Philly Neighborhoods

We're getting close to submitting a rank list for fellowship (to start in 2010). At this point, DW and I are in agreement that Philly will be a the top of the list.

I'd like to have fun researching some Philly neighborhoods and get some advice from those that live there now. Maybe not possible, but in case anyone has lived in both Baltimore and Philly I'd love to get some comparisons.

Here's my wishlist:

-- in the city proper
-- rent a townhome
-- have at least one off-street parking place
-- be able to walk out the door to bars, restos, etc.
-- i understand city living as i live in the city now...don't need a totally gentrified area but would like not to frequently hear gunshots at night..
-- rent for < $2,000 month

So, please school me on neighborhoods.

Thanks in advance.

[rainbabies]

I have nothing to add. Just luck with the fellowship match...and also...I love how bars is mentioned as a major want outside your door. LOL! Make sure you live down hill...that way you can just roll home.
Best of luck to you both!

Don't call me out like that!

Okay, more politically correct -- in search of vibrant, walkable community where neighbors meet at the market, pocket parks, restaurants and watering holes.

(And don't fear stray bullets on their path to any of the above-mentioned gathering places).

I'm very sad at the possiblity of leaving Baltimore.

[MrsC]

Hmm, this is a tough one.

A townhome is hard to come by in center city, especially for less than $2000. Rent has gone down a bit but it's still pretty high in center city. I've actually been looking at Baltimore and there a lot more townhomes available there.

Based on what you're looking for I'd suggest Manayunk. It's not city center but it's a great town outside it. There are plenty of restaurants, things to do, great atmosphere. I always have much more fun going for dinner/drinks there than in the city. Commute can be a killer if you drive but the train/bus service is pretty good. You can get a townhome with parking/yard here no problem.

South Philly can be good and bad so you'd have to look around. It's probably the nearest to the city that you'd find a townhome at a reasonable price.

Old City is the nicest part and you may find a townhome there but they are snapped up very quickly.

Places to stay away from are Temple, Frankford, North/Northeast, some parts of West Philly. It can literally vary by block. The area we live in is great, 5 blocks over - don't go there. So, you really have to look around.

Thanks. If townhome is taken out of the equation, what can ~$2000 do in the city? The only place I've heard about so far is West Philly but have heard it's block to block. When I visited (not recently) I was on Penn's campus, center city, Rittenhouse square.

[MrsC]

I think you would get a large 1 bed, small 2 bed apt in Rittenhouse for around $2000 and add $240/month to park the car. It's great area if you want to be near everything. Rittenhouse Sq and Society Hill would be some of the more expensive areas but the prices have gone down considerably in the last couple of years.

Old city, Penns Landing have the same charms as Rittenhouse Sq area but are less expensive and you have a chance of finding a place with parking there.

The prices vary so much it's crazy.

[medpedspouse]

Won't need a totally gentrified area but would like not to frequently hear gunshots at night...

This line made me laugh....How about only once in a while? blach:

JK - OK soo I have nothing to to add. Heading back to my cave.

[Tenacious_D]

I think Philly is a wiser move than NYC. Philly was our 2nd choice after Boston. Good luck!!

We moved to Philly last June and live right in the thick of things in Center City. Our apt is a newly renovated loft with 2 bedrooms (one used as our office), hardwood floors, exposed brick, etc. Parking is not included and we pay $1300. We live right next to the Reading Market which is awesome.

Thanks for all the replies. So, Center City sounds like it's still a possibility. Can I ask how you went about your rental search?

Sounds like a dumb question, but for the last six years we've owned two houses in just two cities. And of course we did online research, but primarily worked with realtors.

For some reason, a larger city and a rental market instead of housing seems a more overwhelming prospect.

Any tips?

[DCJenn]

Kevin-

Realtors are able to locate rental properties, too.

That's how we found the world's smallest house to rent when we moved back here.

Jenn

[Ravenclaw]

Hi Kevin,
I just wanted to add another neighborhood to your list - Graduate Hospital. It's south of Rittenhouse and Fitler Square. Since it's just a bit outside of Center City, the prices are cheaper, parking is more plentiful, but it's definitely an "up & coming" area and safety varies block by block. Before we moved, we referred to phillyblog.com's forums and asked locals about specific areas, so that might be helpful to you too. Good luck!

[Finding Equanimity]

When we did our search for places in Philly, we really wanted to live in Center City. We found local real estate agents who had tons of properties for rent and we told them our price range. I can't remember the real estate agents now, but some of them were found via craigslist. If we saw a place we were interested in on craigslist and it was listed through a real estate agent, we'd ask if they had anything else with more of our specifications included (i.e. a washer/dryer in unit). That led to a weekend worth of looking at apartments.

After looking at a ton of places, we decided Center City was too expensive for us. We didn't feel like we got as much of a bang for the buck when it came to amenities and space. It sounds like you'd prefer Center City, but if you want another suggestion, I'd suggest our neighborhood. We found a cute row house in the Art Museum/Fairmount area that has 2 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. It's not a huge place but it's larger than anything we saw in CC. Parking is relatively easy and we definitely can walk to restaurants/bars in the area. I work in Center City and I walk to work. Granted, it's a mile walk, but I love it. It gets me energized in the morning and it only takes me about 30 minutes. There are buses that run to Center City from Fairmount too.

Sorry to go a bit off topic but I hope this helps!

Thanks Ravenclaw and Finding E.

I had never heard of Graduate Hospital. I'll check into it.

I think we stayed in the Art Museum area a few years ago and it was very nice. We didn't really venture into neighborhoods so much at that time.

I appreciate all of the suggestions. Did you pay you're realtor a flat finders fee or did he/she just get a percentage from the landlord?