North Philadelphia, Philadelphia

Let me tell you first hand North Philly is infested with trash. My husband and I transplanted here 2 years ago from Nyc and it was the worst mistake we have ever made. My husband and I are Puerto Rican, my kids are Puerto Rican and never in my life have I been more embarassed of my own people. Certain areas of North Philly is full of animals. They don't know how to act. It is pathetic. I see them day in an out beating there own kind men and women. They don't discriminate. A female neighbor I know had her teeth knocked out and a broken finger from a group of about ten grown men. I have seen countless acts of violence perpetrated by and against my own people. Its no wonder the homicide rate is so high here. You have to be packing to even step foot in the dump that is North Philly. Please if you are thinking of moving here from PR or Nyc DON'T. I am so desperate to leave this place and never look back. I personally can't wait til the feds step in and clean up North Philly. It is long overdue in my opinion and the only way for the city to clean up this mess.

I read the reviews given here on North Philly and as a white person from Wisconsin the people i met here have made me feel more safe & welcome then i ever expected. All i did was to treat them as equals. I was given all the warnings which i heeded but after a while they all got to know me and i earned their love and respect and i consider them family. So to anyone who goes there you will be treated as you treat. I lived off Lehigh and 27th and i loved every minute i was there. Its not a place for just a visit because there is really nothing of interest to a tourist just the people who make up North Philly, a place i am proud to b from.

I went to google to find information about a death of someone I knew and I stumbled upon a molting heap of blind ignorance. And then the people spreading this ignorance have the effrontery to try to teach. Us to have an openmind. Well how's this for open mind. I live in North Philadelphia. Between 19 and 26 and Cecil B. Moore ave. I went to school t 22nd and lehigh. Anybody who knows philly should know that the area I'm in is not the best. Everyday I walked back and forth past Diamond St. The Projects and then past Dauphin (for all you philly ignorant people 2-3 years ago this was a big place for drug trade offs. Mah best friend lived at 16th and girard. Every other day I walked from 23rd and Cecil B. Moore to 16th and Girard. I am a 19 year old homosexual male. An "easy" target. NEVER have I been threatened appraoched not even ridiculed about mah lifestyle. The kids around where I live don't mess with yu unless you. Show fear or disrespect. And believeme, the teenswhere I'm from aren't the dramatic arguing type. I live around bloods and thugs who've ran the streets for years. If your not in the game then your not their target. I get worse treatment in Center City. Its like they know where I'm from and sine they judge before knowing they let their ignorance take blame. I see more homophobia in the eyes of white cops from the suburbs than from the thugs that walk mah street. I've neverbeen asked to sell drugs I've never been approached to buy drugs. Man philly is the best place ever. This coming from a new york native. Philly is the best stop for a tourist who wants tosee real Art and realLOVE. And not the sign at "Love Park". Aayyyee I'm done.

hi guys and girls

im planning to be at philly on May

wt about the area around the city hall at 15th Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102
i liked a place there but i have no clue about the safety there

Thnx.N.Advance

Well, for the most part Philadelphia is ok and just ok. Just like any other city you have to be careful use your common sense and you will be fine. Dont walk alone at night especially if your unfamilliar with your surroundings . Areas to watch out for is North Philly like some of the other's mentioned It's very large and most of the areas has very high crimes and drug zones such as Strawberry Mansion, Hunting park, Kennsington, Nicetown, there is nothing nice about it. I'm actually suprised that no one has mentioned Olney or logan also kind of crazy. There is West philly stay away from from Parkside, Belmont, Cobb Creek....Oh and "SOUTHWEST PHILLY" I have lived here for all my life and that's one part of Philly I dont go into. Clearview, Bartram Village projects,Elmwood are all Horrible... At The end of the day it really isnt the neighborhoods thats bad ,it's these rude, ignorant, coldhearted people that fills them that makes them bad... Unfortunately It's majority but not everybody some actually have alot of good intentions and are actually good people like me, in these neighborhoods but you never know...So just be wise and stay cautious...

I went and graduated from Temple University which is a decent school ranked in the top 100 nationwide which also employs many people. I also lived in North Philly during that time and learned a few things however I never was robbed or threatened with violence outside of a drunken white frat boy at a party. The basic rules apply such as traveling in groups at night, avoiding bad neighborhoods or unknown neighborhoods, carrying keys and possibly pepper spray, and showing a general sense of purpose. I think a lot of the people who are pointing out statistics are mainly referencing the most dangerous areas where there are open air drug markets. Stay out of Kensington, Strawberry Mansion, and mostly ten blocks on either side of Broad Street north of Cecil B. Moore with the exception of Temple's campus. African Americans may find themselves unwelcome in certain hispanic sections of Kensington, sections of the white neighborhoods of Fishtown and Port Richmond. As a Russian immigrant I ran into a bit of trouble one night in the form of three skinheads in Fishtown (which is hilarious because my own country is plagued by these stupid thugs too), but I was assured this was uncommon. This can be said for caucasians in other places but if you are with a local you are okay. The outreach in these neighborhoods is amazing and I had a chance to go the barrio on 5th street while I was at Temple and met a wonderful group of Hispanic women that try to take care of the neighborhood. I have also been to a church service right near one of Philadelphia's most famous drug spots 17th and Jefferson and found that neighborhood to be a beautiful place on a Sunday morning as some of the old buildings do retain a certain charm. Also West Philly has a lot to do such as the World cafe but some violent neighborhoods too. My General rule was to not go past 40th and Market. There is Drexel which has a nice soccer field but not a nice campus and UPenn which is gorgeous.

Danger WARNINGS: TEENAGERS ->these days most people worth robbing are buying large amounts of drugs or use their debit card for everything so the older criminals don't waste their time if you aren't involving yourself in a drug deal. However the young and restless who haven't got a pot to *** in and see the glorified gangster hype as something they must live up to are on the hunt. Steer clear of large groups of teenage kids in the city no matter what race they are as all inner city kids tend to be rougher around the edges than others. If you are working with children in a formal environment it is different but a bunch of kids hanging out together without much to do can be a bad mix if they spot a tourist. And they will sniff you out if you show your fear. 12-16 are the worst

POLICE->Racially profiling does exist here if you are the opposite race of the neighborhood you are in you may be stopped. White in a black or hispanic neighborhood because you are buying drugs, black or hispanic in a white neighborhood because you are robbing people.

DRUGS->Philadelphia has a lot of drugs like many cities and 90 percent of the violence is connected to drugs. Don't do drugs and you most likely won't become a victim of that violence.

I love Philly but it may not be for everyone. Many people on here have judged it without really knowing it. There's a lot wrong in Philly but definitely a good time to be had and a long blue collar history that has made the people rough around the edges but full of substance when you get past the exterior.

Ok, so theres alot of people on here saying that they lived there for "20 years and have never been shot, moggued...." ROFL. If thats the criteria for a safe neighborhood, no wonder Philly is in th shape it is. I live 20 minutes north of Philthydelphia and refuse to go into that city. I have seen polic officers(they are a joke) litter and stand at magazine stands looking at porn and commenting on the photos. The citizens of your pathetic city are rude, self absorbed and depressed. The city itself could be wonderful. It has potential; art, water ways, orchestra, museums, a good school (Not Temple!!!) but your citizens trash everything. As soon as a neighborhood is rehabed, the graffiti and trash are back within a week. Pathetic when you think of it. People destroying their own property. But his shows the lack of inteligence that the majority of philadelphians posses. Then they will defend themselves by attacking me for speaking the truth. LOL,....can you say "SELF DEFEATING!!!!"

Yeah, good luck with your filth pot of a city. The world would be a better place if they just closed the city and forgot it ever existed. The funniest thing I ever heard was when the olympics put the city on their list of maybes!!! ROFL AHAHAHAHAHAAAAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA .. yeah come to the olympics and get shot. ho ho, thats a good one.

So all Ican say is Never Ever Ever come to Philly, no matter what!

PS accroding Forbes : Forbes.com recently ranked it as the 5th most miserable city in the United States.

Heres a self report: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q305/ghettophotogirl/philly.jpg&imgrefurl=http://exotericism.blogspot.com/2008/02/worst-places-to-live.html&usg=__BL4syZW1e6tj7j-IXPpZzoxZ9ko=&h=400&w=300&sz=65&hl=en&start=28&tbnid=w01288if94GLoM:&tbnh=124&tbnw=93&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dphilly%2Bcrime%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D18%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26start%3D18

north philly is poverty stricken..so there are certain things that come along with that. people are just tryin to live. if u dont mess with anyone u wont get messed with. ive come to find that n. philly has the realest and most genuine people ive ever met. if u have no business there then dont come around but dont judge a book by its cover.

well, first of all i lived in philadelphia my whole life..... north philly... dont go there white people, and if you do, start lookin like you went there to kill people... im white and i lived there for 11 years, i had to walk around like you were my victim because you looked at me... north philly is the jungle of the east coast, look at the murders here in north philly compared to anywhere else in the united states... we have the highest murder per capita in the united states... its rough down here kid, and also south west philly, down by girard and route 30... but there are some mad crazy shops down there that are def worth goin to, and you can take route 30 to atlantic city, and its actually faster the takin the ac turnpike all the way there, route 30 will take you all the way to brigintine and straight to the crossing bridge to get there

Philadelphia is a huge city comprised of many neighborhoods. North Philadelphia is a large section of the city. For the most part, this section of Philly is home to black, and hispanic neighborhoods, most of which are very poor. The average tourist would not venture into North Philly, however there are many historical sights located in that part of the city. As a whole Philadelphia is pretty safe. Most of the crime and murders are isolated, and almost always drug related. As long as you don't look for trouble you wont find it.