Debating DC, Richmond and Philadelphia -- need to decide in 3 days (2014, home)

[rotodome]

Originally Posted by kyb01

We're getting a new governor, thank God. Although he will have fights with the legislature about it, he's committed himself to increased state funding for schools.

Personally I'll be interested to see something concrete. It's a deep hole. But when you have a kid, unfortunately you don't always have the option to "wait and see" with these things.

[BPP1999]

Originally Posted by kyb01

We're getting a new governor, thank God. Although he will have fights with the legislature about it, he's committed himself to increased state funding for schools.

More money for taxpayer-funded pensions, more money for taxpayer-funded healthcare, but how much for students? They, of course, are not the priority of the union leeches.

[BR Valentine]

Come on guys! It took nearly 10 posts after city schools were mentioned to get a teacher bashing response. Any mention of city schools has to be followed by a post that includes references to Philly teachers as thugs, lazy and greedy. Slackers.

[pman]

Are the schools a selling point for dc? No. Philly seems like the best choice in your situation. Crime is down, way down. It's grittier than dc but it's not all gritty.

[RightonWalnut]

Originally Posted by pman

Are the schools a selling point for dc? No. Philly seems like the best choice in your situation. Crime is down, way down. It's grittier than dc but it's not all gritty.

Exactly. If they want to live in an urban area, than believe it or not, DC has worse public schools than Philly.

And if you can afford it, there is always private and charter schools.

[rotodome]

Those are fair points. However, DC public schools are at least fiscally stable, even with spending double the amount of money per student. The lack of stability in the present and future is to me a pretty big issue when making life-planning decisions for your kid. I'm guessing you guys don't have any.

Also (obligatory statement) charter schools are not something one needs to afford, as they are funded by taxpayers just like traditional public schools. And they are actually not categorically better performing than them.

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by RightonWalnut

Exactly. If they want to live in an urban area, than believe it or not, DC has worse public schools than Philly.

And if you can afford it, there is always private and charter schools.

But, I think, in general, DC schools seem to approving. I was looking at some school ratings website, and it seemed the DC public school system was consistently ranking higher than the ones in Philadelphia, within the city limits.

Maybe that was just the one study I looked at, but it gave me the opposite impression of yours.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by BPP1999

More money for taxpayer-funded pensions, more money for taxpayer-funded healthcare, but how much for students? They, of course, are not the priority of the union leeches.

Okay. You do know that you are talking about Philly teachers who are using their own pay to buy school supplies, right?

[Duderino]

I think you're right to give the Philly area strong consideration for raising children.


It's true that the city proper of DC has done a remarkable job revitalizing itself; Philly has made tremendous strides, but admittedly it is not at DC's level of revitalization overall [yet]. However, honestly, I have really come to appreciate Philly's more gritty side and slower, organic, and more careful approach to development than DC, which, in many areas, is developing a very sterile and contrived urban feel, but I digress.

That being said, there are still fantastic urban neighborhoods options in Philly that could absolutely stand toe-to-toe with DC's top neighborhoods. Schools, unfortunately, are problematic in both cities, so it would come down to getting into a magnet school or private schools, so that's a consideration for your budget. Believe it or not, also, Philly and DC have remarkably similar crime rates.

Overall, with extensive experience in both area, I just find the Philly area to be much more livable for the average middle-to-upper-middle class family. As you know, DC area housing costs have reached absurdly high levels and the commuting situation is more unbearably awful than anything than you'd find around Philly. I also find that the social atmosphere in Philly, with people being much more grounded, congenial and approachable, adds significantly to the quality-of-life. If I could sum up my perspective in a nutshell, Philly just seems much more "balanced" and has a much stronger sense of community.

South Jersey may also not be the urban paradise you seek, but you don't have to be too far from Philly to get your urban fix.

Good luck!

[AJNEOA]

I lived in Richmond for 8 years and just moved to Philly. I have also been to DC more than a dozen times, but never lived there.

We chose Philadelphia because of the QOL we could have in a truly urban setting. That may not be your preference, but Philly offers a wide array of living options. If you want good schools and semi-urban, you can always try one of the suburbs that has a town center (and is walkable). The city of Philadelphia is certainly gritty, but not much more than Richmond. And the crime RATE between the two is very similar. I think Philadelphia is just having a harder time shedding its older reputation. That's not to say that crime isn't still a serious problem...just no more than Richmond per capita.

I prefer Philly over DC because of the people, the QOL/COL and the amazing amenities it offers. It's a bigger city with a better location and tremendous food. Ultimately, I would recommend going where you truly want to be, but if you're on the fence, I would urge you to give it a shot here.