Well I don't really know if I believe that but that is what one of my best friends tells me.

I moved here after grad school in 2002, rented for 3 years, loved it and bought a house in 2005. Right now I rent a bunch of rooms to friends and randoms from craigslist and enjoy not paying much of my mortgage.

So I figure if I meet a girl and settle down does that mean I have to move out? haha

My buddy was renting around here, has a 5 year old, and is finally settling down with his girl and ready to raise a family. He couldn't really afford this area, needed something for under 180k with 3+ bedrooms. So now he's moving to Mayfair.

So do you think that Manayunk is just a student/rental/party town?

I know lots of people have done what I did, rented here and bought here. Will they all leave once they start popping out kids?

On the good side 19127 is one of the safest zips in the city from a crime perspective. But there aren't any kids playing outside of the houses thats for sure.

I'm not really sure what will happen but I've argued with my buddy saying that this place may be crawling with kids in 5-10 years. I know when I was a kid I would have loved the tow path, fishing on the river, riding bikes through wisahickon, etc.

Yes, but at least that's an improvement to what it used to be.

You already cited some of the things a kid would love about Manayunk. In addition, Manayunk's public school, Dobson, is one of the best schools in the city. When I drive through Manayunk I see lots of kids. Take a look at the rec on Fountain as well as North Light, one of the best kid's facilities in the city with tons going on all year long. Some blocks have more families than others. Center City used to be a place for young singles but now there are lots of families there. I think the Yunk will be the same. Manayunk is a great place to raise kids. I think your friend made a big mistake.

I agree with your friend in that Manayunk isnt a family oriented area. Def a great young singles area or for anyone just wanting to enjoy themselves, but for kids I don't see it as a good option.

Its very safe, but its def not kid friendly. The things you mentioned are all good for you to do with your child, but when your kid gets older and wants to head out it would be tough.

Most people that I know moved to start a family some just moved farther up the hill into Roxborough or like your friend to and area in the NE like Mayfair.

Just curious,what makes Roxborough or Mayfair a better place for kids than Manayunk? BTW, I'm raising my kids in Roxborough and outside of easier parking, I don't see much advantage over Manayunk.

There just seem to be a LOT more young families and family oriented stuff in Roxborough. Just come up the hill a bit from main street and it's not college kids, but good solid family people and stores families need, libraries, etc. The partying young folks just stay right around Main -- the rest of the area is a nice place for kids. In fact, on the other side of Henry or over in Wissahickon there are plenty of houses with good-sized yards that are still walkable to lots of things. I think you can stay in the area and enjoy it with a family if you just go a few blocks up the hill -- there are kids playing on the streets around my house all the time!

I agree that Roxborough is a great neighborhood for kids for all the reasons cited by blueroses. But I think that perception that Manayunk is just for party hardy young people is not accurate. There are plenty of families in Manayunk who also walk to the library and the stores but also have their own playgrounds and community center. Frankly, I'd like to live closer to North Light myself.

Right.
It's just right near Main that's rowdy. I'm sure there are plenty of good "family" streets just a little up the hill before you officially reach Roxborough (which really isn't that far, actually -- Manayunk or Silverwood, depending on who you talk to). It's just a matter of checking out where the kids are renting and picking a quiet street, I think.

I agree. When you mention Manayunk, some people just think of Main St. on a Saturday night. If you look around the neighborhood, you'll see that there is much more to it. There are plenty of kids in Manayunk - however they are children of long time 'yunkers and not newcomers (although I do know a couple newcomer families with babies that have settled in the neighborhood). There are 2 families on my block with small children, and a few more with kids who are grown.
I see children everyday at the playgrounds, the pool and schoolyards. Actually, I usually see some kids on bikes or skateboards whenever I'm on Main St.

I'm at the bottom of Ripka at Umbria. When I was buying the house, a long time yunker was my realtor, and she was explaining to me nuances.....and she was saying she saw Main Street and Manayunk as 2 separate entities....she was all about my area as being in the real Manayunk. But to be honest I just wanted to be as close to main as possible and get 5 bedrooms....so this is where I ended up. I guess now....its good to be 2-3 blocks from Green and Main....and yet be just out of the noise range. But I still like the noise at this point.