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It's almost like your arbitrary measurements of what makes a successful city don't hold up.
That posters entire measurement of what makes a city successful is based on how many Fortune 500 and 1000 companies there are...
Philadelphia as a city could do better, but the Philadelphia region punches right where it should for a major metro area in the economics regard. There are 12 Fortune 500s in the region (I think), and another 10+ 1000, and several private companies that would be among the Fortune 500/1000 if they were public. The poster acts like Philadelphia is a tumbleweed town with nothing to offer....
Last edited by cpomp; 04-03-2019 at 07:47 AM..
Reason: added thought
Actually, eds and meds are also one of Philly's big niches - they're a big part of the "Bos" in "Bostroit." Our college student population is on par with Greater Boston's, and while this region isn't home to the nation's most prestigious university or its most highly-regarded technological school, it has a contender in the former category (Penn), a rising star (and an overachiever, like its president) in the latter (Drexel) and several liberal-arts colleges (Bryn Mawr, Haverford, Swarthmore) that are considered among the best in the country (IMO only Wellesley among Boston's small colleges falls into this category).
Then add to that the nation's oldest and (historically) best children's hospital, a university teaching hospital that ranks up there with Mass. General among the 20 best in the nation, and a slew of pharma companies headquartered in its region, plus facilities of several others located nearby, and you have a very sizable eds-and-meds sector.
The difference between the two in the educational sphere is: A higher proportion of our college student population consists of students who grew up close by too. And that hasn't really changed over the decades I've lived here either. What did change is that the ones who come here from other regions now tend to stick around for a while after they graduate, as the kids who go to school in Boston have long done. I think we're only beginning to see the payoff from that change. A number of people here hope this change manifests itself at the ballot box down the road too. I'm one of those people.
I hate to bust your bubble, but yep, that's the one. And I've heard several Comcast execs say that they realize they're the 900-pound gorilla of the local tech scene and that they have a responsibility to help nurture the region's tech startup ecosystem.
More to your point, Boston not only had Wang but Digital Equipment Corporation, Polaroid (yes, it was also a tech firm too) and a passel of smaller firms clustered along its beltway, (State) Route 128.
I think the city government and its economic-development folks all learned something from the work they did putting together that Amazon HQ2 bid. I think they do intend to use some of the materials they produced in efforts to attract other outside investment.
Getting Harrisburg on board will be a tougher sell, given the city's rep in the rest of the Commonwealth.
I've been saying of late that Philadelphia's politics resemble Chicago's more than they do those of any other American city. And a friend of mine - a libertarian-leaning Republican who cut his teeth on the politics of his native state of Illinois - often points out that this city also has a highly transactional political culture. (What's this? It's a political culture where favor-trading and personal alliances count far more than policy positions or philosophical stances. It's "ubi est mea?" ("Where's mine?" - columnist Mike Royko's suggestion for a real motto to replace Chicago's "urbs in horto" ["city in a garden"].) It's "we don't want nobody nobody sent" (a phrase used by Chicago machine ward heelers). It's the reason Mayor Kenney gets agita when the Feds nail Johnny Doc. Personal aside: I once discussed the possibility of assisting with the campaign of a challenger to Babette Josephs, a woman with a health-insurance industry background who hoped to challenge her based on her independence from any local power brokers; Josephs had developed some by this time. The slogan I suggested she run on: "She's nobody's guy.")
Given yesterdays election outcome for Mayor of Chicago. Seems like some mottos here got broken. Once it was broken when NYC's mob sent Al Capone to Chicago. Not as a politician of course. But aspects of Machine-style maybe? But certainly changed that city's history.
Now with a New Mayor elect as a African-American Women, a Prosecutor, not part of the established Machine Politics and ..... openly Gay. I'm not sure how to take "She's nobody's guy"? Probably me in what t means given that city's choice winning every Ward.
I'd say most are far more hopeful then not on the outcome. Time will tell. Could a Philly be next if such a candidate was in the mix?
Given yesterdays election outcome for Mayor of Chicago. Seems like some mottos here got broken. Once it was broken when NYC's mob sent Al Capone to Chicago. Not as a politician of course. But aspects of Machine-style maybe? But certainly changed that city's history.
Now with a New Mayor elect as a African-American Women, a Prosecutor, not part of the established Machine Politics and ..... openly Gay. I'm not sure how to take "She's nobody's guy"? Probably me in what t means given that city's choice winning every Ward.
I'd say most are far more hopeful then not on the outcome. Time will tell. Could a Philly be next if such a candidate was in the mix?
I don't care if you're gay, a woman, white/black/purple, or whatever. I care if someone gets in office and not only has the honesty and vision, but also the capability to influence and maneuver the machine to get results. I hope she can in Chicago. God knows Philly need someone with those qualities regardless of color, sexuality, or gender.
I don't care if you're gay, a woman, white/black/purple, or whatever. I care if someone gets in office and not only has the honesty and vision, but also the capability to influence and maneuver the machine to get results. I hope she can in Chicago. God knows Philly need someone with those qualities regardless of color, sexuality, or gender.
The primary is next month. And for the milliennials here please stop ignoring your civic duty.
--Even though we don't have a ward-based aldermanic municipal legislature, the fact that our wards are pretty much cut from the same cloth means our city council members are for the most part little better than the aldermen. I will allow, however, that the structure of our city council allows for the possibility that any given council member might rise above the general low level.
I’ll give a point to that fact. Philly is no Chicago, but with the district attorney, a former state senator, and one of our congressmen going to to the big house in this decade, we do have a problem with corruption.
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Originally Posted by MarketStEl
--There is no such thing as a "privately owned" commercial passenger airport. Those port authorities and airport authorities are public agencies whose boards are appointed by local elected officials. Their independence insulates them somewhat from budgetary pressures, but they remain subject to public control. Generally speaking, the fact that airport users (passengers and airlines) pay for the airports means that it matters less whether a public authority or a municipal government owns it than it might otherwise.
What I meant was something independent of municipal funding. I’d rather see an independent (not necessarily private) port authority or agency running the daily operations of the airport than the City of Phil. Do you have any idea how much jet fuel costs nowadays??? Plus PHL, although it’s slowly starting to offer international carriers like Aer Lingus and Icelandair, is starting to look a bit dated, especially when airports like EWR, BOS, and JFK are renovating their airports and ORD, DFW and ATL are the consistent air hubs for the country ,for a major city, PHL needs to at least maintain a decent looking airport and I don’t know how long having the city of Philadelphia running PHL is a long term viable solution, especially when you consider options for using international carriers.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kyb01
The primary is next month. And for the milliennials here please stop ignoring your civic duty.
I wouldn’t say millennials are ignoring their civic duty by not voting for a candidate they either don’t emphasize with or just don’t like. It’s just that nowadays, with two of the Democratic candidates such as Biden and Sanders who will hit 80 in a few years, it’s a lot tougher to reach that demographic with a bunch of senior citizens and the DNC needs to do a better job of attracting younger voters.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cpomp
Sucks is a ridiculous exaggeration....
Do you expect me to like something I don’t like? In addition to the CITC, I don’t like some of SEPTA’s bus routes and the fact that there’s only two subway lines throughout the entire city, don’t like the fact Temple is forced to build a football stadium in the middle of a residential neighborhood, don’t like the fact that Fairmount Park was split into two parks therefore relinquishing the title of having the largest city park, don’t like the fact that the 23 was split into two lines and no trolley service was restored, don’t like the fact that the Flyers haven’t won the Stanley Cup for x number of years, and I hate the soda tax and the weakening economy.
I still love the city, but you can’t turn me into a blind loyalist just because it’s Philly based. I’m pretty sure there’s certain aspects of Philadelphia that you hate, and just because the CITC is supposedly the tallest building in PA dirsnt mean that I have to like the building. And you’re right, sucks is a ridiculous exaggeration, because I don’t think I’d suck an ugly monstrosity like that. My opinion and thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by cpomp
That posters entire measurement of what makes a city successful is based on how many Fortune 500 and 1000 companies there are...
Philadelphia as a city could do better, but the Philadelphia region punches right where it should for a major metro area in the economics regard. There are 12 Fortune 500s in the region (I think), and another 10+ 1000, and several private companies that would be among the Fortune 500/1000 if they were public. The poster acts like Philadelphia is a tumbleweed town with nothing to offer....
My main concern for the issue isn’t calling Philadelphia a ghost town but how come Philadelphia isn’t attracting and retaining companies the way peer cities like Chicago, San Francisco, and Boston. Those cities are the economic and financial center for their region and Philadelphia which is the largest city in PA and the Delaware Valley should follow suit.
The fact that the largest bank in PA (PNC) is based out of Pittsburgh, and yet the only bank that was based in Philadelphia (Sovereign/Santander) left for Boston doesn’t strike me that the city has a healthy corporate climate. Is the city a tumbleweed town? No. But is the economy as robust as San Francisco and Boston? I can’t say it is even though other areas (housing, culinary, arts shopping , and amenities) are improving. I’m pretty sure just about everybody here wants the city to succeed but I feel that the city seems to be destined to be a more modern, sleeker looking back office town than a city that’s capable of hosting headquarters for major companies.
Last edited by wanderer34; 04-05-2019 at 12:17 PM..
I wouldn’t say millennials are ignoring their civic duty by not voting for a candidate they either don’t emphasize with or just don’t like. It’s just that nowadays, with two of the Democratic candidates such as Biden and Sanders who will hit 80 in a few years, it’s a lot tougher to reach that demographic with a bunch of senior citizens and the DNC needs to do a better job of attracting younger voters.
That is why Hillary lost the election, bitter Sanders supporters who gave up after he didn't win the primary, and now look what we are stuck with. If I hear anyone claim about current politics and the President, the first question I ask is "Did you vote?" And a lot of younger people unfortunately did not...
I’ll give a point to that fact. Philly is no Chicago, but with the district attorney, a former state senator, and one of our congressmen going to to the big house in this decade, we do have a problem with corruption.
Understatement of the year.
Quote:
What I meant was something independent of municipal funding. I’d rather see an independent (not necessarily private) port authority or agency running the daily operations of the airport than the City of Phil. Do you have any idea how much jet fuel costs nowadays??? Plus PHL, although it’s slowly starting to offer international carriers like Aer Lingus and Icelandair, is starting to look a bit dated, especially when airports like EWR, BOS, and JFK are renovating their airports and ORD, DFW and ATL are the consistent air hubs for the country ,for a major city, PHL needs to at least maintain a decent looking airport and I don’t know how long having the city of Philadelphia running PHL is a long term viable solution, especially when you consider options for using international carriers.
When was the last time you flew out of PHL?
Granted, the airport looks cobbled-together on the outside because four different terminals (A-West, A, E and F) have been grafted onto the 1950s main building over the decades, but on the inside, it's actually quite nice IMO, and the Aviation Department has been pouring money on a regular basis into internal upgrades and expansion (the shopping mall/food court between Terminals B and C, Terminal A-West, and both Terminal F and the upgrade of its common area amenities all postdate 2000).
Beefing up the international carrier presence is a worthwhile goal. But as long as American dominates the facility, that may prove to be an uphill struggle. But they did land a new foreign carrier that will launch service to Scotland this summer.
Quote:
Do you expect me to like something I don’t like? In addition to the CITC, I don’t like some of SEPTA’s bus routes and the fact that there’s only two subway lines throughout the entire city, don’t like the fact Temple is forced to build a football stadium in the middle of a residential neighborhood, don’t like the fact that Fairmount Park was split into two parks therefore relinquishing the title of having the largest city park, don’t like the fact that the 23 was split into two lines and no trolley service was restored, don’t like the fact that the Flyers haven’t won the Stanley Cup for x number of years, and I hate the soda tax and the weakening economy.
I still love the city, but you can’t turn me into a blind loyalist just because it’s Philly based. I’m pretty sure there’s certain aspects of Philadelphia that you hate, and just because the CITC is supposedly the tallest building in PA dirsnt mean that I have to like the building. And you’re right, sucks is a ridiculous exaggeration, because I don’t think I’d suck an ugly monstrosity like that. My opinion and thanks!
And thanks for sharing.
If you've followed my comments, posts and reporting here and on numerous other sites (including a few media outlets) over the years, you should have some idea why we only got two of the six or seven rapid transit lines the city government approved all the way back in 1913.
One of them is the same reason it took 31 years to build City Hall. And it wasn't corruption as much as the city's (well-deserved) reputation for it that kept the city starved for the money it needed to complete that building; Harrisburg consistently underfunded the Commission on the Public Buildings, which was charged with constructing the new city hall. Funding of new city-built rapid transit lines was little better in the 1910s and onward.
Quote:
The fact that the largest bank in PA (PNC) is based out of Pittsburgh, and yet the only bank that was based in Philadelphia (Sovereign/Santander) left for Boston doesn’t strike me that the city has a healthy corporate climate. Is the city a tumbleweed town? No. But is the economy as robust as San Francisco and Boston? I can’t say it is even though other areas (housing, culinary, arts shopping , and amenities) are improving. I’m pretty sure just about everybody here wants the city to succeed but I feel that the city seems to be destined to be a more modern, sleeker looking back office town than a city that’s capable of hosting headquarters for major companies.
In a sense, Santander doesn't count, for it's a Spanish company.
The same goes for TD (the Toronto-Dominion Bank), but if Sovereign - which had its headquarters in Reading, IIRC - counts, then so should Cherry Hill-based TD Bank, N.A.*
But I do find it somewhat laughable that the bank currently advertising itself as "the largest independent, locally-based bank in the Greater Delaware Valley" on public radio right now is WSFS (the Wilmington Saving Fund Society, which just acquired Philly-based Beneficial [Savings] Bank, the only bank in the US established by a saint).
*A friend of mine used to joke that the letters "N.A." following a bank name stood for "Not Accountable." (They stand for "National Association" - meaning that the bank has a Federal rather than a state charter.)
That is why Hillary lost the election, bitter Sanders supporters who gave up after he didn't win the primary, and now look what we are stuck with. If I hear anyone claim about current politics and the President, the first question I ask is "Did you vote?" And a lot of younger people unfortunately did not...
Yeah, we're stuck with a President who has the country in a terrible way ... bad economy, starting wars, trying to protect it's citizens, prison reform, etc.
I get that you hate the man's personality, but I wish the haters would at least be honest.
That is why Hillary lost the election, bitter Sanders supporters who gave up after he didn't win the primary, and now look what we are stuck with. If I hear anyone claim about current politics and the President, the first question I ask is "Did you vote?" And a lot of younger people unfortunately did not...
Re: 2016
Well, that's part of it, re Sanders, plus the idiocy of voting for 3rd party candidates and the fact that HRC didn't campaign everywhere she should have. Even with this stuff she still won the popular vote by a pretty wide margin.
The fact that oldest Gen-Zs can now vote means it's more than millennials turning out.
Low, very low African-American unemployment ... Bad Trump! Bad!
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