Middle Eastern Neighborhood? (Forest Hills, Red Lion, Nazareth: apartment, renting, condo)

[123noname321]

When are you moving? 2-3 months
Where are you coming from? Casablanca, Morocco
Why are you moving? Work and i've always loved Philly
Where will you be working? Nazareth Hospital (Northeast)
Have you been here yet? Yes, went to Temple for under-grad

Will you buy or rent? No preference
If buying, are you looking for a house or a condo? How much can you spend? $245,000 (according to Zillow.com) Probably a rowhome but I don't care
If renting, are you looking for an apartment, a townhouse or loft? How much can you spend?
Do you prefer hi-rise or walk up? Walk-up

Do you have a preference of living in a NJ or PA suburb? maybe cheltenham or fox chase but definetly no suburbs

Are you married or single? Do you have children? Married and she's pregnant with our first
Do you prefer public or private schools? I guess public I will probably send him/her to a neighborhood public school at least for elementary unless it's really bad.
Do you have pets? a small turtle if that counts
Do you want or need a yard? Maybe a small one but not really
Are you keeping a car? We might buy one but we lived without one in Casablanca, but we will have a kid in about 6 months.
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? a little on the calm and quiet side but no preference

What do you want to be closest to?
Work (2 tied)
Shopping (2 tied)
Basic services (supermarket, drugstore, etc.) (1)
Nightlife (3 tied)
Train or subway stations (3 tied)

Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood? Yes we would love to live in a Middle Eastern community we're not Muslim. Since I went to university at Temple my English is fine and my wife's is getting there with English but a neighborhood with people who speak a some Arabic would help and we just like being around people of our decent.

Coke or Pepsi?
Coke

[123noname321]

I was thinking around Mayfair because I like the houses and it seemed nice and I saw a good amount of Middle eastern people and how is the crime it looks safe?

[MikeNigh]

Some good leads might be to search for concentrations of middle eastern grocery stores and/or call them and ask them where middle eastern neighborhoods are.

[RightonWalnut]

Mayfair is a good area although some may disagree. You can also look at Rhawnhurst and Fox Chase. Both good areas. Nazareth Hospital is in the Rhawnhurst neighborhood. You could also look into Bustleton, Somerton and Torresdale. All will be within a good commute time to the hospital. If you don't mind being out of the Northeast, I would look at the Northwest section of the city. East Falls, Manayunk, West Mt. Airy.

All areas I listed are diverse areas. I don't think you'll feel out of place in any of these areas. The Northwest section of the city has better public transit options into Center City, which could be a plus for you. The Northwest is also going to be pricier so you may have a harder time finding a place, but it is worth a look.

[Toure]

I would recommend the neighborhood Bustleton or Cottman in the Northeast section of the city. Very diverse, and there are many Middle Eastern families are there.

[LibraGirl123]

Originally Posted by Summersm343

Mayfair is a good area although some may disagree. You can also look at Rhawnhurst and Fox Chase. Both good areas. Nazareth Hospital is in the Rhawnhurst neighborhood. You could also look into Bustleton, Somerton and Torresdale. All will be within a good commute time to the hospital.

One of the problems with the Far Northeast is public transportation. I grew up in Somerton and as teenagers, we'd walk about a mile out to the Boulevard to catch the bus to go down to Cottman Ave. or connect to the Frankford El Station. But unless things have changed a lot since I lived there, it would be difficult to do your food shopping or go to church without a car.

[RightonWalnut]

Originally Posted by LibraGirl123

One of the problems with the Far Northeast is public transportation. I grew up in Somerton and as teenagers, we'd walk about a mile out to the Boulevard to catch the bus to go down to Cottman Ave. or connect to the Frankford El Station. But unless things have changed a lot since I lived there, it would be difficult to do your food shopping or go to church without a car.

I agree completely, however, the OP will be bringing his car. He will be working at Nazareth right off of Roosevelt Blvd, so I don't think he will mind the lack of transit options in the Northeast. If he does want transit options, that is why I suggested the Northwest. Also, if living in Bustleton or Somerton (Somerton and Forest Hills stations), they are served by a Regional Rail line which you could park at the station and take the train right into Center City. Fox Chase is serviced by two stations (Fox Chase and Ryers). Torresdale is serviced by a Torresdale station, and Mayfair is close to the Tacony station. All of these will take you into Center City

[kimrocktherealtor]

How about 19116? Around Red Lion and the Blvd? There are a few middle eastern grocers, etc, near there.

[RightonWalnut]

That is the Somerton, Bustleton area. That is a nice, middle class area.

[drive carephilly]

South Philly - around Broad & Snyder. Plenty of arabic going on around there and it's been growing for the last 4-5 years. Most of the shops just west of Broad along Snyder and West Passyunk seem to be owned by arabs at this point. It's mostly people from the Levant though, not the Maghreb, and judging only by how some of the women dress it's a mix of muslims and christians.