Philadelphia is a much more interesting and hip city to live in, but the crime, high taxes and crumbling infrastructure are a killer. The city government is inc

Philadelphia is a much more interesting and hip city to live in, but the crime, high taxes and crumbling infrastructure are a killer. The city government is incredibly corrupt, with a lot of the machinery that empowers city councilmen (I'm looking at you, Kenyatta Johnson...) trying to keep outsiders from coming in and diluting their traditional voter base. So there is a sizable segment of city politics that is not only not interested in improving the city, but is actively working against change because improving the city would harm their political interests (and their ability to give no-show city jobs with six-figure salaries to their family members). Chaka Fattah [1] didn't become that corrupt in isolation. Pittsburgh is literally just happy that you're there, but in Philly there's a sense that newcomers are not welcome. That feeling extends to businesses as well - if you don't hire union workers, expect things like sabotage and picket lines. You can't just go take over an abandoned warehouse and put your startup in it, you have to grease the right palms to get the zoning permits approved, the right union contractors to do the work, etc. All of that costs money that startups who are trying to be lean don't have. There's a lot more pay-to-play present in Philadelphia, which is IMO the reason why it's not a bigger tech start-up hub than it is. [1] http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2016/05/16/chaka-fattah-corruption-trial/84432378/ http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2016/05/16/chaka...