rate the public transit system? I'm originally from GA, which has a truely horrible transit system so I'm really only familiar with driving. Any thoughts on the trains with kids in tow would be super.

Thanks again to everyone who has given me info, I really appreciate it!

[solibs]

Your post is a little confusing - you say that the suburbs are a good option for you but then you're asking questions about living in the city.

If you live in a suburban town like Cherry Hill or Cheltenham you don't have to worry much about the crime in the city. The transit in both places is pretty good. Both places have rail and bus service.

McCall is K-8, but again, if you're living in the suburbs it's a non-issue.

[Quackers]

My questions are more about living in the suburbs, and what it would be like to commute to the city. That's why I want to know about transit, crime and what Chinatown is like.

As for the suburbs, are some of those mentioned in NJ? I've been Google mapping locations, and I want to make sure I'm looking in the right state. Especially regarding Camden, I found one that is 11 mins from Philly, and another that is 25 mins away.

I'm also not entirely sure if the schools mentioned (McCall and Holy Redeemer) are in the city or in the suburbs. If we live in a suburb, will we be forced to miss out on schools with Chinese? If these schools are only for city dwellers, what are the recommendations for suburb schools?

Sorry for the confusion, I'm still trying to figure out what is where, so I'm sure that isn't helping.

Thanks for all your help!

[solibs]

Philadelphia is a city of 1.5 million people. It's part of a metro of 6 million people. That's more or less the entire population of upstate/central/western New York.

As with most metropolitan areas there is a large central city - in this case Philadelphia - and many smaller towns (also called suburbs) that surround it.

There are 300+ suburban towns in the area. You can live in any kind of town you want to live in. If you want to live in a suburban town with other Asians, that's not hard. If you want to live in a suburban town with other Chinese, that's probably a little more difficult.

Cheltenham was mentioned already. Cherry Hill also has a large asian population.

They're both close to the city. They're both nice towns. I don't know what else to tell you.