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First off, Philly is not 40 miles from NYC like Baltimore is from DC. Philly is around 70 miles as the crow flies from NYC. Secondly, NYC is much, much larger and more cosmopolitan than DC. Philly is not even on the radar of people in Manhattan. However, I've met quite a few people from Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island that do come down to Philly from time to time and hang out. Manhattan, not so much at all.
I'd describe the relationship among Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York City as "variations on a theme." This also includes Boston.
All these cities are of similar ilk, and yet remain distinct from one another.
Actually, one of these cities is not like the others. DC has a different feel from the other four, and a completely different economic base. Boston, NY, Philly and Baltimore are port cities which developed organically as colonial hubs for their regions. Also, they were significant manufacturing centers at different points in their respective histories. DC is an intentionally "designed" city founded solely to house the federal government, and was laid out in a completely different manner with promendades and circles, intended to evoke a Parisian sensibility: http://goo.gl/maps/xl7vl. Further, you will not find the skyscrapers and office canyons in DC that are found in the other four, as building heights are limited by law. So my answer to the OP would be that in terms of urban feel, NY and Philly are much more similar than DC and Baltimore. In terms or economic and cultural relationship, however, Baltimore and DC are more closely linked. Philly has its own economy and a vibrant cultural scene. Its proximity to NY simply makes it a convenient get-away, but on a day-to-day basis, NY rarely crosses the mind of Philadelphians.
Baltimore has not been closely linked to DC historically, however. It has only been in the past 15 or so years that their fortunes have been more inter-twined. This is due primarily to the growth of the federal government and the multitude of contractors that service it. The spill over has made its way from the beltway suburbs to Baltimore. Baltimore has benefitted also in that it has a lower COL making it an attractive alternative for those who can't afford DC (in fact, Baltimore has the lowest COL of the five cities above).
Last edited by Pine to Vine; 10-23-2013 at 10:00 AM..
First off, Philly is not 40 miles from NYC like Baltimore is from DC. Philly is around 70 miles as the crow flies from NYC. Secondly, NYC is much, much larger and more cosmopolitan than DC. Philly is not even on the radar of people in Manhattan. However, I've met quite a few people from Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island that do come down to Philly from time to time and hang out. Manhattan, not so much at all.
That's interesting. The biggest Philly booster I know lives in the UWS and goes there at least once a month always talking about what a great time they have. In particular she is a big fan of the art scene there (she is an artist/designer)
NYC & Philly do kinda blend a lot. To me, it seemed like once left the Philly suburbs, I was looking at lower Manhattan. It's easier to tell where the Baltimore area ends and the DC area begins., IMO.
Philly is around 95 miles from NYC, and the two cities have completely different identities, with the only common thing being both are northeast I-95 cities.. also something about Philly is despite being northeast, you can tell it's close to the mason-dixon line
DC is 35 miles from Baltimore, so a little more than 1/3 of the distance that it is between NYC and Philly.. Baltimore and DC are way more intertwined and are much more ”one region”.. it's not even a comparison..
i'd even be bold enough to say that the Philly area has more in common with the Baltimore / Washington region than NYC / Northern NJ.. every city, despite having its own identity, tends to have some things in common with the metro areas that surround it, and Philly has some things in common with NYC, and some in common with Baltimore / DC (esp Baltimore) and i'd say it has more of the latter
whoever said Philly is the same distance from NY as Baltimore is from DC SERIOUSLY needs to go look at any map.. lmao
DC/Richmond seems like a better comparison than DC/Baltimore. Close, but not in the same commuting area. One is bigger, more expensive, cosmopolitan, affluent, famous but you can see the architectural and regional similarities between the two cities.
I've always considered New Jersey and New York having more of a relationship than Philadelphia and New York.
The same can be said for Philly & New Jersey having more of a relationship than Philly & New York. The relationship between Philly & New York basically is because of both cities’ close connection to New Jersey. New Jersey has a whole region of the state that acts as a buffer zone between the 2 major cities, and NjTransit gives Easy access to both cities
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