I had a client who insisted that I only show him homes in West Mount Airy, and not East. When I took him to some homes between Lincoln Drive and Germantown Avenue, he became upset telling me that he didn't want to see anything in East Mount Airy! It's funny how many people think that Lincoln Drive and not Germantown Avenue is the dividing line.

I ended up showing him some beautiful homes near and off of Gowen Avenue, near where I live to make my point that East Mount Airy has areas nicer than parts of West Mount Airy. He ended up admitting that he was warned not to look in East Mount Airy by a friend and he realized that he was misguided.

yea, Germantown Ave is certainly the address divider of east and west but
East or west Mount Airy you can't go wrong. There has always been so much to offer here and the area just keeps drawing more and more people to it.

I remember that in the mid 80's a reader's poll in Philadelphia magazine rated Chestnut Hill as the #1 place to live. Today we see Philadelphia Magazine readers focusing more on Rittenhouse Square, but I would not be suprised at all to see even more young families leaving Center City for Mount Airy, Chestnut Hill, and Germantown in the coming years. You can actually buy a house here for the price of a studio in center city.

For the most part, East Mt. Airy is a nice, clean, solidly middle-class neighborhood. There also some huge, beautiful old homes. There are a lot of streets, especially between Gtown Ave and Chew, that are full of smaller row houses that look like they could use a coat of paint. But I wouldn't even describe those as "dangerous and hoody".

I do think my perspective is different than it used to be before living in Philly (Center City, then Fairmount, then West Philly, then East Mt. Airy) for nearly 5 years. When I moved here, I would probably have been scared of the neighborhood you're describing. Now, it just seems normal to me.

I do get a little prickly when I come across the attitude (luckily it's not a very widely-held attitude) that West Mt. Airy is THE only part of Mt. Airy worth living in. Folks who think that just need to come over and take a nice long walk East of Gtown Ave.

Does anyone know what company is building the townhomes at 102-10 E Phil Ellena Street 1?

Thanks!

From Wikipedia: There is no "official" boundary between Mount Airy and Germantown. The most common consensus is that Johnson Street is the de facto boundary; however, Washington Lane could also be viewed as a boundary. The question is moot, however, as the two neighborhoods blend together very gradually. Historically the entire area was part of the German Township. Many buildings in Mount Airy carry the identity and even the name of Germantown in one way or another. For example, the Unitarian Church of Germantown, the Germantown Jewish Center, the Germantown Christian Assembly, and the Germantown Montessori School are all in Mount Airy, yet belong culturally to Germantown as well. Parts of the Battle of Germantown in 1777 occurred throughout Mount Airy and Germantown. The special relationship linking the two has its roots in the time before the Act of Consolidation, when Germantown was a borough separate from the City of Philadelphia, and its rural environs were what is now Mount Airy.

are houses affordable in My.Airy? The attractive older, large looking ones.

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I think that you are in Mount Airy if your zip code is 19119. Although I believe that the area bleeds into other areas. I have always considered to border going all the way to Washington Lane(as opposed to Johnson Street) on the south side and up to Lowber Avenue(As opposed to Stenton Avenue) on the east side due to geographical boundaries(Graveyards,Roads ending etc.) But I see the Wissahickon as a "Hard" border as well as Creshiem Valley Drive.

Good question! I'm curious to know the same thing. My friend and I drove through this area a few days ago and I was surprised at how beautiful and serene the neighborhood was. I liked the big old houses and the quaint neighborhood structure. We stopped at a food co-op and a coffee cafe along the way, if that gives any indication at all of the part of Mt. Airy we drove through(sorry I'm so vague!! I don't know this area well at all!).

What would you say the average price range would be for a 3story 3bedroom little Victorian style twinhouse? Is it affordable, or should I stick to looking at houses in Tacony and Bridesburg areas(which I find to be pretty good prices)? Just curious...

Hi All,

I am being priced out of Center City and am also getting too old for climbing stairs. So tonite I looked at condos in Phila and came upon a pretty reasonable one on Hortter St. I know absolutely nothing about Mt. Airy. Anybody have some info on Hortter St or any other condos in the area? Thanks