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Can someone reccomend some neighborhoods to live in Philadelphia, PA?
My wife and I are planning to move to Philadelphia this summer and are wondering if maybe some of you folks that are familiar with the area can lend a hand. Here are some of our criteria:
-We want city life, not suburbia. Suburbia just isn't our thing.
-We would like it to be relatively safe, basically meaning just no crack houses and things like that (we've had our fair share of that here in California)
-We love lofts and factory converted housing, industrial style.
From research we've gathered we've found these areas:
Society Hill, Center City, Art Museum District, Fish Town, also near Broad street and independence hall.
We are a very american-history focused family so anything regarding that would help.
Thanks!
Society Hill...it's a very nice area near the river and is surrounded by almost all of Philadelphia's history, including the Liberty Bell, the Constitution Center and Independence Mall. I don't know about houses in that area other than I would expect them to be $$$$. It seems like it's mostly condos to me and you're still neighbors with a Sheraton Inn. I don't know much about the safety of the area as I mostly pass through there to South Street and Headhouse Square, which is right around the corner and definitely something to consider.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=society+hill,+philadelphia&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=48.956293,51.064453&ie=UTF8&hq=society+hill,&hnear=Philadelphia,+PA&ll=39.9456,-75.146195&spn=0.005626,0.010321&z=17
Center City...depends on who you ask, since Center City can mean different things to different people. Lots of new construction, but mostly condos. Center City stays alive at night at least, not like other cities I've been to (mostly Midwest). While I wouldn't call it any safer or more dangerous, you will be dealing with a lot more strangers in this area. Visitors, people from NJ and the 'burbs, business professionals, etc.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&q=City+Hall,&sll=39.950642,-75.16202&sspn=0.011251,0.020642&ie=UTF8&split=1&rq=1&ev=zi&radius=0.55&hq=City+Hall,&hnear=&ll=39.950642,-75.16202&spn=0.011251,0.020642&z=16
Art Museum Area...another area with an identity crisis. You can also look into the Spring Garden section, Fairmount, the Art Museum Area and Brewerytown (<--eh...skip this one). It's a very family oriented area in my mind and has one of the best schools in the country right there: Masterman Charter School (ranked no. 52 NATIONALLY for charter schools). You're also walking distance to what I would consider Philly's second most historical area, and that's the Art Museum--it's kind of neat living in the shadow of an international icon. That being said, you're also not very far from Temple University, North Philly and there are a lot of public elementary and high schools in that area. It typically amounts to nothing more than a large group of kids being loud in the street, but I've also seen some large fights because of it.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Art+Museum+Area,+Philadelphia&sll=39.950642,-75.16202&sspn=0.011251,0.020642&ie=UTF8&hq=Art+Museum+Area,&hnear=Philadelphia,+PA&ll=39.966333,-75.167384&spn=0.011249,0.020642&z=16
Fishtown...I love it in Fishtown. Someone had mentioned the different parts of Fishtown, but really, you need to be either north of York Avenue or west of Front Street (Kensington), so you're not really in Fishtown anymore. It's an old Irish/Polish neighborhood that's remained pretty much the same since they all immigrated here. There are a lot of old bars that look more like glorified VFWs than hangouts, but the people in them are golden. It's a mixed neighborhood of old lifers and new transplants. There are also a couple of great new projects going up in Fishtown that are building off of each other, including one that boasts LEED certification. Look for Memphis Flats and the Ice House Condos...both are "loft style". If you stop through, make your way into Memphis Taproom for one of the best beer lists around. Fishtown is a very eclectic area.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Fishtown,+Philadelphia&sll=39.966333,-75.167384&sspn=0.011249,0.020642&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Northern+Liberties%2F+Fishtown&ll=39.970575,-75.13494&spn=0.011659,0.020642&z=16
Broad Street is also a pretty generic term as it runs from one unsavory area into another, but the middle can be nice. It's known as the Avenue of the Arts near Center City and has a large majority of Philadelphia's art culture, including the Kimmel Center and many of our theaters. Once you go north of Market Street at City Hall, Broad Street becomes a wasteland. You have a couple of OK blocks through the Spring Garden section I mentioned earlier (Osteria = great northern Italian, 640 Lofts = well, lofts). North of that however is where Temple starts. If you're on Broad Street on Temple's campus, you'd better be looking for parking for class, or looking to turn around. On the south end is South Philly...the traditional South Philly you hear about all the time. It doesn't boast as large of an Italian Culture as it used to, but there are still some thick pockets. You're also close to the stadiums at this point and will have to deal with people thinking they know shortcuts through the city, i.e. your neighborhood.
Finally ,something you didn't mention is Northern Liberties. NL is just south of Fishtown, and if Fishtown is too quiet, too hokey or too family oriented, than NL should be your spot. This is where the newest project, The Piazza opened up (http://traveler.nationalgeographic.com/on-foot/philadelphia/on-foot-philadelphia.pdf). N
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