Why are the rents low in Philly?

[2e1m5a]

Originally Posted by The Continental

I would ask why, but then again I don't see the point.

But you see the point in stating that you don't see the point...Odd

[Angus215]

Originally Posted by The Continental

I would ask why, but then again I don't see the point.

LA doesn't have much going for it other than weather and the beach. If those 2 things aren't at the top of your priority list, then there's no reason to live there. It has no real city center either - it's more of a bunch of smaller cities smashed together. It's a sunbelt sprawl, and not a real city in my book.

NYC is a great city, but very expensive. When you live in manhattan, you are literally trapped on an island, not just because it is surrounded by water, but getting in and out of the city is so difficult that you tend to just stay there. This makes new yorkers very isolated and ignorant, despite their own opinion of themselves. Also, it is so big that you have to take cabs or subway to go just about anywhere. Philly is more affordable, more attractive, has more character, and you can walk anywhere you need to go in center city. Philly has everything that New York has . . . New York just has more of it. Philly, in my opinion, is a much more livable city with a much higher quality of life.

[MsChelle]

I think Philly is affordable because there is a lot of surplus housing in Philadelphia. Philly is much more working-class city than New York. 25% of the population in Philly is at or below the poverty line. There is no Wall Street. However, Center City and University City can be very expensive. As more people move back to urban cores, Philadelphia will start to become more expensive, including areas around University City and Temple University that were once somewhat or full-on ghetto.

[rotodome]

Originally Posted by Angus215

Philly has everything that New York has . . . New York just has more of it.

Haha I used to say exactly the same thing. Until I learned that I was totally wrong about that.

[katykat01]

NYC is a great city, but very expensive. When you live in manhattan, you are literally trapped on an island, not just because it is surrounded by water, but getting in and out of the city is so difficult that you tend to just stay there. This makes new yorkers very isolated and ignorant, despite their own opinion of themselves. Also, it is so big that you have to take cabs or subway to go just about anywhere. Philly is more affordable, more attractive, has more character, and you can walk anywhere you need to go in center city. Philly has everything that New York has . . . New York just has more of it. Philly, in my opinion, is a much more livable city with a much higher quality of life.

I lived in NYC for a little over 7 years and am finding Philly to be a much better alternative, though there are things I miss about NYC. Philly is MUCH more affordable. The apartment I have here would cost me at least 3x as much in NYC, plus my groceries and electric would have been much more expensive too.

I also agree about how difficult it is to leave to NYC, since car rentals can be ridiculously high and transport sells out quickly during the summer. I also agree that New Yorkers have an attitude about themselves that is based entirely in ignorance (maybe I had a bit of that too). I didn't think I'd find the people in Philly to be anywhere near as interesting as the people I knew in NYC, but I think the people I've met here are not only much more interesting, but much more accepting in general. People in Philly don't care which brands you're wearing, which neighborhood you live in, or which hotels you're staying in when you're traveling. It's actually really refreshing! Philly is much quieter too. Just this past weekend, I stayed in my friend's 24th floor apartment in Manhattan and still had street noise all night - and the windows weren't open! I had some noise outside my 2nd floor CC apartment last night, but it was gone after I closed my window.

I once thought I'd move back to NYC, but between the crowds of people, the sky high cost of rent and everything else, the attitude of so many of the people, forget it! I'm here to stay.