The Disturbing Reason Even Philadelphia Locals Avoid This Northern Neighborhood

First-time visitors to Philadelphia tend to flock to Old City, nicknamed "America's most historic square mile." Locals head to upscale neighborhoods like Rittenhouse Square for dining, shopping, and strolling around the weekend farmer's market. But there are some areas that both groups simply prefer to avoid. Nicetown-Tioga in north Philadelphia, widely considered one of the city's most dangerous sections, is one of them, largely due to the prevalence of violent crime in the area.

Don't let the name fool you: Nicetown isn't particularly pleasant. "Nicetown" derives from the name of a Mennonite Dutch immigrant, Hans te Neues, who bought local land in 1699, while "Tioga" may come from an Indigenous word referring to the nearby Schuylkill River. It's worth noting that most locals refer to the neighborhood simply as Nicetown. Initially a rural area on the city's outskirts, Nicetown eventually became a busy immigrant neighborhood and the headquarters of Philadelphia's largest steelworks, Midvale Steel Corporation.

The 1961 construction of the Roosevelt Expressway, a highway that cut right through the area, was a game-changer. In the process, hundreds of homes were demolished, locals were displaced, and the neighborhood lost somewhere around 5,000 residents. Then, roughly a century after its founding, Midvale Steel folded in the 1970s. Partly due to job loss and other factors — like the fact that the federal government deemed it "residentially hazardous" and decided not to insure mortgage loans in the area — a prolonged period of economic hardship followed.

The fallout from these substantial changes in the 1960s and 70s continues to plague the neighborhood today. While riding a SEPTA (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority) train through Nicetown, you'll notice no shortage of abandoned buildings and vacant lots. According to one study, 15% of Nicetown lots are vacant, compared to a citywide statistic of just 5%. And, unfortunately for Nicetown, the correlation between displacement numbers and incidents of violent crime is significant. 

Sadly, the neighborhood regularly tops lists of the city's most dangerous. According to a recent report by Philadelphia-based home buyer Signature Properties, Nicetown's crime rate is a staggering 417% of the national average. The real estate company AreaVibes likewise gave the neighborhood an "F" grade in its crime category, noting that 2,894 incidents of violent crime occurred per 100,000 residents in 2023.

Tourists are encouraged to skip the area altogether. Instead, if you want to get off the beaten path in Philly, explore nearby communities like Brewerytown, a cool neighborhood known for breweries and street art, or take the train from the Center City neighborhood to Mount Airy, a historic neighborhood with European-style architecture and tree-lined streets in northwest Philly. Despite the fact that the city has its rough patches, it's still an amazing place to visit, and as long as you keep safe, you can't go wrong exploring the city Samantha Brown called one of the most underrated in America.