So what makes Fairmont a great neighborhood to live in or visit?

Isn't it "Fairmount"? Or am I confusing what you're talking about?

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Resident of Fishtown, Moderator of Fish/No. Libs/Kenzo forum, Real Estate Agent-Prudential Fox & Roach

The question is whether the neighborhood name comes from Fairmount Hill, from the colonial Fairmont estate, or from Fairmount street that runs through the area.

Fairmount is a name for the hill that the Art Museum is on- I think Fairmont was the name of a colonial estate ON the hill- It's like
Pittsburg_ PittsburgH people change back and forth-

Farimount Hill it was called Morris Hill around the time that British troops burned about 20 colonial farms in that part of the city to established a clear fire perimeter in 1777. The estate may have been called Fairmont estate after it was rebuilt.

Oddly, the NEIGHBORHOOD around there was intially called Cherry Hill, after a colonial era cherry orchard- the Eastern State Pennitentiary is now located on the hill where the cherry trees were.

Hal

Brooke is right, it's Fairmount. Could someone please fix the spelling for the heading, it's driving me crazy and my crazy pills are out of reach at the moment.

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Philly Chit Chat
www.PhillyChitChat.com/

I am thinking of moving to this area. I love the neighborly feel. Plus Fairmount Ave seems to be their Main Street USA with a few resturaunts, stores and homes. The prices of the homes still seem reasonable and they have a fairly active neighborhood community group. The best part is that it is bookended by the great Fairmount Park on one end and the magnificent Eastern State Penitentiary (Museum) on the other side. I think its one of the best neighborhoods bordering Center City :clapping:

Except for Rittenhouse Square and Society Hill, I think Fairmount has the best location of any Philadelphia neighborhood. You just can't beat the convenience: when there's a great exhibit at the Art Museum or a regatta on the Schuylkill or a parade on the Parkway, forget about a car-just walk! Even when there's a SEPTA strike, you can still walk into CC with no problem.

And it is one of the safest areas of the city with a very low incidence of physical crime (muggings, shootings, etc.) although we do have our share of car thefts/vandalism. I don't feel at all uncomfortable coming home late and walking a couple of blocks to my house.

Unfortunately, there seem to be an inordinate number of public housing units for such an upscale area. I don't know what the story is there but you will come across a dilapidated house stuck in the middle of clean, well-maintained rowhomes - they stick out like sore thumbs and the tenants are known to cause problems.

Real estate prices are going up like a rocket but you can still find homes in the upper 100's; the trick is to find a place that hasn't been rehabbed - may be a lot of work but it really would be worth the effort. Overall, I think it's a great place and if you're looking to relocate you can't do much better.

Fairmount feels very much like a small town. Even its physical position, set off to the side, as it were, and bordered by park and wall for at least some of the distance, gives it a fairly distinctive geographical identity.

Yes, Fairmount Avenue is our "main street." There's a lot of useful stuff along the Avenue - Klein's, the tiny local grocery store; pharmacies; restaurants; Garden Fresh for good fresh produce & deli foods; Sunoco; post office; hardware store etc. Nevertheless, I'm personally hoping that Fairmount Ave. can continue to improve, especially east of 20th St., where there are some interesting old storefronts. At the moment they're rental properties, but it would be great to see some new commercial business there.

If you're curious to get a feel for the neighborhood, wait for a nice day, preferably in mild or warm weather, and stroll up 24th St. to Aspen (near Bridgid's bar & restaurant). You'll see Ward Park, named after Patrick Ward, a local son who was killed in Vietnam. It's a quirky but charming little pocket park, kept tidy and cheerful by a group of long-time Fairmount guys who have become fixtures, hanging out in the park in warm weather. Children play there too, and sometimes our Townwatch meets there to go on patrol.

Or stand at the corner of 23rd and Fairmount on a weekday afternoon after work and get the feel of a busy but relaxed urban neighborhood - people going in and out of Garden Fresh with their evening groceries, diners sitting outside at London, people waiting for the bus.

There are a lot of evocative things for me about Fairmount, but I'll leave it at that for the moment. I know friends and neighbors of mine from Fairmount read this blog too - let's hear from some more of you.

Does anyone know what's happening with Beato's at 25th & Parrish?

It's being remodeled for an eat-in and sit-down South Philly-style Italian restaurant. Both the old Beato's and the house next door to it on 25th are part of the project - they've opened up the adjoining wall to make the space larger. Looks like they're doing a nice job on the details, so it should be a considerable improvement over the old place.

It was supposedly due to open this month, but I guess that's been pushed back.

photo: akabak

www.akabak.net