Looking in Port Richmond/Bridesburg (Philadelphia, Portage: section 8, real estate, house)

[CzerwPraw]

Hello Philadelphia,
I am a 36-year old white male with Polish immigrant background looking for nice neighborhood to settle in in Philadelphia. I just got a job as a chemist with a big oil company, and I was looking to stay with the job for a while. I would like to buy a house in a nice, quiet neighborhood, but one that is in the city and doesn't feel depressing like many of the suburbs do. I speak Polish at home, and me and my wife are looking to have kids within a year or two, and we would like to put them in a good school (and we will send them to a Catholic school if the public ones don't work). I asked from friends in the area about nice neighborhoods, and they recommended Port Richmond and Bridesburg, both of which I know have a lot of Poles. I took a drive through the area and they both seem pleasant, and they are a bit different between themselves- Port Richmond seems to be more alive, and seems to have plenty of alively commercial strips, while Bridesburg seems more isolated and more quiet (almost like a small country town isolated by highways and train tracks). I would like to know what people from the area think about the neighborhoods- even though they seem safe and friendly, are there things I don't see? In my mind I keep comparing them to Jefferson Park (to Richmond) and Portage Park (to Bridesburg) in Chicago, where my aunt lived (I grew up in the Detroit area). What do you thinK?

[RW 41]

I'll give you a thorough tour of Bridesburg if you'd like.

[niceguy19125]

I live in Port Richmond and can attest to the fact that its a good place to live. Despite being close to Center City and I-95 its quieter at night which is nice, yet close enough to shopping/entertainment options that you don't think twice about making the trip.

Bridesburg is more cut off geographically due to the distance from the city's heartbeat, which for all practical purposes is Center City. Also in terms of home ownership, Port Richmond is experiencing very positive equity growth. Fishtown, the neighborhood just to the south, has been booming and Port Richmond is beginning to see the effects from first-time buyers who have been priced out of that neighborhood....as well as higher-bracket new construction projects.

Unfortunately the neighborhoods of NE Philly (Bridesburg, Mayfair, Tacony, etc.) are deteriorating as lower-middle income, section 8 housing moves in....priced out of the near Northeast neighborhoods like Fishtown and Port Richmond.

[solibs]

I would go with Port Richmond and personally, I think the closer you are to Richmond & Allegheny the more convenient the neighborhood will be for you.

[orrmobl]

If you're a professional making good money, look elsewhere. These areas are not welcoming to outsiders and still on the fringes of bad areas and have bad parts themselves. I can't for the life of me figure out why people stay and I certainly can't understand why anyone would move there from somewhere else. I would check out the rest of the city (and especially the suburbs) to see if you can find anything you like better.

Per Zillow:

Who Lives In Richmond?

People who live in this neighborhood

1. Melting Pot — Low-income, foreign-language-speaking urbanites.
2. Wise Old Urbanites — Older home-owning city dwellers in older buildings.
3. Golden Years — Seniors over 65 who live in the city.

[solibs]

Originally Posted by orrmobl

I certainly can't understand why anyone would move there from somewhere else.

It's as simple as reading the OP . . . he's Polish and wants to stay connected to the Polish community.

[thekish]

Originally Posted by niceguy19125

I live in Port Richmond and can attest to the fact that its a good place to live. Despite being close to Center City and I-95 its quieter at night which is nice, yet close enough to shopping/entertainment options that you don't think twice about making the trip.

Bridesburg is more cut off geographically due to the distance from the city's heartbeat, which for all practical purposes is Center City. Also in terms of home ownership, Port Richmond is experiencing very positive equity growth. Fishtown, the neighborhood just to the south, has been booming and Port Richmond is beginning to see the effects from first-time buyers who have been priced out of that neighborhood....as well as higher-bracket new construction projects.

Unfortunately the neighborhoods of NE Philly (Bridesburg, Mayfair, Tacony, etc.) are deteriorating as lower-middle income, section 8 housing moves in....priced out of the near Northeast neighborhoods like Fishtown and Port Richmond.

Public housing destroys good neighborhoods and schools.

[byoak]

Where do you see Bridesburg deteriorationg? Prices have been stable through the whole downturn in real estate.Bridesburg is part of the river wards with Port Richmond and Fishtown not part of the northeast with Tcaony, Wiss., etc.

Originally Posted by niceguy19125

I live in Port Richmond and can attest to the fact that its a good place to live. Despite being close to Center City and I-95 its quieter at night which is nice, yet close enough to shopping/entertainment options that you don't think twice about making the trip.

Bridesburg is more cut off geographically due to the distance from the city's heartbeat, which for all practical purposes is Center City. Also in terms of home ownership, Port Richmond is experiencing very positive equity growth. Fishtown, the neighborhood just to the south, has been booming and Port Richmond is beginning to see the effects from first-time buyers who have been priced out of that neighborhood....as well as higher-bracket new construction projects.

Unfortunately the neighborhoods of NE Philly (Bridesburg, Mayfair, Tacony, etc.) are deteriorating as lower-middle income, section 8 housing moves in....priced out of the near Northeast neighborhoods like Fishtown and Port Richmond.

[RW 41]

Originally Posted by niceguy19125

I live in Port Richmond and can attest to the fact that its a good place to live. Despite being close to Center City and I-95 its quieter at night which is nice, yet close enough to shopping/entertainment options that you don't think twice about making the trip.

Bridesburg is more cut off geographically due to the distance from the city's heartbeat, which for all practical purposes is Center City. Also in terms of home ownership, Port Richmond is experiencing very positive equity growth. Fishtown, the neighborhood just to the south, has been booming and Port Richmond is beginning to see the effects from first-time buyers who have been priced out of that neighborhood....as well as higher-bracket new construction projects.

Unfortunately the neighborhoods of NE Philly (Bridesburg, Mayfair, Tacony, etc.) are deteriorating as lower-middle income, section 8 housing moves in....priced out of the near Northeast neighborhoods like Fishtown and Port Richmond.

Bridesburg is part of the River Wards, NG, not NE Philly. And there is certainly no section 8 problem here or a decline in home values. It's also much closer to CC than you think. I've already gotten from my front door to a bar stool on South Street in 12 minutes.

[RW 41]

Originally Posted by solibs

I would go with Port Richmond and personally, I think the closer you are to Richmond & Allegheny the more convenient the neighborhood will be for you.

He'd be better off in Bridesburg and it's just as convenient.