Best Things About Living In Philadelphia (Burlington, Atlantic: neighborhoods, public schools, university)

[wheeling]

honestly i just wanna hear the best things. im about to move there for university and i want some encouragement

[Muinteoir]

Are you moving here as an undergrad or grad student? Which university, if you do not mind sharing?

After about a year of living here, I made a post raving about the city. Having lived here about 2.5 years, I still feel the same. Here it is:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/phila...lace-live.html

[cpomp]

And where are you moving from?

Philadelphia is a big city with a lot going on, my advice would be to get out and start exploring, eating, visiting attractions, joining social groups, etc. Make the most of all the opportunities the city offers.

[Redddog]

Lived here for the last 4 years. Lived in DC, Burlington VT, Santa Fe, NYC Boulder, CO. - all great towns.

Philly is easily our favorite. Its got the culture, history, entertainment, and overall excitement level of NYC without the ridiculous cost of living found in NYC (with a 50% less d-bag rating). It's got A LOT more soul than DC (with a 60% less d-bag rating).

In the end, all three of the East Coast cities mentioned are going to have similarities - all the same vintage, all among the largest in the US and all with economic importance. The main differences you'll find will be with the people, if you ask me. NY used to have more in common with Philly. Yet somewhere along the way in the last few decades, NYC became absurdly expensive thus pushing the commoners out in exchange for the wealthy. You can imagine what the end result looks like.

Philly has a lot to offer and to me, the best thing about Philly is the people here. The food scene, vibrancy, history and amenities here are great as well.

[rowhomecity]

The historic charm. The vibrancy of its neighborhoods. Its walkability. The authenticity of its people. You can just feel its legacy walking the cities streets.

[selhars]

Although I live in the city, I hardly ever do anything in the city at all.

So the best thing about living in the Philadelphia area is the amenities, like -- shopping access, cultural/entertainment options, various cuisines, world class medical facilities, world class university educational institutions* -- AND a very convenient central mid-Atlantic travel location.....major airport, just hours from NYC and DC, a few hours further from Boston and Norfolk/VA Beach, just a couple of hours from the mountains and the shore/beach towns in Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland.

I love that Philly has all those things. And I'm always bragging to people who live elsewhere about what Philly offers. But a person can have all that and not live IN the city. My friends in South Jersey and the 5 county Philly suburbs have access to all of that and don't live IN the city.

So what's the benefit to living IN the city? Closer to all those things above IF you want them right at your door. Maybe some social services other counties don't have? In some suburbs you need to arrange your own trash pick up and snow removal.

Most people I know are perfectly content to live outside the city, and come in when they need something only the city has.

*(Notice I said nothing positive about the K-12 public schools.)

[PHL10]

^^^ This is a weird post...like you are responding to something that wasn't said. Maybe someone will post that they live in the suburbs but hardly ever do anything in the suburbs at all. and then you two can have a dual?!

[cpomp]

Originally Posted by selhars

Although I live in the city, I hardly ever do anything in the city at all.

So the best thing about living in the Philadelphia area is the amenities, like -- shopping access, cultural/entertainment options, various cuisines, world class medical facilities, world class university educational institutions* -- AND a very convenient central mid-Atlantic travel location.....major airport, just hours from NYC and DC, a few hours further from Boston and Norfolk/VA Beach, just a couple of hours from the mountains and the shore/beach towns in Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland.

I love that Philly has all those things. And I'm always bragging to people who live elsewhere about what Philly offers. But a person can have all that and not live IN the city. My friends in South Jersey and the 5 county Philly suburbs have access to all of that and don't live IN the city.

So what's the benefit to living IN the city? Closer to all those things above IF you want them right at your door. Maybe some social services other counties don't have? In some suburbs you need to arrange your own trash pick up and snow removal.

Most people I know are perfectly content to live outside the city, and come in when they need something only the city has.

*(Notice I said nothing positive about the K-12 public schools.)

You post would pretty much applies to any major city... You can live in the burbs and enjoy the city...

That being said, this poster needs to live in Philadelphia, the only hesitation I would have is the school system.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by cpomp

You post would pretty much applies to any major city... You can live in the burbs and enjoy the city...

That being said, this poster needs to live in Philadelphia, the only hesitation I would have is the school system.

The OP is moving here to go to college. He/she may be of normal undergrade age and childless so the city school system may not matter.

[chessimprov]

Philadelphia's cost of living is considerably "cheap" for a big city compared to other cities of its size where you can get things comparable.


As a comment to a few other posts, I live in the burbs but enjoy the city. But, I also enjoy the burbs too. I don't try to select one over the other. I also work in the city. So, that helps with doing stuff in the city too.