Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'd prefer to live in Philly. I like Bmore but Philly just seems like it's much more exciting, stimulating, diverse (racially, ethnically, socio-economically, and subcultural), etc. Philly has a better overall food scene, but it would be nice if they were as good in the seafood department as Baltimore and DC are. It has a very dynamic music scene and a better shopping scene as well. And unlike Bmore, the bad neighborhoods in Philly doesn't seem to be as all over the place. Bmore's Inner Harbor-adjacent neighborhoods, Midtown-Belvedere/Mount Vernon, Northern neighborhoods, and some of its Southern nabes range from really safe to decent. But West and East Baltimore are pretty big areas within the city....Not to say Philly doesn't have a lot of bad nabes either but Philly being larger, there's a greater quantity or greater chance of more nicer overall nabes and the bad nabes/blocks aren't as in-your-face as they are up in Bmore. I also love Philly's street food culture and their accent lol Plus their nightlife looks more exciting and the women even more so. Downtown-wise, I'd prefer Center City over DT Bmore, though Philly doesn't really have anything on the scale of Inner Harbor. Perhaps the Camden waterfront in New Jersey is the closest they can offer since it's in their metro area.
Overall, I'd prefer to live in Philly and I might try to visit the place before the end of my summer as an alternative to New York. Baltimore is nice to visit but I'm not really interested in living up there. Maybe its suburbs though such as Columbia, Catonsville, Towson, or Hanover.
When visiting BAL a few years ago, I definitely felt rather unsafe in parts of the very 'hip' Mount Vernon district.
Yet it was in that area that I visited several museums that blew me away. I felt bad for the museum scene around Baltimore. Very impressive but doesn't seem like the attendance is up to snuff
When visiting BAL a few years ago, I definitely felt rather unsafe in parts of the very 'hip' Mount Vernon district.
Yet it was in that area that I visited several museums that blew me away. I felt bad for the museum scene around Baltimore. Very impressive but doesn't seem like the attendance is up to snuff
I've noticed that about the museums here as well. People here don't seem to care for culture outside their little bubbles I guess. I will say that there is a lot of 'new blood' coming into Baltimore. I've noticed an uptick in vibrancy and diversity over the past several years. Nothing was more shocking than seeing hipsters hanging out in front of their newly built apartment in one of the roughest neighborhoods in the city at 2am. It was great to see.
Philly and Baltimore both have their own accents. Ask someone from Philly to say boy or ocean. That sh$t is hilarious. Ask someone from Bmore to say Q or Avenue.
LOL I actually like the Philly accent more so than Bmore's.
I've noticed that about the museums here as well. People here don't seem to care for culture outside their little bubbles I guess. I will say that there is a lot of 'new blood' coming into Baltimore. I've noticed an uptick in vibrancy and diversity over the past several years. Nothing was more shocking than seeing hipsters hanging out in front of their newly built apartment in one of the roughest neighborhoods in the city at 2am. It was great to see.
Sounds like it must've been in Pigtown if I'm guessing correctly
Population wise, yes Philly is pretty big; in terms of square mileage, Philly is pretty small.
Phila. is the 5th largest city and the 2nd largest on the east coast.
But, yes, Phila is pretty small in terms of square mileage. Philly has been the same size since 1854 when Phila. Co was incorporated into the city. So Philadelphia's boundaries and Phila. County's boundaries are exactly the same.
Nope. Believe it or not, it was Greenmount & North Ave. Pigtown isn't that bad, plus it's gentrified.
Oh okay. Wow....Who would've thought lol. If they're moving to that part of Bmore, I wonder if the Philly posters can expect that same subcultural demographic to start looking into the Kensington neighborhoods
Welllll....... I'm in Philly now, have been here visiting for the summer.
I'm seeing hipsters, working class, & working poor whites and walking through, stopping in restaurants, bodegas, and supermarkets in neighborhoods in Nicetown/Hunting Park, the areas around Broad & Girard, and the back streets of North Central Philadelphia.
Also quite a few have moved into those places. You just didn't see that 15-30 years ago.... 😳
Trust me, you didn't. Maybe 35/40 years ago yes. 😃
There's also an influx of Hispanics not from Puerto Rico or Dominicà n Republic but from Mexico, Honduras, Gutamala, and Peru along with some new Asian families. It's all good to me and good for the city.
Oh okay. Wow....Who would've thought lol. If they're moving to that part of Bmore, I wonder if the Philly posters can expect that same subcultural demographic to start looking into the Kensington neighborhoods
There are definitely similarities between these 2 cities in terms of their architecture, especially their row houses, and in their unique quasi-Eastern-quasi-Southern/country culture and accents. Center City Philadelphia, though, which I consider one of the top-5 downtowns in the country, is much larger and much more vibrant than downtown Baltimore which, once you get away from the Inner Harbor, is pretty quiet -- though physically very attractive. Also Phil-delphia destroys Bahlmer in terms of mass transit, it’s not even close.
And those who are saying Baltimore's housing architecture is more diverse than Philly's, either are just basing their comments on stereotype or haven't seriously explored Philly. If you travel to areas like Rittenhouse Sq. (esp 21st and 22nd streets to the east & south), Powelton Village, University City - esp to its south and west; the Gayborhood downtown (esp btw 9th-13th/Chestnut-Pine) and many areas in Germantown, Mt. Airy and Chestnut Hill, you'll find as diverse and eclectic housing styles and unique architecture as you’ll find anywhere. And because of the many tight, narrow streets (with where people must park on both sides of the street because of the Victorian, pre-Victorian garage-less/alley-less streets), as well as some with cobblestones, extant trolley lines, hardware stores that line their wares on street corners during biz hours and even a few curbside gas/filling stations, Philadelphia often feels like it’s somewhere between a living/breathing/working museum and a European city more than an American one.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Plus their nightlife looks more exciting and the women even more so. Downtown-wise, I'd prefer Center City over DT Bmore, though Philly doesn't really have anything on the scale of Inner Harbor. Perhaps the Camden waterfront in New Jersey is the closest they can offer since it's in their metro area. 
