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07-09-2007, 05:12 PM
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Where Should I Live?
Right now I live by the Art Museum, but we have one kid, another on the way, and need some space.
Can someone fill me in on where in Germantown, Chestnut Hill, or Mt. Airy you can find 1) Good schools 2) Walkably close stuff (eating, drinking, buying) 3) Septa line 4) Yard (not a football field but a place to BBQ and play catch) 5) And maybe a park Does that exist? 
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07-09-2007, 06:12 PM
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Bingo
Mount Airy + Chestnut Hill, as well as parts of Germantown, provide all of your required points in abundance. Indeed, my wife + I moved to MA to start our family for those specific reasons. Frankly, I can't think of a better place in Philadelphia to raise a family than this one.
-Z
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07-09-2007, 07:04 PM
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The neighborhoods that you mentioned are great places to raise a family. Some parts are more convenient to parks and shopping than others. Generally being near the Co-op at Greene and Carpenter or Germantown Avenue is where you might find most convenient while being close to the parks. Have you driven around to see what the neighborhoods look like? Are you thinking of renting or buying?
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07-09-2007, 08:27 PM
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We would be buying.
From the posts, it seems "all" or most of the schools are solid? And I use to work in Ft. Washington and at times drove to work through this area. Some parts seemed better than othetrs (like all areas).
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07-09-2007, 08:44 PM
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Schools
I believe that the two best schools in Chestnut Hilll, Mount Airy, + Germantown are the Henry + Houston Schools. Henry serves primarily West Mount Airy, + Houston serves a combination of East + West Mount Airy.
-Z
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07-10-2007, 01:47 PM
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Some of the best private schools in the city are in the Northwest as well. I am not sure if that is an option that you would consider.
Good luck in your search! Last edited by NWPhillyRealtor : 07-13-2007 at 01:10 PM.
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07-10-2007, 05:01 PM
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Don't forget Wissahickon Charter School
For good public schools in the northwest, there's also Wissahickon Charter. It's farther from Mt. Airy than Henry and Houston (at 4700 Wissahickon), but the teaching staff and administration are very good. The school has an environmental and service learning mission, making it unique and providing great opportunities for civic engagement for students.
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07-15-2007, 12:42 AM
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Jenks School is supposed to be good, too (in Chestnut Hill). Remember that you can often get into schools not in your district via lottery, so it's possible you could send your kids to school in another part of the city if you wanted to. We've thought of trying to get into one of the Center City charter schools, because we could take the kid to school on the way to work even tho we live in Mt. Airy.
I agree that the area around the co-op is nice for parks, yards, general neighborliness, and Henry School. But if you want really walkable you may want to live closer to Germantown Ave. If you live in East Mt. Airy or West Mt. Airy within walking distance of, say, the stretch of Germantown Ave between Sedgewick and Allens Lane, then you have a whole array of restaurants, stores, the Acme, the library, a couple of parks, an indy video store and two great indy cafes, etc. You can walk to these things from the area around the co-op too, but it's a little further. After living in Art Museum with its steady stream of busses, you may be annoyed by relying on the regional rail. I don't mind it, but I wish the trains ran every half hour ALL the time, instead of just during peak hours. Sucks to wait an hour for a train on the weekends or coming home in the middle of the day. If you're seriously considering it, get Rich McIlhenny to give you a driving tour of the area some time. He commented on this thread already so you can contact him directly. He knows the area very well and is doing a good job as buyer's agent for some relatives of mine who are looking for a house in NW Philly. Last edited by vcm : 07-15-2007 at 12:43 AM. Reason: tyypo
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07-15-2007, 01:43 AM
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Roxborough has good parks and is the safest zip in Philadelphia
If you discover you can't afford Mt. Airy, there are some really nice (from the street, anyway) larger Victorian homes with parking on the market right now in Roxborough. It's probably the best bang for the buck in NW Philly, and it's easily accessible to hipper areas like Manayunk, W. Mt Airy and Center City, plus it has easy access to 76, which connects you to suburban destinations for work and shopping as well. Just wanted to remind you that we're here, since we don't get a lot of press.
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