Which cities most closely resemble Philadelphia? (Pittsburgh, York: crime, homes, neighborhoods)

[Wordsmith12]

Which cities most closely mirror Philly in terms of history, wealth, architecture, etc.?

I would imagine most people will say New York, Boston, or Washington D.C., but are there any others?

A couple of months back, I posted a thread about a vacation my wife and I were planning this summer. We loved our 2018 Philly trip so much that we seriously considered going back a year later. In the end, though, the desire for something novel won out, so we visited Baltimore and Annapolis.

Both those cities were great in their own right (and we didn't witness crime or anything of that nature), but they didn't hold a candle to Philadelphia. I felt this year's trip was something of a downgrade/letdown.

We've begun thinking about which city we'll hit up next. We've already been to Boston and D.C., which were our next two favorites, respectively. We didn't like the crowds and breakneck pace of NYC.

Are there any more large, urban, historically rich cities in the northeast worth considering?

Or are the big 4 I've mentioned our best bet?

Perhaps the wifey and I can visit our three favorites in rotation?

[Wells5]

Montreal and/or Quebec City. There is no resemblance to Philly but they are interesting, especially Quebec.

[rowhomecity]

Pittsburgh is a great city with tons to do for a weekend visit. Beautiful architecture, museums and cultural institutions, restaurants, and some of the most beautiful topography of any city on the East coast.

[KansastoSouthphilly]

Originally Posted by Wells5

Montreal and/or Quebec City. There is no resemblance to Philly but they are interesting, especially Quebec.

I second this. I love visiting Quebec. Montreal is my favorite city. It is amazing how few people I know that take advantage of having such a cool place within driving distance. I just drive up after work and accept that I will be arriving late.

[cpomp]

From a comparison standpoint... Philadelphia shares a lot of characteristics with New York, especially in and around Center City. As you get further from the core, Philadelphia starts to look more like Baltimore.

Montreal is a fantastic city to visit, followed by Pittsburgh. No other large city in the Northeast stands out.

Small cities - Burlington, Portland and Manchester are great.

[Mdez]

Not really. Sounds like you've hit all of them. The northeast corridor is in my opinion the best region of the country due to all of the urban, dense cities that are each relatively close to each other. These cities such as Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Washington DC, and even Baltimore to some extent offer a very rich variety of culture, history, urban density, beautiful architecture, and walkability. This is similar to what you'll see in many European cities. I guess there's also Chicago in the Midwest, but CHI is probably lacking a bit when it comes to history in comparison to these other cities. And of course in the sunbelt region of the United States, the cities are seriously lacking in flavor- these "cities" are vastly suburban and low in density, which requires a car to get around everywhere- places like Raleigh, Charlotte, Atlanta, Orlando, Tampa, Louisville, Houston, Dallas, Oklahoma City, Phoenix etc.- These are all the same to me. They are essentially giant suburbs, and hardly even "cities" if you ask me. In general, the cities in the US are really lacking in comparison to those of Europe (other than the northeast of course).


As others have mentioned, Montreal is a very beautiful city with amazing architecture, and is definitely worth visiting. Though obviously this would be outside of the US and requires a passport.

[DXBtoFL]

In the Northeast? New York is the only other major city not on your list.

Manhattan is a different beast entirely, but there are comparisons that can be made between Philadelphia and Brooklyn. If you liked Philadelphia, you would probably like Brooklyn very much. I prefer it to Manhattan. It's divided into a number of unique neighborhoods that are fun to explore. Brooklyn Heights, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Park Slope, Williamsburg, Greenpoint, etc.

I don't think Baltimore is like Philadelphia at all.

[FindingZen]

I agree about New York, particularly in Brooklyn. Similar "attytood" if maybe a bit more amplified.

With a similar concentration of rowhomes in many neighborhoods, Baltimore certainly *looks* like Philly in a lot of ways but it's probably a bit more relaxed in spirit.

Boston's history and architecture will definitely be reminiscent of Philly.

Across the Potomac River from DC, the Old Town section of Alexandria, VA is like a mashup of Society Hill and Manayunk.

[Wordsmith12]

Thanks for the replies so far.

Wasn't sure if there were any other historic cities along the east coast worth checking out.

A coworker told me they loved Charleston, SC.

Anything in Connecticut or Rhode Island?

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by Wordsmith12

Thanks for the replies so far.

Wasn't sure if there were any other historic cities along the east coast worth checking out.

A coworker told me they loved Charleston, SC.

Anything in Connecticut or Rhode Island?

Well, if you're considering Charleston, which by all accounts is a very charming city and one of the oldest in the Southeast, you might also want to consider Savannah, the first city of Georgia.

Its city plan, devised by James Oglethorpe in 1733, is very elegant - and it was modular to boot; it's a shame the city abandoned it after adding about 12 of the modules. Factors Walk by the Savannah River is also very charming, and there are some neat beach communities just east of the city.

Providence, Rhode Island's capital and largest city, is way cool - you should visit when they light torches in the river downtown at night - and close by is Newport, home to the opulent summer "cottages" the Robber Barons built.