olney most beautiful block

**eldondre** · 11-08-2010, 09:11 AM

At Olney's edge, 6100 N. Franklin wins block beauty contest | Philadelphia Inquirer | 11/08/2010

**Outlaw Star** · 11-08-2010, 09:43 AM

Great story. There's still a lot of life left in Olney, despite what the doomsayers claim.

**Geno** · 11-08-2010, 08:18 PM

Many of the blocks around Fisher Park are very nice.

**ArcticSplash** · 11-09-2010, 04:30 AM

StreetView of the winning block (before they cleaned it up)

6100 N Franklin St, Philadelphia PA - Google Maps

Doesn't even look like it needed cleaning up.

**eldondre** · 11-09-2010, 07:32 AM

it's a nice area up there just north of the park.

**City Man** · 12-06-2010, 10:47 AM

I grew up across the park, on the 5900 block. It probably looks like crap now. The 6100 blocks of 8th and Franklin always were very nice, quiet blocks. They are kind of "off the beaten path," bordered by the park and Sparks street and a gigantic stone wall on Godfrey Ave. Hopefully, they are low on crime. Yes "above the park" was always a bit nicer of an area.

**City Man** · 12-06-2010, 10:50 AM

A story from back in the day: There was this guy named Jerry who lived over there. He walked dogs for the neighbors. He was always nosy in a vigilant way, and a little strange. He was a real pain for any teenage kids hanging in the park and drinking and what not. He would tell the cops untrue things to have us harrassed, such as we lit a fire. The word was that he came home from Vietnam all "weirded out." I think he may have passed away since.

**eldondre** · 12-06-2010, 12:58 PM

Originally Posted by City Man

I grew up across the park, on the 5900 block. It probably looks like crap now. The 6100 blocks of 8th and Franklin always were very nice, quiet blocks. They are kind of "off the beaten path," bordered by the park and Sparks street and a gigantic stone wall on Godfrey Ave. Hopefully, they are low on crime. Yes "above the park" was always a bit nicer of an area.

from what I've seen it's not as nice but it's not nearly as bad some some other nearby areas. the tracks seem to have shielded them from fern rock a little. the biggest downside is being so close to the station but so far (without a pedestrian bridge east, you have to walk up to godfrey, to 10th, then down, past the projects and mugger's alley.

**thoth** · 12-06-2010, 02:54 PM

Originally Posted by City Man

I grew up across the park, on the 5900 block. It probably looks like crap now. The 6100 blocks of 8th and Franklin always were very nice, quiet blocks. They are kind of "off the beaten path," bordered by the park and Sparks street and a gigantic stone wall on Godfrey Ave. Hopefully, they are low on crime. Yes "above the park" was always a bit nicer of an area.

Meh, I've been through there semi-recently, it probably looks about the same as when you were coming up. Neighborhoods age and change, but my understanding is the biggest change in that area is the skin color of the residents, and not really the structural quality of the housing. I had a friend who was a bit older than myself that lived around fisher park in the early 80s and he recalled it as being a rough around the edges neighborhood overall even though it was still mostly white at that point. Seems like its been lower-middle class for a while...crime seems to have persisted at a relatively constant level for 20 years now.

Reported Homicides
1988

2009