Graduate Hospital Neighborhood

[WillABro]

Ok, please tell me all you can about Graduate Hospital. I am currently planning on relocating to Philly spring/summer of 2013 and am currently scouting hoods. I am leaning towards South Philly around Passyunk, but would like to learn more about other areas before making up my mind. We are a family of three currently in Cincinnati, we have a soon to be 6 year old son.

Why are rents cheaper in Graduate Hospital?

Is it an up and coming area?

Relatively safe area?
(spare me the horror stories - former New Yorker and have lived in LA)

Amenities?

Thanks.

[BarryG]

Less shopping, dining and amenities, more geared towards homeowners that want a bedroom community. Community blocks most attempts to open stores and restaurants. However it is a closer walk to the Rittenhouse Square area.

[Giavella Water]

Rents cheaper in GH area than in Passyunk Sq.?

[WillABro]

Rents cheaper in GH area than in Passyunk Sq.?

Marginally, from what I can tell on Craigslist.

[OffenseTaken]

Marginally, from what I can tell on Craigslist.

I had the opposite impression. They're not going to be radically different, in any case.

My girlfriend and I chose the neighborhood because it's almost in Rittenhouse, but the rents seem to drop about a fifth, maybe even a quarter, as soon as you cross South Street. (It was more "up-and-coming" about 15 years ago. That was when the first generation of scrappy newcomers came in, dodged some bullets, picked up some trash, and made the place liveable. These days you only occasionally find evidence of what a dump it had been.)

BarryG is exactly right that the neighborhood tends to cater (kater) toward suburban NIMBY types who are deathly afraid of foot traffic on their block, presumably because they've never been to a bigger city than Philadelphia. A lot of them only want to live in the city for skyline views and shorter commuting times, and because they have ground-floor garages, their interaction with the neighborhood is minimal.

It's still an extremely walkable, convenient neighborhood—unexciting and undistinguished by itself, but a stone's throw from almost everything you can ask for.

[torts]

(spare me the horror stories - former New Yorker and have lived in LA)

If you think New York is rough, you've got a lot to learn.

[Lolly]

...the neighborhood tends to cater (kater) toward suburban NIMBY types...

Haha on the cater/kater connection there. (Inside joke. Funny.)

That said, "cater" is not quite the right word. "The neighborhood" doesn't "cater" to NIMBYs. We just unfortunately have more than our fair share of them at the moment perhaps. But don't worry, "the neighborhood" is changing. In fact, I would venture to say, this is a really good time to get in. Wait much longer and you could very easily be priced out. Lots more good stuff coming soon down the pike in these parts.

[WillABro]

If you think New York is rough, you've got a lot to learn.

Oh, educate me.

Now, I appreciate the other useful posts. I will get my wife on here to read around a little. We aren't suburban types who hide in the house. We are city people who prefer amenities, walkable neighborhoods, people outside with their families/kids. Passyunk and surrounding area sounds like it fits our bill a little better.

[OffenseTaken]

Oh, educate me.

He's right, to a point. I'm a former New Yorker myself, and while I do worry about my safety more than I ever did there, it's mostly because of things going on in other parts of town, nowhere near us.

I don't know if this helps, but this neighborhood resembles Fort Greene/Clinton Hill, circa 2002, in several respects. That goes for safety as well: you'll hear of a robbery once in a while by hooded "teens," and there are a few nuisance neighbors (torts knows a thing or two about those), but otherwise nothing horrible. There are plenty of respectable-looking women (sounds Victorian, but that's the best way of putting it) walking home by themselves in the wee hours of the morning. On the plus side, we don't have to wait for the G train to get to the middle of town here.

Cincinnati is a lot more dangerous, IIRC.

[Gladys]

Just read through this thread and it will give you more than enough info.

the area is now referred to as South West Center City.

Southwest Center City

[WillABro]

He's right, to a point.

I left New York in the mid-nineties. I used to hang around in Far Rockaway in a former life --- enough said?

I live in a neighborhood now, in Cincinnati that has a high robbery rate/crime rate. I have other ways to research neighborhood safety w/o subjective fear mongering on forums. Which, granted, hasn't been a problem here but on other forums. So if my remark was out of place here, forgive me.

[OffenseTaken]

I left New York in the mid-nineties. I used to hang around in Far Rockaway in a former life --- enough said?

I live in a neighborhood now, in Cincinnati that has a high robbery rate/crime rate. I have other ways to research neighborhood safety w/o subjective fear mongering on forums. Which, granted, hasn't been a problem here but on other forums. So if my remark was out of place here, forgive me.

You had asked about the safety of the neighborhood, and citywide, Philadelphia indeed has more of a crime problem than New York did when you left (but does not have a Giuliani). torts was trying to be helpful, torts-style.

[WillABro]

You had asked about the safety of the neighborhood, and citywide

I could've been a little clearer. Safety was in a series of questions. I had the impression with cheaper rents in some parts of the area that it was perhaps more up and coming and perhaps more of an "urban pioneer" zone, such as sections of Point Breeze seem to be. From what I can tell from the posts that followed, the area is not really for me. Me and bedroom communities don't mix.

[dr_gingivitis]

I could've been a little clearer. Safety was in a series of questions. I had the impression with cheaper rents in some parts of the area that it was perhaps more up and coming and perhaps more of an "urban pioneer" zone, such as sections of Point Breeze seem to be. From what I can tell from the posts that followed, the area is not really for me. Me and bedroom communities don't mix.

While I understand what people are referring to in terms of bedroom community, I don't think it's a fair description. We have plenty of amenities, just many of them are on South Street, with less mixed within the blocks. Many of us are trying to fix that, unfortunately it only takes a few NIMBYs to slow things.

On the other hand, Passyunk is also great. Both have a ton of kids, we're in Graduate Hospital with a 6 year old and 1.5 year old, and you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a kid around here. Not sure what your school plans are, but we've decided to use our local neighborhood school, so if that's something you're considering I would recommend locating in Stanton's catchment.

[annie]

If your kid turns 6 before September 1st, I believe he would be entering 1st grade in a district school.After September 1st, kindergarten.

[WillABro]

Not sure what your school plans are, but we've decided to use our local neighborhood school, so if that's something you're considering I would recommend locating in Stanton's catchment.

Ahh, that was the main attraction as far as my wife is concerned. We are planning on finding a good catchment for public schools and should that fail, resort to private schools.

As for amenities, they don't need to be at my back door. I live in a noisy area as it is. Some quiet would be welcome. I do need to have a corner pub within walking distance though.

[Lolly]

While I understand what people are referring to in terms of bedroom community, I don't think it's a fair description. We have plenty of amenities, just many of them are on South Street, with less mixed within the blocks. Many of us are trying to fix that, unfortunately it only takes a few NIMBYs to slow things.

Second that. "Bedroom community" isn't a fair description at all. I think it was probably only really used to convey that, while Passyunk Square may have more of it's own established / centralized business corridor, G-Ho is in very close proximity to the best of what the center of Philadelphia has to offer.

And we do have plenty of great amenities within easy walking distance of our core, both within the boundaries of the 'hood and also steps away. (See The Sidecar Bar & Grille, SoWe Restaurant Bar | Kitchen, Philadelphia, PA, Resurrection Ale House, Philadelphia., Grace Tavern - Philadelphia for the "within" stuff - and maybe plan accordingly noting you said you need a corner pub within walking distance.)

On the other hand, Passyunk is also great. Both have a ton of kids, we're in Graduate Hospital with a 6 year old and 1.5 year old, and you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a kid around here. Not sure what your school plans are, but we've decided to use our local neighborhood school, so if that's something you're considering I would recommend locating in Stanton's catchment.

Ditto. That said, the bars I listed above are mostly outside Stanton's catchment. However, toward the eastern end of the neighborhood, you have more of the core of the South Street West businesses at your doorstep, which are many, and growing - see: Directory Listing | South Street West Business Association and South Street west of Broad is taking off as hot neighborhood - Philly.com.

You should also check out SOSNA | South of South Neighborhood Association to get a good sense for the kind of neighborhood this is. And while you're at it, you also might want to sign up for e-News to keep abreast of the very rapid developments that keep happening.

In fact, in re-reading your original post and noting you don't plan to move here 'til next year, I would venture to say this area will be quite different by then. (Likely including the rents.)

[Gladys]

yeah i'd have to agree, this is in no way a bedroom community, although there are certain blocks that think they are. there are only a few.

I don't have a car, walk everywhere and love to sit out front of my place talking to neighbors. It's kind of like Sesame Street - part PBS part Eddie Murphy's Mister Rogers.

[ahbinpa]

One word of warning as you are looking. Be sure to carefully check addresses as some realtors are now describing properties in Point Breeze as "Graduate Hospital"


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[Lolly]

It's kind of like Sesame Street - part PBS part Eddie Murphy's Mister Rogers.

Brava.