# Philadelphia Dopers- please describe your neighborhoods **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 14, 2002, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philadelphia-dopers-please-describe-your-neighborhoods/118920 "2002-07-14T15:34:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sugaree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@sugaree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugaree)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2002, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philadelphia-dopers-please-describe-your-neighborhoods/118920/1 "2002-07-14T15:34:53Z")
My friend is moving back to Philly. He’s originally from there, but has been gone so long that he doesn’t know the neighborhoods anymore. His new job will be in Huntingdon Valley. His relatives are now all out in the boonies- as a hip young single guy, he wants to be right in the thick of the action. Philly Dopers, would you kindly name some funky and affordable neighborhoods? ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2002, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philadelphia-dopers-please-describe-your-neighborhoods/118920/2 "2002-07-15T15:04:10Z")
I’m from the Main Line. We don’t do “funky.” ---
**Author:** ![Zappo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b3f665/32.png) [@Zappo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zappo)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2002, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philadelphia-dopers-please-describe-your-neighborhoods/118920/3 "2002-07-15T17:06:25Z")
**Manayunk:** Hip, happening, lots of bars/shops/restaurants and so on. However, he’ll most likely have to live in a loft with no elevator and will not be able to park anything larger than a tricycle within fifteen blocks of his place. **Roxborough/East Falls:** Close enough to Manayunk to be convenient, but with better parking. Downside: Suburbia for city employees and others who have to live within the city limits. **The Great Northeast** (basically, anything above Roosevelt Mall): Relatively quiet, blue collar/middle class, and convenient to transportation and Bucks County. Downside: It’s suburbia for people who can’t afford to live in the suburbs. Above Rhawnhurst or Fox Chase you most likely will live in an apartment, twin, or rowhouse and be thisclosetoyourneighbors and have nowhere to park when people come over. Also, large tracts of this area are populated with people who escaped from Fishtown and the seedier parts of Kensington. **Center City** : Hip, happening, convenient to get around. Downside: Expensive as all hell if you want to have a room you can stand up in in a neighborhood where you’ll have a shot at not getting mugged on the way home from work. Having a car there is a sure sign of insanity. He could also take a look at Northern Liberties or Queen Village. However, between the car insurance costs (second highest rates in the US) and confiscatory wage tax, your friend would be better off settling in the suburbs somewhere and taking the train, bus, or car into the city when he wants to live it up. Zap! Raised in Frankford Escaped from Rhawnhurst ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2002, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philadelphia-dopers-please-describe-your-neighborhoods/118920/4 "2002-07-15T18:57:45Z")
Fairmount section (near art museum and Spring Garden sections) is coming up…but affordable? Maybe pricey for in-town for a row home. Zappo provides nice coverage on most stuff. Some South Philly sections above the Italian market and below South Street are beggining a boom. Live in the burbs, esp if working in Huntingdon Valley. Or, the art museum area…but it’s pricey. ---
**Author:** ![ResIpsaLoquitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b3f665/32.png) [@ResIpsaLoquitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ResIpsaLoquitor)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2002, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philadelphia-dopers-please-describe-your-neighborhoods/118920/5 "2002-07-15T19:03:10Z")
Heck, I live just North of Huntingdon Valley in Southampton. He might want to look into either Doylestown or New Hope in Bucks County. New Hope in particular is…um…“cultured.” From either, he could get to HV in about 1/2 hour. ---
**Author:** ![sugaree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@sugaree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugaree)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philadelphia-dopers-please-describe-your-neighborhoods/118920/6 "2002-07-16T02:40:55Z")
Thanks for the tips. He’s a teacher- that probably gives you an idea of his price range. He has no immediate plans to buy property. He is looking for something like the South Side of Pittsburgh, the Fan in Richmond, Federal Hill in Baltimore…somewhere where you can walk home from the bars at night and than walk to the diner for breakfast in the morning. ---
**Author:** ![Frank\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Frank\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank_2)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2002, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philadelphia-dopers-please-describe-your-neighborhoods/118920/7 "2002-07-16T12:41:29Z")
Then New Hope could be a good place to start. It is kinda far from Philly though (around an hour). It’s also a gathering place for the more “liberated” individuals. (While the Philly area has a gay presence, we still skirt the subject and don’t talk about those things) I can’t offer too many other locations wher he could walk everywhere as I live in the suburbs where driving is mandatory. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2002, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philadelphia-dopers-please-describe-your-neighborhoods/118920/8 "2002-07-17T00:32:03Z")
i live in fairmount. it is very pricey now. 1 bedroom apts start at 1,000. i would suggest chestnut hill, mt airy, south phila, and queen village. the prices are a bit more affordable. northern liberties is becoming the new hot spot, but it is not quite there yet. there are some very scary pockets. you really have to be careful when picking a place there. although the house prices are fantastic. i have no clue where huntingdon valley is. i very rarely leave center city. unless i need to see a movie, then i have to go to manayunk or one of the jersey malls. ---
**Author:** ![ResIpsaLoquitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b3f665/32.png) [@ResIpsaLoquitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ResIpsaLoquitor)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2002, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philadelphia-dopers-please-describe-your-neighborhoods/118920/9 "2002-07-17T04:05:44Z")
> [@](#): > > i have no clue where huntingdon valley is. i very rarely leave center city. unless i need to see a movie, then i have to go to manayunk or one of the jersey malls. Since I can practically see HV from my house, I feel compelled to post… It’s about 20 minutes North of the Philly border, where Broad Street becomes plain old Route 611. You’d go through Jenkintown and Willow Grove before getting there. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2002, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/philadelphia-dopers-please-describe-your-neighborhoods/118920/10 "2002-07-17T23:55:12Z")
well… i know where broad street is… jenkintown and willow grove… eeeehhhh, i’m not sure if i’ve been out that way. can you tell i have no clue about the 'burbs?