How long have you lived in Hawthorne? How has the neighborhood changed over this period of time?
I’ve been in Hawthorne since May 2012. The area has drastically changed in my opinion since the completion of the Hawthorne Park. It has become friendlier and less violent. I think neighbors some neighbors are not happy with all of the gentrification that has taken place in the neighborhood especially those that will be displaced from Hawthorne as taxes continue to increase.
What made you decide to move to Hawthorne? How would you describe the neighborhood to someone who's never been there?
My wife and I looked a lot of areas within the city. Between the two of us we have lived in the Rittenhouse area, Graduate Hospital, Fairmount and we were looking for a place where our dollar would go a little farther while still feeling safe. Our neighborhood has a lot of restaurants and shopping that we enjoy and we feel like it is less crowded than center city (North of South Street). I would describe our neighborhood as a quaint area between the Italian market and South Street sandwiched between Broad and Bella Vista. The park has attracted a lot of younger families that are friendly and looking to get involved in their community.
What sorts of things do you do in the community? Are you involved in any organizations? How would you characterize the community as a whole?
I am involved in the Friends of Hawthorne Park and we do all of the planning for activities that take place in the park, we schedule all of the neighborhood clean-ups with the parks department and we also work with the zoning board to determine what gets built in Hawthorne. I try to attend as many meetings and events as possible. Hawthorne is a racially and socioeconomically diverse and most people are interested in being involved in the community.
Can you recall a time you've been frustrated with something in the neighborhood? Is there anything you would change?
I am constantly frustrated with people throwing their trash on the ground or in the sewers. I would love to get trash cans on more blocks to prevent the trash issue.
What do you know about the Academy at Palumbo? Have you ever attended an event at the school or interacted with Palumbo students?
I know very little about the Academy at Palumbo. I see children walking to school on my way to work, but don’t really ever see them after school since I am still at work. I have voted inside the school and worked with the church that is there on the weekends to set up movie nights in the park.
Under ideal circumstances, would your long term plans include staying in the neighborhood indefinitely, or relocating at some point? In either case, why?
Our ideal plans would be to keep our residence in Philadelphia and rent it out once we have 2 kids. We both grew up in the suburbs and liked that more people are engaged in the community with a focus around children. I would be lying if I were to say that our desire to move out of the city when we have 2 kids is NOT because of the schools in Philadelphia. I love the convenience of being in the city, but education is paramount for us and we’d rather move to a great school district than stay in the city and leave our children’s education up to chance of getting into a charter school. Many young families that I have spoken with are firm that they will stay in the city and that we need our district to get the Jackson schools to where we would like to see them.
I’ve been in Hawthorne since May 2012. The area has drastically changed in my opinion since the completion of the Hawthorne Park. It has become friendlier and less violent. I think neighbors some neighbors are not happy with all of the gentrification that has taken place in the neighborhood especially those that will be displaced from Hawthorne as taxes continue to increase.
What made you decide to move to Hawthorne? How would you describe the neighborhood to someone who's never been there?
My wife and I looked a lot of areas within the city. Between the two of us we have lived in the Rittenhouse area, Graduate Hospital, Fairmount and we were looking for a place where our dollar would go a little farther while still feeling safe. Our neighborhood has a lot of restaurants and shopping that we enjoy and we feel like it is less crowded than center city (North of South Street). I would describe our neighborhood as a quaint area between the Italian market and South Street sandwiched between Broad and Bella Vista. The park has attracted a lot of younger families that are friendly and looking to get involved in their community.
What sorts of things do you do in the community? Are you involved in any organizations? How would you characterize the community as a whole?
I am involved in the Friends of Hawthorne Park and we do all of the planning for activities that take place in the park, we schedule all of the neighborhood clean-ups with the parks department and we also work with the zoning board to determine what gets built in Hawthorne. I try to attend as many meetings and events as possible. Hawthorne is a racially and socioeconomically diverse and most people are interested in being involved in the community.
Can you recall a time you've been frustrated with something in the neighborhood? Is there anything you would change?
I am constantly frustrated with people throwing their trash on the ground or in the sewers. I would love to get trash cans on more blocks to prevent the trash issue.
What do you know about the Academy at Palumbo? Have you ever attended an event at the school or interacted with Palumbo students?
I know very little about the Academy at Palumbo. I see children walking to school on my way to work, but don’t really ever see them after school since I am still at work. I have voted inside the school and worked with the church that is there on the weekends to set up movie nights in the park.
Under ideal circumstances, would your long term plans include staying in the neighborhood indefinitely, or relocating at some point? In either case, why?
Our ideal plans would be to keep our residence in Philadelphia and rent it out once we have 2 kids. We both grew up in the suburbs and liked that more people are engaged in the community with a focus around children. I would be lying if I were to say that our desire to move out of the city when we have 2 kids is NOT because of the schools in Philadelphia. I love the convenience of being in the city, but education is paramount for us and we’d rather move to a great school district than stay in the city and leave our children’s education up to chance of getting into a charter school. Many young families that I have spoken with are firm that they will stay in the city and that we need our district to get the Jackson schools to where we would like to see them.
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