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As a native Philadelphian who now lives closer to Boston, my perspective - Philly has rampant corruption and I'd be nervous about investing in the city (compare

As a native Philadelphian who now lives closer to Boston, my perspective - Philly has rampant corruption and I'd be nervous about investing in the city (compared to NYC or Boston). The local talent market is much better suited for healthcare than tech. And what talent there is can easily go to DC or NYC, where there are larger job markets. At least for me, 10+ years ago when I moved back to Philly after going to college in VA, I lasted less than a year before going to DC where the better opportunities were. My perception is that it is still true today. My family is still all in South Philly and the close in suburbs so I haven't completely lost touch. I'd totally move back for the right opportunity.

noer 10y ago
> Philly has rampant corruption and I'd be nervous about investing in the city (compared to NYC or Boston) Chicago is corrupt as they come and there's a pretty robust startup scene.
- pm90 10y ago
  The difference is that its the only big city in the midwest. So if you're an engineer in Philly you could easily move to NYC/DC for work. Not so much for someone in the midwest who wants to work in the midwest.
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southphillyman 10y ago
> I'd totally move back for the right opportunity This. I just think it's a city where "if you build it they will come". I agree that NYC and DC have more opportunity, but they also are an order of magnitude more expensive. Affordability, proximity, and culture would be Philly's main selling point imo.
- SmellTheGlove 10y ago
  That's true, but if we're talking about living in Philly proper in areas where other young, single people would want to live, it isn't cheap either. If you're me, you'd probably be happy that you could get a fairly nice place in a good neighborhood like Girard Estate for 350k because I have a wife and kid and don't care that I live on 20th and Porter with nothing to do at night. In fact, that's exactly what I'd do if I moved back. Ironically, my folks are on a side street near East Passyunk, where people would pay 100k more. But they've had that place since the 70's when it was all older Italians like them.
moron4hire 10y ago
When people ask me what Philly was like, I tell them, "imagine a town where everyone has at least a little larceny in their hearts." I miss the cheap beer, though. Cheap compared to DC, at least. Things are easily 75-100% more expensive here. Also miss my old hackerspace. Not enough people have the anarchist+DIY spirit in the DC area to make a viable run out of a true hackerspace. We get corporate sell-out deals like TechShop in Arlington that will charge you an arm and a leg for the chance to prove you know how to run a table saw without killing yourself. Probably because it's impossible to walk in this town without tripping over at least three lawyers.
- SmellTheGlove 10y ago
  In Philly, graft starts at the top. So naturally everyone feels entitled to work the system a little. And everyone does, because law enforcement and the civil bureaucracy are a combination of afraid of your neighborhood and lazy (probably a little corrupt too, but I wouldn't attribute to malice what is easily explained by laziness). So you end up with a place where there's a shitload of urban decay, tax dodging galore (ever wonder why there's 3 rowhome "churches" on the same block?), and a lot of people that feel the city owes them without anything in return. I'm a little jaded because in high school/college I used to help maintain some Section 8 rentals, but there's an attitude in Philly that you ought to be doing the most you can to squeeze every penny out of the system. And it's led to middle class erosion and perpetual election of officials who continue to promise what they can't deliver. As a result, money gets taken away from having ridiculous, unnecessary things like a good public school system, reliable transportation, contiguous stretches of pavement and even cleaning up all the fucking trash on the side of the road. Sorry, Philly being the poster child for how not to run a city really gets to me. It was my home for a while, and it sucks that moving to the suburbs was the only real solution we had.
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duaneb 10y ago
> Philly has rampant corruption and I'd be nervous about investing in the city How does this intersect with running a startup? Grifting startups with social media expertise won't go over well. > The local talent market is much better suited for healthcare than tech. Perhaps for existing workers, but between Drexel, UPenn, Temple, and Penn State, the market for CS talent is great. > And what talent there is can easily go to DC or NYC, where there are larger job markets. And a terrible real estate market in both locations.
- SmellTheGlove 10y ago
  >How does this intersect with running a startup? Grifting startups with social media expertise won't go over well. Shitty landlords, arcane permitting bureaucracy, Philly wage tax, etc. > Perhaps for existing workers, but between Drexel, UPenn, Temple, and Penn State, the market for CS talent is great. Fresh grads are not the solution to all tech problems. My network of experienced developers and managers is much thinner in Philly than it is in the greater DC and NYC areas. If I were setting up shop tomorrow in NY or DC, I know exactly who I'd call first. Philly, not so much, and it's not for lack of knowing professionals in the area. Now if you need a physician, chemist, biologist or mech eng, Philly's a great place. I realize this is just me and my opinion, YMMV. > And a terrible real estate market in both locations. Fair point, but there's a reason DC and NYC real estate costs more. People and businesses are there. And depending on your product space, DC is especially attractive because a certain uncle keeps spending even in recession.

noer 10y ago

> Philly has rampant corruption and I'd be nervous about investing in the city (compared to NYC or Boston) Chicago is corrupt as they come and there's a pretty robust startup scene.

pm90 10y ago
The difference is that its the only big city in the midwest. So if you're an engineer in Philly you could easily move to NYC/DC for work. Not so much for someone in the midwest who wants to work in the midwest.
deleted 10y ago
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southphillyman 10y ago

> I'd totally move back for the right opportunity This. I just think it's a city where "if you build it they will come". I agree that NYC and DC have more opportunity, but they also are an order of magnitude more expensive. Affordability, proximity, and culture would be Philly's main selling point imo.

SmellTheGlove 10y ago
That's true, but if we're talking about living in Philly proper in areas where other young, single people would want to live, it isn't cheap either. If you're me, you'd probably be happy that you could get a fairly nice place in a good neighborhood like Girard Estate for 350k because I have a wife and kid and don't care that I live on 20th and Porter with nothing to do at night. In fact, that's exactly what I'd do if I moved back. Ironically, my folks are on a side street near East Passyunk, where people would pay 100k more. But they've had that place since the 70's when it was all older Italians like them.

moron4hire 10y ago

When people ask me what Philly was like, I tell them, "imagine a town where everyone has at least a little larceny in their hearts." I miss the cheap beer, though. Cheap compared to DC, at least. Things are easily 75-100% more expensive here. Also miss my old hackerspace. Not enough people have the anarchist+DIY spirit in the DC area to make a viable run out of a true hackerspace. We get corporate sell-out deals like TechShop in Arlington that will charge you an arm and a leg for the chance to prove you know how to run a table saw without killing yourself. Probably because it's impossible to walk in this town without tripping over at least three lawyers.

SmellTheGlove 10y ago
In Philly, graft starts at the top. So naturally everyone feels entitled to work the system a little. And everyone does, because law enforcement and the civil bureaucracy are a combination of afraid of your neighborhood and lazy (probably a little corrupt too, but I wouldn't attribute to malice what is easily explained by laziness). So you end up with a place where there's a shitload of urban decay, tax dodging galore (ever wonder why there's 3 rowhome "churches" on the same block?), and a lot of people that feel the city owes them without anything in return. I'm a little jaded because in high school/college I used to help maintain some Section 8 rentals, but there's an attitude in Philly that you ought to be doing the most you can to squeeze every penny out of the system. And it's led to middle class erosion and perpetual election of officials who continue to promise what they can't deliver. As a result, money gets taken away from having ridiculous, unnecessary things like a good public school system, reliable transportation, contiguous stretches of pavement and even cleaning up all the fucking trash on the side of the road. Sorry, Philly being the poster child for how not to run a city really gets to me. It was my home for a while, and it sucks that moving to the suburbs was the only real solution we had.
- deleted 10y ago
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duaneb 10y ago

> Philly has rampant corruption and I'd be nervous about investing in the city How does this intersect with running a startup? Grifting startups with social media expertise won't go over well. > The local talent market is much better suited for healthcare than tech. Perhaps for existing workers, but between Drexel, UPenn, Temple, and Penn State, the market for CS talent is great. > And what talent there is can easily go to DC or NYC, where there are larger job markets. And a terrible real estate market in both locations.

SmellTheGlove 10y ago
>How does this intersect with running a startup? Grifting startups with social media expertise won't go over well. Shitty landlords, arcane permitting bureaucracy, Philly wage tax, etc. > Perhaps for existing workers, but between Drexel, UPenn, Temple, and Penn State, the market for CS talent is great. Fresh grads are not the solution to all tech problems. My network of experienced developers and managers is much thinner in Philly than it is in the greater DC and NYC areas. If I were setting up shop tomorrow in NY or DC, I know exactly who I'd call first. Philly, not so much, and it's not for lack of knowing professionals in the area. Now if you need a physician, chemist, biologist or mech eng, Philly's a great place. I realize this is just me and my opinion, YMMV. > And a terrible real estate market in both locations. Fair point, but there's a reason DC and NYC real estate costs more. People and businesses are there. And depending on your product space, DC is especially attractive because a certain uncle keeps spending even in recession.