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After seeing that the other thread "Some Advice About Philadelphia" was locked due to its downward spiral into racist banter (good call on the locking, Yac!), I felt like shedding a tear. Don't any of you believe that there is any hope of helping your city to rise from the ashes again?
I can't believe the number of you that would write-off the entire City of Brotherly Love and instead recommend places like the Main Line, Delco, and Bucks County to potential new residents! No offense to you, but when people think poorly about your metropolitan area's hub city, that negativity also radiates outwards to include suburbia as well! What good is a thriving, vibrant Main Line if it's connected to a lifeless city that is barely clinging to life support?
Those of you living in Philadelphia and bemoaning its problems are certainly well within your rights to be negative, but can't each of you at least offer one thing positive to say about your city to help counterbalance the negativity? Sitting here reading "Philly sucks", "Philly sucks", "Philly sucks" over and over and OVER again is truly grating on my nerves. If every single aspect of this city is driving you into depression and misery, then why don't you all either relocate to a greener pasture or make a greater effort to improve your neighborhoods? See something suspicious going on down the corner? Don't come onto City-Data saying "I just saw a drug deal down the road"; call the police to get these scumbags off the street! Residents of the Hill Section of Scranton suffered for years in a neighborhood rife with criminal activity. Finally, fed up with the downward spiral of their neighborhood, they revolted en masse, leaving porch lights on, forming an aggressive neighborhood crime watch, and enlisted the aid of the city's police department to do random police saturation patrols. Dozens of the rifraff were either arrested or fled the Hill Section during this time, and now that same neighborhood that was once "feared" is being gentrified, restored, beautified, and property values are climbing sharply, as some suburbanites are now moving into this neighborhood to be within walking distance of Center City conveniences. The entire county surrounding Scranton hasn't had a single murder now since mid-2005 thanks the increasing "no-BS" attitude from local law enforcement officials and residents alike. If Scranton's residents could "take back the streets", then why can't those of you in Philadelphia?
I'm not looking to stir up trouble, as I saw that RainRock apparently touched a lot of nerves in that other thread, but why do so many of you in Philadelphia have the "woe is me" attitude? Besides, those of you saying you "can't afford" to move out are truly delusional. You could easily sell a well-kept home in the city limits for enough money to purchase a modest home in my area, just two hours north via I-476, where people still keep their doors unlocked at night. It's not a case of "not being able to afford to move", it's a case of not wanting to move. Those of us here in Scranton that are in Rediscover Scranton, Scranton Tomorrow, Scranton Jaycees, and various other positive grass-roots community efforts tired of hearing the same bitching day in and day out from people who sounded much like yourselves "Scranton Sucks", "Scranton Sucks", "Scranton Sucks", "Boo Hoo!" Through our efforts, we've managed to get those whining and groaning to momentarily "put a cork in it" as we've apparently impressed people with the amount of momentum that has grown to restore the city in recent years under the brilliant leadership of the Doherty Administration. Why don't some of you "Boo Hoo" people take the iniative to form a "Manayunk Tomorrow" or a "South Philly 2020" with large numbers of neighborhood residents to periodically clean up litter, cover up graffiti, form a neighborhood crime watch, plant landscaping, obscure blight with murals, etc. to try to make things better? Sitting on City-Data and saying you hate your lives isn't doing diddley-squat to improve your neighborhoods, is it?
Ask not what your city can do for you; Ask what you can do for your city! Please help bring Philadelphia back from the abyss of negativity that it has fallen into! I've been to the city on countless occasions and have enjoyed myself immensely, but I've only been in the "touristy" areas near Center City and Fairmount Park. If the surrounding neighborhoods are as deplorable as you all say, then why not take a stand and do something about it, as those in the Hill Section of Scranton did?
Sorry I can not do it I HATE this city so bad Have been working on for months looking to get OUT living on a fixed income does not help
There is NOT one thing good about philadelphia crime -durgs murder
Live in the once great N/e had a drug deal going down in front of my house called the police and they WOULD NOT EVEN COME OUT Told me to deal with it
Sorry I can not do it I HATE this city so bad Have been working on for months looking to get OUT living on a fixed income does not help
There is NOT one thing good about philadelphia crime -durgs murder
Live in the once great N/e had a drug deal going down in front of my house called the police and they WOULD NOT EVEN COME OUT Told me to deal with it
Did you attend a city council meeting or contact the media to report your claims of the police refusing to do their job? Perhaps an internal investigation would have been launched.
YES I DID
They said they do not have the money or man power to be every where
we tried the town watch thing That did not work It is to late to fix
was up all night on the web looking for a better place to live that does not cost an arm and a leg if it the last thing I will do is to get the hell out of Philly
YES I DID
They said they do not have the money or man power to be every where
we tried the town watch thing That did not work It is to late to fix
was up all night on the web looking for a better place to live that does not cost an arm and a leg if it the last thing I will do is to get the hell out of Philly
Approximately how much do you think your home would market for? You can still find liveable, three-bedroom, 1.5-bath homes on 50' x 150' or larger lots near me for well under $100,000. The drive to Philly would only be two hours or so to see family/friends via the Turnpike. I'm personally appalled that your own city council members would be so apathetic towards your plight in dealing with the police force. I just assumed that you all had elected decent, hard-working officials into office who had the best interests of the city in mind. Why did your neighborhood watch fail? Was it due to a lack of interest on behalf of your neighbors or on behalf of the police department?
Approximately how much do you think your home would market for? You can still find liveable, three-bedroom, 1.5-bath homes on 50' x 150' or larger lots near me for well under $100,000. The drive to Philly would only be two hours or so to see family/friends via the Turnpike. I'm personally appalled that your own city council members would be so apathetic towards your plight in dealing with the police force. I just assumed that you all had elected decent, hard-working officials into office who had the best interests of the city in mind. Why did your neighborhood watch fail? Was it due to a lack of interest on behalf of your neighbors or on behalf of the police department?
The city gov. is very corrupt. The elected officials work for no one but themselves. Yet the same voters always elect democrats b/c they believe the republicans don't work for their constituents but just screw them over. The same (corruption) could be said for the police dept. We have a very involved townwatch but it's totally ineffective when the police are going to the drug dealers and reporting back to them who is ratting them out. Then the dealers harrass the good neighbors until they chase them from the neighborhood. I went to the police about this and named names. The police said I couldn't prove anything. Two days later, the dealers knew that I had done it. Now who can I rat the police out to? I can't prove that the rat is in their ranks. Yet I knew the rat was in the dept. b/c another neighbor told me they contacted him about us complaining he was renting to dealers and that they had a meth lab in his home. As for selling my home, what money I get from the sale would have to pay off the rest of my mortgage, a home loan, minor repairs that have to be done in order for me to get good money for it, moving expenses, and possibly a car (since I'll most likely need one for whereever I land). Alot of those costs are more than I can get for my house. Plus I have to able to find a job with a livable wage in my new city (I think that's what holds us back the most). Most jobs nowadays that pay require alot of travel time and if you don't drive, you're screwed. That's the one good thing about my neighborhood, things are within walking or bussing distance.
Joyce, I can see why you're so exacerbated with the city. I'm the type of person who tries to find a "silver lining" everywhere whenever I can, so it's a bit disheartening to me to see two replies now from two different people who hate the city with a passion. You both have very valid reasons for leaving the city---the first and foremost being crime. I was under the assumption that Philadelphia was no more politically-corrupt than Scranton is/was, so I'm SHOCKED to hear about police acting in such an unprofessional manner towards the ones who pay their salaries through tax revenues! If I were hired to serve the people (as I hope to become Scranton mayor someday), I'd do everything in my power to earn every little penny that was being put into my pocket by the city. In fact, if I were mayor right now in Scranton, I'd forgo my salary (relying on my back-up income as a CPA), as the Electric City is in red ink. I'm just disillusioned to think that anyone could be so irresponsible when put into a position of such power. Apparently, your city council and police officers all ought to be ashamed of themselves for putting their own best interest ahead of the city's!
The reason why I threw in the scenario about Scranton's Hill Section is because, in many ways, it was in a similar situation of neglect and crime in the 1980s-1990s as some of Philly's neighborhoods are today. After seeing the massive rebirth of that neighborhood, I just assumed that similar efforts undertaken by residents and officials alike in Philadelphia could have a similar impact on improving the quality-of-life for residents. I suppose nothing can be accomplished until you all start electing some true empathic leaders into power, not the positional ones who are only where they are today for the glory and to siphon money off of the taxpayers. Scranton has done that with Mayor Doherty (and hopefully myself in the future) and Police Chief Elliott, Wilkes-Barre has just rounded a corner with Mayor Leighton, and Philly can do the same once you all stop electing numbskulls into office!
Scranton + "Restoring the Pride" = Smashing Success
Wilkes-Barre + "I Believe" = Off to a Positive Start
Philadelphia + "?" = Phenomenal!
the neighborhood watch failed because of the lack of interest on police dept in witch my neighbors just gave up when we had a problem and called police they never came out witch left us hold the bag:
The only thing I am lucky is my home is paid off . I think it should go for around 200.000 looked at new homes up in Douglassville last month
They were around 250.000 Ok so when I asked about the Taxes I was told it was 8.900 a year so That put me out Right now looking at Warminter in Buck county It seem that the taxes are a little more in line
It is a shame that if you want some peace you are forced to move out of the city I live next to pennypack park down the street for Father Judge
It was at one time a nice neighbohood
Walked my dog to day and saw 5 more homes up for sale that was not there yesterday looks like every one is leaving
Trust me I DID NOT VOTE the numbskulls into office!
every electon it is the same old thing next year it will be worse as we can see the same numbskulls runnig for office No mater how hard you try to make it better you end up hiting a brick wall
I think that you make a number of good points, ScrantonWilkesBarre. There does seem to be a lot of unnecessary cynicism on these boards when it comes to those living in Philadelphia. However, although I'm not discrediting those who are legitimately having a lot of difficultly living in Philly for a variety of reasons, I really think they are the the exception to the rule. From personal experience, I briefly lived in Philadelphia when I was young, but I remember it very fondly -- which is why I eventually desire to live there again in the future once I am able to settle down after college. This is also definitely a broader trend where I have noticed that the younger generation around here wants to get out of the 'burbs and make a living in the city. Moreover, I've talked to MANY native Philadelphians who have have nothing but pride in their city. It's like a culture of fanatical Eagles fans who eat nothing but cheesesteaks, love clubbing, and worship WAWA. :-)
I guess my point is that there is plenty of optimism in Philadelphia, and those who love living in Philadelphia far outweigh those who don't. Every city has its issues, but when you group one-and-a-half million people together in close quarters, nothing is going to be perfect. Nevertheless, the positive spirit of Philadelphia is alive and well, and I strongly believe this will be reflected in the economic and social development of the city in the years to come.
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No offense to you, but when people think poorly about your metropolitan area's hub city, that negativity also radiates outwards to include suburbia as well! What good is a thriving, vibrant Main Line if it's connected to a lifeless city that is barely clinging to life support? 
It's not a case of "not being able to afford to move", it's a case of not wanting to move. Those of us here in Scranton that are in Rediscover Scranton, Scranton Tomorrow, Scranton Jaycees, and various other positive grass-roots community efforts tired of hearing the same bitching day in and day out from people who sounded much like yourselves "Scranton Sucks", "Scranton Sucks", "Scranton Sucks", "Boo Hoo!" Through our efforts, we've managed to get those whining and groaning to momentarily "put a cork in it" as we've apparently impressed people with the amount of momentum that has grown to restore the city in recent years under the brilliant leadership of the Doherty Administration. Why don't some of you "Boo Hoo" people take the iniative to form a "Manayunk Tomorrow" or a "South Philly 2020" with large numbers of neighborhood residents to periodically clean up litter, cover up graffiti, form a neighborhood crime watch, plant landscaping, obscure blight with murals, etc. to try to make things better? Sitting on City-Data and saying you hate your lives isn't doing diddley-squat to improve your neighborhoods, is it? 
