Philly Wannabe's (Philadelphia, Chester, Willow Grove: fit in, neighborhood, school)

[ajb842]

I think that most of us who live inside the city limits, and even those who live in the suburbas are all justifiably "from Philly." Many of us at one point or another lived in the city, moved away,etc. In a large metropolis like Philadelphia, the surrounding areas are almost just as busy as the city itself! I don't mind at all when, particularly when talking to out of towners, my suburban friends tell people they are from Philadelphia. It's fine and it's the easiest way for people to relate to the area they are talking about. No one who doesn't live in the area would ever know montgomery county, bucks county,chester county,etc. So I think it's fine, and if my LA friends who actually live outside of LA tell people, "we're from LA" I think that's fine too.

[loose cannon]

Originally Posted by dorado0359

Folks, with all due respect, would you individuals who reside within the suburbs, e.g. Quakertown, Doylestown, Paoli, Devon, Bucks County, DELEWARE, etc., please refrain from trying to impress your girlfriends, boyfriends, acquaintances and family members by telling them that you are from Philly. You are not from Philly! You are from the suburbs of Philadelphia.

It' not rocket science people, if your zip code does not lie within the boundaries of the City of Philadelphia, you do not qualify to wear the proud badge and having the distinction of being from Philly.

Once again folks, if you live within the boundaries of the City of Philadelphia you are from Philly. If you live someplace else...well, with all due respect...you are just a Philly wannabe.

Thanks in advance for your cooperation.

I agree completely. Years ago I was a Philly wannabee, but I came to my senses in my 30's. If you are from Quakertown, you explain to people that you are 45-50 miles outside of Philadelphia and 15 miles from Allentown or Bethlehem. As far as Doylestown goes, you could say you are halfway in between Philly and Allentown. I do not know where Devon is although I think it may be closer to Philly, so perhaps it's not such a stretch for someone to make that claim.

[Police]

Originally Posted by loose cannon

I agree completely. Years ago I was a Philly wannabee, but I came to my senses in my 30's. If you are from Quakertown, you explain to people that you are 45-50 miles outside of Philadelphia and 15 miles from Allentown or Bethlehem. As far as Doylestown goes, you could say you are halfway in between Philly and Allentown. I do not know where Devon is although I think it may be closer to Philly, so perhaps it's not such a stretch for someone to make that claim.

Devon is on the Main Line, and a lot of Main Liners take the SEPTA R5 into Philly. I would say that the Main Liners are part of the Philly metro area based on the work commuters and the dedicated train route (R5 services the Main Line).

[nocturnal rooster]

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

Dubuque is? Spokane is? Saugatuck, Michigan is? We're talking about basic domestic geographical identification here---not rocket science. People in America are just becoming dumber and dumber with each passing year, and I blame this upon how far television has slid since the 1990s. Frasier, which was a rather "intelligent" comedy used to be a hit sitcom. Now people watch shows like "Who wants to marry my 78-year-old Vietnamese prostitute step-father?" Asking people to recognize the nation's formerly 36th-largest city (Yes, Scranton), is not like asking them to perform cardiac surgery. People just need to stop being so stupid!

Lol, whatever you say buddy. I liked Frasier. I watch most of the older sitcoms anyway. And reality shows, pfft yeah right. You make a valid point when you say America is getting dumber. Your post actually reminded me of a movie I saw, called "Idiocracy". It was a good movie. You should see it. I watch The Office too sometimes. It's an OK show, but still doesn't beat Two and a Half Men.

[Icy Tea]

Many people leave Philly for the suburbs and even two counties away and still say they are from Philly. I hear people saying they are from New York City, New York or New Jersey and they're in Pennsylvania now. I also don't live in the closest city to me and say I'm from there so people know the area. Anyway now it's more the "Greater Philadelphia Metro Area" than either Philly or the Philly burbs.

[Joe84323]

I got pretty offended one time, when I said I was going to possibly move to South Philly, a guy I worked with said "No matter what, no matter how long you live there, you'll never be considered a true South Phillian."

I felt like sayin "Dude, you have like 3 teeth, and are high class ******." Some people in Philly seem to have a grandeur opinion of their city, which smells like ****, bad attitudes, and racism. Not to mention corrupt police and the worst trash problem in the country.

I'm from Wilmington, DE, used to live in Philly, and I say I'm from Wilmington. On one occasion did I have to mention Philly to indicate where I was from, to a Cuban person in Miami, after which I had to mention New York, because they had never heard of Philadelphia either.

I like Philadelphia, but don't get all Manhattan on people, because it clearly aint. IF ANYTHING, you should be flattered that somebody would want to be associated with 2008 Philadelphia. (1790 Philadelphia would be a diff. story.)

[solibs]

Originally Posted by Duderino

Wow. This has to top as one of the most IRRITATING threads I've ever read on this board.

1.) In my experience, most people who say they're from Philly but not are from South Jersey.

I lived in South Jersey for a year before moving to Philly. That was 9 years ago. Most people who say they're from Philly but aren't are from the Main Line. People from South Jersey say they're from South Jersey. People from Jersey have pride . . . and those that don't move to PA or NC.

Now, I can't say how sick I am of the arrogant (and most of the time just racist) suburbanites who always talk rahrah about the city. Have you watched the news lately? Murders in DelCo? Meth labs in Lower Bucks? Triple homicides in MontCo?

While I'll agree that 1/3 of the city is worthy of the term "bad" I'll also acknowledge that none of you really know what you're walking about because you don't spend any time here and if you did you would still have no idea of what's happening outside of center city.

When I was growing up people used to have the same ignorant conversations about New York. They lasted up until about 6 or 7 years ago - a good 5 or 6 years after they were relevant.

I'm just wondering how long you think your faux-safe suburban villages can hang on when gas is $7 a gallon and people can barely afford to drive to the grocery store let alone get to work.

[john_starks]

I like Philadelphia, but don't get all Manhattan on people, because it clearly aint. IF ANYTHING, you should be flattered that somebody would want to be associated with 2008 Philadelphia. (1790 Philadelphia would be a diff. story.)

i agree with this statement

[Dwayy82]

Doe's it really matter...i think your just mad b/c you can't get into the suburbs..lol

[lpfan921]

I'm a Philly wannabe. I'm from Downingtown but Philly is just so much cooler. They got the Art Museum and great food, among many other things. I suppose I'm guilty as charged by the OP.