Hey, I'm in the process of relocating from Seattle to Philadelphia to be somewhat closer to my sister (North Jersey), but mostly to experience a REAL city. I kind of picked Philly out of a hat (although I have been there a few times) because I think the city is on its way up and just waiting to be rediscovered again.

I am going through a couple diffrent channels to find a job, but what I really would like assistance on is which neiborhoods to look into as far as as living goes, and which ones I should probably avoid. I am a mid-twenties professional looking for an area with people of similar age (I won't know anybody in the city prior to moving out), good bars, safe, affordability and a place to park my car (I know its not neccessary if work/living in city, but I plan on road-tripping often). I know the parking issue could possibly be the deciding factor of which neighborhood to chose from, just like most big cities. What is the general parking situation like for apartments? In most areas is it first come/first serve on-street (hard to find or plentiful), available for a nominal/expensive fee?

Also, if I choose to live in the burbs (to avoid the wage tax), which areas are CLOSE to the city and have a good vibe of their own?

Thanks for all your insight! And if anyone is feeling creative, give this question a thought. "What are the most important things someone should know before moving to Philadelphia". (I already found about about the wage tax, so I'm one up on you!)

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TJ

tfrickle, happy to see another one coming along. I know what it is like to want to be closer to family, I moved to the area for the same reason.

People: I too consider myself a young professional, and I would tell you manayunk is pretty fun. What you will find there is many other people that are young professionals, along with a pretty killer main street. Many of us are considered yuppies, so be it. There are a lot of college students and recent college grads mixed in with people who have lived there for 30-40 years.

Bar scene: There are a ton of bars (if that is your sort of thing) within walking distance. It can be a bit loud if you are on, or are very close to main street.

Restaurants: There are a ton, and they too are in walking distance, italian, sushi, french, steak house, hibachi, ben and jerrys, etc.

Safety: I would say that Manayunk may be one of the safest parts of the city, bar none. The closer you are to main street the better, the cops patrol main street often because there are a lot of affluent folks down there.

Getting around: If you want to get into the city (center city), you are 10 minutes from the heart of the city (driving). You are also close to the burbs.

For fun: If you are into mountain biking, manayunk is close to many parks, and close to 1 golf course too. The gym is on main street, and there is another in walking distance too.

Parking & Transportation: Parking sucks (unless you have a garage), garages run about 100-150 a month. If you are close to main street, you'll be close to the train, which runs you into the city. If you live in an apartment complex, parking is fine. If you get an apartment in a house, and have street parking, you're screwed.

For more info on the wage tax.

For more info on Manayunk

When are you planning on moving?

They are also building two new apartment buildings (very expensive), one is done (watermillatmanayunk.com) and the other won't be done for a while.
Good luck.[/url]

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I'm one of those "young professionals" and I have lived in Philadelphia for about six years. In my opinion, "Old City" is a great part of town for folks like us. There are tons of restaurants and bars. There are also a number of historical attractions as the neighborhood is sort of "L'ed" by a national park (with the libery bell, the new "independence center," Constitutional Hall, etc.). It's quite safe as the park rangers all carry guns! Besides, the police keeps a decent presence because of the tourist visiting the historical attractions. Check out our "oldcityreviewed" website for more info (http://www.oldcityreviewed.com).

Old City is sort of trendy (certainly with respect to the restaurants) and it contains numerous galleries. The closest equivalent is probably SOHO in NYC, but without the booming retail. A lot of the area used to be warehouses and factories a while back but most have been converted into apartments, townhouses, and condos. As for rents, I used to live in a "studio" (which was quite large) on eighth floor (any not many buildings in old city are even that tall) of a cool building and paid about $720 a month. That same apartment rents for about $800 a month now. Currently I live with my GF in a large one bedroom with a den and we pay about $1100 a month. There are some cheaper units around. E-mail if you want the names of some buildings or rental agencies in the neighborhood.

The most important part, though, if you'd working in the city is that the Market/Frankfort (blue) line runs right under Market Street (which runs through the middle of the neighborhood. There are two stops within easy walking distance of anywhere in Old City.

Parking, though, is an issue. If you don't have a space associated with your apartment when you rent (which can be rare), you'll have to rent a space at one of the numerous lots in the neighborhood. Before we got a space at the base of our building ($125/mo.), we were in a parking lot around the corner ($160/mo.). Forget about street parking because it's all metered.

Hope this helped.

I used to live in Center City East, but moved south for parking. Moving to Queens Village or Bella Vista is a good idea for people with cars that can't afford a parking space. If your in by 7 or 8 PM there are usually spots. Any later and a lot of south street partiers have already taken all the good spots. If your close to Broad (14th st.), you will be close to the Broad st subway, if not, buses run North on 3rd and 7th and south on 4th and 8th. Rent is more reasonable than old city and cabs are plentiful with south street so close. It is a $5 cab ride to center city and old city. Both neighborhoods are full of young professionals and with the Italian Market right there, you can save on groceries, especially fruits and vegitables, as well as any kind of meat your heart desires.

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Jason
Lynn Swann 06'

"Individualism is absent when other peoples' standards, not reality and reason, are ones primary guide."

I do really like queens villiage, got a buddy that lives down there, real nice, and some side streets are very, very quiet.

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As far as rent goes, I had a place that was 1 bedroom that cost $700. You can find stuff that is more or less expensive. A lot of the rentals in QV are newly remodeled with all ameneties included. Check out http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/cl...eds/reforrent/ for apartment rentals. It is the best place to find an apartment. Updated every Tuesday night. The paper comes out every Wednesday, but the online version is up on Tuesday, so if your quick, you can get in touch with owners before the paper version comes out. That is how I got my last two places.

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Jason
Lynn Swann 06'

"Individualism is absent when other peoples' standards, not reality and reason, are ones primary guide."

The hotel windsor rents furnished studios by the month if you are interested in getting to know the area first. Plus you can get maid service for $30/mo. Anyways, it's ahrd to say b/c not even all yuppies are alike. Many people love manayunk but I go ther once a year, if that often. I like Old city but it's expensive. I liek the area above market street better. Wuieter and more livable than the major strip. Personally, antique row may be the best deal in center city (look for Pine St. between 9th and 12th sts on a map). 1 Br's can be had for as little as $800/mo (maybe less). Parking will more than likely be a garage unless you get lucky, Also, the are west fo Rittenhosue Square near the Schuykill RIver between Walnit and Pine is very nice and relatively affordable. If price is not an issue, Rittenhouse is beautiful but parking is garage only. these areas are all quite safe. For street parking Zog is right, Bella and Queen's Village is your best bet. Personally I like Northern Liberities (south of Girard Ave) between 5th and Front down to 676) but they have had a recent spate of muggings thoguh they seemed to have finally caught them. It's more laid back and affordable. Parking is relatively easy.
If public transit is of interest, Living off a subway line is important (There are two.) There is a trolley that runs along Girard (right now it's a bus) and all trains to suburbs can be caught at 30th St. STation, Surburban (Right near City Hall at 15th & Market) and 12th and MArket. That is how I commute to work in the suburbs. When I visit NYC I usually take the train or the a bus out of chinatown (www.dragoncoach.com) which are easier and cheaper than driving. We are about 2.5-3hrs from DC and 1.5 hrs form Baltimore.

I would think that for a young, single, professional person, some of the neighborhoods mentioned here are particularly good bets. I'm very fond of the area I live in - Fairmount - but it's fairly quiet, a tiny bit off the beaten track (though closer than Manayunk) and very family-oriented. Good place to move when you get married & have your first kid.

It seems to me if you're going to be in a city, why not be in the center of the action? That would include Wash West (Washington Square West, including eldondre's Antique Row), Old City, Queen Village, maybe Society Hill or Rittenhouse/Fitler (though they're very high-end and a bit stuffy). To a lesser extent Northern Liberties, which is off the beaten track like Fairmount but is a pretty neat and definitely up-and-coming part of town.

You ought to live somewhere really central like that & then consider Philly Car Share instead of owning a car. You won't have to pay the ungodly insurance, you won't have to worry constantly about parking, & you can still have access to a vehicle for day trips out into the country or to DC, NYC, wherever. Here's the website: http://www.phillycarshare.org/
For day to day travel, the bus/subway network in Center City & the area immediately around it is perfectly reasonable, though service is a bit thin off-peak. If you live & work within Center City, you can pretty much walk anywhere - it's only about 2 square miles.

Safety is fine in Philly. Be a little streetsmart, keep your eyes & ears open, & you'll be fine. Even NoLibs is okay, I think, despite the recent muggings. Every part of the city has had its moment in the dubious spotlight of crime waves. When they're over it doesn't seem any more or less safe than other neighborhoods.

I think you're right, Philadelphia is on its way up. Even with the economic downturn, there are a lot of signs of confidence in the city - both private individuals (see zogby's tales of the improvements in his S. Phila neighborhood) and large developers (major new high-rises going in at 8th & Walnut [residential] and 17th & Arch [commercial]).

Welcome to Philly!

Hey TJ-

Let me also welcome you to Philly and share some of my feelings. Eveyone is right, these are all awesome neighborhoods with local shops, coffee houses, BYOB's, pubs, etc. My wife and I moved from the 'burbs to Queen Village last year and absolutely love it. We reide our bikes to the gym in Old City, walk to restaurants and shops on South Street, take cabs to the theater, etc. Manayunk, East Falls, Fairmount, University City, Old City, etc. are all awesome places. I agree with one of the earlier points that you should try to get as close to the center of everything as possible to experience how awesome Philly is. You really can't appreciate it until you get out of your car and see some of the back cobblestone alleys of Society Hill or Washington Square West. It's an awesome city and will give you everything that you want. Good luck and let us know if we can help!

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Steve Grandizio
Fair Credit Mortgage

Hey TJ-

Let me also welcome you to Philly and share some of my feelings. Eveyone is right, these are all awesome neighborhoods with local shops, coffee houses, BYOB's, pubs, etc. My wife and I moved from the 'burbs to Queen Village last year and absolutely love it. We reide our bikes to the gym in Old City, walk to restaurants and shops on South Street, take cabs to the theater, etc. Manayunk, East Falls, Fairmount, University City, Old City, etc. are all awesome places. I agree with one of the earlier points that you should try to get as close to the center of everything as possible to experience how awesome Philly is. You really can't appreciate it until you get out of your car and see some of the back cobblestone alleys of Society Hill or Washington Square West. It's an awesome city and will give you everything that you want. Good luck and let us know if we can help!

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Steve Grandizio
Fair Credit Mortgage