Hey Guys:

My first post! I'm really enjoying Phillyblog.

Just wanted to throw my two cents in about Mt Airy. I bought a house there about 2 years ago, and couldn't be happier. I bought on the somewhat "less desirable" east side (though it's "Upper East" Mt Airy - a strange local distinction. It seems to mean it's really WEST Mt. Airy, though east of Germantown Avenue!).

Anyway, it's amazing what's happened since I bought. Germantown Avenue has spring back to life, housing prices have continued to climb, and houses are being snapped up and fixed up at a healthy pace. This neighborhood is great in so many ways, not least its celebrated diversity. I swear it is the only subccessfully integrated neighborhood in Philadelphia. When looking, I had considered East Falls (which is nice, but "surrounded" by scary 'hoods), but it seemed to be dominated by folks who don't take kindly to anyone different (big generalization, I know). Other neighborhoods in the Northwest had similar drawbacks (Roxborough, Manayunk, Chestnut Hill) - very insular and distrustful of people who haven't lived there for 30 generations!

Anyway, just wanted to say that Mt Airy is great - tree-lined streets, historical sites, surrounded by the Wissahickon - I couldn't recommend it more. I didn't mean to badmouth other neighborhoods, but for people who actaully LIKE to live with people different from them, Mt Airy is for you!

How are the schools?

Hey Steve:

Good question. I don't have kids myself, but most of my neighbors do, so I know a little about the topic.

If you're going to send your kids to public school, be sure to live in West Mount Airy. The elementary school there (the name escapes me at the moment) is one of the higher-rated ones in the City. The one for the east side (Henry Houston School) is fine, but not as sought after as the other.

The 7-year-old girl who lives next door to me goes to a Waldorf school that's suposed to be great: http://www.phillywaldorf.com/faq.htm It's on a beautiful campus that used to be the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf. There are also a few Friends schools, Germantown Friends being the most well-known and expensive. There are two Catholic schools (Holy Cross and St. Madeleine). Hope this helps!

Thanks for the post. I am interested in W. Mt Airy, as I work at La Salle University. I am interested in buying this spring. Can you provide more information (or maybe send me a private message). Do you have a realtor that you recommend for that area? I would welcome comments from others as well.

Thanks!

I won't tell you who MY realtor was, because she was lousy - I even found my house! But I have heard good things about Janet Lippincott with Prudential Fox Roach:

http://www.prufoxroach.com/agentoffi...1-975b7774dd7c

Here's some Mt Airy Web sites:

http://www.mtairy.org
http://www.mtairyusa.org

Good luck!

I think the school you are referring to is Jenks, on Germantown Avenue in Chestnut Hill.

No, I think she's talking about C.W. Henry, in the block bounded by Carpenter, Greene, Sedgwick & Sherman.

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Thomas Taylor

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Nice article el. It's great to read about any of the neighborhood "avenues" coming back to life. I think it's key to making the neighborhoods outside of CC viable. ThomasT, you're right. I also read that Henry is one of the better schools in the city.

Hi - this is my first post to phillyblog, though I have visited the site many times in the past.

I am a student and I'm currently working on a research paper about West Mt. Airy neighborhood associations and the role that they played to encourage racial integration in the 1960s (as well as their current efforts)

I am especially interested in how these organizations (the associations, schools, and churches) may be working together to improve the neighborhood.

I would love to hear from people who would not mind be interiewed about these organizations. I would love to hear from people directly about their opinions on the successes, opportunities, and challenges of the neighborhood.

If you would be willing to share your feelings about the neighborhood in an email or phone interview, I would love to hear from you by April 20, 2006.
All the best and thank you for the great information on all Philadelphia neighborhoods.