Getting back into the swing of things this week... Here's something from last week that I didn't get to post:
Phila.'s status as fifth-largest city now in jeopardy
By Larry Eichel
Inquirer Staff Writer
Philadelphia's right to call itself the nation's fifth-largest city is becoming increasingly tenuous.
According to official estimates released today by the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's population margin over sixth-placed Phoenix fell to a mere 1,706 as of last July. The numbers are 1,463,281 for Philadelphia, 1,461,575 for Phoenix.
Only a year earlier, according to the estimates, the margin between the two cities was more than 54,000.
The city's population loss was a big theme in the last election. My question is... should we care about this? Why or why not?
Comments (2)
Philadelphia's in the shadow of New York and New Jersey, just as it's always been and will be. This city's also very fond of overtaxing its citizens in the name of services.
Also, it's government's never had the competence to do something so obvious as to avoid ripping off big businesses with it's insane overtaxing and has not a clue how develop waterfront property, like the defunct Navy Yard - and for years! Just how brilliant do you have to be?!
Let's face it, any visiting tourist could see all of this city's worthwhile sites in just 2 days! And why would they even want to stay? Almost every time we're in the national/international news, it's usually something atrociously bad! Philly is just a pitstop on the way to somewhere more worthwhile.
Posted by Ken | June 27, 2006 1:00 PM
Ken has many points but why stop there? The cities that are passing us in population both do not have the bloated city bureacracies that Philly has.
Neither entitles every city office holder to have cars and large staffs( some of them also with city paid cars)to provide their citizens with sub-standard services. The next Mayor needs to make a sharp break with tradition and eliminate the bloat. Try counting the number of license tags starting with MG on them parked at homes in your area. ( Try taking your company car home!! ( Gas insurance, accidents etc. )Those perks drive our taxes through the roof. If they do this He/She won't be popular with civil "servants" ( ever talk to one? who's serving who?) but we'll become infinitely more livable city affordable city.
Posted by Garret | June 27, 2006 7:44 PM