Quote:
Originally Posted by cardeza
In my experience the top reason people with kids leave is for the schools and that is #1 by a HUGE margin. The reality is upper income families who can afford to move to a top suburban school district arent living in the slum like conditions many here seem to believe exist everyone outside of Center City and UC so they likely have a relatively decent QOL in Philly. The schools situation has been relatively the same for decades and anyone who can afford to drop their kids into an upper income district because they refuse to pay for private school or whatever is going to do so. Period. They could care less if the trash is picked up twice a week and all the potholes are filled. People have been leaving cities for yards and quiet and schools since the 1950s. it wont stop anytime soon and it happens in other "real" cities as well.
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Again, i don't know where you live - or what your demographics are...but...the "it's the schools" excuse is widely overblown - in my experience. Most ppl of means (which are the 100k + earners that i'm talking about which is a statistically decent swath of greater CC), if they love where they live, can still send their kids to private schools, but prefer above all else to enjoy their lifestyle. My kids go to Greenfield - which is exemplary - but half of Fitler Square still attends The Philadelphia School at $30k/year.
But, my friends are cashing out homes in places like Fishtown, Bella Vista (Meredith!!!) GHo (Stanton) and South Philly (EPX) for $600 - $700K. The money available to them is simply too great and, for staying, the QOL return here as 30+ somethings who can't do the nightlife thing like they used to just isn't worth it to them. That type of $$ buys you a nice spot in Conestoga SD.
Look, as an old Millenial - there's a lot of my friends of significant means - who aren't sticking around and it's not b/c of the schools. Putting up with trash and filth and a "low-ambition" city gets pretty frustrating. Still, the good news is that the city is still retaining a larger % of 30+ something residents - like myself and my family - than it has in probably 2 generations, so the growth is real.