Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
It demonstrates that major retail would rather be in suburbia than in the heart of the city.
But then, apart from a very small number of cities, its rare for downtowns to be the center of retail anymore, Philadelphia is hardly alone in that aspect, sadly.
I don't see how it doesn't work both ways for SF as well, especially given how the Bay Area is decentralized in comparison to Philly's metro.
And yes, pretty much all major cities were hit pretty hard.
Anyhow, the question was if this was a reasonable comparison overall. I think it's a pretty decent one, and the both offer pretty similar levels of urbanity and amenities with only a few other US cities in anywhere near a comparable level. They both offer a good diversity of nature (SF more in topography, Philly more in seasonal extremes); SF has grander natural offerings while Philly offers more historical and urban offerings; there is Atlantic City versus Reno for your certain vices. It seems like a pretty worthwhile comparison, and I think it'll become closer as Philly continues its recovery.
Last edited by OyCrumbler; 06-30-2012 at 08:25 AM..
Just wondering, when you say this, are you talking population density of the city proper (New York = #1; Patterson, NJ = #2; San Francisco = #3) or are you talking about perceived/weighted population density (New York = #1, San Francisco = #2). If you're talking about either the former or are simply being dramatic, ignore my next thought. If you're talking about weighted population density, it's a really good measure, but I think Density Gradient (weighted density divided by standard density) is a more accurate measure of just how concentrated city populations are (See here for more information, if you don't know it already: University of California Transportation Center).
So you are saying that Phily is tit for tat as wealthy as San Francisco when you compare metros? I wont even bother comparing CSAs because that would be a blowout for San Francisco but heres something you should see MSAd houses valued over $1 million.
NYC 231,051
Boston 47,347
San Jose 67,521
San Francisco 132,783
Phily is not in San Francisco's league when it comes to desirable housing, its not in NYC's league, or Boston's league, and not even in San Jose's league.
SO...That means..,what exactly? I love San Fran and it does in some ways remind me of Philly. When I first moved to LA people would tell me "You have to get up to the Bay Area", San Francisco is something like Philly. The people are more cultured than here in LA plus some of the housing resembles Philly's and it has subways and trolleys and of course the the bridges that you can take across the bay, great food, fashion, arts, etc. And when I finally took a trip up there I thought "They all were right."
Funny thing though about ALL or MOST of Cali is...., it's uber expensive as it is expansive. I can remember the exact street but I think it's 16th st. I had taken the BART Train there and took a trackless trolley up about a mile to where there were some cool little bars and pubs. I liked the atmosphere on the street because two doors up from the bar that was playing the Phillies & Yankees games, there were little store from churches, three doors from there would be a little grocery store and then on the next street a little underground danky club, etc. Also there were people selling home cooked food right off the grill . LOL! Yep I thought "This reminds me of 5th & Erie Avenue." Many of the homes and apartments looked "Exactly Alike". My thoughts on that is, in lieu to what you're saying "If those spots cost a million dollars or even half a million, someones getting jipped."
Just because two high school teachers or other professionals would like to have a middle class lifestyle and decent schools for their children "HAVE TO" pay 700K & up to live in a decent area doesn't really make them anymore wealthier or educated than their Philadelphia peers. They may make just a few grand less but the cost of living is quite better. You can get just a little better of a housing situation in Philadelphia than in San Francisco.
San Francisco 17,179.2/sq mi
Boston 12,752/sq mi
Phily 11,457/sq mi
OK, so that would be density of the city proper. That's an ok measure, but check out my links for a different take on it. I personally like the density gradient because it has the strongest association with things that we traditionally associate with a dense city, i.e. walking and use of public transportation. But both cities are obviously dense.
OK, so that would be density of the city proper. That's an ok measure, but check out my links for a different take on it. I personally like the density gradient because it has the strongest association with things that we traditionally associate with a dense city, i.e. walking and use of public transportation. But both cities are obviously dense.
k.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I love San Fran and it does in some ways remind me of Philly. When I first moved to LA people would tell me "You have to get up to the Bay Area", San Francisco is something like Philly. The people are more cultured than here in LA plus some of the housing resembles Philly's and it has subways and trolleys and of course the the bridges that you can take across the bay, great food, fashion, arts, etc. And when I finally took a trip up there I thought "They all were right." 
