Category population

Q: Where is most of Philadelphia’s “Creative Class” living today?

 
A: Philadelphia’s creative class is currently concentrated heavily in 2 major areas: Center City (e.g. Rittenhouse Square, Society Hill, Old City, etc.) and Northwest Philadelphia (e.g. Manayunk, Roxborough, Chestnut Hill, etc).

First off, what exactly does creative class even mean?

Well, today’s standard definition is “workers in science and technology, business and management, arts, culture media and entertainment, and law and healthcare professions.” In other words, it’s a pretty wide variety of white collar workers.

If you’re looking for more information on the creative class in general, check out the Wikipedia page here.

So, why am I even blogging about this?

Because it’s an important topic centered around Philadelphia’s current demographic trends, which also plays heavily into real estate (e.g. Buying, Selling, Investing, and Renting). I just finished writing a post yesterday about the recent population increases that Philadelphia has been experiencing, so I figured this article would piggyback nicely off of that (map included).

When most people think about the hippest part of Philadelphia, they immediately think of Center City and its surrounding neighborhoods. Manayunk, Roxborough, and Chestnut Hill are all hip neighborhoods that are nationally recognized, but in general they all play second fiddle to Center City.

Please don’t think I’m favoring one side or the other. As an agent who works in all different parts of Philadelphia (and the surrounding suburbs), with clients from all over the US, I’m just speaking in generalities.

It’s mainly because Center City is the center for business, contemporary living, culture, etc. Northwest Philadelphia’s neighborhoods also possess these traits, just in smaller, less-dense doses. Hence, the generalities.

The bad news is that this article only embitters the fact that Philadelphia’s working class population is shrinking; just as it is in other major US cities. The good news is that the incoming, creative class population is spreading out in Philadelphia; which creates more opportunity for other adjacent neighborhoods to follow, and strengthens the city as a whole.

Philadelphia’s population continues to grow

 
Philadelphia’s overall city population grows … again.

For a city that did not have an increase in population (even a small one) for about 50 years, it’s a good sign that we have now grown every year for the past 6 years. Although they’ve been small victories (percentage-wise), our total population now sits at 1,547,607; which also makes us the 5th Largest US City.

Try not to confuse “Largest US Cities” with “Largest US Metros.” “City” refers to population within actual city boundaries, and “Metro” refers to population around a city’s recognized metropolitan area (which can sometimes include both suburban towns and even other cities). In Philadelphia’s case, our “Metro Area” also consists of the areas in/around Camden, NJ and Wilmington, DE.

Why is this important?

Well for one thing, it means that Philadelphia is a relevant city (by today’s standards) and people are attracted to living within its boundaries (regardless of taxes, schools, etc.). It also means that more businesses (small, medium, and large) are attracted to Philadelphia, and are setting up shop to cater to its new residents.

Urban living has become a popular trend all over the US in recent years, and it’s also part of my inspiration for the website and blog you are reading right now.

I was born and raised right outside Philadelphia’s city limits (in Abington, PA; which is part of Philadelphia’s “Metro Area”), and went to both grade school and high school in the Abington area as well. Abington was an awesome place to grow up, and it’s still a great town today. It wasn’t until I went to college (at La Salle University) that I was able to experience living within Philadelphia’s boundaries.

It definitely made an impact on me; a very positive one. The rest is history. Now over 15 years later, I still call Philadelphia my home and just bought a new home in Roxborough.

So if anything, it looks like my own personal tastes have followed the current trend toward urban living; and I’m still writing about it today.

Bigger and Smarter

 

This is how the City of Philadelphia was recently described by Mayor Michael Nutter.
Our population has officially been increasing over the last few years (and also over the last decade, for the first time in half a century), our institutions of higher learning are expanding, and IBM has selected Philadelphia as a recipient of their “Smarter Cities” grant.
Good news all around.