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Global Cities Index, 2015: CURRENT RANK
01. New York
06. Los Angeles
07. Chicago
10. Washington, D.C.
13. Toronto
22. San Francisco 23. Boston
24. Montréal
Philly did not make its current Global 25 rank list. Boston did at #23. But in its "FUTURE" EXPECTATIONS Cities Global rank expectations. Boston jumps to #3.
What the PBS is bringing too much heat for you to handle? What a weak comeback lol. Next time you should only comment when you know what you're talking about. Topics on Philadelphia ain't it.
The PBS doesn't bring heat, but it does bring something else. Hold your noses, everyone.
Boston's major problem is the cost of housing. Philly's main problem is the condition of said housing.
I live equidistant to both cities and have always enjoyed and preferred Philadelphia for a number of reasons and there's more to life than controversial economic rankings that 99.9% of people couldn't care less about.
What's desirable to me is affordability, a mild 4 seasons climate, great food, great nightlife and entertainment, music, arts, museums, etc.
Philadelphia comes out over Boston there, except economically. I also enjoy the immediate suburbs and nature areas around Philadelphia much more than Boston.
I also enjoy Philadelphia's history much more than Boston's. It is larger and more preserved. Philadelphia was just named a World Heritage City for its historical contributions not only on a local scale but global. The first US city.
What? Boston has a MUCH worse reputation out of any city in the Northeast for race relations with blacks, African American and/or Afro-Latino. From the Red Sox being the last team to integrate, to the busing debacle of the 70s, to current day racial segregation worse than Birmingham, Alabama, Boston deserves its rep, especially when compared to NYC and Philly. Massachusetts as a whole has elected a black governor (from Chicago btw), but the city of Boston still has yet to do so for a black mayor. And desirability does not lessen an area's hostility to certain groups. Just ask any Arab-American in any major metro, Detroit included, after 9/11.
Also, it isn't like Boston is some African-born mecca and Philadelphia isn't. Both pale next to NYC and DC in that regard, and Philly, while lacking about 12,000 less Africans than Boston, is actually proportionately higher in African-born folks out of the total foreign born population.
And the Philly metro has more than twice as many Puerto Ricans, who are often Afro-Latino, when compared to Boston. Boston has more Dominicans, sure, but Philly's combined PR/DR population is significantly greater than Boston's, to say nothing of interracial relationships with African Americans, whose presence also dwarfs Boston's.
Can confirm this, at least in my personal experience.
In my times in Boston, it never seemed to have a large African-American population outside immigrants, which made me feel weird.
I've always thought that Boston was one city that my black friends didn't care much for and it is related to this.
There's just something about Boston in that regard. Its very wealthy and white. Not entirely obviously, but stereotypes die hard. You would find cities like Atlanta on a list of most desirable places to live for AA's and I would bet Boston would be at the very bottom.
The thing is, though, is that Boston's African American community has not historically been as nearly as influential as its other Northeastern counterparts. So while all of the negatives of black life in America (unemployment, racism, criminality issues, etc) have also affected/continue to affect the other NE cities, there has also been more progress in both the cultural and economic spheres of those cities that has not occurred at that level in Boston. I'm straining to think of popular black movements, musical or otherwise, that have originated in Boston (New Edition?). Whereas NYC is renowned for the Harlem Renaissance, Philly with Neo-soul, DC with Go-Go, etc.--to say nothing of black politicians, celebrities, the black upper class, etc. Boston is definitely the weakest of the bunch when it comes to black contributions and black success (not saying Boston hasn't had any, but not on the scale of the others).
I would agree with this also.
It seems that African American culture is much much more a part of Philadelphia's culture than Boston. Its in the street art, its in the music, its in the media, its in the movies, etc.
Not saying Boston doesn't have any African American culture, but Philadelphia's is much more prominent and apparent on the surface. It is more ingrained in the city fabric.
Objectively speaking, yes, there is a gap. Boston enjoys a higher status on the international stage than Philadelphia does. This is seen in reports by A.T. Kearney and the GaWC as well as international tourism numbers.
Does that mean more desirable? Maybe. I think Boston definitely has more SWPL appeal than Philly. I don't think it has as much appeal as SF and Manhattan, though, which the OP states.
As a Canadian from Toronto, Boston is still FAR more appealing to me than Philadelphia is as a place to live -- at least in the long term.
Boston is actually a place I would love to live. It's got a cool mix between the blue-collar and white-collar communities. There's tons of a top rate colleges, and research institutions, and it has many cool neighbourhoods.
While I respect Philadelphia's historical significance in America, and I understand that the city has gotten safer since the early 90's, it's still not a place I'd see myself living compared to Boston. I can't think of anything Philadelphia has to offer that Boston or Toronto don't.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joey joe-joe
I'm not even going to touch this because there's probably enough people who already read this and cringed half way to death. This isn't a Toronto vs. Philly thread. There was already one and Toronto won quite easily...
Toronto has Muskoka -- often cited as the most beautiful cottage country in the world, and Boston's New England/Colonial countryside is notoriously beautiful. Philadelphia has old buildings, but nothing in Philadelphia's skyline comes close to Toronto's, and nothing in Philadelphia's "urban setting" comes close to Beacon Hill in Boston.
Well, Flyers fans didn't need a championship like the Bruins did to sell out their games so there's a start.
Philadelphia is superior in food to both Toronto and Boston, and is probably just behind NYC, SF and Chicago.
Philadelphia has better climate than Toronto and Boston and Philadelphia has colonial countryside just as much if not more than Boston, especially in the immediate suburbs. That's a big one I don't think most people realize. The picturesque countryside New England you are thinking of is a few hours away from Boston, in Vermont and New Hampshire.
Nothing in Philadelphia comes close to Beacon Hill in Boston? I guess now is the time to tell you that Society Hill in Philadelphia not only is identical to Beacon Hill, but much much larger. Philadelphia has the largest colonial housing stock in the country. A better example would've been the North End, as there really isn't anywhere in Philadelphia like that, but there is nowhere in Boston that can match Old City.
I just really think when it comes to Philadelphia, you really don't know what you're talking about and that you'd be shocked to find out what is there. Its comparable to Montreal.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jpdivola
One way Philly does seem to be catching up to Boston is in food and nightlife. Boston seems to have a pretty underwhelming nightlife scene. Maybe it is just perception, but it seems like nightlife in Boston skews toward college bars and Irish pubs.
Philadelphia's food and nightlife catching up to Boston? I think you have that backwards.
Objectively speaking, yes, there is a gap. Boston enjoys a higher status on the international stage than Philadelphia does. This is seen in reports by A.T. Kearney and the GaWC as well as international tourism numbers.
Does that mean more desirable? Maybe. I think Boston definitely has more SWPL appeal than Philly. I don't think it has as much appeal as SF and Manhattan, though, which the OP states.
Philadelphia is not as big a player in finance as Boston and you have Harvard and MIT over UPenn. That's basically where it begins and ends. Finance and education. Boston is a bigger player globally, and even then, financially speaking its below NYC, Chicago, etc. So the only spot globally that Boston has above everyone else is education.
Philadelphia/University City is following the blueprint Boston/Cambridge have set.
Either way, the general population doesn't care about GaWC rankings, and they don't factor into whether or not a family of five is going to pick Boston over Philadelphia to move. Hell, the majority of people my age can't even afford a house in Boston, but I can afford one in Philadelphia. If I want to buy a home for example, i'm choosing Philly.
Jobs are very important, but its only part of the equation, and its very subjective criteria.
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