Category cities

Philadelphia named one of the “15 Hottest Cities of the Future”

View of Center City from the Philadelphia Museum of Art

 
Here are a few of the reasons why:

  • Affordable Housing
  • Upbeat Arts Scene
  • Growing Population of Young People
  • Community Involvement
  • Restaurants/Shops/Galleries

There are other reasons why Business Insider chose Philly for the Top 15, but as you can see, the reasons listed above are all alive in well in Philadelphia today.

Also noted by BI, “The City of Brotherly Love has some of the best public art in the country. It’s famous for its murals, which adorn buildings all around the city.”

Very true.

Philadelphia named one of “The World’s 10 Best Cities for Parks”

 
Not the US, the World. That’s a pretty bold statement from Frommer’s, and a great one nonetheless.

If you’re from the Philadelphia area, it’s easy to take our park system for granted. Pennsylvania is a heavily wooded area with lots of rivers and streams, and we basically have green, scenic parks everywhere. I find it pretty amazing that hundreds of years ago William Penn had the foresight to protect areas of Philadelphia from development (and they’re still protected to this day).

If you’re not from the Philadelphia area (or the East Coast), Philadelphia looks like an urban jungle. Lots of mature trees, pocket parks, and the massive Fairmount Park system cutting through the city. At 9,200 total acres, it comprises 10% of the city’s land mass and houses golf courses, biking/hiking trails, and over 200 historic structures. If you go to sections of the park like the Wissahickon Valley, it almost feels like you’re not in a city at all. It provides great relief from the daily hustle and bustle in Philadelphia.

I’m not surprised that Philadelphia has received such a prestigious honor, and I’m glad that more people are starting to notice our natural assets.

Philadelphia has been ranked “#1 US City for Culture”

 
For Philadelphians, sometimes there’s nothing better than beating out cities like New York, Washington DC, and Boston when it comes to measuring what a city has to offer; especially in a category like “culture.”

So how did Travel + Leisure measure culture? Some of the categories that pushed Philly to the top of their list were “Historical Sites/Monuments” (we have lots of these), “Sports-Crazed” (no explanation needed), and “Street Food” (just go to University City on a Wednesday at lunchtime). Unless you really stop to think about it, or go on vacation to visit another major city for a few days, it’s hard to see all that Philadelphia has to offer during our daily routines. One major reason, Philadelphia has a large population of locals (call us “provincial”) and we have been known to take our city for granted.

But if you take off your blinders for a day, it’s really not that hard to see why our culture is being recognized. Philly is a big city, but not too big. It has tons of stuff to do, but not too much that you feel overwhelmed. It has unbelievable food options in every neighborhood and surrounding suburb, but you can try almost everything for a reasonable price.

As a loyal Philadelphian, it’s nice to see that our city has been recognized for all that it has to offer; its culture.