Philly Collegians: Leave Your Car at Home
Where some people see a “worst of” list, I see a golden lining. In this case, anyway.
So, you might have heard that Philadelphia was ranked as one of the worst places in the United States to keep a car as a college student. It was third-worst, actually. And you’re thinking… wow, that is something kind of depressing and not something that exactly motivates people to think of Philadelphia as a super, awesome place to live, work, and play. Why the glum reporting?
And to that I say… but think of the upside!
See these college students? They don’t need a car to get around Philadelphia!
Sure, it really does suck to try to drive around or keep a car as a college student in Philadelphia, whether you go to Drexel University or the University of Pennsylvania. The traffic is lousy, the parking is heinous, and the car insurance rates are through the roof. All these factors contributed to ValuePenguin, a personal finance website, ranking the City of Brotherly Love as third only to Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Seattle, Washington. Philadelphia was also the most expensive city in which to keep a car, with the figure rolling in at $12,394. ValuePenguin looked at 105 “college cities” in their evaluation. Sure, Harrisonburg, Virginia; Logan, Utah and Statesboro, Georgia are the top three, and I’m sure they all are lovely places to park a car. But you know what I bet they don’t have?
Great walkability, for one thing. Have you seen the WalkScores for some Center City condos? They are seriously in the 90s – you can walk to anything your heart might desire. The same holds true for many other areas of Philadelphia. Plus, there’s the public transportation. From SEPTA trains and buses to bikeshares, you won’t lack for an easy, cheap, and convenient way to get where you need to go. The Powers That Be have yet to clamp down on Uber, as well, so that’s still an option (at least until September 30th – no promises beyond that). Basically, you don’t NEED no stinkin’ car to go to college in Philadelphia. So take that, ValuePenguin.
