Pittsburgh to Philadelphia Move; Public Transit, Cost of Living, Way of Life Comparisons (York: apartments, lease)

[Jordanskills134]

Currently living in Pittsburgh, and am considering moving to Philadelphia next summer once my apartment lease is up. Many people here in PGH have warned me that PHL is much more expensive, but others have stated the difference to not be so major. Currently a student online with Arizona State, studying Sustainable Urban Development and Regional Planning and work full time with T-Mobile, which provides me with about $20-$25,000 a year. Mainly wanting to be closer to the coast, even though Pittsburgh is technically still considered the "East Coast" or specifically a part of the Northeast Corridor. I have a studio apartment near Shadyside Hospital on the border of Oakland and pay $600 a month not including utilities. Anyone have any advice for the move? Possible obstacles or issues that may come about through the process later next year? My current job with T-Mobile will be transferred, so that's not an issue. I am a public transit fanatic, and have really noticed a positive jump up with Port Authority in Pittsburgh; East, West, and South busways, local and express routes, and even the Red and Blue "T" subway / light rail lines. How is Philadelphia's public transit and daily ridership compared to Pittsburgh? I would assume it's a step up, but would like to understand specifics from a local's perspective. I absolutely love older, colonial / European Architecture, and would hope to move into a relatively decent neighborhood, (am completely open minded and tend to NOT be immediately steered away from "dangerous" neighborhoods) within a $750-$900 monthly rent range, possibly even a bit lower. Being near or on one of the city subway lines is almost mandatory; Market-Frankford, Broad Street Line, I believe those are the only two local lines, clarification on that would be nice, as well. Can elaborate on more of my personal needs and wants later in the forum if needed, any insight is much appreciated.

[Jorge Campbell]

I've lived in Philly for a couple years. Are you saying you want to move to Philly mainly because you want a change of scenery and because you want better public transportation? No other reasons?

Then I really don't see any reason to move to Philly, except that there might be more restaurant choices and gas is cheaper across the river. Other than that, Philly seems to me to be a filthier, more polluted, more expensive, more violent, more congested, ruder, snobbier, and uglier version of Pittsburgh. Yeah the public transit system in Philly is more developed, but that's only because there's more population there. The public transit system, SEPTA, in Philly is grungy and about as reliable as PAT. There's almost nothing you have in Philly that you don't have in Pittsburgh.

[Jordanskills134]

Originally Posted by Jorge Campbell

I've lived in Philly for a couple years. Are you saying you want to move to Philly mainly because you want a change of scenery and because you want better public transportation? No other reasons?

Then I really don't see any reason to move to Philly, except that there might be more restaurant choices and gas is cheaper across the river. Other than that, Philly seems to me to be a filthier, more polluted, more expensive, more violent, more congested, ruder, snobbier, and uglier version of Pittsburgh. Yeah the public transit system in Philly is more developed, but that's only because there's more population there. The public transit system, SEPTA, in Philly is grungy and about as reliable as PAT. There's almost nothing you have in Philly that you don't have in Pittsburgh.

Jorge, that's what I meant in terms of elaborating. Basically, the move is personal more than anything. Pittsburgh is great, and is technically my home city, but I am craving more of a major metropolis. PGH is still a "second class" city, even though it's getting more and more credit as time passes. Philly is and most likely will always be a city where people from outside the US know about or obtain knowledge of. I love Pittsburgh, don't get me wrong, but the grunginess is oddly attractive to me, the larger population is again, extremely attractive, as well as the more developed transit system. Even being closer to NY, which Philly obviously is, is a huge pro. I could give you more reasons, one being that Philly is one of T-Mobile's major markets and results in higher salaries and commission opportunities, while I'm in school. As much as I appreciate your post, it's not the most helpful, hopefully you can give me more details on your statements? Another side comment on reasons, would be progressiveness. Philly should and I would think be more of a progressive city compared to Pittsburgh, but that's just my assumption. A high amount of progressive movements within a city is must for me, personally, should've noted that above. Thanks!

[UKyank]

If you want more of a international/ cosmopolitan/ big city feel & the pluses that come with it that is fairly close by choose NYC; DC or Chicago. Philly is downgrade from Pittsburgh in way too many ways to be worth moving in my opinion.

[Jordanskills134]

Originally Posted by UKyank

If you want more of a international/ cosmopolitan/ big city feel & the pluses that come with it that is fairly close by choose NYC; DC or Chicago. Philly is downgrade from Pittsburgh in way too many ways to be worth moving in my opinion.

Really good to hear this. The problem with all of the other cities you listed are finances for me. DC is crazy expensive, as is NYC. Lived in NY for a while as a child and early teens, so it's really nothing new, but still just as exciting. Chicago on the other hand, has been somewhere I've always been pretty obsessed with, but I am worried it is too much of a jump from Pittsburgh specifically in terms of cost of living; rent, groceries, clothes, public transit, etc. Every time I search for apartments in the Chicago area, it seems like I can't get as much "bang for your buck", especially when it comes to the neighborhoods.

[charisb]

Philly's transit is better than Pittsburgh if you can use the subway/trolley line.
I like Philly. I think it is a more 'manageable' big city and it is definitely cheaper than many others. I think you should go for it, especially if you have only lived in Pittsburgh. It is good to experience other places.
It is nice to have easy access to NYC and D.C.

[_Buster]

Originally Posted by charisb

Philly's transit is better than Pittsburgh if you can use the subway/trolley line.
I like Philly. I think it is a more 'manageable' big city and it is definitely cheaper than many others. I think you should go for it, especially if you have only lived in Pittsburgh. It is good to experience other places.
It is nice to have easy access to NYC and D.C.

Pittsburgh has pretty good access to DC though, almost as good as Philly when driving. It often takes 3.5 hours between DC-Philly on 95. usually you can get from DC to Pittsburgh in 3.5 hours.

[Duderino]

Wow--quite a bit of grossly exaggerated negativity about Philly, although I understand that some folks "out West" feel the need to keep a pointless rivalry going. I think some balance is definitely in order.

If you're into public transit (I am, also) Philadelphia is definitely one of the top cities in the cities in the US. SEPTA is considered one of the "Big 6" transit systems, along with MTA (New York), CTA (Chicago), WMATA (DC), MBTA (Boston), and BART (San Francisco). Especially with the infusion of transit funding from PA's Act 89, SEPTA has been very ambitious as of late on modernization in terms of station renovations, procuring brand new vehicles, and and implementing an "open fare" state-of-the-art payment system. Philly's bike share system has also been enormously ambitious and successful, and it augments the public transit very well. It's an exciting time for transit in Philly.

As to the overall city, Philly is simply much larger and has tons to offer, both in the city and environs. Yes, it is more congested and dense, but it is also supremely walkable in many areas, and has tons to offer in many different types of neighborhoods. Yes, it can get very gritty in parts, but I don't think most people realize how far the city has come in terms of revitalization, as well as becoming more diverse and cosmopolitan. Of course no city can compare to NYC, but for many folks it is an attractive alternative. It's become a far more livable city in just the past 15 years alone, and that trend will only continue.

That's not to say that it's superior to Pittsburgh, as that's always a personal judgement and silly to claim as some sort of "universal truth" (or vice versa), but you definitely should not rule it out as place to consider living, despite the knee-jerk snide stereotypes that inevitably make their way into these types of threads.

Good luck!

[charisb]

Originally Posted by _Buster

Pittsburgh has pretty good access to DC though, almost as good as Philly when driving. It often takes 3.5 hours between DC-Philly on 95.

Amtrak from Philly to DC takes 2 hours and costs $50.

[Jordanskills134]

Originally Posted by charisb

Philly's transit is better than Pittsburgh if you can use the subway/trolley line.
I like Philly. I think it is a more 'manageable' big city and it is definitely cheaper than many others. I think you should go for it, especially if you have only lived in Pittsburgh. It is good to experience other places.
It is nice to have easy access to NYC and D.C.

Pittsburgh is one of numerous places I've lived, I was here mostly as a young child, which doesn't matter at all due to the fact that I didn't pay attention to the any of the city's attributes. I moved back to Pittsburgh just this past June from Honolulu, where high school and a small portion of college was completed. Was in NYC for most of early and mid teens. Would visit PGH 2-3 times while living in Honolulu yearly, and saw a stunning amount of growth each time, so decided to move back this summer. Now planning for my next adventurous move next summer.