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I agree Philadelphia has better transit and schools. Houston has a better highway system and that's not debatable. Everything else you said is debatable. Philadelphia has better summer weather. Houston has better weather in the winter. Also everyone is not big on urban lifestyle in reality unlike this website. Urban areas have more crime. There is a reason Houston or Texas in general is outgrowing most of the U.S. I work around the military and they all like Texas. So many ppl from Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia etc are moving to rural Texas. Why? Because its provides a better peaceful lifestyle to raise a family.
You don't really have the option of living in a dense, urban area with Houston, but you do have the option of doing so in Philadelphia. You have the option of living in a suburban setting in both areas.
Some reasons for Houston and Texas having grown so much is part of the larger reasons why much of the south has grown so much which is that they were formerly not very densely populated and there was fairly cheap undeveloped land available in spades. Technology, most specifically climate control such as air conditioning made it possible and desirable to live in those places and on top of that there has been decades of a net wealth transfer of better net federal net (federal revenue - federal spending) per capita for these states.
Me personally I don't think Philadelphia is UGLY just has a lot of run down areas and grit. Also Houston imo has a lot of unattractive areas but I wouldn't consider the entire city ugly either.
Better schools as in universities/colleges or K-12? Are we talking entire metro or city alone? Neither city is nothing to brag about when it comes to K-12 but I thought Philly was ranked very poorly when it comes to public schools in the city.
Food is subjective...both cities have amazing food scenes. I'd also say Philly probably has better summers and springs. Houston has better winters and falls. Philly definitely has Houston beat on attractions and transit and I'd even say culture. Philly has a more distinct local culture. As far as people, don't really know how you measure that but ok.
Houston's (black) culture is pretty recognizable (at least to me), let's leave it as a tie . As for K-12, Philadelphia metro takes it; Tredyffrin and Radnor school districts are often regarded as some of the best school districts in the country, LM is no slouch either.
Philadelphia all the way. Much better city, much better suburbs. People always complain about the crime in philly(and not for bad reason) but like it’s not that different from Houston and is about the same as DC which you basically never hear people talk about the crime there. Houston also has plenty of trailer park, shack neighborhoods where trash just flows into the little ditches where there are no sidewalks in front of peoples houses.
Houston is more diverse though and as a result, I would think it has better food options.
This is where I gotta interject real quick. While Philly is more architecturally more attractive than Houston it's noticeably more dirtier than Houston as well. The trailer parks and shack neighborhoods you speak of can be found in areas of the city/metro not heavily traveled by. Like I rarely see trailer homes in Houston and when I do it's usually on a backroad somewhere in unincorporated Harris County. Places the average transplant or tourist would never know about. Same with these "shack" neighborhoods". Btw I don't know of any "shack neighborhoods" in Houston. There's blighted blocks in obviously lower income areas in Houston but those are generally not even entire neighborhoods like that in Houston.
Philly on the other hand is just in your face in majority of the city. It's pretty alarming how trashy Philly is. And I say that with no disrespect it's just true. The city has some beautiful architecture and great urban bones to clean up and really stand out. I think more people would speak highly of Philly if it was as clean as Chicago. I found it to be even dirtier than Manhattan. And mind you we were in Rittenhouse Square. Which I love btw, just wish Philly wasn't so dirty. There's also the noticeable drug addicts all over that makes Philly dirtiness stand out even more. Don't get me wrong Houston has it's homeless problems and tents and what not but it aint got nothing on Philly.
-Which is the most diverse in terms of race? I like an area to be so diverse, I can't tell what the majority is.
Houston
-Which has the most crime?
Philly
-Which has the best Universities? Good community colleges?
Philly
-Which has the best housing, or in my case, selection for apartments? (In other words, is the cost worth what you get or can I expect to pay $1300 for a studio apartment like I saw in DC...)
Houston is cheaper, but Philly has better quality wise
-Which has the best nightlife?
I say Philly, Houston outside of clubs is bleh
-Which has the best weather?
Philly, Houston has hellish weather
-Which is the nicer looking city?
Definitely Philly. Though Philly has some real rough looking sections that look worse than anything in Houston
-Which has more things to do (museums, attractions, etc)?
Philly easily. Plus with its location you can go to NY or DC in a couple hours
-Which, do you think, would be the better city for a single female, nurse, in her mid-20's?
Philly by far. Houston is far too suburban for my liking. I'd suggest Houston if you're married with kids
-Which is the most diverse in terms of race? I like an area to be so diverse, I can't tell what the majority is.
Houston
-Which has the most crime?
Philly
-Which has the best Universities? Good community colleges?
Philly
-Which has the best housing, or in my case, selection for apartments? (In other words, is the cost worth what you get or can I expect to pay $1300 for a studio apartment like I saw in DC...)
Houston is cheaper, but Philly has better quality wise
-Which has the best nightlife?
I say Philly, Houston outside of clubs is bleh
-Which has the best weather?
Philly, Houston has hellish weather
-Which is the nicer looking city?
Definitely Philly. Though Philly has some real rough looking sections that look worse than anything in Houston
-Which has more things to do (museums, attractions, etc)?
Philly easily. Plus with its location you can go to NY or DC in a couple hours
-Which, do you think, would be the better city for a single female, nurse, in her mid-20's?
Philly by far. Houston is far too suburban for my liking. I'd suggest Houston if you're married with kids
Jahs.12qwe you can live a suburban lifestyle in the Northeast and Northwest section of the city too.
-Which is the most diverse in terms of race? I like an area to be so diverse, I can't tell what the majority is. Houston
-Which has the most crime? Philadelphia has the higher homicide rate and Houston has a higher overall crime rate via CD
-Which has the best Universities? Good community colleges? Philadelphia
-Which has the best housing, or in my case, selection for apartments? (In other words, is the cost worth what you get or can I expect to pay $1300 for a studio apartment like I saw in DC...) Tie, a slight edge to Houston for affordability.
-Which has the best nightlife? Tie; subjective question (although I'd prefer Houston as a 25 year old black man)
-Which has the best weather? Philadelphia
-Which is the nicer looking city? Houston has far less blight and grime; however, I prefer Philadelphia. Nothing beats the leafy "suburban" esque neighborhoods in NW Philly or 18th-century colonial feel in Society Hill and Old City.
-Which has more things to do (museums, attractions, etc)? Tie
-Which, do you think, would be the better city for a single female, nurse, in her mid-20's? That's highly subjective. Both offer a "big city" experience in their own unique ways. Philadelphia is a traditional urban city with adequate public transportation and walkability and a vibrant downtown.
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