Why is Philly not considered cool like Chicago/NYC? (middle school, DMV)
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.
Since January 2022, New York has had net loss of roughly 31K residents.
Even with the census correction that showed that the US census overestimated the population in its official 2020 census, New York still grew faster than the estimates. So I don't know how accurate the census estimates are and honestly, I think these new estimates are severe overcorrections.
It wasn't just New York either. They missed New Jersey and Massachusetts by a lot too. They overestimated the population loss of Illinois by 240k residents. Then the correction of the official census showed that they missed another 250k residents, most likely revealing that Illinois had passed the 13 million mark.
To Duderino's point, Philadelphia could possibly be considered cooler than both NYC and Chicago, and perhaps any large American city, if you factor in the following:
-Lack of polish/gentrification relative to other Creative Class cities
-Gentrified areas aren't all the gentrified/polished and aren't that geographically large. No real equivalent of River North.
-South Philly in particular is a weird blend of hipsters, old school Italians, Black Muslims and Asians/Latinos living a few blocks apart and sometimes on the very same block.
-A fair number of artists living in "transitioning" neighborhoods.
If I'm reading this thread correctly, it seems like Philly isn't very aesthetically pleasing (at least nowhere near as aesthetically pleasing as NYC/Chicago) BUT if you can get past the fact that it's not aesthetically pleasing then you'll probably like it, right?
The census errors are really bad. The Illinois error actually leapfrogs it past PA again to be the 5th most populous state. Nobody seems to be talking about that.
Cool is definitely subjective. And Austin and Nashville are certainly having their day in the sun. Both are warmer weather alternatives to some of the stalwarts, and in Nashville's case, cheaper (Austin's pricing has exploded). Frankly, I think these are temporary boosts for these cities overall. 10-20 years from now, they'll still be more desirable than perhaps average, but the clogged traffic, increased prices and lack of public transportation are going to catch up to this growth, and make them less "cool" to a lot of people.
I've noticed how nobody is talking about Denver in this way anymore....remember Denver? This was THE cool place to relocate to about 15 years ago. Now it's too expensive, etc. etc. and you never hear about it being a top destination anymore. Has Denver even been mentioned in this thread? I see Austin being the next Denver. Nashville might take a different path yet, we'll see.
The census errors are really bad. The Illinois error actually leapfrogs it past PA again to be the 5th most populous state. Nobody seems to be talking about that.
Cool is definitely subjective. And Austin and Nashville are certainly having their day in the sun. Both are warmer weather alternatives to some of the stalwarts, and in Nashville's case, cheaper (Austin's pricing has exploded). Frankly, I think these are temporary boosts for these cities overall. 10-20 years from now, they'll still be more desirable than perhaps average, but the clogged traffic, increased prices and lack of public transportation are going to catch up to this growth, and make them less "cool" to a lot of people.
I've noticed how nobody is talking about Denver in this way anymore....remember Denver? This was THE cool place to relocate to about 15 years ago. Now it's too expensive, etc. etc. and you never hear about it being a top destination anymore. Has Denver even been mentioned in this thread? I see Austin being the next Denver. Nashville might take a different path yet, we'll see.
Portland as well. Portland used to be the cool spot.
If I'm reading this thread correctly, it seems like Philly isn't very aesthetically pleasing (at least nowhere near as aesthetically pleasing as NYC/Chicago) BUT if you can get past the fact that it's not aesthetically pleasing then you'll probably like it, right?
I don't think that's the generalization that BY was trying to convey, and not to mention it's inaccurately simplistic. To be sure, there's plenty that's aesthetically pleasing in Philly, and plenty that's not as aesthetically pleasing in NYC and Chicago.
I think the point is that Philly does have a "rougher around the edges" vibe in more of its city proper. But the plus side of that is, as it does revitalize and renew, it's doing so in a uniquely vibrant and beautiful way.
It has the inherent layers and substance that make it a top tier urban environment, if you can overlook some grit and patina.
I think it gets overshadowed by other NE cities since there's so many - You have the Acela Corridor (Boston to DC) and of course capital of the world NYC. Philly is also pretty affordable compared to the other NE cities and the job market there is pretty good so that gives it a nice edge. I think the local politicians there could probably do a better job at marketing the city as "cool" - that's all it typically is, all marketing - that's what DC did and somehow people fell for it and now pay $1M for 850 sqft which would've been a complete joke 10 or 15 years ago.
I think it gets overshadowed by other NE cities since there's so many - You have the Acela Corridor (Boston to DC) and of course capital of the world NYC. Philly is also pretty affordable compared to the other NE cities and the job market there is pretty good so that gives it a nice edge. I think the local politicians there could probably do a better job at marketing the city as "cool" - that's all it typically is, all marketing - that's what DC did and somehow people fell for it and now pay $1M for 850 sqft which would've been a complete joke 10 or 15 years ago.
In which case, maybe we shouldn't market Philly as cool.
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.
