| Where Philly Ranks | |
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The Special Millennium Edition of David Savageau's Places Rated Almanac has just been published. It continues to be a fascinating in-depth look at the 354 metropolitan areas of the United States and Canada. The Places Rated Almanac 2000 shows the reader where their metropolitan area stacks up against other areas in North America by examining costs of living, transportation, the job market, education, climate, crime, the arts, health care, and recreation.
For the purposes of this book, the Philadelphia metropolitan area is defined as Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties in PA as well as Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Salem Counties in New Jersey.
So, where does Philadelphia stand as we begin the new millennium? The good news is that the Philadelphia metropolitan area continues to rank very well overall, coming in at number 29 out of the 354 metropolitan areas. The bad news is that this is the lowest ranking for the area since the Places Rated Almanac first appeared in 1981 when Philadelphia ranked number 6 - its highest ranking ever.
Looking at some of the specific categories, the Philadelphia metropolitan area remains an expensive place to live, ranking 318th in terms of costs of living. Interestingly, the area ranks in the top third in most of the sub-categories which combine to determine this ranking. The low rank is clearly due to the fact that in no single sub-category do the residents of this area seem to catch a break. Residents suffer from high housing costs as well as high costs for such things as food, health care and transportation.
While transportation costs are high, the Philadelphia metropolitan area does rank very high in terms of the quality and availability of transportation - ranking number 16. The area benefits from excellent public transportation systems, highways, a "hub" airport and the area's proximity to other major cities.
In terms of jobs the Philadelphia area's ranking of 78 reflects the fact that job growth is very slow and many major corporations continue to downsize their workforce (including such former major employers as Cigna, Campbell Soup and PECO Energy). This will be a category to watch in upcoming editions.
Educationally the area continues to look strong, ranking 37. The area has strong public and private schools but with only slightly above average local financial support. In terms of college options, Philadelphia is right there at the top with an extensive number of choices. Surprisingly, however, in the city where the public library system began, Philadelphia needs some work.
In terms of climate Philadelphia ranks a not-surprising 153, which is probably more a comment on the attractiveness of the climates of California and the south than a negative comment on Philadelphia. The Philadelphia area's climate features relatively mild winters and summers with a few periods of extreme weather on an annual basis.
