Whats South Philadelphia like?? Is it a nice place to live?

• I have a friend who wants me to spend a week in South Philly. His mom's leaving town and were gonna take care of her plants. The thing is, I dont know what to expect. The internet doesnt say much. I like nice surroundings and honestly, i dont want to make it awkward by leaving early. so if youre from the area ( or have been) please help me by answering =) thanks!

• Answer:

  South Philadelphia, nicknamed "South Philly," is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south, and the Schuylkill River to the west. In 2000, the area's population was 162,683. It is home to many Italian-American and Irish-American families who settled in the area, beginning in the late 19th century. Many residents have lived in the neighborhood for decades. Many family-owned businesses are found in South Philadelphia. South Philadelphia began as a satellite town of Philadelphia, with small townships such as Moyamensing and Southwark. During the Industrial Revolution, the area saw rapid growth, in part due to mass immigration from Ireland, and eventually saw its urbanization border that of Philadelphia. This led to its incorporation into Philadelphia in 1854. The area continued to grow, becoming a vital part of Philadelphia's large industrial base and attracting immigrants from Italy, Ireland, Poland, and many others countries during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These immigrants became the basis of South Philadelphia's unique and vibrant culture that would develop over the next several decades. Even with this dramatic growth in population, the low funding of education by the city resulted in the first high school not being formed in South Philadelphia until 1934.[1] Recently, South Philadelphia has gone through a period of rapid change. An increase in immigration has given South Philadelphia significant populations from Vietnam, Cambodia, Italy, Thailand, China, Puerto Rico, India, Russia, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic, as well as smaller populations from dozens of nations across the world. The recent revitalization of Center City Philadelphia has led to gentrification in Fitler Square, Graduate Hospital/Southwest Center City , which led to skyrocketing prices of housing in Queen Village, and Bella Vista, and some other parts of South Philadelphia. Also, previously, for various reasons, many second and third generation South Philadelphians began moving en masse to South Jersey when the Walt Whitman Bridge was opened in the mid 20th century. These events have resulted in perhaps the largest change in South Philadelphia's culture in nearly a hundred years. Many of the clubs that make up the annual Mummers Day Parade every new years day are from South Philadelphia. Many are located on 2nd street (Two Street). A refurbished area of South Philadelphia alongside Columbus Boulevard/Delaware Avenue (near the Walt Whitman Bridge) provides shopping at brand new Best Buy, and Ikea stores for thousands of shoppers. There are also many new chain restaurants and fast food establishments along this stretch including Longhorn Steakhouse, Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que Pit, and Chick-Fil-A just to name a few. This new shopping area goes by the name Columbus Commons. Washington Avenue, between 16th St. on the West and Front St. on the east, is home to many Asian businesses, including Vietnamese, Chinese and Korean. Among these are restaurants of all types, two large Asian supermarkets, jewelers and a wide variety of specialty shops. Shoppers of all ethnic backgrounds can be seen patronizing these stores. Passyunk Avenue, running on a diagonal from Broad Street to South Street, is a formerly thriving consumer district currently undergoing revitalization efforts. Within the past few years, several coffeeshops, restaurants and bars have opened appealing to the young population begin in inhabit the area around 11th and Passyunk.