Dimitris Kollias

Hello :)
A bit about me: I grew up in Europe and have lived in 4 different countries. There was a period in my life that I was moving places (either within the same city or between different neighbouring towns) every 8 months. Taking the above into consideration, although this review is still subjective, it's written by someone who has gone through the process of evaluating suburbs multiple times.
Having lived in Port Adelaide for a year now, I must admit that as the title suggests, I would never encourage a friend or acquaintance to go and live there.
Simply because the cons way, way, way outnumber the pros.
Location: Geographically it's far away from everything. The CBD, Adelaide hills, Northern suburbs, Eastern suburbs and so on. Yes, it is close to the beach, but you can get a place in Semaphore, Ethelton, West Lakes etc. for similar prices.
Surroundings: The place certainly has some charm, like the walk by the waterfront or a couple of older looking streets/blocks, but that is it. Nothing exceptional that you can't find in many other suburbs.
Amenities: Perhaps the best aspect of Port Adelaide. Lots of supermarkets/shops/gyms/services within walking distance. A couple of nice pubs/bars too.
Safety: We had police in our street almost on a weekly basis (believe me I'm not exaggerating), because of different incidents happening. Second worse SA district (after Elizabeth) for crime, according to data from SA police.
People: Mainly towards the lower-end of education and socio-economic status. This doesn't mean people are bad, but keep in mind that drug, domestic and criminal incidents seem to be more common in such areas. We personally experienced a lot of neighbourhood noise such as barking dogs, music and people yelling at all hours.
Having talked to a few life long Adelaidians, apparently Port Adelaide is a suburb waiting to pick up for the last 30 years. Who knows, maybe the time is now, however I wouldn't want to bet any money with these odds.
To summarise, Port Adelaide offers NOTHING more that you can't find in a better version and at the same price just 5-10min drive to the west, south and south east. At the same time though, crime rates (mostly minor, but still...) are the second highest in South Australia.
Thanks for reading, hope this review helped and all the best with choosing a suburb that suits your needs.