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My preference would be Philadelphia. Great urban experience that is relatively cheap for a coastal city, great connectivity to other northeast cities, nice suburbs. I just overall like the vibe of Philly.
*Economy- SF if you're a top-earning tech worker, Philadelphia if you're anything else. *Cost Of Living- Philadelphia, hands down. *Amenities- Philadelphia, but SF is no slouch. *Scenery- San Francisco, but Philadelphia isn't ugly by any means. *Culture- Philadelphia has more/better classic cultural institutions. *Diversity- Tie-ish, but diverse in different ways. Though SF is pricing out their racial/cultural diversity. *Nightlife- Both punch below their weight for major cities. *Infrastructure- Philadelphia has better overall/more comprehensive public transit. Idk about the rest. *Institutions- Philadelphia *Crime- Philadelphia has more violent crime, but SF's homeless problem is third-world level. *Politics/Givernment- Philadelphia is corrupt beyond measure, SF is completely phony limousine progressivism. *Weather- San Francisco for their year-round mild weather (I hate winter and snow in the city). *Location- Philadelphia, for being smack dab in the middle of the Northeast Corridor. *Outlook For The 2020s- SF for high earners, Philadelphia for everyone else. San Francisco is already there, and Philadelphia has a very bright, slow-but-continuous growth future.
I lived in Philadelphia for 5 years and absolutely loved it. I've visited San Francisco several times for Folsom Street Fest and really enjoyed my time there, but it didn't strike me as a top choice for living (though I definitely could).
I lived in Philadelphia for 5 years and absolutely loved it. I've visited San Francisco several times for Folsom Street Fest and really enjoyed my time there, but it didn't strike me as a top choice for living (though I definitely could).
Good comparison of the two cities, and I'd say accurate as well.
I've only visited San Francisco once, in 2006. At the time, City Hall was fingering its worry beads over the sharp drop in the city's African-American population: the black share of the total had fallen by half - from 13 percent to 6.
When I paired that with the city's median household income figures, I realized I was visiting a denser, more urbane version of Fairfield County, Conn.
San Francisco is gorgeous - only Pittsburgh matches it for topography. But I found San Franciscans off-putting in much the same way I do Official Washingtonians.
Location: Miami (prev. NY, Atlanta, SF, OC and San Diego)
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I’m an original NY’er and will always be but found people in SF similar in attitude (most Were grounded and career oriented, etc) and we were usually on the same wave length. I enjoyed my time there very much and was sad to leave. It was also the start of my career when I was not making that much and SF was still expensive, though not as expensive as today.
I loved the diversity and nearby options of the city—great cuisine, though it has never been a great nightlife city (maybe because when I lived there it was expensive and seemed to attract people considerably older and more established in their careers).
I was fortunate to have found a great and affordable 1BR in Marin County—one of the nicest areas in the entire Bay Area—and I commuted to worked via ferry, passing Alcatraz and the 2 bridges (with bar service available on the return trip home). Arguably the best commute in the country. Great clay jogging paths in Tiburon along the bay and an abundance of public tennis courts in unbelievable settings.
The day and overnight trips from the area were, and still are, unmatched—Redwoods, Mt Tamalpais, Napa/Sonoma, water skiing on Lake Berryessa, world class skiing (not ice skiing like the Northeast) at Lake Tahoe, Santa Cruz, Carmel, Yosemite, etc.
Contrary to what some who have visited but not lived there believe, the climate was great once you get out of the city. Very similar to SoCal from April through end of October. There are many microclimates in the area and it was not uncommon for it to be sunny and 75-80 where I lived whereas the city, less than 5 miles away, could be in the 60’s, foggy, and feel much colder.
Very artsy when I lived there with great live music venues, it was not uncommon for me to run into members of highly popular bands as well as celebrities from sports and other venues —almost all of whom were very down to earth and approachable.
My only complaint when I lived there was a lack of an abundance of attractive women. That was known as the SF Blues. Cannot believe nerdy, techie guys have helped change that situation today.
That was my experience with SF...it was expensive then and even more expensive now, but many desirable cities are.
Last edited by elchevere; 04-07-2020 at 08:27 AM..
Philly has much better European connectivity via routes
SF does much better in the Asian market; which outside of Qatar doesn't exist from PHL
Many people from Philly fly out of JFK or Newark in NY/NJ due to the number and cost of flights. It is very convenient to Philly. So availability of airlines should not be a factor.
Many people from Philly fly out of JFK or Newark in NY/NJ due to the number and cost of flights. It is very convenient to Philly. So availability of airlines should not be a factor.
True, but it should also be mentioned that PHL has added a number of foreign carriers the last several years, and American has been growing their transatlantic presence considerably as well. When you live in Philly, you have the choice of PHL, JFK, LGA, EWR, and even BWI when flying. In San Francisco, you only really have SFO (w/ United, the absolute worst of the US carriers).
Y'all I'm gonna say this once. Don't feed the trolls, report and ignore them. It appears like in the style of the Boston troll(bless his heart) we also have a Philly troll. If you see a new account and they appear to have the style of the Philly troll, simply use the report feature and say "I think this is the Philly troll". Anyone who engages the troll and encourages them to continue may be subject to posting restrictions themselves.
I apologize for this troll getting as far as they did since my attentions have been divided elsewhere the last few weeks. We will be more diligent in neutralizing the trolls going forward.
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