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Hey all,
I'm from Virginia Beach/Hampton Roads area, looking at a possible job at Drexel University.
What are the best and worst things about living in the Philadelphia area? What advice would you give to a newcomer?
Is Philly welcoming to outsiders? Is it easy to break into the social network?
My wife (works from home) and I are looking to live in a suburban area with rail access to 30th Street Station. We especially like the inner ring suburbs in Delaware County, as they offer some historic architecture but also quiet and safety. We liked the town of Aldan, Collingdale, and Glenolden in particular. We're looking to rent a house/rowhouse for under $3k. Would prefer not to live in the city itself, too dense and too much crime. Thoughts?
Philly is a vibrant city with a lot of festivals/street fairs and such and has an active social and sports scene. Yes crime (in the city) is an issue these days but hopefully some of the far left politicians will get booted from office soon.
Delaware County is great, The towns you mentioned are stable, although none of them really have established downtown areas. For that you would want Media/Swarthmore or areas of Springfield. Or look in Ardmore/Bryn Mawr. Your budget is fine for all of these areas and each are close to trains that would go directly to Drexel
I cannot speak about Delaware County but I've lived in the Philly area my entire life. I think it's too easy to focus on the positives and overlook the negatives. So here's a few comments about the negatives:
I don't agree with the previous poster that "hopefully some of the far left politicians will get booted from office soon." Don't count on that. The city is controlled by Democrats and the voting base is primarily Democrat, I don't see this will change. The crime has gotten worse and I've seen what used to be very nice ethnic city neighborhoods go into the toilet where you don't even want to walk there anymore. I used to feel fairly safe walking to my car at night by myself after an evening out but I wouldn't do that anymore. I remember when the nicer areas of Center City such as Rittenhouse square and Old City were beautiful and safe with some of my favorite restaurants and interesting little shops and cafes but now these areas are just plain drab. During the day there's just nothing to see anymore. The cool stores that I used to shop at are now gone.
I don't agree that Philly is a "vibrant" city, either. Philly USED to be somewhat vibrant, with an exciting restaurant scene and lots of interesting places to go--department stores, museums and little parks. Now it's just plain dirty, run down.
I have no idea what the previous poster meant by street fairs and festivals. I haven't heard of many of these, maybe because of the pandemic. I can only think of Manayunk (which isn't in center city) with its Art fair and bike race--these are fun events but I'm not sure if they're having them this year.
The other issue is that if you work in the city, you'll be paying city wage tax on your income. I don't know the exact percentage but it used to be 5%.
One positive is that there are a few decent parks, gardens and arboretums here and there in and around the city if you like that sort of thing. I won't list them all here. The
I cannot speak about Delaware County but I've lived in the Philly area my entire life. I think it's too easy to focus on the positives and overlook the negatives. So here's a few comments about the negatives:
I don't agree with the previous poster that "hopefully some of the far left politicians will get booted from office soon." Don't count on that. The city is controlled by Democrats and the voting base is primarily Democrat, I don't see this will change. The crime has gotten worse and I've seen what used to be very nice ethnic city neighborhoods go into the toilet where you don't even want to walk there anymore. I used to feel fairly safe walking to my car at night by myself after an evening out but I wouldn't do that anymore. I remember when the nicer areas of Center City such as Rittenhouse square and Old City were beautiful and safe with some of my favorite restaurants and interesting little shops and cafes but now these areas are just plain drab. During the day there's just nothing to see anymore. The cool stores that I used to shop at are now gone.
I don't agree that Philly is a "vibrant" city, either. Philly USED to be somewhat vibrant, with an exciting restaurant scene and lots of interesting places to go--department stores, museums and little parks. Now it's just plain dirty, run down.
I have no idea what the previous poster meant by street fairs and festivals. I haven't heard of many of these, maybe because of the pandemic. I can only think of Manayunk (which isn't in center city) with its Art fair and bike race--these are fun events but I'm not sure if they're having them this year.
The other issue is that if you work in the city, you'll be paying city wage tax on your income. I don't know the exact percentage but it used to be 5%.
One positive is that there are a few decent parks, gardens and arboretums here and there in and around the city if you like that sort of thing. I won't list them all here. The
I think you need to come back to the city, my friend. So much doom and gloom and it's just not accurate. I don't even know where to begin on this so I'll just comment on the vibrancy aspect.
The streeteries have essentially taken over Center City and many of the neighborhoods. I haven't seen vibrancy like this in years. And there's some really cool stuff planned this summer with block parties and street closures. Center City is anything but "drab". It's still beautiful. Yes, a handful of stores have closed and that's unfortunate. But the vibrancy has come back and then some. Rittenhouse was packed to the gills this weekend. So much so that the neighborhood group is complaining about people playing volleyball and the grass getting torn up. That's when you know things are really back to normal.
I think you need to come back to the city, my friend. So much doom and gloom and it's just not accurate. I don't even know where to begin on this so I'll just comment on the vibrancy aspect.
The streeteries have essentially taken over Center City and many of the neighborhoods. I haven't seen vibrancy like this in years. And there's some really cool stuff planned this summer with block parties and street closures. Center City is anything but "drab". It's still beautiful. Yes, a handful of stores have closed and that's unfortunate. But the vibrancy has come back and then some. Rittenhouse was packed to the gills this weekend. So much so that the neighborhood group is complaining about people playing volleyball and the grass getting torn up. That's when you know things are really back to normal.
^^^ absolutely!!! it has an amazing vibe now I think, with all the outdoor seating and street closures. I hope they make some of this permanent and even encourage more. Also, it's be a beautiful spring in terms of everything blooming; the cherry blossoms last month and now all the azaleas are open. Retail I hope hits its stride again, but it's important to remember retail was hurting nationwide because of online retail. The pandemic just accelerated it. Many museums are open again (PMA is showcasing a massive expansion this week) and hopefully more cultural things (orchestra/theatre/etc.) is on the way.
in regards to wage tax, it's 3.8712% for city residents, 3.5019% for suburbs (working in city/living in suburbs). And crime had been decreased for like a decade before the spike last year.
I think you need to come back to the city, my friend. So much doom and gloom and it's just not accurate. I don't even know where to begin on this so I'll just comment on the vibrancy aspect.
The streeteries have essentially taken over Center City and many of the neighborhoods. I haven't seen vibrancy like this in years. And there's some really cool stuff planned this summer with block parties and street closures. Center City is anything but "drab". It's still beautiful. Yes, a handful of stores have closed and that's unfortunate. But the vibrancy has come back and then some. Rittenhouse was packed to the gills this weekend. So much so that the neighborhood group is complaining about people playing volleyball and the grass getting torn up. That's when you know things are really back to normal.
Yeah I don't know where smt1111's perspective is coming from, especially right now, as things are starting to reopen and center city feels more vibrant every day. I am in center city right now. Personally I think the increase in outside dining options has added to the vibrant feel. I hope this trend sticks around.
The concerns about the state of retail are valid though. I am part of the problem as I very rarely buy "things." I tried to do my part by purchasing some allbirds on Walnut a couple of weeks ago.
Yeah I don't know where smt1111's perspective is coming from, especially right now, as things are starting to reopen and center city feels more vibrant every day. I am in center city right now. Personally I think the increase in outside dining options has added to the vibrant feel. I hope this trend sticks around.
The concerns about the state of retail are valid though. I am part of the problem as I very rarely buy "things." I tried to do my part by purchasing some allbirds on Walnut a couple of weeks ago.
After being on lockdown for over a year, of course things are going to look all bright and shiny.
It's all a matter of opinion - one man's trash is another man's treasure.
Personally, I still like Downtown and it's many offerings, but there's nothing that 'wows' me these days. Plus, with all the hoodrats and crazies about, I need to stay alert.
Hey all,
I'm from Virginia Beach/Hampton Roads area, looking at a possible job at Drexel University.
What are the best and worst things about living in the Philadelphia area? What advice would you give to a newcomer?
Is Philly welcoming to outsiders? Is it easy to break into the social network?
My wife (works from home) and I are looking to live in a suburban area with rail access to 30th Street Station. We especially like the inner ring suburbs in Delaware County, as they offer some historic architecture but also quiet and safety. We liked the town of Aldan, Collingdale, and Glenolden in particular. We're looking to rent a house/rowhouse for under $3k. Would prefer not to live in the city itself, too dense and too much crime. Thoughts?
Well, since most of the people who responded either turned this into a discussion of the current mayor or painted an apocalyptic picture of the city center today (which simply isn't true), let me try both correcting that and answering some of your other questions.
With the lifting of the COVID restrictions, life has indeed returned to Center City's streets, and it's been augmented by the outdoor sheds and corrals the restaurants put up to allow them to serve at least some patrons while indoor dining was off the table. I would like to see the sheds become a little less obtrusive and the tables a little more open, but I know that the sheds went up so that restaurants could serve meals "outdoors" throughout the winter. Some city streets, in particular the 100 and 200 blocks of South 13th, are now closed to cars on the weekends, and those have become pretty lively indeed. I expect these scenes to gain steam as the weather gets warmer, assuming the city allows the closures to continue.
I was in Rittenhouse Square this afternoon, and while there weren't people on every bench the way it would have been pre-COVID, the park was occupied and filled with many of the usual activities (one distinctive one today: there was a fellow playing the didgeridoo at the southwest end of the central circle). The sidewalks on Walnut were filled with people enjoying the warm weather, and all the tables in the sheds of the restaurants on the square's 18th Street side were filled. So it was just about all the way to Broad Street.
As for your specific questions:
I'm a non-native myself, but I've lived here for 38 years, longer than I've lived anywhere else. I can remember when Center City did die around 6 p.m. every night, in the bad old days before the Center City District got businesses to stay open later so people could "Make it a Night" on Wednesday evenings. (That happened in 1987, around the time One Liberty Place, the skyscraper that broke the "gentlemen's agreement" that kept high-rise office towers from rising above the statue of William Penn atop City Hall Tower (548 feet), was completed. The idea caught on, and it soon spread to other nights.
I don't find native Philadelphians standoffish or unfriendly, and they're definitely not snobs. But there is a small-townish, everyone-knows-everyone-else character to the city's various social and professional circles, so — especially now, when most of the social events are still taking place on Zoom — you might want to see what sorts of organized social/networking activities exist in your field or at your place of work (if it's Drexel, you might find plenty of these to choose from). By this fall (I hope), in-person social/networking events will have come back into existence.
You will indeed have a wide choice of communities in the 'burbs to choose from with your rental budget, and let me second lpranger467's recommendation of Ardmore and Bryn Mawr. The former is the home of the Lower Merion Township government and the biggest of the Main Line's downtowns; you will find there some of the same sorts of shopping and dining options you will find in Center City Philadelphia. The houses within your price range will all lie to the south of Lancaster Avenue, and some of those will be in the Delaware County portions of those communities (Lancaster Avenue itself runs through Lower Merion Township, Montgomery County, but parts of both Ardmore and Bryn Mawr south of that street lie in Haverford (Ardmore) and Radnor (Bryn Mawr) townships.
OP - Real Philadelphians don't refer to Center City Philadelphia as 'the city center.' Ever.
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