trying to move to philly in april but, know nothing about philly!

[RightonWalnut]

Originally Posted by bryson662001

Maybe she moved to Idaho as well. LOL

That's a shame... there's a lot of gangs in Idaho

[couldntthinkofaclevername]

Originally Posted by rmn728

I've lived here for over 20 years and we also have small children. You couldn't pay me enough to move to Philly. We live in Bucks County. If you have small children, Philly schools have a lot to improve. Bucks County is much safer and there are many parks and malls are also close by. The car insurance is also much higher in the city limits of Philly. Crime, drug dealers, and gangs are a large problem in Philadelphia and the past few months all I hear on the news are about teenagers attacking innocent people simply walking down the street. Take my advice, think twice about moving to Philly. I advise the suburbs!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm going to laugh when your suburbs become the ghetto eventually and the city becomes the most desirable place to be. Hell, considering what certain schools, both charter and public, are doing in the city, it's clearly already started.

Originally Posted by Summersm343

There are not very many gangs in Philly... this is not one of the problems Philly deals with.

This is wrong. There are definitely gangs not just in Philly but in the entire metro. The whole 1-95 corridor from New York to DC and Baltimore is a very crime-filled area full of powerful gangs and even cartels from Mexico and elsewhere. It's not the same as it was in decades prior but the cartels have been moving in for awhile now and bringing the violence that they're notorious for with them.

Originally Posted by rmn728

Maybe you didn't read my reply. I have lived here for over 20 years and have spent ALOT of time in and around Philly. I know what goes on there and if you think for one minute that gangs are not a problem in Philly, then you must be blind. We moved away from the city for a safer neighborhood and better schools for our children. Lived there, been there and am giving the straight scoop so they are not surprised and regretful once they arrive. The people writing do not live here and are trusting people like us to give them our honest opinions. Philly is nothing to brag about. It is very busy and parking is always a problem and very high priced. I think Northeast Philly is about the safest place but even that is going downhill fast. I have nothing good to say about Philly except we are moving to Idaho in 3 weeks and I can't wait to leave this place!!!!!!
Gangs are an issue and crime is definately a concern. Think long and hard before you make that move.

This is just absolute BS.

Philadelphia is one of the greatest cities in the country. Just because Northeast Philly is having problems doesn't mean that schools in the areas around Center City can't be great or that they can't be safe or anything else.

"Philly is nothing to brag about" What a joke.

Originally Posted by Summersm343

And no rmn728 you are very wrong... very wrong indeed. There are little to no gangs in Philly... there is still a strong presence from the K&A (Irish Mob) who won't bother you much) and the Italian Mafia (who are virtually dead in Philly), but that is about it. White/Italian/Irish gangs have always had a strong presence in Philly and have always fought off or scared away any of the black gangs and there has been a lot of racial tension in Philly in the past. Most of the motorcycle gangs have been rounded up and jailed like the Outlaws and the Pagans. The Warlocks still have a small presence but are starting to die out. The Black Mafia and Sex Money Murder (african american gangs) have a very small presence in the city but not much. Philly is definitely not a gang city like NY, Chitown and LA

Those gangs might be taking a backseat but make no mistake, they are very real and still do exist. The mafia will never go away. There's a reason you don't see them or notice their presence. It's a cycle. The African American and other non-white gangs semi-replaced the mafias and now the cartels and other "newer immigrant" gangs are semi-replacing them. None of them will ever fully go away though.

Motorcycle gangs still have a major presence too, though moreso in working class areas outside of the city. The Pagans I believe are the ones with their headquarters in Delaware County but I can't remember exactly.

[Marius Pontmercy]

Well... Philadelphia doesn't exactly have gangs in the traditional sense. I mean, there are no big city wide organized crime organizations. Philadelphia street gangs tend to just consist of a group of thugs who probably grew up in the same project complex, or the same block in the ghetto, and they will fight against anyone from the next block over of the other projects down the street. It's on a much smaller scale basically.

[couldntthinkofaclevername]

Originally Posted by Marius Pontmercy

Well... Philadelphia doesn't exactly have gangs in the traditional sense. I mean, there are no big city wide organized crime organizations. Philadelphia street gangs tend to just consist of a group of thugs who probably grew up in the same project complex, or the same block in the ghetto, and they will fight against anyone from the next block over of the other projects down the street. It's on a much smaller scale basically.

That might be what the deal is on the neighborhood scale but there are definitely city-wide crime organizations. Hell, they're nation-wide or at the very least metro-wide. It's a business, a very lucrative one.

You don't see them for a reason. Powerful groups have their hands in everything though and they work with the smaller, more local thugs to control areas and make money off of them.

Of course this isn't the case for everywhere but it definitely happens.

[rmn728]

Most people do not want to live in a city with a high crime rate. Yes, Philly has its historical landmarks and the museums and sites to see. But that isn't what we are talking about. Sure, I'd love to VISIT Philly but I wouldn't want to live there. Most people with families want a safe neighborhood to raise their kids in. Many neighborhoods in Philly are considered the ghetto, with trash thrown everywhere, drug dealers on the corners, coming to your car asking what you want, (had it happen to me when I made a wrong turn), and prostitutes walking the streets. Philly was once a wonderful place to live but now it is less than desirable. If you think that gangs don't exist in Philly, you have a lot to learn. Next, I guess you will say gangs don't exist in Trenton either. Yes I moved to the suburbs because I prefer clean neighborhoods and a safe school district for my kids. I don't want to see trash and graffiti everyday when I come home from work. I don't want my kids to end up in a gang because that is all they are exposed to. And to the person who commented that there are gangs in Idaho, you should research that more because the gangs in Idaho are nothing compared to the gangs in larger cities. Boise, Idaho happens to be a very safe city. Philly is only going to get worse because the people living there are getting less and less desirable also. Makes you wonder who these people are that are writing how great Philly is.......maybe they prefer to live like that.

[RightonWalnut]

Haha. Hope you enjoy Idaho!

[frankgn87]

Originally Posted by rmn728

Most people do not want to live in a city with a high crime rate. Yes, Philly has its historical landmarks and the museums and sites to see. But that isn't what we are talking about. Sure, I'd love to VISIT Philly but I wouldn't want to live there. Most people with families want a safe neighborhood to raise their kids in. Many neighborhoods in Philly are considered the ghetto, with trash thrown everywhere, drug dealers on the corners, coming to your car asking what you want, (had it happen to me when I made a wrong turn), and prostitutes walking the streets. Philly was once a wonderful place to live but now it is less than desirable. If you think that gangs don't exist in Philly, you have a lot to learn. Next, I guess you will say gangs don't exist in Trenton either. Yes I moved to the suburbs because I prefer clean neighborhoods and a safe school district for my kids. I don't want to see trash and graffiti everyday when I come home from work. I don't want my kids to end up in a gang because that is all they are exposed to. And to the person who commented that there are gangs in Idaho, you should research that more because the gangs in Idaho are nothing compared to the gangs in larger cities. Boise, Idaho happens to be a very safe city. Philly is only going to get worse because the people living there are getting less and less desirable also. Makes you wonder who these people are that are writing how great Philly is.......maybe they prefer to live like that.

You are right about crime (specifically murder) comparing Boise to Philly. Using the info here on city data, Boise had a high murder rate of 5 per 100k people in 2005 and Philly a high of 27.7 per 100k people in 06. Not even close actually.

[Jazzman970]

If you go looking for trouble, you will find it anywhere. I moved to Philly 4 years ago from the Chicago suburbs and have lived in Northeast and South Philly. I never once felt threatened walking at any time of day or night, but if you are afraid of minorities, Philly isn't for you. Some people are happy in a diverse setting, some want to be homogenous. Big deal. If you move here, you won't be disappointed, as long as you look in the right areas.