Is Taylor Swift the most famous person to ever come from the Philly area? (Philadelphia: vs, move to)

[AshbyQuin]

Originally Posted by Tweb66

This really isn't that difficult, and its getting less and less interesting. She says she is from Philly and is an Eagles fan. The Eagles fan part makes perfect sense, and so does saying she is from Philly, which was probably said to some Hollywood reporter and its just easier to say she is from Philly rather than explaining what and where Reading is. And I totally get that. I've done that too, being from Allentown which interesting;y enough has never been called a coal town until just now. It was built on steel, cement and trucks and its impoverishment is very recent (yes I know the Lehigh Valley Railroad existed to connect coal regions to industrial centers, but by that measure, NYC was a coal town too).



Here is a thought, stop acting like Taylor Swift claiming to be from Philly is akin to her running over your cat with her car and stop claiming others have never "spent much time" into places you clearly haven't either.

Seeing a trend: ppl who are taking offense to being called out are from the burbs lol. neither you, Taylor or GWillyfromPhilly, I mean GWillyFromSouthJersey, are from Philly. Hell, I'm not either yet you don't see me trying to say Elkins Park is Philadelphia and I grew up literally a 2-minute walk from the county-city line.

IDK why y'all are so hard pressed to say you're from Philly when you aren't. Are y'all that insecure?

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by AshbyQuin

Seeing a trend: ppl who are taking offense to being called out are from the burbs lol. neither you, Taylor or GWillyfromPhilly, I mean GWillyFromSouthJersey, are from Philly. Hell, I'm not either yet you don't see me trying to say Elkins Park is Philadelphia and I grew up literally a 2-minute walk from the county-city line.

IDK why y'all are so hard pressed to say you're from Philly when you aren't. Are y'all that insecure?

Were I to run into someone here who grew up in Prairie Village but told me they were from Kansas City, I wouldn't beat up on them.

That happened, btw. On Walnut Street, about 15 years ago. I was wearing an "I (heart) KC" T-shirt as I passed two women seated in front of a cafe. One of them called out as I passed them, "You're from Kansas City?"

I turned around and saw that the younger woman had a Worlds of Fun T-shirt on.

After affirming that I was, we immediately got all Old Home Week. When I asked what high school she went to, she said, "Shawnee Mission South."

Forgive me. She wouldn't have lived in Prairie Village. She would have lived in Overland Park. But 1,300 miles away from either, only the two of us (and her mom) would have known about, let alone understood, the difference. She would have told you, had you passed us, that she grew up in Kansas City, since you wouldn't know from Overland Park or the Shawnee Mission School District. (BTW, all those places are in Kansas. I'm from Missouri, where the older and larger of the two Kansas Cities is located.)

Now, in the area, we would have observed the difference. Out of it, there would be none.

[AshbyQuin]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

Were I to run into someone here who grew up in Prairie Village but told me they were from Kansas City, I wouldn't beat up on them.

That happened, btw. On Walnut Street, about 15 years ago. I was wearing an "I (heart) KC" T-shirt as I passed two women seated in front of a cafe. One of them called out as I passed them, "You're from Kansas City?"

I turned around and saw that the younger woman had a Worlds of Fun T-shirt on.

After affirming that I was, we immediately got all Old Home Week. When I asked what high school she went to, she said, "Shawnee Mission South."

Forgive me. She wouldn't have lived in Prairie Village. She would have lived in Overland Park. But 1,300 miles away from either, only the two of us (and her mom) would have known about, let alone understood, the difference. She would have told you, had you passed us, that she grew up in Kansas City, since you wouldn't know from Overland Park or the Shawnee Mission School District. (BTW, all those places are in Kansas. I'm from Missouri, where the older and larger of the two Kansas Cities is located.)

Now, in the area, we would have observed the difference. Out of it, there would be none.

I 100% agree with the bold. It's unreasonable for ppl on here of all places to associate Taylor with Philadelphia when its nowhere close. I'd understand if they were trying to align her with being from Philly to someone who isn't familiar with the city or state, but it's extremely weird that they're trying to say she's Philly on a Philly-based forum on a website dedicated to city nerds. Like, I'm 99% sure everyone is aware of Reading on the PA forum so there's really no need for the "claim the nearest big city" logic. It just reeks of insecurity for people ATP

[Muinteoir]

Originally Posted by AshbyQuin

I 100% agree with the bold. It's unreasonable for ppl on here of all places to associate Taylor with Philadelphia when its nowhere close. I'd understand if they were trying to align her with being from Philly to someone who isn't familiar with the city or state, but it's extremely weird that they're trying to say she's Philly on a Philly-based forum on a website dedicated to city nerds. Like, I'm 99% sure everyone is aware of Reading on the PA forum so there's really no need for the "claim the nearest big city" logic. It just reeks of insecurity for people ATP

My subsequent question is not rhetorical, nor am I trying to flame you. I am genuinely curious. Why are you so passionately against the idea that Taylor Swift is from the Philadelphia *area*? It just doesn't seem like the hill to die on. Even if you disagree with posters who think as much, in my opinion, it's not that deep.

[BajanYankee]

I don't understand the logic of claiming the nearest big city when a simple "Pennsylvania" or "Allentown, Pennsylania" would suffice. If someone asks where it is, you just say "60 or so miles north of Philadelphia." I have this type of conversation all the time when I meet people from California, Georgia, Massachusetts, Texas, Florida, etc. who are not from a major city.

[cpomp]

Originally Posted by TheProf

They never had the internet... Turn it around, would Taylor be THIS famous if she'd come along without it? I say: no; but we can differ.

What is the point of these "whataboutisms"?

Like it or not, Taylor Swift is one of the most famous people on the planet, and far exceeds anyone you listed in terms of fame, even if you like them more.

And if Taylor rose to fame before the Internet / social media, I'm sure she would still be a megastar. Madonna did it, Dolly did it, Mariah did it, Whitney did it.

Anyways, this thread is going in circles....

[Hermit12]

Originally Posted by BajanYankee

I don't understand the logic of claiming the nearest big city when a simple "Pennsylvania" or "Allentown, Pennsylania" would suffice. If someone asks where it is, you just say "60 or so miles north of Philadelphia." I have this type of conversation all the time when I meet people from California, Georgia, Massachusetts, Texas, Florida, etc. who are not from a major city.

Yep ... it really is quite that simple.

[RMESMH]

Originally Posted by gwillyfromphilly

My issue with your post is that you think Philadelphia's cultural realm of influence only spans about 20 or so miles. Like it or not Berks county is part of the Philly area. I hope you realize that Philly is the 2nd largest city on the east coast and 3rd largest city in the entire eastern United States. The largest cities have cultural influences that span over great distances.

Not to mention Taylor Swift has already clarified that she is from the Philly area.

How is Philly not also the second largest city in the entire eastern United States ?

Are you defining Chicago as being in the eastern United States just because it is east of the Mississippi River ?

[Muinteoir]

Originally Posted by RMESMH

How is Philly not also the second largest city in the entire eastern United States ?

Are you defining Chicago as being in the eastern United States just because it is east of the Mississippi River ?

Considering gwilly made a distinction between the East Coast and Eastern USA, I’d say that’s definitely what they meant. It’s a common definition.

[AshbyQuin]

Originally Posted by Muinteoir

My subsequent question is not rhetorical, nor am I trying to flame you. I am genuinely curious. Why are you so passionately against the idea that Taylor Swift is from the Philadelphia *area*? It just doesn't seem like the hill to die on. Even if you disagree with posters who think as much, in my opinion, it's not that deep.

OP originally said "from Philadelphia" before they edited it to say area and that's where the disagreement is because a few ppl on here are trying to sell Reading as being able to be a distant neighborhood in Philly. literally 10 minutes outside Reading (where Taylor is actually from) is farmland, firework shops, old mills and people driving tractors in overalls, hence why it sits in its own MSA because the two areas are nothing alike.