Newcomers to Philadelphia are in for a real treat — the city is fun, filled with history, and has an amazing restaurant scene. But some stereotypes about Philly are slow to die, so you’re bound to run into plenty of surprises upon moving. Whether it’s how cheap life is there, how easy it will be to take a dip in the Atlantic, or how hard it will be to meet people when you arrive, there’s a lot that outsiders misunderstand about Philly. We’re here to dispel all of the lies that you are likely telling yourself when you decide to become our neighbor.
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7 Lies You Tell Yourself When You Move to Philadelphia
1. You’re going to save so much money.
The cost of living here may be cheaper than in other large-scale US cities, but the housing market is very hot, and prices are seriously on the rise. If you manage to get a decently priced rental, we can guarantee you’ll find other creative ways to spend your money once you’re here. Eating your way through the award-winning restaurant scene comes to mind.
2. All those BYOBs will make your life easier.
BYOBs are definitely a thing here, and for the most part, you’ll want to eat at all of them. What you won’t be able to do, however, is simply pop on over to the liquor store and pick up a bottle of what you need when you need it. The weird liquor laws in Pennsylvania will make sure it’s at least somewhat of a struggle for you.
3. Philly is a small city.
Philly is not NYC, but it’s not the countryside either. While it’s true that you can kayak on the Schuylkill and roam the Wissahickon trails, Philly is not the sticks. The city is a sprawling metropolis that reaches far into Pennsylvania and is home to 1.5 million people.
4. You’re going to be close to the ocean.
It’s all relative. Atlantic City is an hour’s drive without traffic, which is never going to happen. Also, you really don’t want to be swimming in the ocean outside of Atlantic City. The other beach towns are at least an hour and a half away but more likely two or more when you factor in the stretches of highway that are packed with other beachgoers.
5. It’ll be hard to make friends.
Despite our reputation as being sarcastic and a little too forward, Philly folks are always up for hanging out with new people. Most of us are very social and jump on the chance to talk up our city to newcomers.
6. You’re going to live on cheesesteaks.
You won’t. You’ll have a couple of them and then probably only do it when you’re nursing a rough hangover or when family and friends are visiting. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself at Wawa munching on a hoagie.
7. There’s no culture in Philly.
Just because we like football and cheap beer doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy some art and culture, too. There are loads of amazing museums, theaters, dance performances, and street art to take advantage of — once football season’s over, of course. 