Pros/Cons - Living in Philly or Boston

[Deleted]

To make a long story short, my husband is contemplating some opportunities in the following cities - Philly, Boston, DC, and Miami. I've lived in DC and Miami on my own in the past, so I'm familiar with those areas. I've visited both Philly and Boston but not spent significant time in either city. I'm interested to hear the pros/cons by people who live there. We are late 20s/early 30s, no kids, big dog, very liberal politically, love big cities but also enjoy outdoors. Lets assume we're looking for a small apartment in a dog friendly area. We currently live in suburbs of a mid-sized city and I am not afraid of a change as I've always been a city person.

Thoughts about housing/vibe of city/things to do/cost of living/etc.? Tell me what you loved or hated living (past or present) in either city.

[summerkutie]

Out of those 4 cities, Miami would have the cheapest cost of living BY FAR. You'd get much more house for your money and you'd be escaping bitterly cold never-ending winters.

We grew up in the northeast and moved to Florida 2 years ago and couldn't be happier. We both say you couldn't put enough zeros in our paychecks to move back. There's just so much more to do down here, the people are nicer, we got A LOT more house for our money, and the weather is perfect. We miss our family and friends, but our families are in the process of joining us and so are some of our lifelong friends. We love living outdoors year round instead of trying to cram everything into a couple months.

Don't get me wrong, I love DC and NYC, and Boston is fun too, but I could never live there. The cost of living is out of control and I couldn't be happier now that I've eliminated winters.

[Deleted]

I lived in Philly and spent much time in Boston (my H's home town) if I had a choice I would definitely go to Boston..I love it there. Philly and Boston would be fairly similar in price. Boston has a smaller feel to it. There is tons to do in both towns. Id say getting around by public transport is easier and nicer in Boston.
I like the people in Boston.

[jerseygrl]

I'm from the Philly area. There would be very few areas of Philly I would choose to live in, one being Rittenhouse Square area.

I think as a city, Boston would be the city I choose.

I think suburban Philly is a great place to raise a family but I do not know much about suburban Ma.

[cricketwife]

Aug 7, 2012 8:34:14 GMT -5 mags said:

I lived in Philly and spent much time in Boston (my H's home town) if I had a choice I would definitely go to Boston..I love it there. Philly and Boston would be fairly similar in price. Boston has a smaller feel to it. There is tons to do in both towns. Id say getting around by public transport is easier and nicer in Boston.
I like the people in Boston.

Change this to... I lived in Boston and grew up not far from Philly ... and this is exactly what I would have said.

[mrsukyankee]

I currently live in London and moved here from Boston. I also lived in DC and grew up not too far from Philly. I loved, loved, loved living in Boston. It's such an easy city to live in and the close suburbs are fab. It actually is very similar to London in feel - each part of the area has its own feel, like a bunch of small villages make up the place. I met some amazing friends and really loved the city as well as the availability of outdoor living. I'd move back to Boston any day.

[anna7602]

I grew up in Philly, lived in Boston, lived in Miami and now I live in none of the above. (Am between Paris and NYC.)

It's hard for me to be objective about Philly. I couldn't live there again because I can't be that close to my family. Nonetheless, I think it has a lot of great things going for it and I think the cost of living is better compared to NY and Boston. My friends who have moved back after years away are really happy they did so and find it a good place to raise children. But, they are spread all over the place. According to my closest friends, the area I should look at if I ever move back is Germantown/Mt. Airy- lots of young liberal-thinking families, lots of artsy people (I'm a writer), very diverse, easy commute into downtown Philly, proximity to parks.

When I lived in Boston, I was in my mid-20s and met a lot of people my age there. It felt like a great place to be young. I have no idea what it's like to raise a family there, but my friends who are still there have all basically moved to the suburbs. I am not a suburb kind of person, so I would really only consider moving back to Boston if I found that I could happily & affordably raise a kid without having to go to suburbia. Also, Boston doesn't seem nearly as diverse as Philly.

[Deleted]

Thanks for the replies! I am so conflicted because each city has its own pros and cons. I appreciate the insight.