There has been talk about this area previously, but it was scattered through a few threads. I have a few questions:

1. This is not considered Fishtown, right? If not, what is that area?
2. Are people looking to that area for good buys, hoping to cash in on the 'industrial' aspect?
3. Are people afraid to walk through that area to the train?

Thanks

1. It's Kensington.
2. I'd describe it more as "ghetto" rather than industrial...
3. Yes, I am afraid to go to the Berks stop...hoping that will change because real estate prices have gone up there as an off-shoot of Fishtown and maybe it will start looking up. People seem optimistic about it...but I think it will take a lot.

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

Thanks

Most folks would not consider it Fishtown. Then again, I met somebody a few weeks ago who lived on 3rd Street below Girard Ave, and described himself as living in Fishtown!

I think there is a little bit of that going on, but my understanding is that it is very limited at this point.

I'm certainly not. I've walked around there, and never had any problems... whereas I've had people try to sell me heroin and had them throw things at me and yell obscenities at me in Fishtown. (Not meant as a rag on Fishtown. I'm just saying it has happened to me here, but not on the other side of Frankford.)

However, I do know quite a few people who are afraid to walk through the area. I guess it's another case of YMMV.

__________________
http://fishtown.us - Live in, work in, or care about Fishtown? Then visit fishtown.us!
http://summerfield.org - Summerfield's Website

What's YMMV?

Your Mileage May Vary

By looking at danroths picture, I don't think anyone will f... with him anyway.

:rolling_:

For what it's worth, I'm a skinny white guy who's walked through that area once or twice and didn't have any trouble. What worries me about it is that some parts seem very abandoned, and abandoned areas tend to scare me. Same goes for large sections of West Kensington at the other side of Front St.

Ah, another border dispute. It's been too long. The 19125, by which many people define Fishtown, is a triangle bordered by Delaware Avenue, Lehigh Avenue, and Front Street. So, some people feel that the area between Frankford and Front is Fishtown. The Star, I believe, does the most accurate job defining the neighborhood. It divides the 19125 into 5 nieghborhoods based on census tract. The Wharton School also uses this approach, and there's a link to their comprehensive 2001 study of the neighborhood below.

The Star refers to the area we're talking about as "Flat Iron," I believe.
The area is also referred to "Olde Kensington" (with the "e"), and defined as the "southern portion of Kensington located north of Northern Liberties, west of Fishtown," but whether Frankford or Front is the border, I don't know. To make it even more complicated, West Kensington is defined as "American Street area, between Front and 3rd Streets."

As I'm sure Hal will pipe in at some point, the whole frickin area north of Girard and along the water was the District of Kensington in 1854, and has been split into various names since then. That's why no one can agree where the borders are.

Anyway, the area is a bit dicey - primarily because of vacant lots. Therefore, it will likely remain dicey until someone starts building on those lots - which has got to be years away at this point.

http://gislab.wharton.upenn.edu/CSOL...n_Greening.htm

I rode through there on my bike yesterday, it seemed really ghetto to me. Before yest, I have only seem that area at night.

There is 1 *really* nice structure that would make great condos however the multiple rows of shacks within a few hundred feet worried me. Very run down for sure.

The home on Susquehanna that Murph has for 279 looks nice...but 279??? Wow. If you are looking at sqft, its a buy I suppose. MLS 4341868