Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Pennsylvania > Philadelphia
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
 
Old 07-28-2009, 12:47 PM
 
Location: Baltimore
2 posts, read 4,143 times
Reputation: 10

Advertisements

Hi All,
Another relocating person. Bit of a read, but here goes. I'm hoping to be moving to Philadelphia early next year for college. Currently I live in Baltimore and have decided to make the move out for college. I'm trying to make the process properly and give myself plenty of time to get myself situated, so I have 6 months to make the move complete and figured I should get on here to get general advice.

Now I have been to Philly before, I have quite a few friends that live up there on the Northeast side of town and have visited for periods of time about every few months or so since its so close to MD its a nice easy drive. I love the city, and want to enjoy the urbanite way of living. Have a general idea of how to get around. So I am looking at near Center City residence. I have my eyes set on the Bella Vista, Queen Village or even Fishtown areas.

But of course I have to think realisticly. I am looking to rent, and my budget would only allow right around 1,000 a month, preferably 800-900 And many of the places in those areas are a bit pricier. Are there any similar artsy fartsy areas to Philadelphia close to Center City but inexpensive? Id love to be able to take public transport to lots of the places I would go, be in walking distance of stores and shops and bars, and maybe have a small park or greenery area to walk my dog. Am I dreaming to think I can get a place within either of those spots for that price?

Any other general advice is appreciated. Thanks!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 07-28-2009, 02:16 PM
 
Location: Philly
32 posts, read 82,410 times
Reputation: 20
I'm surprised that you cannot find things within your range. I pay under your range AND live in Center City. The only downside is the terrible landlord (stay away from William Penn, Michael Singer, and Philadelphia Management).

Unless you're looking at a pricier loft, you're likely renting in part of a house converted to apartments. You could find apartments IN Center City for under 1,000 and for sure in the South Philly places you mentioned. Fishtown is getting better (I've heard) but still has a lot of problems. However, it's the cheapest of the areas you mentioned.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-28-2009, 02:16 PM
 
8,982 posts, read 21,089,907 times
Reputation: 3795
I'd say look into University City, the "gateway" to West Philly. At your range, most apartment buildings would fall both above and below but you may be able to rent a place within a converted home. A lot of the conveniences and amenities you're looking for can be found there. My general rule of thumb would be to find a place south of Walnut, north of Springfield and east of 48th St.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-04-2009, 05:39 PM
 
Location: Baltimore
2 posts, read 4,143 times
Reputation: 10
Thanks for the advice! I have been able to find some places as you mentioned luckily enough. I think the problem Im running into is I was trying to avoid a high rise apartment. Having a medium-large sized dog I was looking more for a Trinity, or bottom apartment home. Most I find are in the Bella Vista or surrounding areas, and kind of streach out of my range. Thats why I was thinking I may be dreaming of getting something like I want. Unless there are other areas with houses such as that closer to my price. My general searches on apartment sites are kind of not helping. Craigslist is tho, hahaha.

Now another factor is the comute into Temple U. It seems close enough to the areas I mentioned before, but of course thats looking at a 2-D map. lol. Thats one area I haven't visited on my trips up to Philly. Any thoughts? Thanks!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-04-2009, 07:28 PM
 
2,534 posts, read 2,648,626 times
Reputation: 1841
Having a pet friendly apartment is mainly what is keeping your costs up and options limited. Fairmount is near the art museum, NL would work, except both out of price range. NL definitely is. Old City has that greenery you like, but is expensive. Look into East Falls and Manayunk. They both have a bit of greenery here and there. Manayunk has the bars and the college crowd, and a nice bike path to take your dog on. East Falls is near one end of the Wissahickon path and literally has a few art shops on the other side of its borders. If those aren't feasible, I think you will have to sacrifice close proximity to Center City and live further out to be able to accommodate your pet. Getting roommate(s) will definitely make a big difference though too.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Pennsylvania > Philadelphia

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top