Well..if you move there, it looks like you'll be part of the much needed gentrification process in the area. When I was looking to buy, I thought that the area would be a good financial investment - nothing much more than that. Orkney seemed like a quiet street, but I remember seeing some shady characters on the northern part of the block. I remember there were some nice homes on Lawrence St., which is one block closer to the park. I think that block has a lot more problems though (e.g.- drugs, noise, wayward kids, etc). Just keep in mind that Orkney is just a block from all that activity and that those kids eventually grow up.

I don't know if you can do this, but is it possible to ask the police how many times they visited a particular area or neighborhood? That might help you with your decision.

The area's not that bad. It's definitely a transition zone. The area around the park is beautiful, but if you walk just one block east, you'll run into garbage on legs and the homes they live in. Despite it all, a good investment for the amount of your loan.

philthadelphia-

wait, so you're saying garbage on legs is to the east of the park, other people are telling me they're to the west? what's going on?

that is a good idea about asking the police how often they've visited an area. i'll give that a try.

If you're looking for 125K, then you might want to chance it on those blocks. That was around my range when I bought, and it is nearly impossible to find something around the park in that range now! (I got lucky)

Check out the 400 blocks though, from Washington down to Moore. Yeah, dicey, but in your range, it might be best. This is how things turn around, when people who cannot afford $300k homes turn to less desirable blocks and chance it, fix them up, and make things a bit better. I'm pulling for more folks to do just that, and bridge the gap between 4th & 7th! It's a tough one though, I think. But it might just happen. Especially, the more north you are. Dickenson Narrows would be the civic organization there.

You might be able to find some fixer-uppers in Pennsport though, perhaps south of Moore? Think tiny streets. There were quite a few a couple of years ago, but prices have gone up there.

Good luck with it!!

oops...my bad. i got the directions mixed up in my head. I meant west, and I also meant, the folks on the southern part of the block, not the northern part. hope that helps.

buca & philth - thanks for the replies

i found a few in the 400 blocks in my price range, but they're way south, almost to snyder. i think the further north, the better, if i want to benefit from any sort of gentrification situation.

i am home sick from work today, but i think i will go over to the police station and see if they can tell me anything about those blocks.

thanks again,
bjd

okay.

so i just got back from the police station. the orkney street house is in the 4th police district, the cross st. house is in the 3rd. so i talked to people from both districts.

the woman i talked to at the 4th (who told me she lives in the 3rd district) said orkney is a quiet street that is surrounded by a lot of bad stuff. she said the park has a lot of problems with shootings and drugs, and then she started listing all the problems in the 4th district. granted, i know parts of that area are really bad, but it seemed like she was saying the whole 19148 area code is bad, which i don't agree with, because i live in it. i guess 19148 has much more problems than 19147.

the man i talked to at the 3rd was much more positive. he said 5xx cross is pretty quiet and is much better than it was a few years ago. he said it's an area in transition, and he said they haven't had to send a car out there that often.

So, it's kind of tricky because i talked to two different people, but the officer from the 3rd was much more positive about that area, and he kind of confirmed what the lady from the 4th said about that area.

based on all this, i'm leaning towards cross st.

any thoughts?

Tasker is the border of 19147 and 19148. Like I said I believe that Cross st is quiet street since many on that street have moved out. Most of the problems come from south of Tasker, between 5thish and 7thish. You can check on the brt website on recent home sales. I live in the area and never had a problem within the 2 1/2 years living here, Im not saying its Society Hill or Rittenhouse, but its a decent start for a first time home buyer. By the way the area has improved much in the 2 1/2 years.

Good Luck

that's interesting information from the PPD. what kind of stuff did you hear about the 4th district and in what neighborhoods?

I remember when I was looking in the area, I talked to some neighbors about the crime situation. ARound the park, the neighbors said that as early as 5 years ago, the place was a real dump with lots of drug activity. They didn't comment much on violence. Some on Lawrence St. said that there were a good handful of "bad apples" on their block that were causing a lot of noise, drugs, and police activity, but - again - no real mention of violence. They were positive about the new rehabs and neighbors coming in though.

bjd,
the info about the park is wrong. it's decent and lots of nice people use it every single day. it has been that way for YEARS !
The Friends group is over 20 years old. www.DickinsonSquare.org They are getting ready to unveil a 5 year Master Plan for major work in the Park.

400/500 block of Cross are fine. I don't know how Orkney is. 16xx Lawrence has some new rehabs/construction, which is an excellent sign. I know people in 4 houses on that block and they like their block. They have one bad section 8 house that they are working to eliminate. 3 of them are young homeowners, the other person has been there 50+ years.

20+ years ago the area was full of section 8. Many have been intentionally eliminated, which has been good for the neighborhood.

It takes people becoming involved. Another local park group is www.JeffersonSquarePark.org. They are just now starting a new lighting project that costs around 100k. Established groups show you the people who live there care, that means involvement, ownership, commitment, all of which help a community to thrive.

Go visit the civic association, they will be happy to talk with you. Mornings are the best time.
This is a nice place to live. I have been here for 25 years and am still happy with my neighborhood. Hopes this helps.

Pennsport Civic Association
221A McClellan Street - Pennsport Mall
Philadelphia, PA 19148
215-462-9764 - Fax: 215-462-9787
e-mail: pennsport@aol.com
www.pennsportcivic.org

Wasn't a kid killed in the park between Tasker and Morris, 4th and Moyamensing Sts about 1 yr ago during school hrs? Maybe I have the park wrong, but I thought it was a young boy who was playing basketball and got shot in the park on the Morris St. side.

I live further south on Orkney street. It is a nice block but like anywhere in Philly it is the blocks that surround you. Don't forget that you will have neighbors in the back of you, too. We have pretty good ones. My side of the 2400 block of Orkney backs up to Lawrence St.

But the poster that said to check out the area in the summer is sooooo right. Things are pretty quiet in the winter but, man once nice weather hits, all the different forms of "humanity" start crawling out. In So Philly that can mean anything from dogs barking in the backyard all nite, neighbors drinking on their porches and getting louder and louder. But that's life in the big city.