http://www.greatschools.net/ is another place to check out parent reviews of schools. The philosophy of Lab Charter School doesn't seem to be a fit with a lot of people even though they produce great test scores.

You could move to another neighborhood in the city instead of the burbs too.

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The hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who sit passively by in times of crisis – Dante

We have already made our decision, thanks!

i think what people need to realize is that you can raise a child anywhere (city, suburbs, country, shore, whatever) and have them turn out good OR bad.

i grew up right here in fishtown/port richmond...and i, as well as my four brothers and sisters, turned into fully funcional, non alcoholic, non drug using, college educated, hard working individuals. but i grew up with a lot of people who didnt do so well (in rehab, etc.)

some people grew up in the burbs, and are fully functional, etc. etc. and i'm sure there are a lot of those who grew up in that same environment/area that are also in rehab, etc. etc.

my one sister and my brother decided to raise thier children in a suburban atmosphere (one in virginia and the other over in jersey) but my one sister is raising her son in port richmond. theyre all good kids.

i think the important thing is not WHERE you raise your kids but that YOU RAISE THEM.

yes...kids in the city have more access to drugs, more access to trouble (thats because there are more people in the city so its more of a prevalance) but...if you raise your kids right, and you teach them...they'll turn out good. if you just pop out some children and let the world raise them, and dont teach them right from wrong, chances are pretty fair that they'll fall into the wrong. i've never touched drugs in my life. did i have the opportunity? yes. but my parents taught me not to. my brothers wife was raised in the burbs, and her brother (same age as me) is addicted to heroin and threatened to kill my brother and his family because my brother wouldnt give him money for drugs.

i think this whole argument boils down to some people just not being able to accept the fact that some people want or desire or just plain like one thing, while others like another...there are different people out there.

if i have kids, i'm raising them in the city. i enjoyed my childhood here, i enjoy my young-adulthood here and i want to give my children a chance at something that i cherish. other people just want to do the same thing. let them move to the burbs. they obviously get and understand something that i dont get, understand or want. some people think of thier childhood in the city and are turned off by it. so they want to raise THIER children differently. some people hated thier childhood in the burbs...so they as well want to do something differently.

the world is diverse...embrace it

i babbled
sorry
dont even bother reading this whole thing

I agree polishcowboi.. I'm not trying to offend anyone - my husband was born and raised in Kensington and turned out just fine.

I just know I want my kids to be raised in the burbs, with a similar upbringing to my own.

To each his own.

My two cents in this post...

-Fishtown and kensington kids aren't that bad. most of them that I know are really great actually

-Adaire is the fishtown elementary school. There are some great teachers in the lower grades (don't know anything about the higher).

-quite a few artists w/families up here (myself included)

-if you want cheap real estate and a lot of space, look into east kensington

-if you open a gallery, PLEASE do it on frankford ave!!! there's already one (bambi) but frankford ave is about to have a huge renovation in the next two years thanks to the new kensington cdc in securing a penndot grant, and i really hope it becomes a destination spot someday

good luck!!!

so did you move to Fishtown?

Hi,

I am from Clinton Hill/Ft Greene area - moved here a year ago.

I opened a toy shop in Northern Liberties.

There are lots of creative people doing absolutely amazing things in Fishtown/East Kenzo. I am always amazed.

The area is pretty interesting (coming from Brooklyn) in so far as these are tight communities with long time family residents - like generations on the same block.

There is a lot of old-school heroin here - like what Williamsburg and the East Village was like 20 years ago.

Education-wise, it's not too good unless you are able to get your child into one of the better public schools in the area. Philadelphia has a MAJOR EDUCATION PROBLEM.

At your childs age, that doesn't matter too much yet and there are more "involved" people moving in to these areas, having kids and staying. I really hope that by the time your child is of school age, there will much more parental involvement. That is really what it takes to turn school systems around.

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The Toy Shop
716 N 3rd Street
Between Brown & Fairmount
www.PennToys.com

I am a high school student at a private school in Huntington Valley a "quaint suburban town." I also in the summer work for a contractor that rehabs houses in Fishtown. I have been exposed to both cultures, and I have discovered that it really is the parents NOT the location that makes for good kids.

My class of 54 students (23 boys including myself) has seen, over the last two years 8 kids arrested for every thing from hard drug use to assult. Five of these students have been expelled or dropped out. The common factor in all of these kids lives seems to be very little parental envolvement. It is also a myth that drugs and trouble are hard to come by in the burbs, the're many more that do and don't get caught.

In the City there seems to be more single parent house hold where the mother or in some cases the father has to mok just to make ends meet meaning that they are less involved in their childrens lives. So to reiterate it is not the setting but the parents that make the difference.

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"Tis' but a flesh wound"

Can someone explain to me why anyone would want to live in Kensington, much less raise kids there? It is is no way a desirable place to live for anyone. I have a friend who lives there and we were sitting in the park near his house watching someone shoot up within 30 feet of kids playing on swings. Go to A and Ontario and tell me Kensington is a nice place to live. Don't raise your kids there. That's all I have to say.