- I lived in Los Angeles for a decade before moving to Philadelphia three years ago. I love it here.
- I miss my friends and community in LA, but I much prefer the changing weather in Philly.
I was more than ready to leave Los Angeles after living there for seven years.
I'd been interviewing for jobs and looking for housing elsewhere until I met the man who's now my husband. One night, after an especially fun date, I realized I was (unfortunately for my plans) falling in love with him.
I abruptly sob-yelled, "You're an actor! You'll never leave LA! I'm going to be stuck here forever!" To which he gently replied, "Oh no, this place sucks. I'm good with leaving."
Fast-forward to December 2020 and we'd packed ourselves, our stuff, and our tiny old dog into a moving truck and headed to a house we'd bought in Philadelphia.
After nearly three years here and one visit back to Los Angeles, I can confidently say I'm happy where I am for a few reasons.
I love that Philly has all 4 seasons
I hate being hot. Like, truly cannot take it.
Heat is an anxiety trigger for me, so I'm cranky, irritable, and just all around not my best self when the temperature is too high. Living in LA, land of perpetual sunshine that's only getting hotter thanks to the climate crisis, was not ideal for me. But Philly? Philly has all four blessed seasons.
I grew up on the East Coast in Toronto, so I'm used to them. The crunch of fall leaves, the smell of the first snow, the first buds in spring, and the joy of free public pools in summer — I love it all. I crave those changes that mark the passage of time and give a sense of forward movement.
I spent 10 years in LA and they flew by in a snap, mostly because every day felt the same, weather-wise. Seasons remind you that nothing lasts forever and that's OK — you just keep moving.
It's much easier to get around in Philly
You know that Missing Persons song about how nobody walks in LA? It's true — nobody walks in LA.
It's not because people are lazy — most of them are far from it. Angelenos are nuts about their exercise. It's because the city is too damn big to get anywhere on foot, and if you try, you'll end up trekking miles (in the heat!) past parking lots and other empty, flat spaces. Your walk wouldn't exactly be scenic.
Philly, meanwhile, is delightfully compact, full of neighborhoods each with a personality unto itself with no miles-long stretches of concrete flatland in between.
Plus, public transit here is decent, you can rent a bike with relative ease, and rideshares and cabs are plentiful if you need a car. And the city is full of beautiful murals, so every walk has the potential to become a street-art tour.
We were able to buy a home in Philly, which would never happen in LA
I've always wanted to own a home but knew it would never happen for me in LA, where the median home price is $1 million. But in Philly, where the median home price is $275,000, homeownership was within reach for us.
When the pandemic hit in March 2020, I did the math and realized we could never save enough for a down payment in LA; prices were just too high. But if we lived on only one income and saved the other while we were stuck at home in lockdown, we could sock away enough for a house in Philly. And we did. And it's awesome.
It feels easier than ever to support small businesses here and it gives me a sense of community
The cost of living, driving, and existing in LA is so high it's hard to imagine being able to own your own business. People do it, of course. The city is packed with creative entrepreneurs running everything from studios to boutique wellness shops and more.
But there are also a lot of chains and other businesses run behind the scenes by large corporations. There's nothing inherently wrong with this if you're cool with capitalism. But even then it's nice to see locals running small shops. And I've found that small businesses are the lifeblood of Philadelphia.
I buy my veggies from a woman who turned an empty residential lot into a half-acre farm. I buy my bread from another woman who runs a bakery out of her basement. And I have my bike guy, my hair lady, and multiple secondhand clothing stores within walking distance of my home.
These business owners are people I see in the neighborhood, too, playing with their kids in the park or dining out at other locally owned restaurants. It makes me feel happy, like I'm a part of something.
Overall, I'm incredibly happy with my choice
When I tell people I moved to Philadelphia from Los Angeles, many still make this kind of scrunched-up "poor you" face. Some assume no one would ever willingly choose Philly over LA. But I did, and I couldn't be happier.
Over the past year, I've turned into a one-woman Philadelphia carnival barker, trying to convince everyone I know to move here and soak up the vibes. I badly miss my friends in LA, but Philly is vibrant, full of art, culture, and food.
It's not perfect — after all, it's a big American city with big American city problems. But it's got personality and panache for days, and that's enough for me.