Bella Vista Ranked as Best Place to Live in Philly

Ah, Bella Vista. Home of the Italian Market , this neighborhood has done nothing but gentrify for the last 40 years. Bella Vista has come so far, in fact, that it’s ranked as the best place to live in Philly. Hey you, Mr/s. Angry Philadelphian, don’t be mad at me! I didn’t publish the rankings – that was the work of Niche.com. The website has previously compiled data on the best places to live, work, and play in the whole country. Now, this year, for the first time, Niche.com is breaking down neighborhoods in several big American cities to tabulate the best places to live there. Philadelphia was on the list, and so Niche published a list of the 100 best places to live there.

Bella Vista: it’s name means “beautiful view,” and that couldn’t be more apt. (Photo by R. Kennedy for Visit Philadelphia)

Niche.com ranks its neighborhoods on a complex set of data. It assigned a letter grade in each of 13 categories. These included weather (based on year-round weather trends), jobs (opportunities to get hired and the chance for economic stability), commute time (the average resident commute, combined with those who are able to walk, bike, or skate to work), nightlife (places to go have fun, as well as cultural amenities), crime and safety, schools (quality of the public school system), and diversity (referring to the social and economic composition of the neighborhood).

According to Philadelphia Magazine, “Bella Vista received A grades in education, nightlife, diversity, shortest commute, family amenities and outdoor activities. It got an A-minus for public schools, a B-plus in health and fitness, and Bs in crime and safety and real estate. Niche gave the weather a B-minus grade, the job picture a C and the cost of living a C-minus.” That still put it over the next four entrants in the Top 5, which were (in order) Passyunk Square, Hawthorne, Queen Village and Old City. The “Greater Center City” metro area dominated the Top 10 list, with 7 of 10 entrants coming from there.

The overall list of neighborhoods can be found here.