Submitted by AutoModerator t3_11jwx80 in philadelphia
Thinking of Moving to Philly or recently moved to the area? Ask your Questions Here!
Submitted by AutoModerator t3_11jwx80 in philadelphia
Thinking of Moving to Philly or recently moved to the area? Ask your Questions Here!
Reach out to these folks:
Thanks
russians speaker facebook groups for sure. will get the most activity there
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Looking to move to Philly in the next month and a half and am trying to decide between Old City and the Logan Square area. I’m mid 20s and want to be close to younger people and restaurants/bars etc. Looking to pay around $2000 for a one bedroom, any specific apartment recommendations?
Hm. In terms of actually living in these neighborhoods, Old City has an older crowd, but nightlife wise, they're both pretty young. I'd also be mindful of places in the heart of Market St or JFK west...after 6 pm the business area of Center City is pretty dead.
Logan Square would be my choice. Center City is pretty small and dense and you'd still be an easy walk/Uber/septa ride from a ton of nightlife. And then in Logan Square you'd be close to Target, whole foods, and Trader Joe's, CVS, etc for all of the normal daily life needs. Old City is comparatively dead and devoid of things these days IMO.
I would say Logan Square - there’s plenty of really cool bars and nightlife within a mile radius.
Once again looking for any running clubs as well as the best bars/events/bars with events to meet fellow 20-something year olds in Center City and Fishtown.
running groups - also not listed are YAP.Philly and Mural Miles and runchugphl
This is fantastic. Thank you for sharing!
Why/when did the Limited/Express lines on the Norristown High speed get stopped? Will they ever be resumed?
Ridership is lower than pre pandemic. Keep riding and call your state rep! Not sure when/if it’s coming back
Oh so it was cause of the pandemic that makes sense. Hope they bring it back I get on at 69th and off at gulph mills/dekalb hahaha the limited service would save me soooo much time
How did it work if you know? AFAIK there’s no second track on the route, so idk how limited or express trains would pass the train making all stops
There’s a double track area like around bryn mawr. I remember they used to hold the locals for limiteds to whoosh past there.
Hey all! Just got a job offer which if accepted would require me to move to Philly eventually (currently in Central NJ, I could commute while I figure the living situation out for a little but I would have to establish city residency soon enough). I'm still waiting to hear back from a few places so I have not accepted just yet. The job is not a great paying one tho (its a temporary position for 1.5ish years, meant to be a springboard into a long-term career) so if I do end up taking it, I am gonna need a budget-friendly spot to live at. Don't mind (and frankly, am probably gonna need) roommates and I dont need anything too fancy but of course I dont want to live in an absolute dump either.
Job is in Center City but obviously given my budget, getting something right there is likely out of the picture, so I dont mind another part of the city as long as its a reasonable commute and I can save a little. The job just requires Philadelphia residence.
So with $1500/month being my budget (and even that is pushing it tbh, that is just the absolute max I realistically think could be worth it for me to take the job at), is it possible for me to find a reasonably inhabitable spot close enough to Center City for me to take the job?
TIA!
with a roomate for 1500 you can have a sick place in philly
You could also get a decent studio in CC between $1200-1500. In West or South Philly you probably can find a 2 bedroom for $800-$1000 per person with a roommate, and then save about $400-500 (depending on your utilities.
I swear the way some people put it, I would have been lucky to be able to sleep on someone's door step for $1700 lol. Those numbers dont seem terrible at all.
Thanks for the info!
Well they ARE terrible for people from Philly. 25% of the people live on under $30,000 a year. Many middle class renters had to move last year because landlords in Center City were raising rents a few hundred dollars and they were being outbidded by people from more expensive cities. This is not a wealthy city, although there are people who can afford $1700 and more, it is HIGH for many people in Philadelphia. The city cannot even fill its jobs because they don't pay enough.
Hi everyone! My partner and I are excited to - finally! - be planning a move into Philly from just down 95 in Delaware in late April/early May. We're looking for a two-to-three bedroom rental with a price point somewhere between 1.3k and 1.75k in an affordable, centrally-located part of the city. We are very familiar with the Point Breeze/Newbold areas as many of our good friends live there, and we're generally in the know about most of South Philly and Center City.
Though I haven't had a lot of time there and aim to check it out in the next few weeks, friends have also recommended certain parts of Brewerytown given our price-point and the fact that we'll have 1-2 cars, with at least one of us having to travel out to the suburbs for work purposes. So we like the easy access to the highways and a potentially easier parking situation than we would find in South. I'm also really excited about the prospect of having access to the Park for health, fitness and recreation purposes.
Any other neighborhoods we should have on our shortlist? Big things for us are restaurant/bar variety, solid transit access (especially to the Gayborhood!) and being walking distance from at least one good food market if not multiple. And, of course, being (decently) safe! We'd love to be able to expand the search to include one or two additional neighborhoods so please share your recommendations :)
Thinking of moving into the city (33M, single, would like to sell my car and reverse commute 2x/week to work near a regional rail stop). I'm struggling to choose between two areas - E. Passyunk / Bella Vista or Clark Park area (Cedar Park / Spruce Hill). Gets pretty long winded below, TLDR What are your thoughts between those two options?
Here's what I've got comparing the two:
South Philly
-Seems very walkable (except for the huge suburban style Acme / CVS complex right in the middle)
-Seem to have more grocery options (including the Italian Market which is appealing to me)
-Lots of Mexican, Italian, and Vietnamese food
-Skews towards young families
-BSL access
-Not much green space or tree cover
-Area seems pretty psychotic about parking
-I would at least try to bike to Jefferson / Market East for my commute when possible
West Philly
-Lots of trees, green space, and Clark Park
-I run about a mile a day, and Woodlands cemetery seems perfect for that
-Lots of options for most kinds of food you can think of, especially Ethiopian and Halal
-Skews towards students, past about 42nd(?) it becomes more grad students and less undergrad
-Trolly access to the south, and El access to the north
-Seems more car friendly than E. Passyunk (wider streets, more gas stations, more hostile to pedestrians etc..)
-Neighbors collecting stool samples to prevent gentrification?
-Regional rail commute would start out of 30th street (I work on the Pennsylvania RR side of the network, making it slightly longer)
Both areas seem similar in terms of price. I've walked around both and they each seem relatively safe and pleasant - although I haven't been to either at night. I don't think I'd go wrong with either, but curios if you think I'm missing anything.
EDIT: added the part about wanting to not have a car
I spent a lot of time in West Philly during grad school, and live in East Passyunk now. I'd pick East Passyunk over West Philly any day. Parking is awful in both places. You'll find psychopaths who've lived in South Philly for 40 years putting out cones and raging when anyone moves them, and you'll find idiot Penn kids parking daddy's car wherever the fuck they want and leaving it there for decades in West Philly.
West Phily is subjectively prettier, with more trees and wider streets for sure. There are pockets of pretty in East Passyunk, and Dickinson Square, Columbus Square, and Jefferson Square are an easy walk. You can't beat the coffee shops and restaurants in East Passyunk - West Philly just doesn't compare. Same with grocery stores - depending on where you end up, you can get to three Acme's, a Sprouts, Whole Foods, and Giant within 5-20 minutes on foot. The Italian Market is right there for cheaper produce (that you should use ASAP) and meats/fishes.
I'm biased because I bought a house in East Passyunk, but I think it's the superior neighborhood., particularly due to local amenities and ease of access to the remainder of the city.
Thanks. This was very helpful!
your description of Spruce Hill is right on the money. I've lived in that area for nearly a decade and I love it.
>I don't think I'd go wrong with either, but curios if you think I'm missing anything.
I don't think you're missing anything, though for West Philly, if you're already taking the El / Trolleys, take them 1 / 3 more stops to City Hall (for Suburban Station).
West Philly has better access to Fishtown via the El, if nightlife there is important to you. South Philly has better access to the stadiums if you're interested in sports. By "better access" I just mean you don't have to change services.
Please also reconsider having a car in the city. There's no need for one unless you enjoy paying insurance premiums on a parked car.
Thanks for the response. And I plan to ditch my car. A major factor in considering this move is that my car is close to the end of its useful life, but I really like my current state of not having car payments.
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Found this from a couple of years ago: https://billypenn.com/2021/03/29/west-philly-poop-study-fecal-matter-gentrification-development-research-temple-gauthier/
Stood out as quite strange
The penn kids that let a slum lord organize them against affordable housing certainly have a lot of heart and time on their hands but, uh, not much more then that.
As for West Philly I felt ok being car free and taking the trolley to 30th when I needed to catch a train. You're right there's a lot of students but it wasn't only students. Also St Joes is apparently moving all the undergrads from the old USciences campus (42nd and Baltimore) to their other campus and making the Ucity campus grad students only
hi! my boyfriend and i are strongly considering moving to Philly. we are in our early/mid twenties, and I work in advertising and he works in accounting. we've looked at Rittenhouse Square, but think we are leaning towards NoLibs and Fishtown as our top options.
we currently live in Brooklyn and our neighborhood here is super residential. we are hoping for some activity, like good coffee shops, bars, entertainment, shopping, etc. within walking distance.
would love to hear any advice, suggestions, or thoughts :)
Wouldn’t consider rittenhouse as residential. It’s essentially the downtown(center city) and most expensive area. A lot of awesome restaurants, shops etc but at a premium price.
No Libs and Fishtown will check the boxes for what you said you’re looking for. Fishtown with a bit of an older crowd than No Libs.
NoLibs and Fishtown are often compared to Brooklyn, so, there you have it. Rittenhouse is lovely and much more accessible transit-wise, but it's a bit stuffy/expensive for a younger crowd. Then again what's expensive in Philly....
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Rittenhouse is the love child of Park Slope and Gramercy, while NoLibs and Fishtown are Greenpoint on steroids
No its not LOL. There are no analogous neighborhoods to NYC im sorry.
Honestly, every neighborhood here is residential and won't have the density or things to do as BK. You should stay in Philly for a week and see if you like it. I myself am looking to move back to Queens cause Philly can get boring if you've lived in a larger city and are young. Personally, most of the people I see moving from NYC are families or older couples looking to settle down/buy.
My partner and I moving from Manhattan to Fishtown in April for the exact reasons you mentioned— settling down and buying.
I'm not sure why you're getting downvoted for this. It's good advice, and my wife and I did exactly what you suggested over the course of a year, and we're happy that we did. Of course, we're no longer young, but it's still a huge shift to move to a smaller environment, especially if you are in the arts like we are, not to mention that we both spent the bulk of our adult lives in NYC. That being said, while there are a lot of things that I miss about NYC, I've found a lot of very pleasant surprises living in Philly, not the least of which is the fact that there is sandwich genius on almost every corner.
Exactly, people think Philly is NYC lite and will be just like whatever neighborhood they moved from. While Philly's cultural scene is growing with new galleries and other things many of the activities young city folk do in Chi/DC/LA/NYC are missing here. Especially late night food/drinks, DJ sets, Pop-ups, markets, Trunk Shows, etc. Also Philly is not nearly as transit accessible, which really confines those without cars to only a few neighborhoods and many of those neighborhoods are not as built out as NYC. I mean lets be real the same 5-10 neighborhoods are always recommended on this sub and they are all in greater CC or the northwest!
No, Philly certainly isn't NYC lite, and nor should it be. It always cracks me up when people compare Fishtown to Williamsburg or Bushwick. Philly does have its own thing going on, though, and has a lot of potential to be a real creative center on the East Coast. At 50, I'm too old for clubs, but what I would like to see is a more robust art/experimental music scene that isn't dependent on bringing people in from NYC, which is what seems to happen. I mean, I like seeing my friends do stuff here but I already see most of them when I'm in NYC for work 2-3 times a week.
Hi! We’re curious about living in Philadelphia but don’t know the area as well. I would hear to hear everyone’s thoughts.
We’re looking for somewhere safe, good transit, affordable (we’re coming from Queens and would like somewhere a little cheaper), very walkable without a car, and with things to do (parks, cafes, bookstore, a library, etc.; an arts scene would be lovely). Where would you recommend? Washington Square West and Queens Village look nice, but we’ve just poked around on the map.
How much is your current rent/mortgage?
We live in Queens (1675/month) but our rent is not the norm; we have a cheap place, lol—we’d just love 2k or less if possible. From what I can tell, major parts of PA will be OK except like center city and some of the most expensive parts. And of course less would be great, but we are open—we just want a nice place we can stay in for a long while.
You can find a rental for <2k in Port Richmond. You wanna be east of Aramingo. The farther east the better.
If you want less than 2K for more than 1 bedroom you need to consider S. Philly, North and West Philly, East Falls, Mount Airy, maybe Manayunk. $1675 might get you a 1 bedroom with a private landlord in Washington Sq. or Queen Village. You'll need a car for East Falls, Mount Airy or Manayunk.
Would you be getting jobs in Philly or WFH with NYC jobs?
Thank you!! And we’re both working remotely.
WSW and Queen Village are great neighborhoods. Both are in the thick of city living with enough greenery and quiet blocks that you don't feel overwhelmed. Similar vibes based on what you're looking for: East Passyunk (but be mindful that the further east and south you go in this area, the less trees and parks), Graduate Hospital, Fairmount/Art Museum, Bella Vista, Fitler Square, and if you want even more greenery and quiet, you can look at East Falls, Mount Airy, or Chestnut Hill.
Thanks so much!! And all of these (including East Falls, Mount Airy, or Chestnut Hill) would
be doable without a car?
No. You need a car for East Falls, Mount Airy or Chestnut Hill. I have friends who live in East Falls and you can’t walk to the grocery store, although I guess you could get delivery. The three of these are like the burbs from a NYC perspective—or maybe Staten Island.
walk score for Chestnut Hill is 69. https://www.walkscore.com/score/Chestnut-Hill-Philadelphia-Pennsylvania/lat=40.0715789794922/lng=-75.2105865478516/?utm_source=searchpoint.net&utm_medium=ws_api&utm_campaign=ws_api
Thanks so much.
Like everything else, there is some give and take. My wife and I settled in Newbold/East Point Breeze (the name of the neighborhood seems to be a contentious issue) after living in Queens (Woodside) for 15 years. One advantage that this area has is that all of our daily needs are within easy walking distance, and it has good access to transit. We're just West of Broad, so it's basically like living in East Passyunk.
Depending on where you lived in Queens, it will probably be similar in terms of safety.
Thanks! This is really helpful. :) We actually live in Astoria, just bordering Woodside.
One thing to know is that Philly isn't as densely populated, and basic amenities within walking distance can be few and far between in certain areas, which is one of the reasons why we settled where we did. You aren't going to have a bodega, wine store, pizza place, and grocery store all right around the corner, and on the same block, like you do in NYC. There's nothing comparable to Steinway Street, for example. We actually spent a year checking out different neighborhoods and either staying with friends or renting Air B&Bs until we zeroed in on where we are, just to find out if a neighborhood would meet our needs. In the end, I'm happy we took the time to do that.
Thank you! I really appreciate it; this is super helpful. x
Hey all, thinking about moving to Philly next August (2024) and figured I'd post my situation and see if any residents have any feedback. My fiancee and I (early 20s) live in Cincinnati right now and want to change things up.
I'm a high school history teacher (will be fresh out of my master's next August) and avid traveler (mainly to Europe), which inspired me to look east coast, and Philly is much more affordable than similar places like Boston, NYC, etc. I want to live somewhere everyone knows about and be a part of that culture. The fiancee has high priorities on not having to park on the street (a garage or driveway w/ space for 2 cars mandatory) and at least a small green area for a small garden. Rowhouses are okay but independent buildings are better. She's a social worker, so combined we may have an income around 80k to start out and 90-100k a few years in if we rent for a bit before trying to get a place. Doesn't look like there are many options in city limits that meet our needs but further out may be more suitable.
I've had a bit of a difficult time looking at places in Philly's suburbs, so I wanted to see if anyone has any recommendations or advice on that front. Is Philly a good for us to look? Thanks for any help!
Check out Media, Doylestown, Phoenixville, and West Chester if you want area suburbs where if you squint real hard at you can see parallels with charming European villages (although you may struggle a bit because European charm and 2 car garages are pretty much mutually exclusive).
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You cant really afford anything in the suburbs or the city that will meet all your needs unless you move to the exurbs like the perimeter of the metro area or Northeast Philly and then a garage is unlikely. More likely you'll have a parking lot and will be living in an economically depressed area or an apt building. 100K combined is really nothing here in the metro area. The Median household income in the collar counties of Philly is $75K+, with Chester County being 100k+. Include gas, tolls, CoL adjustment from Ohio you'll probably be scraping by honestly.
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Late Night Bars/Clubs
What are late night bars/clubs that’s not Voyeur (which closes at 3 am…) that I can go to just to chill or keep partying or waste time somewhere warm and around people until the sun comes up…or the trains run again or late night buses come to take me out of town?
It’s crazy to me a town the size of Philly doesn’t have a dance club/bar where I can stumble out of at 5 am.
It's not crazy, Philly isn't a party town. Go to Vegas NYC or Miami for that dumb shit.
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Any recommendations for finding a roommate besides Craigslist and the Philadelphia Roommates Facebook group?
My gf lives in Grad Hospital. A friend just gave her a small metal fire pit. Does anyone know where to find the regulations regarding use of fire pits?
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Where will you be coming from? I only ask because I've been here for a year and have yet to identify any real creative community (I'm an experimental composer/sound artist, but I've also engaged with the other arts in a variety of ways). I'm not saying it doesn't exist, just that I haven't found it. As a result, most of my work is still happening in NYC, which I would like to not be the case. That being said, I've been happy in my little corner of South Philly in the Newbold/East Passyunk area, which I think has some potential to develop into what you (and I) might be looking for.
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Much of the performing arts got shut down during the pandemic. Theatre is just coming back this year. It could never compare to NYC but it was 100% more active in all arts before COVID.
Oh trust me, I'm well aware of the effect that COVID had on the performing arts. Fortunately, I make most of my living teaching, but my wife lost all of her work for nearly a year and a half with the exception of a few online performances.
When I mention a creative community, I'm talking less about things happening and more about making things happen. Getting together with other people in the arts, coming up with ideas, and figuring out how to make it happen, no matter how crazy. Or just having a community to bounce ideas around or talk about things. A sort of informal creative think tank that happens naturally, and sometimes randomly. I haven't been able to find such a thing in Philly.
They exist. Especially in the theatre and visual arts.
Mt Airy/Germantown
Any recommended apartment buildings (or ones to avoid)? In the ballpark of $2500 for a 1BR in Rittenhouse /Logan square area
Hey guys. I'm 26 years old, work remotely in tech sales. I used to live in Boston, but last summer I moved back in with my parents in Exton PA after a breakup and wanting to reset. Living with family has been great as far as saving up money, but it doesn't seem like there's a whole lot going on this far out from the city. Plus I'm pretty far left and the dating apps are largely conservatives out here.
I was thinking of moving closer to or into the city while I'm still young to maybe get a bit of city life and perhaps meet people along the way. I know that the city itself though has an extra tax, so I'm not sure if it's silly to live there when I work from home and can live anywhere. At the same time, I don't really know a lot about the surrounding neighborhoods or if there's anywhere else nearby that's a good fit for people in their 20's. So basically I was hoping some here could provide guidance and help me figure out which neighborhoods in or around philly are good for my situation.
the thing about the wage tax is that the suburbs aren’t any cheaper to live in than the city. sometimes more expensive. and if you’re a single 20 something who could live anywhere, why not live in a relatively affordable large walkable city?
I'm moving to Philly in the near future and I'm trying to figure out affordable housing. I spent some time recently feeling out neighborhoods and a section of Passyunk Square (or maybe Dickinson Narrows? I'm not 100% on the boundaries) caught my eye. The area in question is bounded by E Passyunk Ave, 6th Street, Washington and maybe Dickinson on the south.
There are some little side streets in there that look like they have small rowhouses that are well kept and the area felt safe to me and shopping looks close and convenient. I'm not going to have a car, but considering the parking, that might honestly be for the best.
Does anyone have any input on this section of the city? What's it like living there? Anything to watch out for?
I really like visiting that part of town. I'd avoid cheesteak vegas (9th/wharton/Passyunk intersection) as stuff can get rowdy over there late at night. Other than that it's near a lot of restaurants, transit, and basic life needs (grocery, etc.) I'm not sure how cheap it is though.
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MANAYUNK | YARN FACTORY LOFTS
Hi All, me and my wife have been looking into moving into these lofts in Manayunk. While the Zillow listing seems promising, we’ve read a lot of mixed reviews on the management company and the property itself (leaky ceilings, critters, etc.).
Most of the negative reviews seem to be from 2-4 years ago but there haven’t been a lot of recent reviews online to speak to the current conditions of the place.
Does anyone have any insight into renting at the Yarn Factory Lofts in Manayunk?
Thanks!
Thoughts on these areas: WSW, Queen Village, Fairmont, and University City? These seem really walkable, but are they affordable, safe, things to do, etc.? We are looking into the details but would love thoughts. We also love artsy areas. Thanks. :)
All of those are safe and have things to do, affordability is relative and WSW QV and fairmount are pricier.
Passyunk is definitely more neighborhoody than somewhere like WSW. I constantly see people I know. You can hit passyunk, QV, and wsw in basically one long walk. Philly isn't all that massive, you can uber up to fairmount and then down to UC (or walk down the schuylkill river trail).
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Is Passayunk more small town? It's hard to tell. Trying to narrow it down to a few we can visit.
It kinda has the feel of a (really cool) small town, but it’s in walking distance of Center City. Best of both worlds, in my opinion. I love it.
Hi! I'm looking into subletting a place before signing a lease. Would Facebook groups be the best way to find sublets (University City area)?
Also is 38th & Spring Garden St a safe area? I'm looking into a sublet there.
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Commuting from the city to Warminster every day will absolutely suck. You might want to look into towns that are closer but still somewhat vibrant. Consider Ambler or Doylestown - smaller towns, but still nice walkable areas, easy access to transit, decent food and things to do. Depending on your tolerance for sitting in the car you might be able to swing Chestnut Hill or Mount Airy which is technically "in the city" (it is fairly suburban though). Not sure about rush hour from there to Warminster though.
There's no good way to get anywhere from Warminster, but you sure as hell don't want to live there. The commute will suck for sure.
>9 comments
There's a train line to Warminster. Depending on where your work location is, you could commute on the train. That would give you best of both worlds (live in the city, and, have a commute that's not too rough).
Hello!
My girlfriend and I area planning to move to the Philadelphia area and we came across the Kingswood Apartments in KOP. There were a lot of available listing for a seemingly really good area, so we got a little suspicious. Does anyone have any experience (good or bad) with these apartments or the surrounding area?
Well, what appeals to you about the area? The surrounding area is highways and a mall. Are you going to be working around there and trying to avoid a long commute?
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I (sadly) had to move out of the city for work purposes. I still have a storage unit in the city with some things, and I'm finally clearing it out. I have some bulk items to trash. Can I take it to the sanitation department's dump sites (like the one in Manayunk/Roxborough)? Will they care if I have out of state tags on my car?
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GoatPrestigious984 t1_jb68zoc wrote
Hi, I'm posting on behalf of a Ukrainian refugee that I'm sponsoring through the United for Ukraine program. We're trying to help him find a shared apartment rental with a roommate in Northeast Philadelphia, preferably with a Russian speaker. A quick Craigslist search yielded no relevant postings. Does anyone here have suggestions on where we might seek out such postings online or in newspapers? What are the forums for people seeking Russian-speaking roommates in Northeast Philadelphia? Thank you in advance.