Philadelphia is the most underrated city in America. When people from outside of the area think of our city, their minds go to the Fresh Prince, that traveling robot that Philly killed, and maybe the Liberty Bell – but the City of Brotherly Love is so much more than the headlines! Anyone who’s living here will tell you that this city has so much soul, culture, and life in it. Here are some reasons you’ll fall in love with Philly, and why everyone should live here at least once in their life.
- Our restaurant scene is one of the best in the world.
Yelp / Michael H. World-renowned chefs like Marc Vetri and Masaharu Morimoto have made Philadelphia their restaurant home, and with them, they bring world-class cuisine. Even outside of the big names, Philadelphia’s restaurant scene is unbelieveable. Whether you want a fun night out at El Vez, a classic homemade Italian meal at Dante and Luigi’s, or just want to stuff your face with dumplings at Dim Sum Garden, you’ll find a spot in Philly that you won’t soon forget.
- Philadelphians might be the most loyal people on earth.
Flickr / Melody Joy Kramer Loyalty is important to Philadelphia fans. We’ve been through heartache after heartache with the Eagles, Phillies, Flyers and Sixers (who are going to be great next year, just wait!), but we still live and die by our sports teams. No other mascot can compete with our Philly Phanatic, Eagles fans might actually be rabid, and there’s nothing more fun than a Flyers game. And really, the Sixers are going to be great next year… right?
- Housing prices are pretty affordable.
Flickr / John Donges Even though Philadelphia is a huge city that has been growing and developing year-after-year (since 1682!), it has actually remained affordable to live here. While our NYC friends cry about the $6,000 rent for their loft or the insanity that is DC apartment hunting, we can’t help but feel lucky that a cheap studio in a decent area isn’t all that hard to come by.
- You’ll get your fill of green space.
Flickr / Britt Reints There are beautiful tree-filled parks around every corner in Philadelphia, which makes it easy to love living here over the more urbanized cities around the country. Not only do we have little parks throughout Center City, Old City and South Philly, but head north and you’ll run into Valley Green and Fairmount Park - both offer plenty of opportunities for outdoor adventures.
- You definitely won’t miss your favorite band.
Facebook / The TLA There are so many concert venues in Philadelphia, ranging from the gigantic shows at CBP to tiny concerts at First Unitarian. If you’re into live music, Philly has something going on nearly every single night. Our venues are high quality, too - the sound at World Cafe Live will impress anyone, and the renovation of the old spaghetti warehouse into Union Transfer has created one of the coolest venues in the country.
- We know how to make great beer.
Flickr / Rachel Antosh There are tons of great brewing companies in the Philly area, like Yards and PBC, but we can’t forget about the city’s favorite - Yuengling lager - and the fact that the oldest brewery in America is still turning out great cheap beer every single day.
- Philly is the pop-up city.
Facebook / Spruce Street Harbor Park Pop-up block parties, hammock forests, splash pads, and farmers markets are a common sight in Philadelphia. Spruce Street Harbor Park comes alive in the summer and the River Rink becomes the best place to warm up with a Cider and Maker’s Mark once the cold weather hits. You never really know what you’ll find while walking through the streets of the city, but I promise that it’ll be fun!
- You really don’t need a car.
Flickr / pabloviator I know, I know - we all hate SEPTA. Regardless, we have to appreciate the fact that you can get anywhere in the city very easily and you don’t need a car to travel around. The PATCO will zip you over to Jersey in ten minutes time, the Broad Street Line takes you from South Philly into Center City for just a few bucks, and Regional Rail will get you to the Main Line towns for all the yuppie dining you could possibly want, and that’s a pretty cool perk of living in Philadelphia.
- Philly’s artsy side is mind-blowing.
Flickr / Mark DeSouza The world-class Art Museum and quirky Magic Gardens are just the tip of the Philadelphia art culture. Walk down any street in the city and take in the impressive murals, keep an eye out for the Toynbee Tiles, and discover amazing street art that you swear wasn’t there yesterday. If you’re an artist, Philadelphia is the city for you.
- You will meet the most interesting people.
Flickr / noquarter Whether it’s a storm trooper hanging out in front of a museum, Philly Jesus walking through fountains, or the guy who stands above subway vents and lets his shirt puff up like he’s Marilyn Monroe, you’ll meet people in Philly that leave you speechless… in the best possible way. Enjoy it, because Philadelphians are a huge part of this city’s charm.
- Philadelphia is close to everything.
Flickr / Peter Miller Need some salt air in your life? You’re an hour from the beach. Want to escape to the mountains? Rent a cabin 45 minutes north in the Poconos. Feeling like mixing up your surroundings? You’ll be in New York City by dinner time. Philadelphia is close to everything you could possibly want to see, and 30th Street Station makes it easy to get where you’re going.
- There’s always a reason to walk down to Penn’s Landing
Facebook / Penns Landing Live music, carnival games and rides, pop-up beer gardens and fireworks are just some of the things you’ll find when you wander down to Penn’s Landing after a nice walk through Old City. You just can’t beat the views of the Delaware River. This is a great place to spend time with friends and snap some fun photos!
- Philly combines big city life with small town feel.
Flickr / Peter Miller Even though Philadelphia is the 4th largest city in the country, it doesn’t feel overwhelming like New York City or Chicago. It’s affordable, easy to navigate, very walkable, and there are tons of unique residential areas to explore.
- Our history is truly unbeatable.
Flickr / Michael Gray Philadelphia might just be the most historic city in America. The founders of our nation decided our fate in Independence Hall. Our boy Benjamin Franklin discovered electricity here (and also opened the first library). The first Zoo in the country still stands right in Fairmont Park. It’s hard to grasp just how much history happened in Philly, but the cobblestones that rumble every time you drive through Old City are a great reminder.
So there you have it – Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love, is the perfect place to start up the next chapter of your life!
Yelp / Michael H.
World-renowned chefs like Marc Vetri and Masaharu Morimoto have made Philadelphia their restaurant home, and with them, they bring world-class cuisine. Even outside of the big names, Philadelphia’s restaurant scene is unbelieveable. Whether you want a fun night out at El Vez, a classic homemade Italian meal at Dante and Luigi’s, or just want to stuff your face with dumplings at Dim Sum Garden, you’ll find a spot in Philly that you won’t soon forget.
Flickr / Melody Joy Kramer
Loyalty is important to Philadelphia fans. We’ve been through heartache after heartache with the Eagles, Phillies, Flyers and Sixers (who are going to be great next year, just wait!), but we still live and die by our sports teams. No other mascot can compete with our Philly Phanatic, Eagles fans might actually be rabid, and there’s nothing more fun than a Flyers game. And really, the Sixers are going to be great next year… right?
Flickr / John Donges
Even though Philadelphia is a huge city that has been growing and developing year-after-year (since 1682!), it has actually remained affordable to live here. While our NYC friends cry about the $6,000 rent for their loft or the insanity that is DC apartment hunting, we can’t help but feel lucky that a cheap studio in a decent area isn’t all that hard to come by.
Flickr / Britt Reints
There are beautiful tree-filled parks around every corner in Philadelphia, which makes it easy to love living here over the more urbanized cities around the country. Not only do we have little parks throughout Center City, Old City and South Philly, but head north and you’ll run into Valley Green and Fairmount Park - both offer plenty of opportunities for outdoor adventures.
Facebook / The TLA
There are so many concert venues in Philadelphia, ranging from the gigantic shows at CBP to tiny concerts at First Unitarian. If you’re into live music, Philly has something going on nearly every single night. Our venues are high quality, too - the sound at World Cafe Live will impress anyone, and the renovation of the old spaghetti warehouse into Union Transfer has created one of the coolest venues in the country.
Flickr / Rachel Antosh
There are tons of great brewing companies in the Philly area, like Yards and PBC, but we can’t forget about the city’s favorite - Yuengling lager - and the fact that the oldest brewery in America is still turning out great cheap beer every single day.
Facebook / Spruce Street Harbor Park
Pop-up block parties, hammock forests, splash pads, and farmers markets are a common sight in Philadelphia. Spruce Street Harbor Park comes alive in the summer and the River Rink becomes the best place to warm up with a Cider and Maker’s Mark once the cold weather hits. You never really know what you’ll find while walking through the streets of the city, but I promise that it’ll be fun!
Flickr / pabloviator
I know, I know - we all hate SEPTA. Regardless, we have to appreciate the fact that you can get anywhere in the city very easily and you don’t need a car to travel around. The PATCO will zip you over to Jersey in ten minutes time, the Broad Street Line takes you from South Philly into Center City for just a few bucks, and Regional Rail will get you to the Main Line towns for all the yuppie dining you could possibly want, and that’s a pretty cool perk of living in Philadelphia.
Flickr / Mark DeSouza
The world-class Art Museum and quirky Magic Gardens are just the tip of the Philadelphia art culture. Walk down any street in the city and take in the impressive murals, keep an eye out for the Toynbee Tiles, and discover amazing street art that you swear wasn’t there yesterday. If you’re an artist, Philadelphia is the city for you.
Flickr / noquarter
Whether it’s a storm trooper hanging out in front of a museum, Philly Jesus walking through fountains, or the guy who stands above subway vents and lets his shirt puff up like he’s Marilyn Monroe, you’ll meet people in Philly that leave you speechless… in the best possible way. Enjoy it, because Philadelphians are a huge part of this city’s charm.
Flickr / Peter Miller
Need some salt air in your life? You’re an hour from the beach. Want to escape to the mountains? Rent a cabin 45 minutes north in the Poconos. Feeling like mixing up your surroundings? You’ll be in New York City by dinner time. Philadelphia is close to everything you could possibly want to see, and 30th Street Station makes it easy to get where you’re going.
Facebook / Penns Landing
Live music, carnival games and rides, pop-up beer gardens and fireworks are just some of the things you’ll find when you wander down to Penn’s Landing after a nice walk through Old City. You just can’t beat the views of the Delaware River. This is a great place to spend time with friends and snap some fun photos!
Even though Philadelphia is the 4th largest city in the country, it doesn’t feel overwhelming like New York City or Chicago. It’s affordable, easy to navigate, very walkable, and there are tons of unique residential areas to explore.
Flickr / Michael Gray
Philadelphia might just be the most historic city in America. The founders of our nation decided our fate in Independence Hall. Our boy Benjamin Franklin discovered electricity here (and also opened the first library). The first Zoo in the country still stands right in Fairmont Park. It’s hard to grasp just how much history happened in Philly, but the cobblestones that rumble every time you drive through Old City are a great reminder.
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