Society Hill (Philadelphia, Washington, Franklin Park: condo, hotel, houses)

[snoep]

I've moved 3 years ago from Europe to the USA to marry my American husband. We currently live in a rural place in Montgomery county and I'm getting crazy with loneliness here. I miss having people around me, walking out of the door for a walk to shops or park. I need the vibe of the city. So my husband and I have decided to buy ourselves a 2nd home. He is familiar with the city, showed me a lot of neighbourhoods and (not to his suprise) I fell in love with Society Hill. It looks 'European'. Some questions:

Is the attitude in this part of the city liberal?
Do people stick to themselves a lot or is there an outgoing atmosphere?
Is it safe?
I realize that any city comes with bad spots and I must say that I find the overall opinion on Philly not very positive on this forum, or I must have read the wrong threads by accident However I believe that one must find out for themselves, and Society Hill seems like a decent spot to live. Where we live now, everybody is so conservative, which I respect but I just can't live it. We have a 16 month old daughter and I really want for her to grow up in a nice, friendly and liberal orientated neighbourhood.

I've looked at schools too and according to my husband, public schools are out of the question in center city, so it'll be private. Coming from a country where the distinction is not even made between private and public, it is all totally new to me. St. Peters School seems very nice and not too much focus on just one religion. Anybody has experiences with this school?

Thanks in advance for your replies.

[thekish]

Society Hill is safe.

Washington West is liberal. That is the gayborhood. Society Hill is mixed.

The city schools used to be good. The problem with the city schools started with busing and school choice. The city lets kids from one district attend schools in other districts. It gives all the criminals an opportunity to destroy additional schools. Just look at the problems with S. Philly HS and the rccent rampage at the Gallery.

[MH Montrose]

MY answers below in BOLD...Good luck!

Originally Posted by snoep

I've moved 3 years ago from Europe to the USA to marry my American husband. We currently live in a rural place in Montgomery county and I'm getting crazy with loneliness here. I miss having people around me, walking out of the door for a walk to shops or park. I need the vibe of the city. So my husband and I have decided to buy ourselves a 2nd home. He is familiar with the city, showed me a lot of neighbourhoods and (not to his suprise) I fell in love with Society Hill. It looks 'European'. I agree!

Some questions:

Is the attitude in this part of the city liberal? I think Philly itself is pretty liberal, that being said, this is a pretty upscale section, so "liberal" can mean lots of things to lots of people.
Do people stick to themselves a lot or is there an outgoing atmosphere? Outgoing...the parks are GREAT...Three Bears is my favorite, great for your daughter and your will meet people, plus some of the blocks are very tightknit...but there is really no retail, restaurants etc eliminating a central place to be outgoing
Is it safe? One of the nicest and most upscale spots in Center City...the lack of retail/restaurants can make streets quieter at night, but relatively speaking it is considered safe and community oriented
I realize that any city comes with bad spots and I must say that I find the overall opinion on Philly not very positive on this forum, or I must have read the wrong threads by accident You may have hit the wrong threads...love Society Hill, would also recommend neighboring Queen Village...a great vibe as well.
However I believe that one must find out for themselves, and Society Hill seems like a decent spot to live. Where we live now, everybody is so conservative, which I respect but I just can't live it. We have a 16 month old daughter and I really want for her to grow up in a nice, friendly and liberal orientated neighbourhood. If it is city living you want, Society Hill is great...there are nice, friendly, liberal neighborhoods in and around Philadelphia...as I said, Queen Village, also Chestnut Hill is great etc.

I've looked at schools too and according to my husband, public schools are out of the question in center city, so it'll be private. Coming from a country where the distinction is not even made between private and public, it is all totally new to me. St. Peters School seems very nice and not too much focus on just one religion. Anybody has experiences with this school? No experience with St. Peters...if you live in Queen Village the Meredith School is a good elementary option, beyond that you will have to test, charter school or private. Good luck, it is a fund adventure.

Thanks in advance for your replies.

[solibs]

With the exception of parts of DC, NYC or San Francisco - Center City is about as liberal as it gets in this country.

McCall and Meredith are both great public schools but they're only k-8. High School you have to go magnet, charter or private.

Society Hill doesn't have a shopping/restaurant strip but it's never more than a few blocks walk to where people are hanging out/shopping.

Houses in bad neighborhoods don't typically retail for $1 million.

[FindingZen]

I can only agree with everything said so far. One thing that I will add is that unless you consider yourself wealthy, a second home in Society Hill will likely be a condo.

Unless you've already spent a lot of time in Society Hill or Center City in general, why not indulge in a weekend or two at a hotel to get a more of a feel for things? I'd actually suggest looking into Rittenhouse Square or Fitler Square as well. Your daughter would then be zoned for Greenfield which rank with McCall and Meredith as some of the better primary schools in the city. It will require some long-term planning to prepare her to compete for a spot in some of the more prestigious public schools.

Philly is indeed not perfect. But if you have experience and a positive attitude about urban living, few areas in the country can compare to Center City IMO.

[bryson662001]

Yes the whole city is politically liberal, conservatives are not allowed. Society Hill tends to be more family oriented then other parts of Center City because it is too expensive for the young single office workers and students that make up a large chunk of the population. It is quieter and more "suburban" in feeling and many residents own and use cars. It is a good idea to spend some time at a hotel, Sheritan Society Hill or the Omni maybe to get a feel for the neighborhood. Be advised that adjacent Old City is a nightclub district known for noisy crowds of party goers out in the streets. That would be the area near and north of Chestnut St.

[snoep]

Good to hear that Philly is considered liberal. I was afraid the contrary might be the case, since I have the idea that practically the whole of PA is quite conservative.

As for the feeling of SH, we already have visited some homes (out of habit I call them that way, probably because the average size of the 3 story condo's we saw, is the size of an average house from where I'm from, Americans really think of a stand alone house) and we really liked the 'small town' feeling we got from wandering around there. But we have actually planned a weekend, so that will make things even more clear hopefully.

Thanks again.

[rainrock]

Originally Posted by snoep

As for the feeling of SH, we already have visited some homes (out of habit I call them that way, probably because the average size of the 3 story condo's we saw, is the size of an average house from where I'm from, Americans really think of a stand alone house) and we really liked the 'small town' feeling we got from wandering around there. But we have actually planned a weekend, so that will make things even more clear hopefully.

Thanks again.

Soceity Hill is an excellent choice a spirited change from rural Montco.

Another option to possibly look at on your way down from Montco would be Chestnut Hill which is in NW Philadelphia, it has a little different vibe but it has a certain European flare to it. Just thought Id throw that out there. Chestnut Hill was ranked as the third best urban enclave in the usa by Forbes magazine following Park Slope NYC and Beverly Hills.

Good luck.

[solibs]

Yeah, Fitler Square always gets overlooked but it's a great neighborhood. The square itself, while small, reminds me a lot of Savannah.

[newmarlig]

You may also want to check out the Art Museum area. The Benjamin Franklin Parkway is known as the Champs Elysees of Philadelphia.