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The biggest advantages I see of Philly is that it is more affordable relative to its more expensive neighbors (doesn’t necessarily make it better) and it provides more opportunities for its locals via education (assuming you could get into Penn) and more job opportunities.
(emphasis added)
It's more than just Penn.
Yes, that's the region's elite university, but many in this city and region learned a lot at the several dozen other schools that serve it, some of which also draw students from beyond it.
Thanks to Bill Cosby, I thought Temple University was an HBCU when I got recruiting materials from it in high school - and I've since learned that I wasn't alone in thinking this. (A colleague of mine at PhillyMag threw darts at students there recently who produced T-shirts reading "HBCU-ish".) Philadelphia's "university for Everyman" operates in the tradition of schools like New York's City University or Northeastern University in Boston, all of which provide good educations for many more residents beyond the elites. (And as a journalist working in Philadelphia, I can say that Temple's communications school is far more valuable as a resource for and contributor to the local mediaverse than Penn's Annenberg School is.)
Then there are schools like Drexel, an overachiever that has raised its national profile of late thanks in part to a president whose (in the words of its ad slogan) "ambition can't wait"; Villanova, one of the top Catholic institutions of higher education in the country; the elite liberal-arts colleges - Bryn Mawr, Haverford, Swarthmore - and regional schools like La Salle and Widener that produce many of our mid-level professionals and executives. Then there are the Penn State satellite campuses (one of them now four-year) that feed students into the mothership in State College (or graduate them here in the case of that one campus).
In terms of opportunities offered to the locals for education, the regional schools, the Penn State campuses and Temple play a much larger role than Penn does - and many of their graduates also go far.
I'm happy that you don't have to worry about affording a great place to live. Many who make six-figure salaries have to now. Does that make them lesser beings?
Location: Miami (prev. NY, Atlanta, SF, OC and San Diego)
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Yes, those other universities are good for the local Philly market, most likely a few neighboring states, if one wants to remain in Philadelphia or nearby. Elite Penn OTOH has a national, not just regional, reputation which would open more doors and increase the chances of one not only receiving an offer in Philadelphia but even in a city in a different region, including Miami or the West Coast, if they wished to have an option of living elsewhere (and likely being more able to afford Philadelphia or a more expensive city).
I thought you were the one boasting that people were moving to Philly because it was more affordable than other NE cities. Some might wish to live elsewhere, including more expensive, usually coastal, cities for professional opportunities, weather/lifestyle and/or even more urban amenities. That’s not to say one cannot have a successful career in Philly, enjoy it very much, and write their own ticket (staying there for their entire life or moving elsewhere). One way to worry less about affordability in Philly, Miami, San Jose, or wherever is to increase your own marketability. Binghamton is the best SUNY (outside of the Cornell state divisions)—but good luck thinking it has clout in TX, WA, IL, CA, etc. Your opportunities will be limited.
If Philly is where you have decided to settle and you like it, that’s great. Some are like you, some may have moved there because it is less expensive than Manhattan (though they prefer Manhattan), some night wish to live in other cities (some that might be more expensive and for different reasons). Some move to Miami because it’s cheaper than where they moved from; some move to more expensive areas of Miami where “median income” doesn’t concern them; some move to Miami because of state taxes and SALT limits; others who get priced out might move to more affordable cities or states. If you like where you live and can afford it, stay...if you don’t like where you live and/or cannot afford it, best to reassess your position and contemplate moving or changing jobs or career paths. Philly is a more affordable option to NYC and some other NE cities, and offers many great urban amenities but some prefer and can afford other cities--some that might have more or different amenities and cost more.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MarketStEl
(emphasis added)
It's more than just Penn.
Yes, that's the region's elite university, but many in this city and region learned a lot at the several dozen other schools that serve it, some of which also draw students from beyond it.
Thanks to Bill Cosby, I thought Temple University was an HBCU when I got recruiting materials from it in high school - and I've since learned that I wasn't alone in thinking this. (A colleague of mine at PhillyMag threw darts at students there recently who produced T-shirts reading "HBCU-ish".) Philadelphia's "university for Everyman" operates in the tradition of schools like New York's City University or Northeastern University in Boston, all of which provide good educations for many more residents beyond the elites. (And as a journalist working in Philadelphia, I can say that Temple's communications school is far more valuable as a resource for and contributor to the local mediaverse than Penn's Annenberg School is.)
Then there are schools like Drexel, an overachiever that has raised its national profile of late thanks in part to a president whose (in the words of its ad slogan) "ambition can't wait"; Villanova, one of the top Catholic institutions of higher education in the country; the elite liberal-arts colleges - Bryn Mawr, Haverford, Swarthmore - and regional schools like La Salle and Widener that produce many of our mid-level professionals and executives. Then there are the Penn State satellite campuses (one of them now four-year) that feed students into the mothership in State College (or graduate them here in the case of that one campus).
In terms of opportunities offered to the locals for education, the regional schools, the Penn State campuses and Temple play a much larger role than Penn does - and many of their graduates also go far.
I'm happy that you don't have to worry about affording a great place to live. Many who make six-figure salaries have to now. Does that make them lesser beings?
Last edited by elchevere; 12-15-2019 at 06:10 PM..
On her ignore ..... but once a Senior. It's not like your moving for more excitement and college-life. It's the warmer weather or just cheaper abodes one is use too. You might be a exception. But you won't see this post by choice. Good for you.
None of that would make me prefer Miami, even if all of your unsupported assertions about cause and effect are true. It remains too hot and not urban enough.
Okay...? This was all a response to a specific post, and wasn’t an attempt to make you “prefer Miami.”
Plenty of pedestrians on Brickell Ave, South Miami Ave and along the Bayfront...the retail is focused at Brickell City Centre and Mary Brickell Village but also tends to be more “hidden”, though the vast majority of high rises have some form of retail and/or restaurants on their street levels. No fruit stands, mom and pop or high end independent food stores/butchers, or newsstands (still around??) like traditional Northeast cities—but still urban.
My only issue with Brickell/downtown is that it is very small, and outside of that small area, the whole “walkability” things fades away pretty abruptly, as is typical of most sunbelt cities, despite the high density. Miami Beach does a great job overall, but as far as the city proper, there is still quite a ways to go.
We all know you prefer Philly (as do I.)
In what way are your ramblings of any relevance to Miami's international presence (which was the post that was responded to?)
My only issue with Brickell/downtown is that it is very small, and outside of that small area, the whole “walkability” things fades away pretty abruptly, as is typical of most sunbelt cities, despite the high density. Miami Beach does a great job overall, but as far as the city proper, there is still quite a ways to go.
It is spreading a bit especially to the north and northwest. It's still pretty small overall, but it's not nothing.
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