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.
Think a pretty fair assessment Also to the person who said you cant see the non core centers from the highways, if anything (an both have thi a bit) would say in general you see less of Philly from the highways than atlanta base don my experience.
To me both are large; Philly is far more concentrated and yields to other metros in 20 to 30 miles. I dont know what gives off the larger feel but I do know Philly is larger and smacks against a 20+ million metro to north and a 8 Million metro to the south.
Philly may be the worst city in the country to gain a feel on size from its highways
Philly is indeed tough to see from the Highway, but I think Atlanta in general is as well..the only difference is the going along GA 400 south from the I-285 interchange you pass through Buckhead, and taking the downtown connector south from the I-285 interchance, you pass through downtown/Midtown.
I like the chunk of I-95 abutting the Delaware river that carries the Frankford-El in the median...it definitely only shows a tiny sliver of CC Phildelphia, but I always thought that was pretty cool...but it's definitely impossible to get a sense of the scope of Philly from the freeways, that's for sure.
Drive through Pennsylvania on the Interstates and you might not believe it's pushing 13,000,000 people, because most things are hidden behind the trees. Georgia has lots of trees along its Interstates, but you can see just enough behind them to know that there's stuff there.
Drive through Pennsylvania on the Interstates and you might not believe it's pushing 13,000,000 people, because most things are hidden behind the trees. Georgia has lots of trees along its Interstates, but you can see just enough behind them to know that there's stuff there.
Very true. Not to mention I-76 coming into the city Eastbound is mostly entirely through Fairmount Park.
I've never been to Atlanta....For me it would have to be Philly....you have everyone in here from the two neighboring states (NJ, & DE)...you cannot hit Center City and not feel that massive metro feel. Philadelphia halfway (some might not agree with me on this one) is the core of the region ....You have New Jersey across the river, and Delaware towards the south. Philly is pretty hard to see from a far distance esp if you are near KING OF PRUSSIA on I-76.....Once again West of the city in Montgomery County its hills and trees , and tons of curves. Transportation reports and statistics also play a part in this. I-95, I-76, SEPTA, NJTRANSIT, PATCO ....they all move people into the city. The city is pretty much buzzing and i love it.....sports events, musical events, cultural events, the night life.
The suburbs along the Main Line are in tic top shape and becoming more vibrant in their own right. Delaware County still to me remains residential with some vibrant life....West Chester i heard is exploding in population. You have West Chester asking for rail service with direct service to the city. Bucks County is still that natural place of land to me with developments going up. South Jersey is building up as well around Cherry Hill ....Camden still needs work done....but as a whole the region is buzzing and Philly is on the upswing with developments all over the city and new buildings getting approved and proposed. Comcast's new building is already underway..same with FMC Tower over 30th St. Those buildings will add to the massive feel of the region. I look at our skyscrapers and it yells "Big Metro Area" that comcast center does it to me all the time.
I've never been to Atlanta....For me it would have to be Philly....you have everyone in here from the two neighboring states (NJ, & DE)...you cannot hit Center City and not feel that massive metro feel. Philadelphia halfway (some might not agree with me on this one) is the core of the region ....You have New Jersey across the river, and Delaware towards the south. Philly is pretty hard to see from a far distance esp if you are near KING OF PRUSSIA on I-76.....Once again West of the city in Montgomery County its hills and trees , and tons of curves. Transportation reports and statistics also play a part in this. I-95, I-76, SEPTA, NJTRANSIT, PATCO ....they all move people into the city. The city is pretty much buzzing and i love it.....sports events, musical events, cultural events, the night life.
The suburbs along the Main Line are in tic top shape and becoming more vibrant in their own right. Delaware County still to me remains residential with some vibrant life....West Chester i heard is exploding in population. You have West Chester asking for rail service with direct service to the city. Bucks County is still that natural place of land to me with developments going up. South Jersey is building up as well around Cherry Hill ....Camden still needs work done....but as a whole the region is buzzing and Philly is on the upswing with developments all over the city and new buildings getting approved and proposed. Comcast's new building is already underway..same with FMC Tower over 30th St. Those buildings will add to the massive feel of the region. I look at our skyscrapers and it yells "Big Metro Area" that comcast center does it to me all the time.
I'm enjoying this new highrise boom in Philly. Building up will certainly put Philly in a great position to accommodate a large population within a relative small land area. Similar to how New York is built.
I'm enjoying this new highrise boom in Philly. Building up will certainly put Philly in a great position to accommodate a large population within a relative small land area. Similar to how New York is built.
I am also. It makes me kind of wish that "American Commerce Center" was built. But its pretty exciting...maybe it was their intent all along. But what else will you do when there isn't no spread out land in the city like that.
Location: Watching half my country turn into Gilead
3,530 posts, read 4,175,298 times
Reputation: 2925
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sammy215267
I've never been to Atlanta....For me it would have to be Philly....you have everyone in here from the two neighboring states (NJ, & DE)...you cannot hit Center City and not feel that massive metro feel. Philadelphia halfway (some might not agree with me on this one) is the core of the region ....You have New Jersey across the river, and Delaware towards the south. Philly is pretty hard to see from a far distance esp if you are near KING OF PRUSSIA on I-76.....Once again West of the city in Montgomery County its hills and trees , and tons of curves. Transportation reports and statistics also play a part in this. I-95, I-76, SEPTA, NJTRANSIT, PATCO ....they all move people into the city. The city is pretty much buzzing and i love it.....sports events, musical events, cultural events, the night life.
The suburbs along the Main Line are in tic top shape and becoming more vibrant in their own right. Delaware County still to me remains residential with some vibrant life....West Chester i heard is exploding in population. You have West Chester asking for rail service with direct service to the city. Bucks County is still that natural place of land to me with developments going up. South Jersey is building up as well around Cherry Hill ....Camden still needs work done....but as a whole the region is buzzing and Philly is on the upswing with developments all over the city and new buildings getting approved and proposed. Comcast's new building is already underway..same with FMC Tower over 30th St. Those buildings will add to the massive feel of the region. I look at our skyscrapers and it yells "Big Metro Area" that comcast center does it to me all the time.
Well, I've been to Atlanta, and I'd still have to agree with you on this. Philly proper just feels completely more massive than Atlanta proper. Since this is a thread on "feel", I'll say that higher density contributes to a more massive feel. And Philly's high population/structural density (along with Wilmington, West Chester, Camden, Reading etc.) contributes to a more massive feeling, even if Atlanta might be more evenly sprawled.
Well, I've been to Atlanta, and I'd still have to agree with you on this. Philly proper just feels completely more massive than Atlanta proper. Since this is a thread on "feel", I'll say that higher density contributes to a more massive feel. And Philly's high population/structural density (along with Wilmington, West Chester, Camden, Reading etc.) contributes to a more massive feeling, even if Atlanta might be more evenly sprawled.
The way Philly was built i think gives it that advantage...cram as much as you can. Sometimes it is hard for me to believe that this city had 2,000,000 Million people at one point. But Philly has its "I live in Jersey and work in Center City" people lol.....I had a director of operations he lived in Atlantic City i was like whooa and he drives here everyday and even working out in Montgomery County. I have to say the Health Field here today is booming and just out of this world. Thats how i feel.
Well, I've been to Atlanta, and I'd still have to agree with you on this. Philly proper just feels completely more massive than Atlanta proper. Since this is a thread on "feel", I'll say that higher density contributes to a more massive feel. And Philly's high population/structural density (along with Wilmington, West Chester, Camden, Reading etc.) contributes to a more massive feeling, even if Atlanta might be more evenly sprawled.
Yeah I agree, especially when you compare the city proper. Philly used to have a population of 2.1 million people in its city proper while Atlanta has yet to reach 500,000 people. They're really not on the same level when it comes to sheer size.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bballniket
At the MSA level, which just feels like a larger and more buzzing place? Of course, comparing CC Philly and downtown Atlanta, Philly wins, no contest.
But in this comparison, take into account anything and everything from suburban development patterns to foreign tourism/domestic tourism to scope to suburban development to CBD crowds to suburban mall crowds to public transit usage to traffic on freeways.
At the MSA level, the populations are fairly comparable- so base this on how the large a place each metro area strikes you as.
Comparing the Philly CSA with the Atlanta MSA would be a more better comparison if you want a more fairer match up when it comes to land size.
Philly MSA: 5,131.7 sq. miles
Philly CSA: 7,281.52 sq. miles
Atlanta MSA: 8,376 sq. miles
Atlanta CSA: 10,494.03 sq miles
As you can see, the Philly area reaches a population of over 7.1 million people in a land area smaller than the Atlanta MSA at 5.2 million. Philly is really on a different level when it comes to population. Throw in Mercer County "224.56 sq mi" (which should technically be in the Philly CSA) and the gap grows even larger to about 7.5 million "7,506.08 sq. mi" vs 5.2 million "8,376 sq. mi". That's a 2.3 million difference. A population difference almost the size of Chicago.
Last edited by gwillyfromphilly; 12-09-2014 at 01:36 AM..
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.
