A little background: Next summer I will be graduating from grad school, and my fiancee (then wife) and I will be moving close to Philly for work. I will be working in center city, and she could be working anywhere from philly to new jersey, who knows.

We will be 23, and we are looking for a neighborhood that would have people of similar ages to us to meet and hang out with. We like to go out, not necesarily hardcore every night.

In your opinion, would we be better off living in Manayunk, close to main street, further from main street, or up the hill in Roxborough? We are most likely looking to rent, since we have no idea where our careers will lead us.

Thanks,
Chris

I like Manayunk and had I moved to Philly right out of college it's where I would have wanted to live.

The closer to Main St. the more convenient/fun your life will be. It's easy to step out to bars/gym/restaurants without worrying about a car. It's also very convenient to train station.

If you live in Roxborough your life will be more car oriented and most of the younger folks are concentrated closer to Main Street.

But if your fiance winds up working in Jersey then I think Manayunk would probably suck for her. You'd be better off renting in Northern Liberties or Old City.

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It really depends... You might want to wait a little longer until you have a better idea of where your fiance/wife is going to be working before making a decision on where to be, and choosing a neighborhood which works for both of you - commuting and social activities.

I live in the neighborhood and enjoy it for what it is - but sometimes find myself wishing I lived closer to the action. And I am a bit older than you! I also work in the far suburbs so my commute to downtown would be horrible and Roxborough is the midpoint between work and my friends.

You guys are pretty young, and say you like to go out.

I don't want to turn you off from moving to this area, but if you're going to be working downtown - why not live somewhere closer to downtown at a younger age, or have lots of friends or other reasons to be in the neighborhood? Unless you don't really drink, then it's no biggie. Or if you want regular access to the Wissahickon.

Pluses - it's pretty quiet and family-oriented, and if you like the Wissahickon Creek/Forbidden Drive you're nearby. Minuses - a lot of parts of Roxborough are really difficult to get around unless you have a car, and access to downtown is limited after 12ish. Then: much of Manayunk is filled with restaurants and bars for fun times, and small corner shops for sandwiches, but there isn't much in the way of "real shopping" e.g. supermarkets within walking distance, bookstores, etc.

I've lived in different parts of Manayunk, and enjoyed all of them for different reasons, but they weren't without their downsides.

When I lived off Main Street (on both Grape and Levering Streets between Silverwood and Cresson) it was prime location for the bike race parties and access to Main Street shopping and restaurants, and a great place to party. If you don't spend a lot of time "in" - you get easy access to Main St. However, parking is a bit tricky, especially during weekends and the icy winter months. And occasionally it does get loud at night when people come back to their cars.

Then I moved to "olde manayunk" or what some might call Wissahickon, but it's debatable -- Sharp Street -- over where train tracks are lower and separates Cresson more pronouncedly from Main Street. This is really close to some good pubs including the Dawson Street, and a pretty chill neighborhood to live in. Actually, I really loved it, because it's a 5-10 minute walk to most of Main Street, but you are separated by the hubub by the barrier of Cresson/train line. So not too many drunks stumble back there when it's not bike race day. It's very close to the Wissahickon Train Station, the park, bars you can hang at, and several bus lines. The only downside maybe - again - parking can get tight sometimes. But it's a lot quieter than the Levering/Grape St. area. Wissahickon is pretty nice too.

For a few yrs I lived downtown, and that was a pretty great experience - easy access to everything in the city by bike or bus. Parking about as tricky as Manayunk. Slightly shadier folks walking by late at night, but no major problems as long as you're careful. Depends on the neighborhood you choose.

Main Plus: There are lots of folks who are young and vibrant and looking for friends to hang with. You are easily accessible to something interesting going on, in many parts of the city. And if you like to go out drinking to bars downtown, this might be a better option for you - live downtown and not have to worry about $35 cab rides home (to Rox/Manayunk) or worse - drunk driving, or trying to catch that elusive last bus or train.

Now I definitely live in Roxborough. It's way more boring and quieter, but I have a garden and my neighbors are nice. Also I'm really right by the Wissahickon, so that's always nice for a great escape. It's usually 3-5 degrees cooler and much breezier up here due to all the trees/shade - which is nice in the armpit hot summers. There are lots of trees! It is like a small town. (Could be good or bad)
No problems parking, ever. However, restaurant and nightlife options accessible by short walks are pretty limited - you need to drive or take public transit. Main Street is a 15-20 minute walk - no biggie in the warm months, but unmotivating in the winter. Acme is nearby. Cabs aren't hard to get on Main Street back to Roxborough though, once you get yourself there.

Depending on where you live in Roxborough (and whether you have a car or not), you could be pretty well hooked up, or feel somewhat isolated. So choose carefully!

Thanks for the responses.

---Brenda: We were looking at Manayunk only because we figured we would be able to get more bang for our buck as opposed to center city. Since you have lived in many areas, do you think this would be true? I'm considering rent, night life, parking (if my fiancee does indeed work outside of Philly, she would most likely need a car).

We do like to go out and drink, but we tend to go to the same 3 places over and over again, and kind of get to know the locals there. For more background, we live in West Chester now.

Would you have any insight on what parking would cost closer to downtown in a "safe" neighborhood, as well as how much more I would expect rent to be in comparison to lets say an $800-900/month place in Manayunk?

Definitely Roxborough. I moved into Roxy when I was 23, plenty of young people still around. There are also plenty of neighborhood bars to hang out in, but if you don't want those you can still hit up main street easily.

I'd say Roxborough over Manayunk, just because parking in Manayunk is an absolute disaster. It is soooooooooooooooo much easier to find parking if you have a place in Roxy. While you will be closer to the places to hang out if you live in Manayunk, you will much closer to the places to shop for groceries, the beer stores, etc. if you live in Roxborough. Trust me, after 6 months you will get sick and tired of the parking situation in Manayunk. Housing in Roxy also tends to be cheaper.


Plus you don't have to deal with all the drunken roided out fratboys that want to fight everyone if you live in Roxy after the bars close.

We should point out that you can live in Rox and only be a mile or so walk from Main St. Manayunk, too. It's definitely a better overall quality of life, but still close.

Yup, I've made the trek all the way down and up Leverington to Main Street plenty of times. I've walked all the way from the Brew Pub and up Leverington near Ridge. It Really isn't that bad. Maybe a 20-30 min. walk.

Would you be able to give me specific street areas that you are suggesting in Rox?

Assuming you are speaking of 'downtown' Philadelphia, correct? Not Manayunk?? Because you seem to be not totally set on Manayunk, and if that is the case, I'd love to give you some pointers...
I lived in Manayunk for a little over a year, but have resided in several Philadelphia neighborhoods. I can honestly tell you, that if you like local bars and scenes where you can get to know your neighbors, Yunkers may not be for you. I found it to be your typical frat scene. No offense if that is your style. But there are plenty of areas with parking and rentals between the 700-900 range, that are in my opinion, more of an enjoyable experience.
Take a look at South West Center City or the Graduate Hospital area (within walking/biking distance to Center City and easily accessible to 1-95 or 76). Bella Vista and Queen Village are also great, but the rent might be a little higher there. Pennsport, by the Dickenson Square Park is nice, no-pay parking and CHEAP CHEAP rent (like 600!!) and next to Ikea, I-95....so on.
East Passyunk, is super cute, at like 11-13th Passyunk St with byob's and bars, coffee shops and convenient no-pay parking. These areas have so much more of a welcoming feel than Manayunk. Manayunk has either people who all went to college with each other, or people who are moving out in 6 months and don't want to bother making friends. Get the real city experience. Plus, walk to work! It will save you so much money if your wife is traveling by car. If you live inside the City, she could even potentially take the train, which is convenient. If you lived in Manayunk, you'd have to take the train into c.c. and then back out again to wherever you're going
Best of luck

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I'd also suggest considering East Falls. EF is pretty similar to Roxborough, but with way better SEPTA train station access (plus, EF station is Zone 1 so you save a lot on a monthly pass). When I lived there it took 15~20 minutes to walk to Main Street in Manayunk. EF itself has a limited selection of bars/restaurants but Pour House is a decent place to hang out. Also, EF is perfectly situated for easy access to both Fairmount Park and Kelly Drive. If you ever want to bike into Center City it'll take an hour tops. EF is also on the cheaper side, particularly as compared to Manayunk.

One drawback, though: EF is probably not as "hip" as Manayunk. EF is one of those neighborhoods that has been on the verge of getting hip status for several years but has never quite been able to make the leap.

I'd also suggest considering some of the neighborhoods nearer to Center City like in the posts below, especially if your fiancee/wife gets a job in Jersey.

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