Wow I have to say you should look around more because further west (but closer to Baltimore Ave. so less sketchy) you can get much, much better rental deals than that for a nice leafy residential, Victorian architecture super quick trolley ride / bike ride / walk to work at Penn.

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/apa/729495909.html
http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/apa/729483488.html
http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/apa/729368622.html
http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/apa/729318791.html
http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/apa/728536865.html
http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/apa/727348495.html
http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/apa/726348107.html

Also at the Odonnell Realty site I see 6 2-bed apartments in your range or noticably below. Some are much better deals than Craig's list.
http://www.odonnellre.com/forsale-frameset.html

I was looking in Cedar Park / Spruce Hill but i also saw on Craig's list a lot of listings around West Powelton that are conveneintly located, and easily in your budget. I really think you aren't looking very hard to assume you can't get something you would like in that price range.

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Not the Spruce Hill neighborhood of University City (approx. Walnut St to Chester St from 40th to 46th. This neighborhood has houses in the $400K to $1 Million range - most averaging 1/2 a million to 3/4 million. The University City District has "Street Ambassadors" patrolling the streets and Penn has its own police also patrolling so it is rather safe. The "Penn-Alexander School Catchment Area" makes this a very desirable area. Besides it's really pretty with outstanding Victorian homes and shady streets.

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Do you folks seriously think that the 4600 block of Spruce is bad? Where do you live? That's a darn nice block filled with 4 story Victorians with security on the corners.

Yeah, there's some kids at the corners of 47th & Spruce for about 10 minutes a day, but it's a nice block.

To the OP, if you live on Spruce, you can take a bus straight to work. 10 minute commute.

To Art:
Center City would, of course, be sweet, but much of what we've seen is out of our budget.

To blueroses:
Yes, to Penn I'd be taking public transport; we'll have one car, but I think my BF will need it during the day, and parking at Penn - even for faculty - is very expensive. And we really don't want two cars.

To seand:
I appreciate the links, and will call them tomorrow. However, I must disagree that I am not looking "hard enough" - in the past three days I have spent over 15 hours looking at listings, making phone calls, and trying to get information on neighborhoods. I hope you can understand that, while for a native, things might seem self-evident, for someone who doesn't know the city at all - a city with a plethora of very diverse and different neighborhoods - it is not so easy. I can look for an apartment in Brooklyn and weed out the dreck in a matter of minutes; someone who doesn't know Brooklyn at all, however, is going to have a much harder time, and might well wind up with a less than optimum place, even after a lot of leg work (virtual leg work included).

I note that some of the places you suggest are listed with Urban and Bye, and since I'm going to be seeing some places through them, I will ask them about these properties tomorrow.

Thanks to all of the posters for input.

I have friends who used to rent around 43rd and Larchwood and liked it there. They had a kid and couldn't stay in a 1 bedroom and recently moved very nervously farther west. UC is a very hip area, but also a little scary sometimes. And in some areas you're overrun with undergrads. Center City is wonderful. If I could live there, I would, but I'm not rich! ;-)
I will say in favor of Rox that I never feel afraid here. I seriously get off the bus in the middle of the night and walk home and never have anything remotely resembling a problem. My friends in UC looked out here to buy, but they were a little too hooked on UC (having gone to grad school, met, married and made memories there) to leave West Philly just yet. I depends on what your needs and wants are.

Since you've mentioned the option of NW Philly, I'd recommend you check out Central Roxborough (Ridge Ave out to about Gorgas Park/Gates Ave) and Wissahickon rather than Manayunk. Those two areas are easier for parking and have better access to transit (bus in Central Rox and train in lower Rox/Wissahickon) than Manayunk proper. They're a very easy walk to the "scene" in 'yunk without all the hassle. And we have all the groceries, etc., you'll need in your daily life up here on Ridge. The intersection of Ridge and Lyceum is a neat little nexus of three bus routes to CC that all take different ways there (9, 27, 32) and get you to almost every general area you'd want to visit. You may want to be in the UC area, but if you're looking for a cheaper, safer place out here, those are my thoughts. It's not that far once you get used to the system.

My girlfriend lives at 41st and Spruce and although the neighborhood is nice with tree lined streets it can be a bit rough. A few thoughts:
1. From my experience most of the apartments in the UPENN Spruce/Pine St area have mice and all sorts of creepy crawlers. I dont know if this is something that will bother you...
2. Theres a reason Penn has security on every block at night. I remember last year a man tried shooting a UPENN police Officer on Spruce St in that area.
3. If Center City is on the expensive side maybe the Art Museum Area is a bit more affordable? North of Spring Garden is a nice street called Green Street.

To the OP, have you noticed that almost none of the respondents actually LIVE in University City?

Just a thought.

You should come and take a look at the area before you let internet stranger convince or dissuade you from living in any particular area.

As for the last poster's points, let me just mention that in the case of "rodents", I have never found an urban dwelling without them. That said, I haven't had any mice in my current house, despite being on the ground floor. Then again, that's what cats are for. In the second case of the conflict on 41st and Spruce, a man hijacked a vehicle near the South St. Bridge (a non-residential area next to the Hosptial of the University of Pennsylvania, which is currently ranked overall 12th in the country) after being pursued by police. He fled West almost 10 blocks into the residential neighborhood where he was ultimately brought down by police. He could have just as easily fled east.

My one and only complaint about UC or West Philly in general is the lack of a good solid bar serving gastropub-quality food, but supposedly, the old Kelly Ann's on the corner of 43rd and Spruce is supposedly being converted into just such a thing.

The people who actually live here understand that this is a vibrant community filled with young families (Penn has a K-8 school between 42nd and 43rd on Spruce that has attracted a lot of affluent young professionals).

Personally, I wouldn't live anywhere else. I have a 450 sq ft garden, know all of my neighbors, most of whom are in the upper tax brackets yet unpretentious, and live in a gorgeous Victorian home. I'm a block from a brand new coffee shop, an art gallery, and a well-received BYOB. I'm also only a few blocks from a 3-bell (out of 4) designated BYOB (Marigold Kitchen), a Thurs & Sat Farmer's market that's one of the best in the city, a new grocery store, a dirt-cheap produce truck, and numerous public transportation options.

And yes, crime does indeed happen. Everywhere. Just a few months ago there were two shootings in Center City, including a motor vehicle chase with a police officer. It happens everywhere, somewhat randomly. That said, I've never had a single problem in the 10 years I've been here. Just use your head like you would in any city. I've been more sketched out in various areas of Park Slope than University City.

Honestly, I shouldn't really try to get you to move here, since we're filling up pretty quickly. Our rents are increasing and unlike other areas of the city, our house prices are as well. In fact, please look elsewhere. We're getting full

good luck!

Boog, this is exactly what I'm planning on doing (and will probably be doing tomorrow) - driving down to Philly, looking at a bunch of places in different neighborhoods, and then deciding. It's clear there are numerous positive aspects to UC, which is why I'm considering it. But in the end, each person's decision is subjective.

One thing, however - sketched out in Park Slope??! This must have been prior to the late 80s/early 90s, and even then, only in a very small part. I lived in Park Slope, all together, for about 10 years - much of it in the decidedly less tony section that we referred to as either "Part Slope" or "Park Slop" - and can tell you that there is nothing sketchy about any part of it now. The part in which I lived for a few years (which was really Gowanus, until the real estate brokers decided to call anything "Park Slope") was definitely iffy the 80s; now, however, it's hipster central, and you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a boutique or a shushi bar.

The most horrifying thing today in PS is the deulge of entitled parents with their entitled, "gifted" children (you know, Madison, Cameron, Zeke, etc.) living in two-million-dollar brownstones.

Boog.Thank You. This is a GREAT area. I live on Spruce closer to 47st. I would rather live on Spruce than any other street.

PPhill-- I moved from Manhattan to Philly about 4 years ago. My wife is at Penn Dental. I work in CC. I can walk out of my house and walk across the street to catch the bus. It takes me about 20 minutes to get to work. My wife walks to school, and it also takes her 20 minutes to get there. She walks slow. I live a couple houses down from 4634 Spruce.