Interested in Moving to Philly from NOVA-help! (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh: apartment, crime)

[pman]

Originally Posted by pcity

Interesting move. Most people I know (including myself) have done the opposite- moving to the DC area to find work, because the PA job market just can't compare. There are so many Philadelphia area natives here in NoVA. Best of luck though.

it's not that unusual really, there are quite a few former DC residents in the philly area. most people actually seem to move to NY before DC. it's true that it's hard to compete with the robust federal government spending but hopefully DC will hit darker days soon . On the whole though, I didn't actually take much of a pay cut when my job moved from DC to philly...in reality it was a pay raise since cost of living in philly area is a bit less.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by pcity

Interesting move. Most people I know (including myself) have done the opposite- moving to the DC area to find work, because the PA job market just can't compare. There are so many Philadelphia area natives here in NoVA. Best of luck though.

Exactly.

[pman]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

Exactly.

it's typical of the attitude a lot of natives have, sadly, the more of them that leave, the better philly will be. there used to be a saying, "Philadelphia, not as bad as philadelphians say it is." much of that has changed in the past ten years but you still encounter people that are aghast anyone would WANT to live there. you have to wonder why a bunch of people who live in the DC area take it upon themselves to post in the philly forum convincing people not to move there.

[tarak88]

haha I know...I'm moving away from all the opportunities but its time for a change and I'm ready to take on a city like Philly. My best friend might be moving to Pittsburgh. As far as what I have already mentioned about what type of city I am looking for, how does Pittsburgh compare?

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by tarak88

haha I know...I'm moving away from all the opportunities but its time for a change and I'm ready to take on a city like Philly. My best friend might be moving to Pittsburgh. As far as what I have already mentioned about what type of city I am looking for, how does Pittsburgh compare?

Not that I am a PGH expert by any means...but my take on the city is that it is "sort of" like Philly but with a more laid-back Midwestern twist to it. (Then again, some people would say that Philly itself is more laid back than DC or NYC.) The cost of living is certainly lower. I have no idea about the job market; it may not differ that much either way from Philly's. Except for being even further from the coast, you may find much of what you're looking for albeit on a slightly smaller scale.

I'd suggest posting your original question on the Pittsburgh forum too.

[FindingZen]

Originally Posted by pman

it's it's true that it's hard to compete with the robust federal government spending but hopefully DC will hit darker days soon.

As a former Philly resident, I can respect your concern about the concentration of government(-related) jobs in DC.

However, as a current DC-area resident, I certainly don't wish for "darker days" here...although there are certainly a number of longer-term residents on the Northern Virginia forum who are hoping that the job market improves elsewhere, if only because the exodus would relieve the ridiculous amount of traffic.

[pcity]

Originally Posted by pman

it's typical of the attitude a lot of natives have, sadly, the more of them that leave, the better philly will be. there used to be a saying, "Philadelphia, not as bad as philadelphians say it is." much of that has changed in the past ten years but you still encounter people that are aghast anyone would WANT to live there. you have to wonder why a bunch of people who live in the DC area take it upon themselves to post in the philly forum convincing people not to move there.

I'm not aghast of anything. Philly is just fine. I'm not trying to convince anyone to not move there.

I tried to find jobs near Philly when I graduated college. Some time passed with no luck, so when I did get a job in the DC area, I ended up moving. A lot of my high school/college classmates ended up doing the same. My move had nothing to do with what I thought of Philly and everything to do with job opportunities in the DC area.

So I do find it kind of interesting that someone would do the opposite of my (and many others') move. And I do think it's fair game to point out they might have a tougher time in the Philly job market than the DC one. That's all I was commenting on. I'm approaching this from a realistic standpoint.

I don't see how you can say "the more of them that leave, the better philly will be". Who's "them"? College graduates who can't find jobs in Philly? Are you trying to spin the "brain drain" into a positive by insinuating that all of us who leave have a bad attitude and are therefore not wanted in the area? That makes no sense. The "brain drain" from Pennsylvania is real, and to pretend otherwise, or pretend that it somehow is a positive is crazy.

[a little edgy]

I think Philadelphia does meet the criteria you describe, and Center City is definitely the place to be in terms of the lifestyle you say you want. But I also agree that you should line up a job first to guide your choice of places to live. Commutes here are nearly as bad as in DC, and even within Center City there are easier and harder places to commute from if your job is outside the city.

Now, having said all that, good luck. Philadelphia is very (very!) different from the DC area. You'll certainly find it a change; whether it's a change for better or worse, only time will tell. I would urge you to avoid getting locked into a career path or mortgage that will force you to stay here if you decide you don't like the grittier, more blue-collar ambiance, the antiquated transportation systems (both highway and public), and the somewhat narrow, parochial and conservative* way of thinking that prevails here. Unlike DC, this area suffers from a lack of in-migration, so there is not a regular infusion of people with fresh ideas, new ways of looking at things, and experience with how things are done in other places.

(So, I guess it's good that you're coming here! )

You're leaving the nation's wealthiest and best-educated major metropolitan area for one that is ... not. You may love it, and it will certainly bring the change you want, but leave your options open to return to DC or move on to other cities like NY or Boston where the population as a whole is a bit more educated and sophisticated.

*By conservative, I don't mean politics. I mean that there is a tendency here for things to stay the way they are long after changes would have been made in most other cities because, in my experience, Philadelphians really don't seem to like change, even for the better.

[Duderino]

Is there a week that goes by that some thread does not devolve into deriding Philadelphia for not being as "sophisticated," "wealthy," "educated" or "cosmopolitan" as other our other Northeast brethren? I really don't mean to come off as crass, but c'mon, folks.

No, the Philly area is not quite as job-robust as our nation's capital, but we do, in fact, live in a major metropolitan area with thousands upon thousands of available jobs. I really don't know why some people find it so shocking that someone working as an IT Administrator in Rosslyn, VA might find a better opportunity in King of Prussia. Despite the perception (or cluelessness, perhaps) of some, the Philadelphia area indeed offers a great range of employment opportunities in many different fields -- healthcare, education, biotech, pharmaceuticals, nonprofit, manufacturing -- you name it. Our region is a lot better off than many on this board give credit for.

As to the OP, sorry for going off on a slight tangent, but -- while the area certainly has its differences from DC -- I think you'll find Center City and the broader Philly area very dynamic in terms of jobs and lifestyle. It will definitely give you a change of scenery and different places to explore. If you're looking for more of a Manhattan-esque type of urban experience, then CC is the place to be.

[pman]

Originally Posted by pcity

I don't see how you can say "the more of them that leave, the better philly will be". Who's "them"? College graduates who can't find jobs in Philly? Are you trying to spin the "brain drain" into a positive by insinuating that all of us who leave have a bad attitude and are therefore not wanted in the area? That makes no sense. The "brain drain" from Pennsylvania is real, and to pretend otherwise, or pretend that it somehow is a positive is crazy.

the brain drain is overrated. it really only applies to the city itself not the suburbs. I doubt you tried very hard to get a job as I had no problem getting a job in the area after college, and a pretty good paying one at that. I think most of your post is typical rather than insightful. and yes, those of you who feel the need to baselessly trash their home area are indeed better off somewhere else. while Philly certainly doesn't have the migration that DC does it's far from unusual to find people who move here. I'd be surprised if the inmigration patterns haven't changed over the past twenty years for the positive. it's a bit of a stretch to say DC is a hotbed of forward thinking people IMO. DC is about as overrated as they come. good job market (largely at the expense of the rest of the country) but it's far from the best place to live. sure there are shorter winters but the summers are absolutley awful even compared to philly. people are arrogant and self centered. it's still very much a company town.

the fact is, philadelphia, the city, has improved tremendously, and is a place people actually like to live. many of the suburbs have robust job markets compared to most of the nation. they bring in college graduates from all over despite the misleading brain drain claims. while chester county may have antiquated roads compared to northern virginia, it's a far mroe attractive place. sadly, the "modern road system" in DC has done nothing to improve some of the nation's worst traffic. Philly's traffic is also bad, just not in comparison with DC's.