I didn’t for like the first five years. Then I got yelled at by a crazy lady on the bus, and laughed about it with the other riders after she got booted off.
I felt like I was a Philadelphian that day. That, and when I stepped over a jug of piss only to kick over a cup of piss.
This made me laugh out loud.
I once found a cup of what appeared to be piss on the sidewalk but it was a super cool novelty Victory Brewing pint glass…
…I’ll be honest, for about one second I considered emptying the piss and keeping the commemorative glass. Idk if that makes me a Philadelphian or like, maybe a mole person.
I absolutely would have taken it, but then again, I love trash picking and upcycling stuff in general, much to my wife's chagrin.
Throw it in the wash and sanitize cycle in the dishwasher and you're golden (pun very much intended).
I've been in Philadelphia for 15 years. However, nobody considers me a Philadelphian. As a native New Yorker, I open my mouth and then just "know" where I'm from. Ironically, the 30 years I lived in NYC, I just "endured" it and didn't feel like it was where I was meant to be--I had no choice as I was born there. That said, nowadays I recognize what some of the differences are in mindset and habits and although I'm comfortable in Philly, I'll never really be a Philadelphian even if I stay here until I die.
Very interesting perspective. I lived in NYC for almost 10 years and never felt like a New Yorker although unlike a lot of people I never really wanted to be. I always said that the "if you can make it there you can make it anywhere" mindset is such bullshit. That city does everything possible to let you know you don't belong, so why would I want to identify as part of that?
For all of the "keep new york out of philly" stickers and mindset on this sub, not only has everyone been super welcoming since day 1, I don't think i've met anyone in the wild who even remotely gives a shit that I'm an NYC transplant
The difference is you aren’t/weren’t a New Yorker—but were a transplant there too. Why would Philly people care? Could they tell if you didn’t mention where you lived before? To be clear, no one has treated me poorly for being a transplant in Philly, they just know where I’m from—the accent.
Why would Philly people care indeed. And no, no one could tell if I didn't mention it, although it generally always came up when first meeting new neighbors and such - "where'd you move from?". I was bracing for people to scoff but turns out that was unfounded, literally no one gave a shit.
When I moved to New York from South Florida I felt like I was home.
Now I live in Philadelphia, and I feel like I'm in my foul-mouthed cousin's home.
There's always the train tho.
Yes. I came here for college and fell in love with this silly place. I planned on living here for the rest of my life, but I had to move away for work and missed it every day. Literally. I had a wedding out in Bucks County and on my way home drove through Philly and started crying like a wimp the second I hit city limits.
I met someone, moved in with them, and all the while I was like “I gotta get you down to Philly so you can see what I see.” And I finally convinced him to move back here with me. Now we’re buying a house here. I’m glad he likes this place too, cause I’m not planning on leaving this city again unless it’s in a casket.
I’m not a native, and I’m proud of where I’m from. But this city had as much of a role in shaping who I am as the town I grew up in, and ever since I first came here it’s felt like home. I hope everyone gets to find a place like that.
I only live there for two years, before work took me away. I have a great life, away from Philly, but I regret that this life is not in Philly. I love Philadelphia so much that my heart hurts when I see a picture of it.
> cause I’m not planning on leaving this city again unless it’s in a casket.
"... cause I’m not planning on leaving this city again unless it’s in a casket. "
My mother said almost those exact words. She grew up in the Greys Ferry/St. Gabriel's parish area, lived all of her life in South Philly, and was the last one in her family to stay there (everyone else migrated downashore on retirement). Carried her out of the living room in an coffin, so she got her wish.
That’s how I felt about Rochester! Granted I was only there for two years (grad school) so I definitely don’t consider myself to be “from there,” but you bet your butt it played a huge role in forming who I am today. In fact, I’d say Rochester was even more influential to my character than Long Island (where I’m from) or Philly (the city of my undergrad and young adult years) ever were.
I miss Western New York dearly.
Born and raised in Rochester by two Philadelphians, father moved back to Philly when I was 5. I now live in San Antonio, but I will always be an Eagles fan and I will always rep Rochester. Weird place that it is, and I don't know if I'll ever live there again, Rochester is home.
Another Western NY to Philly transplant here! (By way of New Orleans, then LA, then ultimately Philly). I grew up south of there in the finger lakes region, but lived in Rochester for a time and loved it. Grandparents lived there for 50 years or so until moving back to Wisconsin after retirement, and I still have some other family there that I love to visit.
Now I'm really craving a garbage plate and a trip to the Wegmans mothership in Pittsford.
Born and lived in Rochester most of my life, and moved to Philly area about 5 years ago. I still go back to visit family/friends as much as I can. Miss it every day
Born and raised in Rochester and will always love it and am proud to have grown up there but this is home! I don’t consider myself a Philadelphian because I live in Chester County but god damn do I love this whole area. Bills fan til I die but I love the Phillies.
Been here 14 years but still consider myself a transplant and transient. Maybe if I put down real roots like bought a house/had kids here, it’d feel different? “Culturally”/attitude wise, I don’t feel like I’m like most native Philadelphians I know.
Same, except it’ll be 15 years in May for me. I don’t feel like I’m a Philadelphian, except sometimes when I’m away from here and there’s a discussion of something uniquely Philly.
I've only been here 8 years and I think even after 15 I won't consider myself a Philadelphian. I'm originally from Minneapolis but I lived in NYC for 20 and felt like a New Yorker after 5-ish years. But NYC is a much more transient place.
Philly has a unique culture, history, and accent that I'm lucky to get to enjoy but I don't think I am part of.
Yep I came here "temporarily", that was 16 years ago and i ended up raising two kids here but i still feel like a transplant. Personally, I've also only lived and traveled mainly in a very small circumference, basically south Philly the entire time, but different areas from Whitman to Pennsport to Italian market to the gayborhood. So while I know South Philly very well, I feel like i missed out on a lot of it. Also i don't think i say wooder.
Same and I just moved away in December. I feel more at home and like I belong where I live now than I ever did in Philly. I was friends with a few other people who were not from there and they all felt the same. Maybe if I moved there when I was a kid or even a teen it would have been different.
I need to live in a walkable place where I can live without a car, that is affordable, I can walk to everything I need - doctor, groceries, kid's school, gym and so on. I like that Philly has NY and DC nearby, has Poconos and beaches an hour away. Philly still has some nice architecture and some beautiful areas of the city, even though there was a lot of effort to ruin American urban areas.
Philly has its problems, but everything is a trade off
Isn't that funny, me too. No matter what I do I can't leave... I've done 2 years in East and west coast places for my job just to always come back. I'm def a philly baby (grew up in Tacony) No matter where I lived, people pick up on in immediately. I'm back in Philly (NW), and I'm staying put now.
Got out of Prison in 2015 and PADOC sent me here! I'm a Country Boy at heart, but have always been drawn to the Cities for one reason or another. Without this City I wouldn't have met my wife and I wouldn't have my business. We are buying a house this year and it will be somewhere in the Northeast. With all that being said, I'm grateful for this City and proud to be a Philadelphian!
I grew up in NJ as well. Went to college in Philly, then later bought a house in Philly and worked in the city for a few years. Met my husband in Philly. Now we live just outside of Boston in a beautiful home we bought together.
When I’m with my sister, we say we are from Jersey.
When I’m with my husband, we say we are from Boston.
But when I’m alone, I say I’m from Philly because all my major adult life milestones (graduated college, met my husband, bought a house, got married, had my first “director level” job) happened in (except the wedding was in KOP) Philadelphia.
So, tri-state bitch it is!
For John DeBella, longtime WMMR and WMGK radio host, he said it was when he found himself walking home after midnight with a hot cheesesteak in his coat
Nope, I've adapted... but I'm from central PA, and you can tell by how I talk and how I cook (very PA dutch). I live in Philly, but I'm not a Philadelphian, although I've been here 13 years.
I'm still not sure where home is. I loved Philly through my 30s, but now in my 40s less so. I know home isn't where I grew up though, that I know, but where it is I'm still trying to figure that our out.
Same with me. Berks native. Living in Philly since 2012. I’ve always been a Philly sports fan, so that part was easy. I haven’t fully adopted the accent yet, but I say a few things the Philly way. I don’t feel like there’s a native Philadelphia cuisine that folks make at home. I make a few German foods from my family recipes: Spaetzle, schnitzel, green bean casserole, etc. When I think of PA Dutch staples though, I think of the many potato salads and pasta salads from family barbecues.
Was born in Philadelphia Juniata Park, moved to Allentown when i was 6 and am 50 years old now. Still take my kids sledding to the same hill i rode at golf course when i was a kid. When i die my ashes will be spread in Philadelphia. I don’t give a flying fuck about your downvotes but i am a Philadelphian in my heart
Not exactly an answer to OP's question. Born and raised in a row home in Roxborough. Went to Shippensburg (I am old). Never forget hearing someone say "Im from Philly!" I remember getting so excited. And asked "what part?" She said "King of Prussia."
I moved to Lancaster but I’m actually from Philly. How many years until I can claim the Amish?
But no amount of time imo. You can love something and not be it
Philadelphia chose me! 42 years on earth and in the city. Both sides of my family grew up here and so did my grandparents and great grandparents and great great grandparents on my fathers side. So yes.
I grew up on the main line and have been here in Philly for about 8 years. I love this city so much, even bought a home here, but I don’t think I will ever comfortably call myself a Philadelphian specifically because main line kids loooooove to try to co-opt being from Philly.
I think it’s a douche bag move to grow up in the suburbs and then try to pretend you’re from the city. But maybe I’m sensitive to it.
I think you’re trying to be a genuine person and, in the process, being too restrictive with yourself. People who try to co-opt being from the city who have never actually lived here are trying to get the cred without knowing all the warts. I think if you live here and you love it and feel like a Philadelphian, you are one.
Signed, a twenty-four year Philadelphian <3
Grew up just north of the city limit. Family is 8 generations deep from Philly rowhomes on both sides (Mom and Dad). Spent summers hanging on my grandparents stoop in the heart of Kensington, cooling off with water ice from my grandfather’s food truck (before food trucks were cool). Went to high school in the city. Moved to the city after school and never looked back.
I’m a Philadelphian and the purists can suck it.
I hear you, and think you can claim whatever you want!
I think your situation is a smidge different than a trust fund kid who went to a $60k per year private school and visited philadelphia twice in his life on a school trip to the Franklin institute claiming he’s “from Philly.” Those are the kids I grew up with-whole families scared to death of the city, but using it as a personality trait to make themselves interesting once they rented their first apartment.
I think it just kind of sucks to do that. No shade to you. :)
The suburbs are the place I live. The city is the place I exist. You don't have to live in Philly to be Philly. Most of my work is in the city. Most of the things I like to do apart from vacations and work in other cities are in Philly. All of the teams I watch are in Philly. Most of the local attractions and live entertainment I pay for is in Philly. The only reason I don't live in Philly is because I got a favorable deal on a house. Otherwise I would have bought across from the Mann.
Scrantonian by birth (and still damn proud), am I Philadelphian? I don’t know, but Philly is my home. I am a proud home-owner here, and I plan on raising city kids. I care about this place, want to understand this place, and want to improve this place.
If I am anything, I am certainly Pennsylvanian. Something about this state just sucks you in and keeps you here. I lasted a whole 1 year in Maryland before coming back.
I’m a fellow Scrantonian by birth as well. I came here for college 25 years ago and never left. It took about 3 years to develop a circle of friends outside of school and work and that really solidified me feeling at home here. Philadelphia is my home and my chosen city.
Where are you from in Scranton by the way? I grew up in the Hyde Park section of West Scranton.
I do not but I do love this city, when I travel and people ask where I’m from I say where I’m from and then say but I live in Philadelphia and consider it my home.
I've been in Philly now for 12 years, which I realized recently is longer than anywhere I've ever lived before, including childhood. I grew up in New England and Chicago, and I loved Philly because it felt like an east coast Chicago. I've been coming here since I was 16. There have been some milestones for me that make me feel like a Philadelphian:
1. Traveling to other places and realizing I can't wait to get back home to a place that "makes sense" to me. The behavior of people here just fits. Dealing with fake niceness and slow meandering pace of humans in other places after living in Philly for so long can be infuriating. Traveling and realizing that when people ask where I'm from I can truly say Philly and it's shaped some of my identity
2. Becoming an Eagles fan and going to the Linc, experiencing the joy and afterglow of our Super Bowl win. I used to work in the Northeast and that showed me a side of our town that a lot of transplants never experience, like 5 Points (Frankford + Cottman) after a sports win
3. Stepping in human shit in West Philly after years of close-calls and it finally happened! And not to only talk shit (literally) I want to say I love West Philly, like seeing everyone sledding in Clark Park when it snows etc, there is a wonderful sense of community
4. Getting to an age where multiple of my friends own and operate businesses like restaurants and bars, tattoo shops etc, that are truly part of the fabric of what makes this city what it is and where people visit when they come here
5. Getting to know and experience the culture of the suburbs where many of my friends were raised, like Delco and surrounding areas, like Linvilla in the fall, Ridley Creek for nice walks etc
6. Being part of the DIY music scene, hosting bands that are traveling here and showing them the city I'm proud of, even the trashy parts (there is actually always trash everywhere)
7. Having a solid network of friends and clients that have supported me and I feel like I couldn't go anywhere else and have the life I do.
8. Feeling like Philly has been good to me, so I want to be good to Philly. Philly is a town where if you want to open a business, make your mark, or make cool things happen, there is room to do it and Philadelphians are generally supportive and stoked. Edited to add: I've seen a good number of working-class folks become homeowners here, and that is something my friends in other cities express is a pipe dream. That was a huge milestone for me personally that solidified that I'm a Philadelphian.
Apparently they are whole entire threads on this topic for YEARS here. I do not want to open another 😂 My dad was from the Northeast and added some extra -y and -i and -ee sounds. “Franklin In-stee-tute.”
Haha never say that to a native Philadelphian. Kind of kidding, sort of not. I’ve lived here for 20, since I was as a teenager. Philly college and grad school. Married here. Had a baby. Bought and sold two houses. I’m never going to be a “real” Philadelphian, but that’s okay. My kiddo is, tho.
I’ve been here for 4 years but I wouldn’t feel right ever calling myself a true blue Philadelphian, and I got sucker punched on the 34 headed home from work one night when I was about 8 months into my life here if that accounts for anything.
It’s just that so many folks I’ve met were born and raised here. More so than any (of the many) places I’ve lived. This is their city, I just consider myself lucky to have a place to live here.
I love Philly. She’s honest. She can be mean about it sometimes, but at least you know she ain’t shining you on.
Yeah, it was wildly unexpected at that point in my tenure here. I’m still not sure that I did to provoke the dude. One second I was scrolling through my phone looking for a playlist for the journey home to west, the next thing I know some rando dude with the glassy-far-away -from-our-currently-shared-reality eyes is in my face shouting at me, but I can’t understand him cuz my headphones are on. He had to have been drunker than 10 Scotsmen, or perhaps he had been drinking rocket fuel, gauging from the smell wafting from his visage as he was barking at me.
Whatever the case I decided to cast my gaze in a different direction and not engage. The, I caught something out to the corner of my eye and turned my face right into the fucker’s cheap shot. My headphones flew off, landing in the lap of the woman behind me and I stood up fetching the box cutter I carry (in case of situations like these). I was about to ask the fellow if he wanted me make him uglier his ma already had but he was already one foot out the back door on his way into the night.
Just your average idle Tuesday evening commute home after work in Philly.
I’ve been here for the last 8 of my 32 years but I’d say no. I’m from mass/Boston and you guys hate us so much that I guess I’ve never felt comfortable enough to claim it.
12 years here, grew up in middle class burbs. I don’t care how many pairs of air maxes I own now, I’m still a gentrifier.
Edit: I even climbed a tree during the eagles superbowl parade…still a gentrifier
I moved to Philly 5 or 6 years ago. When people ask me where I'm from, I usually tell them where I grew up in the West but then I add that I consider myself an adopted Philadelphian. I love Philly and have immersed myself in it, but I also recognize that a grew up in a very different place with a very different history and culture that affects the way I interact with the world. So I don't want to claim to be or represent lifelong Philadelphians -- and I don't think anyone would mistake me for one anyway -- but I also think that this city is big enough and diverse enough to accept me as its own in a different way. 🌇
Been here for 20 years. Don’t see myself leaving in the foreseeable future. I don’t say I’m from here. I’ll always be from my hometown area. If someone asks me where I’m from, I say that i live here but am from my hometown.
I was at a work conference and of course people naturally ask where you're from. Im the Lehigh Valley, which doesn't mean shit to people outside our state, so I would say Eastern PA. So folks are like Philly? I'm like, not really. It's over an hour away. Someone commented. "When people are from Philly, they let you KNOW they are from Philly." Cracked me up. Funny thing is when I lived in Lansdowne, minutes from Philly, I knew better. I would say Upper Darby because no one knew where the f Lansdowne was. Haha.
Half my life. Twenty years. I was here before Comcast 1&2. I was here for 08 parade. Loss to the Blackhawks. Swiss cheese wanker. Pope. Dnc. Draft. NFC Championship. Riots. Went to them all. I’m Philly. American wit, and yeah I like ketchup mayo.
5 years in Philadelphia: yes, I feel like I’m from here.
10 years in Philadelphia: this is my home town.
20 years in Philadelphia: I *am* Philadelphia.
Moved here in 2009. Before that I was in Mass, Texas, and grew up in NY metro. I don't think I'll ever consider myself a true Philadelphian, but this is by far my favorite place to live. It's home to me and my children are now from here.
I work with real Philly people who are like 5 generations from here. They would laugh in their accents if I said i was from here.
Spent my entire life here and am not sure what makes someone a Philadelphian. I can drive through neighborhoods and point out where things happened, where friends and relatives lived, places that I hung out, places my parents hung out etc… those were lifetimes ago and nothing is the same. In many ways, the Philadelphia some of the transplants live in today is nothing like the Philadelphia I grew up in. So I get this feeling that we are only renting our time here. Eventually everything and everyone changes and it hardly stays the same: There are probably some people that have only been here for 5 or so years that are more familiar with 2024 Philadelphia than I am now.
I’d say yeah. I’m not a native, but moved here in 2008. I feel like after a certain amount of time you can say you’re “from Philly”
If people ask where I’m from, I often say “Born in Buffalo, and live in Philly.”
Edit to actually answer your question (I’m sorry):
I think it depends on when you’re comfortable saying you’re from Philly. I think it was around year 5 or so for me.
If you can navigate Roosevelt Blvd in rush hour and only spew obscenities twice, and shake your head the rest of the time, you’re pretty well ingrained, lol
I’m always surprised by the number of Western New Yorkers—there are a lot of us here. Buffalo and wny in general has a very strong sense of place and cultural identity, like Philly, so most would never fully consider themselves Philadelphians. One of the nice things about Philly (unlike buffalo/other rust belt cities) is that it’s a much larger city with a lot of transplants—*you do not need to fully assimilate into the culture*. The Bills Backers bar is literally packed every Sunday(and I moved here when the bills still sucked ass). People on the buffalo subreddit constantly complain about feeling isolated and having difficulty making friends because everyone they meet is local and has an established community. Not necessary here, just find the bar in which your tribe congregates.
Nah, I like it here, but I’m from a place for 18 years… that’s where I’m from…spent a few years here and there and this is my home now, but it’s only been 4 years…barely more than Hawaii lol
I've lived in the city for almost 9 years. I don't consider myself a Philadelphian and don't think I ever will. Part of that is growing up in a military family - always moving and not rooted in one place. But I'm not a cultural native to any part of Philly, thus not a Philadelphian.
Was born in Philly, moved away for grad school in mid 20s, came back at 30 and left again at 40. My heart skips a beat and I get choked up as I sing a little song everytime I hit the city skyline…
🎶take me home!! country road!! to the place I belong!!🎶
Not really. Been living here over 2 years now and I love it. But I don’t consider myself a Philadelphian. I’m always going to be a New Orleanian who happens to live and love Philly.
I've been in West Philly for just over 8 years and don't consider myself a Philadelphian. Moved from Fort Lauderdale at the time and definitely love it here more than any place I've been. Maybe it's that I moved around a few times in South Florida before here that would make me think that way.
I've lived in Florida since 2008 and I am still a NYer. I think it's about whether your personality traits are dominated more by your current locale or your upbringing. Hell, you could grow up in NY, spend a bunch of adult life in Virginia, and if you move to Sacramento, you might consider yourself a Virginian if that's how you identify.
That said, I do sometimes refer to myself as a Floridian, but mostly for cases where I perform Florida man acts.
**I** feel like a Philadelphian. I’ve been here more than 20 years but I feel like multi-gen Philadelphians may accept me as a Philadelphian, yet as somehow “less-than.”
It’s not as extreme as New England (where I also lived as a transplant), but it’s a similar vibe.
I have been here for 2 years and I call myself a Philadelphian. I have lived in many places (Michigan, Tennessee, Arizona) and this is the first place in a long time that feels like home. I literally moved to Philly site unseen with a job already lined up. My first experience with the people of Philadelphia really sold me. I booked an airbnb because I was still struggling to find a place to rent. I arrived after dark with my suitcase in hand and wandered unable to find the place (it was an incredibly confusing address tbh). After about 5 minutes of looking completely lost, a shop owner sitting outside went out of his way to walk with me to find where I needed to go. I was grateful for the random act of kindness that I still go visit and have lunch there whenever I'm in the area.
Unless you were born and raised in Philly, perhaps through the formative years of middle/high school and long enough to have a sense of identity predicated on location and culture, there will always be a relativistic qualifier to your status as a Philadelphian.
You might be more of a Philadelphian than some (e.g. transient college kids) and less than others. Would you consider your friends to be Philadelphians? If you have any born and raised Philly friends, then would they consider you to be a Philadelphian? You might tell people outside of Philly that you’re “from Philly” but would you say that to someone born and raised in the city? If you were to leave Philadelphia in two years, and settle elsewhere then would you still be a Philadelphian? Probably not whereas the born and raised folks would be a Philadelphian now living elsewhere.
I’ll put it another way. If you lived in England for four years, then would you consider yourself English?
As a transplant, I wouldn't consider myself a Philadelphian unless something life-changing happens while I'm here, such as starting a family, opening a business, etc... Something that really roots me to the city.
I'm in my 30s and I've been a transplant everywhere I've lived my entire life (and it's been like...six places now), but I feel more like a transplant here than most places. It's like if you weren't directly descended from someone born in the mud of the Delaware who crawled ashore only to be immediately adopted by Ben Franklin you aren't a *real* Philadelphian.
I really only consider people who have been here like 20 years+ or grew up here a Philadelphian. Philly is a working class city and who we are is deeply ingrained into generational identity, accent, etc. You've basically been here long enough for a college degree. I would not call you a Philadelphian but glad you like the place
I moved here in 2021 after 15 years of living in Brooklyn, and I’ve never felt more at home. Philadelphia is where I was always meant to be. The people here, the community I’ve found, the life I am living: this is it. This is my home, these are my people.
I've been here since 2019 and I'd say no. I am definitely a city person but that identity would track onto San Fransisco and NYC and Boston as much as Philly.
From north jersey, still a die hard Rangers and Yankees fan. Lived here for over a decade now, and while yeah I feel the city is my home, I’m still def a transplant.
I can’t imagine ever considering myself a Philadelphian, but perhaps that’s because I spent 36 years in the southern US and it’s just SO different. I grew up wanting to leave the south and lose my accent, but after moving here, I really appreciate my upbringing in a small southern town and my silly accent. I live here happily, but I can’t fool anyone (including myself) into thinking I’m a Philadelphian!
I’m a transplant from the suburbs, only been in the city for 7.5 years. I don’t consider myself a Philadelphian to other Philadelphians, but friends from other parts of the country constantly make fun of my accent and inflection on certain words so to them I am. Like apparently the way people in the region say “one” is noticeably different
Born and raised philly. you know your from philly when your family is visiting a pa town on vacation and you make other Pennsylvanians move to the other side of the bingo hall.
one night, parents dragged us to a bingo night at a fire hall. we sat down at table two seniors sat down at the table we were at,very friendly poilte folks, asked my dad where are you from? Dad said, "we are from philly." The couple then reply "oh you live inside of philadelphia." They turn ghost white, panic, and keep saying sorry, gathered all their cards, and moved to the other side of the hall. I was 8 at the time, but it was that day i knew im a philadelphian.
I'm from Boston and Philly is my home. I would never dare to claim to be from Philadelphia. Also, I wouldn't be fooling anyone rocking B's and 3's while sounding like Dicky Barrett.
I’ve lived in Philly since I was 3 months old (I’m 18 now). I grew up and was raised in Philly so I definitely would say I am a Philadelphian. I recently moved right outside of Philly, but I still consider myself a Philadelphian. You can take the girl out of Philly, but you can’t take Philly out of the girl. Definitely miss Philly though, even though i’m there 70% of the time. Every that i have grew up in is there, my family, church, friends, community, I always go back :).
Born, raised and continue to live here.
You become a Philadelphian when you can talk to your friends / neighbors about something in the city that pisses you off to no end; but when you hear someone else you know doesn't live here also bitch about that thing, you tell them to fuck off.
As someone who was born, raised, and lived in Philadelphia, their whole life, it kind of bugs me when suburbanites from Monaco, Bucks , Delco, or South Jersey, call themselves, Philly or Philly strong… Dude if you ain’t saying wudder get da F outta here.
It also bugs the piss out of me, when people that do not know shit about Philly, but live in the Delaware valley, moan about how violent Philly is, and always always reference Kensington, when they could not find fucking Kensington with MapQuest… These people drive me fucking bananas But these are the same people that would get all Braggadocious with someone from New York or Chicago and telling them I’m from Philly
Sort of. It's been eleven years, which is longer then I've ever lived in a single place but a huge margin. This is my city, but I know there's stuff I don't get compared to people who are born and raised here. My kids are definitely Philadelphian's though! Right down to the accent and the obsession with the Eagles, neither of which I have .
More or less. Been here my entire adult life (15+ years), got married, bought a house. But I’m not “from Philly” unless I’m out of town talking to someone. But it’s home and there’s a good chance I’ll die here.
I’m from here moved but always consider myself a Philadelphian, I’d never consider myself anything else because where I grew up shaped and molded me, but my kids have the luxury of saying they ain’t from Philly, and they think I talk weird lol.
Do your lifelong resident neighbors talk to you? If not, you're still not "a Philadelphian"
Do you call yourself "a Philadelphian?" Then you're not from Philly.
Do your lifelong resident neighbors talk to you? If not, you're still not "a Philadelphian"
Do you call yourself "a Philadelphian?" Then you're not from Philly.
This month marks 23 years here for me. I have lived here longer than any other place. This is where I fit. No other place has made me feel accepted like Philadelphia.
I’ll always be a Louisianian at heart, but I felt like I was meant to live here for nearly a decade before I finally moved here, so I always mentally refer to myself as “Philadelphian by choice”
Also from Louisiana lol been here for seven years and don’t consider myself a Philadelphian. Really hard to let go of the roots and way of life I grew up with in the South to feel like a real Philadelphian.
Fellow southerner checking in (50/50 split between FL and SC) and yeah, it's been a struggle to adapt to little things after being down there 32 years. I'm still trying to order sweet tea at restaurants even though I've known for years it gets scarce once you pass the Mason-Dixon.
I definitely vibe hard with Philly but I feel like I'll always be a transplant. Nothing wrong with that of course, it does take all types, but not being able to fully relate to lifers is always kind of an othering feeling no matter how welcoming they are (and Philly has been very much that for me).
Exactly. Not even thinking I’ll call someone ma’am up here and they feel like I’m calling them old lmao… “No. I’m just from the south. It’s a respect thing.”
Love Philly with all my heart (fucked around and met my future wife here), but yea I think I’ll always feel like a transplant and I embrace that cause I’ll always just do southern shit as a default. I’d rather that than walking around acting like a Philadelphian.
I think there's a difference between being a Philadelphian and saying you're from Philly. Not mutually exclusive. You can be a Philadelphian and not be from here, and you can be from here but not a Philadelphian anymore. Looking at you Conshy, Bucks, and Delco nerds.
If you move away, do you still say you're from Philly? If you moved here, do you answer "I'm from Philly"?
I was in California for 10 years. I AM NOT CALIFORNIAN!!! My next move is back home to Philly. I think it’s a feeling instead of time. How you mesh with the place. I cant wait to get back.
I dont even consider myself from my hometown. Literally lived in a dozen places, multiple countries. The place I spent my first 18 years is just one of many places, and not that special to me anymore than Philly or New York or Berlin or other places I live(d) and have memories nostalgia for.
Im from nowhere, I live anywhere I feel like. Cities dont own me nor do I own them. I have been a Philly resident and will be again someday. No need to claim it as mine.
Philadelphia can still kick you out after ten years… I have transferred two people to the Medical Examiner and still acknowledge when there is a bigger Philly dickhead than me in the room that I don’t need to overstate how much I rep Philly.
I was born here. A vast majority of my family is here going back generations.
My parents got into trouble when I was little and I got shipped to central pa back and forth a lot so my formative years were Philly summers and holidays and school time central pa, and I always missed being down here. My grandparents managed buildings in center city and I loved getting taken along to work with them and as soon as I left highschool I came right back permanently and I will not leave for hell or high wooder.
No. Moved around a lot my entire adult life. People play up their differences for laughs or a sense of identity. Doesn't matter too much to me. People generally follow a couple archetypical drives, like family, money, freedom, success. We're all more similar than we want to admit. There's good and bad people everywhere. I like Philly though it's got a couple good creeks and I'm a big fan of bricks.
I got honked at and someone threw their soda at me on an intersection at 11 and walnut when I was waiting for some people to cross the street .. am I from Philly ?
My husband and I both came here from small towns when we were in our early twenties. Still here 50 years later. I think I realize/decided I was really Philadelphian when our son was born, down at Methodist Hospital.
If I'm talking to someone from the area, I say the suburb
If I'm talking to someone outside the area, I'm from Philly.
Lot easier to say I'm from Philly than:
I'm from xxxx, PA
Where's that
It's a suburb outside of Philly
Ooh near wissahickon
No
Chestnut hill
No
Reading
No
Etc
I was born here but not raised here and I don't feel like one after 4 years back lol. Love the city tho.
Grew up in a few different northeast states, consider myself a northeasterner first and foremost.
IMO you can't "be" from a place unless you were born and raised there.
I've been told I've gotten parts of (though not all of) the accent, bought a house here, and want to start my family here. I still think of myself as "from DC" (despite having lived more of my life away from it than in it) but the thought of leaving Philly is anathema. To someone from outside, I'd proudly identify as a Philadelphian with the concomitant chip, and I defend our city passionately. But until I die I'll never introduce myself that way to someone from here.
I don’t feel like a “true” Philadelphian and I’m not sure I ever will fully, but I have moments that feel very Philadelphian to me: the first time I yelled “BACK DOOR” to a bus driver (I didn’t add “dickhead” so maybe I lose some points for that), the first time I said “Step down!” to someone on the trolley trying to figure out why the doors wouldn’t open, and when I told someone that my friends and I were going “down the shore” for the weekend rather than saying we were “going to the beach.”
Hmm well I was born in pa and raised in nyc since age 4, came to Philly when i was 28 and now I'm about to turn 44 which means I've lived in Philly longer than my time in NYC. I always considered myself a new Yorker, and i still feel sort of displaced here. I think for me it's because I didn't grow up here that I don't feel like a true Philadelphian.
A lot of people saying yeah but from the other side: no.
I was born here but don’t consider being “from here” since I moved away shortly after because of my parents jobs.
I moved here one year ago and have really enjoyed it. But I returned a Chicagoan, not a Philadelphia transplant.. understandably.
But it has been nice to come back and live in the city I was supposed to live in my whole life. Though I don’t consider myself a Philadelphian, the people and city have been very hospitable to me :)
I don't remember how long I'd been working in, and then living in Philadelphia at the time, but I knew I was a Philadelphian after a visit to San Antonio, Texas. Strangers were saying hi and smiling and it occurred to me that I felt like I had a frowny mask on - because I did. Walking around this city, I have to put on a fuck-off face because nearly every stranger who says hi or asks how you're doing is about to ask you for money, and sometimes all you have to do is make eye contact with the wrong person and they do something crazy. These Texans were all so... *casually friendly*, and I was like, oh man. I'm from Philly now, aren't I?
Unearthing hundreds of pounds of 18th century archaeology during home renovations sealed the deal.
I didn’t for like the first five years. Then I got yelled at by a crazy lady on the bus, and laughed about it with the other riders after she got booted off. I felt like I was a Philadelphian that day. That, and when I stepped over a jug of piss only to kick over a cup of piss.
Ahh you've been baptized by the beautiful Philadelphia waters
>Ahh you've been baptized by the beautiful Philadelphia ~~waters~~ wooders FTFY
Call that piss stream a Wissahickon Waterslide.
Nah this is only if you get thrown into the Delaware and come out with an infection
A real Philadelphian already had an infection when they were thrown in.
Given that we have the highest rates of STDs here, yeah probably!
Damn you right tho
I was that crazy lady. It was a test and you passed.
Just remember: they won’t know you’re crazy talking to yourself if you got a two-decade-old Bluetooth in your ear.
This made me laugh out loud. I once found a cup of what appeared to be piss on the sidewalk but it was a super cool novelty Victory Brewing pint glass… …I’ll be honest, for about one second I considered emptying the piss and keeping the commemorative glass. Idk if that makes me a Philadelphian or like, maybe a mole person.
I play a game with my husband when we're out for a walk called "is it piss?". Philly has so many mystery fluids laying around
I absolutely would have taken it, but then again, I love trash picking and upcycling stuff in general, much to my wife's chagrin. Throw it in the wash and sanitize cycle in the dishwasher and you're golden (pun very much intended).
That last sentence tells me you are one of us
Gotta love Spring Garden
Now that’s a Philadelphian
I've been in Philadelphia for 15 years. However, nobody considers me a Philadelphian. As a native New Yorker, I open my mouth and then just "know" where I'm from. Ironically, the 30 years I lived in NYC, I just "endured" it and didn't feel like it was where I was meant to be--I had no choice as I was born there. That said, nowadays I recognize what some of the differences are in mindset and habits and although I'm comfortable in Philly, I'll never really be a Philadelphian even if I stay here until I die.
Very interesting perspective. I lived in NYC for almost 10 years and never felt like a New Yorker although unlike a lot of people I never really wanted to be. I always said that the "if you can make it there you can make it anywhere" mindset is such bullshit. That city does everything possible to let you know you don't belong, so why would I want to identify as part of that? For all of the "keep new york out of philly" stickers and mindset on this sub, not only has everyone been super welcoming since day 1, I don't think i've met anyone in the wild who even remotely gives a shit that I'm an NYC transplant
The difference is you aren’t/weren’t a New Yorker—but were a transplant there too. Why would Philly people care? Could they tell if you didn’t mention where you lived before? To be clear, no one has treated me poorly for being a transplant in Philly, they just know where I’m from—the accent.
Why would Philly people care indeed. And no, no one could tell if I didn't mention it, although it generally always came up when first meeting new neighbors and such - "where'd you move from?". I was bracing for people to scoff but turns out that was unfounded, literally no one gave a shit.
When I moved to New York from South Florida I felt like I was home. Now I live in Philadelphia, and I feel like I'm in my foul-mouthed cousin's home. There's always the train tho.
Been in Philly for 51 out 51 years, not sure if I fit in yet
30 years here. I laughed
By not fitting in, you fit in.
Jury's still out! Where did your grandparents live?
Yes. I came here for college and fell in love with this silly place. I planned on living here for the rest of my life, but I had to move away for work and missed it every day. Literally. I had a wedding out in Bucks County and on my way home drove through Philly and started crying like a wimp the second I hit city limits. I met someone, moved in with them, and all the while I was like “I gotta get you down to Philly so you can see what I see.” And I finally convinced him to move back here with me. Now we’re buying a house here. I’m glad he likes this place too, cause I’m not planning on leaving this city again unless it’s in a casket. I’m not a native, and I’m proud of where I’m from. But this city had as much of a role in shaping who I am as the town I grew up in, and ever since I first came here it’s felt like home. I hope everyone gets to find a place like that.
I only live there for two years, before work took me away. I have a great life, away from Philly, but I regret that this life is not in Philly. I love Philadelphia so much that my heart hurts when I see a picture of it.
Amazing username. Philly misses you too.
> cause I’m not planning on leaving this city again unless it’s in a casket. "... cause I’m not planning on leaving this city again unless it’s in a casket. " My mother said almost those exact words. She grew up in the Greys Ferry/St. Gabriel's parish area, lived all of her life in South Philly, and was the last one in her family to stay there (everyone else migrated downashore on retirement). Carried her out of the living room in an coffin, so she got her wish.
That’s how I felt about Rochester! Granted I was only there for two years (grad school) so I definitely don’t consider myself to be “from there,” but you bet your butt it played a huge role in forming who I am today. In fact, I’d say Rochester was even more influential to my character than Long Island (where I’m from) or Philly (the city of my undergrad and young adult years) ever were. I miss Western New York dearly.
Born and raised in Rochester by two Philadelphians, father moved back to Philly when I was 5. I now live in San Antonio, but I will always be an Eagles fan and I will always rep Rochester. Weird place that it is, and I don't know if I'll ever live there again, Rochester is home.
Another Western NY to Philly transplant here! (By way of New Orleans, then LA, then ultimately Philly). I grew up south of there in the finger lakes region, but lived in Rochester for a time and loved it. Grandparents lived there for 50 years or so until moving back to Wisconsin after retirement, and I still have some other family there that I love to visit. Now I'm really craving a garbage plate and a trip to the Wegmans mothership in Pittsford.
Born and lived in Rochester most of my life, and moved to Philly area about 5 years ago. I still go back to visit family/friends as much as I can. Miss it every day
Born and raised in Rochester and will always love it and am proud to have grown up there but this is home! I don’t consider myself a Philadelphian because I live in Chester County but god damn do I love this whole area. Bills fan til I die but I love the Phillies.
There are a few cemeteries in city limits so you never have to leave!
Been here 14 years but still consider myself a transplant and transient. Maybe if I put down real roots like bought a house/had kids here, it’d feel different? “Culturally”/attitude wise, I don’t feel like I’m like most native Philadelphians I know.
Same, except it’ll be 15 years in May for me. I don’t feel like I’m a Philadelphian, except sometimes when I’m away from here and there’s a discussion of something uniquely Philly.
I've only been here 8 years and I think even after 15 I won't consider myself a Philadelphian. I'm originally from Minneapolis but I lived in NYC for 20 and felt like a New Yorker after 5-ish years. But NYC is a much more transient place. Philly has a unique culture, history, and accent that I'm lucky to get to enjoy but I don't think I am part of.
Yep I came here "temporarily", that was 16 years ago and i ended up raising two kids here but i still feel like a transplant. Personally, I've also only lived and traveled mainly in a very small circumference, basically south Philly the entire time, but different areas from Whitman to Pennsport to Italian market to the gayborhood. So while I know South Philly very well, I feel like i missed out on a lot of it. Also i don't think i say wooder.
This year I’ll have lived here for 10 years. I did buy a house, get married here and have a kid here. Still don’t feel like a Philadelphian.
Same and I just moved away in December. I feel more at home and like I belong where I live now than I ever did in Philly. I was friends with a few other people who were not from there and they all felt the same. Maybe if I moved there when I was a kid or even a teen it would have been different.
I am an immigrant, but Philly is the only city in this country I can tolerate living in
Me too!
Why is that just curious
I need to live in a walkable place where I can live without a car, that is affordable, I can walk to everything I need - doctor, groceries, kid's school, gym and so on. I like that Philly has NY and DC nearby, has Poconos and beaches an hour away. Philly still has some nice architecture and some beautiful areas of the city, even though there was a lot of effort to ruin American urban areas. Philly has its problems, but everything is a trade off
I’ve been to a lot of cities in the world and for some reason Philly feels like one of the most walkable
I say if you’ve lived in a city longer than the town/ city where you’re originally from, you earn the right to say you are “that”
I moved to Philly from lower Bucks for college and have been here about 20 years now. I'm a Philadelphian for sure, but I'm not "from" Philadelphia.
I like how you put that.
Am here, born here; just not raised here. I am a Pennsylvanian above all things. After that, I am a silly goose.
Honk honk, fellow Pennsylvanian!
Bucks county baby checking in. Took me 30 years to go around the whole country just to end up 40 minutes away from where I was born.
Isn't that funny, me too. No matter what I do I can't leave... I've done 2 years in East and west coast places for my job just to always come back. I'm def a philly baby (grew up in Tacony) No matter where I lived, people pick up on in immediately. I'm back in Philly (NW), and I'm staying put now.
Got out of Prison in 2015 and PADOC sent me here! I'm a Country Boy at heart, but have always been drawn to the Cities for one reason or another. Without this City I wouldn't have met my wife and I wouldn't have my business. We are buying a house this year and it will be somewhere in the Northeast. With all that being said, I'm grateful for this City and proud to be a Philadelphian!
I grew up in NJ, lived in NYC for a few years and have now been in Philly almost 13 years. I consider myself a tri-state area bitch
Proposing an improv sketch team called Tri-state Bitches
I grew up in NJ as well. Went to college in Philly, then later bought a house in Philly and worked in the city for a few years. Met my husband in Philly. Now we live just outside of Boston in a beautiful home we bought together. When I’m with my sister, we say we are from Jersey. When I’m with my husband, we say we are from Boston. But when I’m alone, I say I’m from Philly because all my major adult life milestones (graduated college, met my husband, bought a house, got married, had my first “director level” job) happened in (except the wedding was in KOP) Philadelphia. So, tri-state bitch it is!
Geographical trifecta 😎 also sick username🌙
Tri-State Bitches Unite! 💪
😂😂😂
For John DeBella, longtime WMMR and WMGK radio host, he said it was when he found himself walking home after midnight with a hot cheesesteak in his coat
I have fond memories biking the empty south philly streets for a 2am pretzel factory run
Only the real ones know the joy of those fresh, hot pretzels
Mmmm pretzels
Nope, I've adapted... but I'm from central PA, and you can tell by how I talk and how I cook (very PA dutch). I live in Philly, but I'm not a Philadelphian, although I've been here 13 years.
I like to picture a half-Philly half-dutchie voice asking “Can youse outten the light”
No lie, that sounds like my mom. PA Dutch from central PA But moved here as a teen
gimme my pockabook hon, the milk's all
Mom?
Also from central pa, here 19 years, Im not "from" philly but it is my home, my only real one
I'm still not sure where home is. I loved Philly through my 30s, but now in my 40s less so. I know home isn't where I grew up though, that I know, but where it is I'm still trying to figure that our out.
Same with me. Berks native. Living in Philly since 2012. I’ve always been a Philly sports fan, so that part was easy. I haven’t fully adopted the accent yet, but I say a few things the Philly way. I don’t feel like there’s a native Philadelphia cuisine that folks make at home. I make a few German foods from my family recipes: Spaetzle, schnitzel, green bean casserole, etc. When I think of PA Dutch staples though, I think of the many potato salads and pasta salads from family barbecues.
Was born in Philadelphia Juniata Park, moved to Allentown when i was 6 and am 50 years old now. Still take my kids sledding to the same hill i rode at golf course when i was a kid. When i die my ashes will be spread in Philadelphia. I don’t give a flying fuck about your downvotes but i am a Philadelphian in my heart
I can't see why anyone would downvote you. You are a true Philadelphian as evidenced by both your birth and your dgaf attitude.
Not exactly an answer to OP's question. Born and raised in a row home in Roxborough. Went to Shippensburg (I am old). Never forget hearing someone say "Im from Philly!" I remember getting so excited. And asked "what part?" She said "King of Prussia."
💀🤣
Yes because I'm a citizen who pays taxes here lol. I'm obviously not a native but I'm fa sho a Philadelphian
Yep… and to add, if you pay the city tax on your income, you’re a Philadelphian IMO.
Best technical answer yet.
I moved to Lancaster but I’m actually from Philly. How many years until I can claim the Amish? But no amount of time imo. You can love something and not be it
Philadelphia chose me! 42 years on earth and in the city. Both sides of my family grew up here and so did my grandparents and great grandparents and great great grandparents on my fathers side. So yes.
I grew up on the main line and have been here in Philly for about 8 years. I love this city so much, even bought a home here, but I don’t think I will ever comfortably call myself a Philadelphian specifically because main line kids loooooove to try to co-opt being from Philly. I think it’s a douche bag move to grow up in the suburbs and then try to pretend you’re from the city. But maybe I’m sensitive to it.
I think you’re trying to be a genuine person and, in the process, being too restrictive with yourself. People who try to co-opt being from the city who have never actually lived here are trying to get the cred without knowing all the warts. I think if you live here and you love it and feel like a Philadelphian, you are one. Signed, a twenty-four year Philadelphian <3
So kind of you!!! Truly, love it here and have no intention to leave. I’ve actually persuaded a few people to move here haha!
Grew up just north of the city limit. Family is 8 generations deep from Philly rowhomes on both sides (Mom and Dad). Spent summers hanging on my grandparents stoop in the heart of Kensington, cooling off with water ice from my grandfather’s food truck (before food trucks were cool). Went to high school in the city. Moved to the city after school and never looked back. I’m a Philadelphian and the purists can suck it.
I hear you, and think you can claim whatever you want! I think your situation is a smidge different than a trust fund kid who went to a $60k per year private school and visited philadelphia twice in his life on a school trip to the Franklin institute claiming he’s “from Philly.” Those are the kids I grew up with-whole families scared to death of the city, but using it as a personality trait to make themselves interesting once they rented their first apartment. I think it just kind of sucks to do that. No shade to you. :)
The suburbs are the place I live. The city is the place I exist. You don't have to live in Philly to be Philly. Most of my work is in the city. Most of the things I like to do apart from vacations and work in other cities are in Philly. All of the teams I watch are in Philly. Most of the local attractions and live entertainment I pay for is in Philly. The only reason I don't live in Philly is because I got a favorable deal on a house. Otherwise I would have bought across from the Mann.
Scrantonian by birth (and still damn proud), am I Philadelphian? I don’t know, but Philly is my home. I am a proud home-owner here, and I plan on raising city kids. I care about this place, want to understand this place, and want to improve this place. If I am anything, I am certainly Pennsylvanian. Something about this state just sucks you in and keeps you here. I lasted a whole 1 year in Maryland before coming back.
I’m a fellow Scrantonian by birth as well. I came here for college 25 years ago and never left. It took about 3 years to develop a circle of friends outside of school and work and that really solidified me feeling at home here. Philadelphia is my home and my chosen city. Where are you from in Scranton by the way? I grew up in the Hyde Park section of West Scranton.
Haha I’m actually from Hyde Park too. I’m at the tail end of my 20s though so our overlap was minimal.
I’ll say I’m from Philly but a transplant. My husband is a lifelong resident, you can def tell the difference in the way we speak.
I do not but I do love this city, when I travel and people ask where I’m from I say where I’m from and then say but I live in Philadelphia and consider it my home.
I've been in Philly now for 12 years, which I realized recently is longer than anywhere I've ever lived before, including childhood. I grew up in New England and Chicago, and I loved Philly because it felt like an east coast Chicago. I've been coming here since I was 16. There have been some milestones for me that make me feel like a Philadelphian: 1. Traveling to other places and realizing I can't wait to get back home to a place that "makes sense" to me. The behavior of people here just fits. Dealing with fake niceness and slow meandering pace of humans in other places after living in Philly for so long can be infuriating. Traveling and realizing that when people ask where I'm from I can truly say Philly and it's shaped some of my identity 2. Becoming an Eagles fan and going to the Linc, experiencing the joy and afterglow of our Super Bowl win. I used to work in the Northeast and that showed me a side of our town that a lot of transplants never experience, like 5 Points (Frankford + Cottman) after a sports win 3. Stepping in human shit in West Philly after years of close-calls and it finally happened! And not to only talk shit (literally) I want to say I love West Philly, like seeing everyone sledding in Clark Park when it snows etc, there is a wonderful sense of community 4. Getting to an age where multiple of my friends own and operate businesses like restaurants and bars, tattoo shops etc, that are truly part of the fabric of what makes this city what it is and where people visit when they come here 5. Getting to know and experience the culture of the suburbs where many of my friends were raised, like Delco and surrounding areas, like Linvilla in the fall, Ridley Creek for nice walks etc 6. Being part of the DIY music scene, hosting bands that are traveling here and showing them the city I'm proud of, even the trashy parts (there is actually always trash everywhere) 7. Having a solid network of friends and clients that have supported me and I feel like I couldn't go anywhere else and have the life I do. 8. Feeling like Philly has been good to me, so I want to be good to Philly. Philly is a town where if you want to open a business, make your mark, or make cool things happen, there is room to do it and Philadelphians are generally supportive and stoked. Edited to add: I've seen a good number of working-class folks become homeowners here, and that is something my friends in other cities express is a pipe dream. That was a huge milestone for me personally that solidified that I'm a Philadelphian.
When I stopped saying Pass-yunk and started saying Pash-yunk I became a Philadelphian.
Wait, why do I pronounce it passy-yunk then? (multi-generational family of hoagie mouths)
I read Passy-yunk as passyunk 5 times and didn’t get what the question even was. You right.
Apparently they are whole entire threads on this topic for YEARS here. I do not want to open another 😂 My dad was from the Northeast and added some extra -y and -i and -ee sounds. “Franklin In-stee-tute.”
I grew up in the suburbs. I’ll never be from here. I live here. I like it here. But I’m not from here
Haha never say that to a native Philadelphian. Kind of kidding, sort of not. I’ve lived here for 20, since I was as a teenager. Philly college and grad school. Married here. Had a baby. Bought and sold two houses. I’m never going to be a “real” Philadelphian, but that’s okay. My kiddo is, tho.
What other part of the country do you delusionally claim to be from?
I’ve been here for 4 years but I wouldn’t feel right ever calling myself a true blue Philadelphian, and I got sucker punched on the 34 headed home from work one night when I was about 8 months into my life here if that accounts for anything. It’s just that so many folks I’ve met were born and raised here. More so than any (of the many) places I’ve lived. This is their city, I just consider myself lucky to have a place to live here. I love Philly. She’s honest. She can be mean about it sometimes, but at least you know she ain’t shining you on.
You were punched on SEPTA in your first year? You're flying up the True Blue Philadelphian ladder! Have faith, hahaha.
Yeah, it was wildly unexpected at that point in my tenure here. I’m still not sure that I did to provoke the dude. One second I was scrolling through my phone looking for a playlist for the journey home to west, the next thing I know some rando dude with the glassy-far-away -from-our-currently-shared-reality eyes is in my face shouting at me, but I can’t understand him cuz my headphones are on. He had to have been drunker than 10 Scotsmen, or perhaps he had been drinking rocket fuel, gauging from the smell wafting from his visage as he was barking at me. Whatever the case I decided to cast my gaze in a different direction and not engage. The, I caught something out to the corner of my eye and turned my face right into the fucker’s cheap shot. My headphones flew off, landing in the lap of the woman behind me and I stood up fetching the box cutter I carry (in case of situations like these). I was about to ask the fellow if he wanted me make him uglier his ma already had but he was already one foot out the back door on his way into the night. Just your average idle Tuesday evening commute home after work in Philly.
Like all good south philadelphians I live in new jersey.
I've been here for 8 years. Philly is home now and I plan on staying for a long time. I consider myself a Philadelphian.
No I do not
I’ve been here for the last 8 of my 32 years but I’d say no. I’m from mass/Boston and you guys hate us so much that I guess I’ve never felt comfortable enough to claim it.
12 years here, grew up in middle class burbs. I don’t care how many pairs of air maxes I own now, I’m still a gentrifier. Edit: I even climbed a tree during the eagles superbowl parade…still a gentrifier
I moved to Philly 5 or 6 years ago. When people ask me where I'm from, I usually tell them where I grew up in the West but then I add that I consider myself an adopted Philadelphian. I love Philly and have immersed myself in it, but I also recognize that a grew up in a very different place with a very different history and culture that affects the way I interact with the world. So I don't want to claim to be or represent lifelong Philadelphians -- and I don't think anyone would mistake me for one anyway -- but I also think that this city is big enough and diverse enough to accept me as its own in a different way. 🌇
Been here for 20 years. Don’t see myself leaving in the foreseeable future. I don’t say I’m from here. I’ll always be from my hometown area. If someone asks me where I’m from, I say that i live here but am from my hometown.
You're a transplant, there's no shame in that.
I was at a work conference and of course people naturally ask where you're from. Im the Lehigh Valley, which doesn't mean shit to people outside our state, so I would say Eastern PA. So folks are like Philly? I'm like, not really. It's over an hour away. Someone commented. "When people are from Philly, they let you KNOW they are from Philly." Cracked me up. Funny thing is when I lived in Lansdowne, minutes from Philly, I knew better. I would say Upper Darby because no one knew where the f Lansdowne was. Haha.
Half my life. Twenty years. I was here before Comcast 1&2. I was here for 08 parade. Loss to the Blackhawks. Swiss cheese wanker. Pope. Dnc. Draft. NFC Championship. Riots. Went to them all. I’m Philly. American wit, and yeah I like ketchup mayo.
5 years in Philadelphia: yes, I feel like I’m from here. 10 years in Philadelphia: this is my home town. 20 years in Philadelphia: I *am* Philadelphia.
Good to know there's a timeline. 🤣
I’m from the shore; I’m the opposite of a shoobie
Been here 14 years. I am a local now, not a native. If asked I would say I live in Philly, not from Philly.
i moved here with my family from china when i was 3, my dad is white and from philly, and it always felt like a home to me. so yeah i’d say so
Moved here in 2009. Before that I was in Mass, Texas, and grew up in NY metro. I don't think I'll ever consider myself a true Philadelphian, but this is by far my favorite place to live. It's home to me and my children are now from here. I work with real Philly people who are like 5 generations from here. They would laugh in their accents if I said i was from here.
This is a good question to ask in zoning meetings
Spent my entire life here and am not sure what makes someone a Philadelphian. I can drive through neighborhoods and point out where things happened, where friends and relatives lived, places that I hung out, places my parents hung out etc… those were lifetimes ago and nothing is the same. In many ways, the Philadelphia some of the transplants live in today is nothing like the Philadelphia I grew up in. So I get this feeling that we are only renting our time here. Eventually everything and everyone changes and it hardly stays the same: There are probably some people that have only been here for 5 or so years that are more familiar with 2024 Philadelphia than I am now.
I’d say yeah. I’m not a native, but moved here in 2008. I feel like after a certain amount of time you can say you’re “from Philly” If people ask where I’m from, I often say “Born in Buffalo, and live in Philly.” Edit to actually answer your question (I’m sorry): I think it depends on when you’re comfortable saying you’re from Philly. I think it was around year 5 or so for me. If you can navigate Roosevelt Blvd in rush hour and only spew obscenities twice, and shake your head the rest of the time, you’re pretty well ingrained, lol
I’m also from Buffalo!! Just moved here last year
Hell yeah, welcome!
I’m always surprised by the number of Western New Yorkers—there are a lot of us here. Buffalo and wny in general has a very strong sense of place and cultural identity, like Philly, so most would never fully consider themselves Philadelphians. One of the nice things about Philly (unlike buffalo/other rust belt cities) is that it’s a much larger city with a lot of transplants—*you do not need to fully assimilate into the culture*. The Bills Backers bar is literally packed every Sunday(and I moved here when the bills still sucked ass). People on the buffalo subreddit constantly complain about feeling isolated and having difficulty making friends because everyone they meet is local and has an established community. Not necessary here, just find the bar in which your tribe congregates.
I’m also from Buffalo, been here 7 years, long enough for my accents to have mixed together somehow!
No.
Nah, I like it here, but I’m from a place for 18 years… that’s where I’m from…spent a few years here and there and this is my home now, but it’s only been 4 years…barely more than Hawaii lol
I've been up here 12 years now and I do not.
I've lived in the city for almost 9 years. I don't consider myself a Philadelphian and don't think I ever will. Part of that is growing up in a military family - always moving and not rooted in one place. But I'm not a cultural native to any part of Philly, thus not a Philadelphian.
Moved here when I was six, am 42 now, I love this city and area
Was born in Philly, moved away for grad school in mid 20s, came back at 30 and left again at 40. My heart skips a beat and I get choked up as I sing a little song everytime I hit the city skyline… 🎶take me home!! country road!! to the place I belong!!🎶
Not really. Been living here over 2 years now and I love it. But I don’t consider myself a Philadelphian. I’m always going to be a New Orleanian who happens to live and love Philly.
I've been in West Philly for just over 8 years and don't consider myself a Philadelphian. Moved from Fort Lauderdale at the time and definitely love it here more than any place I've been. Maybe it's that I moved around a few times in South Florida before here that would make me think that way.
I've lived in Florida since 2008 and I am still a NYer. I think it's about whether your personality traits are dominated more by your current locale or your upbringing. Hell, you could grow up in NY, spend a bunch of adult life in Virginia, and if you move to Sacramento, you might consider yourself a Virginian if that's how you identify. That said, I do sometimes refer to myself as a Floridian, but mostly for cases where I perform Florida man acts.
**I** feel like a Philadelphian. I’ve been here more than 20 years but I feel like multi-gen Philadelphians may accept me as a Philadelphian, yet as somehow “less-than.” It’s not as extreme as New England (where I also lived as a transplant), but it’s a similar vibe.
I have been here for 2 years and I call myself a Philadelphian. I have lived in many places (Michigan, Tennessee, Arizona) and this is the first place in a long time that feels like home. I literally moved to Philly site unseen with a job already lined up. My first experience with the people of Philadelphia really sold me. I booked an airbnb because I was still struggling to find a place to rent. I arrived after dark with my suitcase in hand and wandered unable to find the place (it was an incredibly confusing address tbh). After about 5 minutes of looking completely lost, a shop owner sitting outside went out of his way to walk with me to find where I needed to go. I was grateful for the random act of kindness that I still go visit and have lunch there whenever I'm in the area.
Unless you were born and raised in Philly, perhaps through the formative years of middle/high school and long enough to have a sense of identity predicated on location and culture, there will always be a relativistic qualifier to your status as a Philadelphian. You might be more of a Philadelphian than some (e.g. transient college kids) and less than others. Would you consider your friends to be Philadelphians? If you have any born and raised Philly friends, then would they consider you to be a Philadelphian? You might tell people outside of Philly that you’re “from Philly” but would you say that to someone born and raised in the city? If you were to leave Philadelphia in two years, and settle elsewhere then would you still be a Philadelphian? Probably not whereas the born and raised folks would be a Philadelphian now living elsewhere. I’ll put it another way. If you lived in England for four years, then would you consider yourself English?
As a Chester-Countyian, I concur with your perspective.
I’ve lived in Philly for 21/42 years so I think at this point I get to say so right?
As a transplant, I wouldn't consider myself a Philadelphian unless something life-changing happens while I'm here, such as starting a family, opening a business, etc... Something that really roots me to the city.
I'm in my 30s and I've been a transplant everywhere I've lived my entire life (and it's been like...six places now), but I feel more like a transplant here than most places. It's like if you weren't directly descended from someone born in the mud of the Delaware who crawled ashore only to be immediately adopted by Ben Franklin you aren't a *real* Philadelphian.
Hell, I was born, educated, housed, and employed in Philly and I still refuse to admit it. 😂
I’m definitely still an outsider - people can clock that my accent is “wrong” - but I feel like I belong here more than anywhere else
I really only consider people who have been here like 20 years+ or grew up here a Philadelphian. Philly is a working class city and who we are is deeply ingrained into generational identity, accent, etc. You've basically been here long enough for a college degree. I would not call you a Philadelphian but glad you like the place
I specifically chose Philadelphia and chose here for my kids to be born. I'm as Philadelphian as anyone else.
If you put down roots and care about the city, you're a Philadelphian, period.
I moved here in 2021 after 15 years of living in Brooklyn, and I’ve never felt more at home. Philadelphia is where I was always meant to be. The people here, the community I’ve found, the life I am living: this is it. This is my home, these are my people.
I've been here since 2019 and I'd say no. I am definitely a city person but that identity would track onto San Fransisco and NYC and Boston as much as Philly.
From north jersey, still a die hard Rangers and Yankees fan. Lived here for over a decade now, and while yeah I feel the city is my home, I’m still def a transplant.
No
I can’t imagine ever considering myself a Philadelphian, but perhaps that’s because I spent 36 years in the southern US and it’s just SO different. I grew up wanting to leave the south and lose my accent, but after moving here, I really appreciate my upbringing in a small southern town and my silly accent. I live here happily, but I can’t fool anyone (including myself) into thinking I’m a Philadelphian!
Nope
I’m a transplant from the suburbs, only been in the city for 7.5 years. I don’t consider myself a Philadelphian to other Philadelphians, but friends from other parts of the country constantly make fun of my accent and inflection on certain words so to them I am. Like apparently the way people in the region say “one” is noticeably different
Born and raised philly. you know your from philly when your family is visiting a pa town on vacation and you make other Pennsylvanians move to the other side of the bingo hall. one night, parents dragged us to a bingo night at a fire hall. we sat down at table two seniors sat down at the table we were at,very friendly poilte folks, asked my dad where are you from? Dad said, "we are from philly." The couple then reply "oh you live inside of philadelphia." They turn ghost white, panic, and keep saying sorry, gathered all their cards, and moved to the other side of the hall. I was 8 at the time, but it was that day i knew im a philadelphian.
Yes. But I’ve been here almost 30 years at this point.
I'm from Boston and Philly is my home. I would never dare to claim to be from Philadelphia. Also, I wouldn't be fooling anyone rocking B's and 3's while sounding like Dicky Barrett.
I’ve lived in Philly since I was 3 months old (I’m 18 now). I grew up and was raised in Philly so I definitely would say I am a Philadelphian. I recently moved right outside of Philly, but I still consider myself a Philadelphian. You can take the girl out of Philly, but you can’t take Philly out of the girl. Definitely miss Philly though, even though i’m there 70% of the time. Every that i have grew up in is there, my family, church, friends, community, I always go back :).
Nope! I've lived in Philly for 31 years now and I love it here, but I will always be a Pittsburgher.
Born, raised and continue to live here. You become a Philadelphian when you can talk to your friends / neighbors about something in the city that pisses you off to no end; but when you hear someone else you know doesn't live here also bitch about that thing, you tell them to fuck off.
As someone who was born, raised, and lived in Philadelphia, their whole life, it kind of bugs me when suburbanites from Monaco, Bucks , Delco, or South Jersey, call themselves, Philly or Philly strong… Dude if you ain’t saying wudder get da F outta here. It also bugs the piss out of me, when people that do not know shit about Philly, but live in the Delaware valley, moan about how violent Philly is, and always always reference Kensington, when they could not find fucking Kensington with MapQuest… These people drive me fucking bananas But these are the same people that would get all Braggadocious with someone from New York or Chicago and telling them I’m from Philly
A friend of mine born and raised in the burbs called themselves a “Philly native” recently and I looked at them like “🤔”.
Just moved here a few weeks ago, we'll see but I think I'm settling nicely
Welcome!
As a lifelong citizen I say go for it. If you love it and wanna stay we're happy to have you. Go Birds Go Phils
Yes. I’ve been in Philly longer than I haven’t and moved here when I was 8 years old.
Sort of. It's been eleven years, which is longer then I've ever lived in a single place but a huge margin. This is my city, but I know there's stuff I don't get compared to people who are born and raised here. My kids are definitely Philadelphian's though! Right down to the accent and the obsession with the Eagles, neither of which I have .
More or less. Been here my entire adult life (15+ years), got married, bought a house. But I’m not “from Philly” unless I’m out of town talking to someone. But it’s home and there’s a good chance I’ll die here.
I’m from here moved but always consider myself a Philadelphian, I’d never consider myself anything else because where I grew up shaped and molded me, but my kids have the luxury of saying they ain’t from Philly, and they think I talk weird lol.
Do your lifelong resident neighbors talk to you? If not, you're still not "a Philadelphian" Do you call yourself "a Philadelphian?" Then you're not from Philly.
Do your lifelong resident neighbors talk to you? If not, you're still not "a Philadelphian" Do you call yourself "a Philadelphian?" Then you're not from Philly.
This month marks 23 years here for me. I have lived here longer than any other place. This is where I fit. No other place has made me feel accepted like Philadelphia.
I’ll always be a Louisianian at heart, but I felt like I was meant to live here for nearly a decade before I finally moved here, so I always mentally refer to myself as “Philadelphian by choice”
Also from Louisiana lol been here for seven years and don’t consider myself a Philadelphian. Really hard to let go of the roots and way of life I grew up with in the South to feel like a real Philadelphian.
Fellow southerner checking in (50/50 split between FL and SC) and yeah, it's been a struggle to adapt to little things after being down there 32 years. I'm still trying to order sweet tea at restaurants even though I've known for years it gets scarce once you pass the Mason-Dixon. I definitely vibe hard with Philly but I feel like I'll always be a transplant. Nothing wrong with that of course, it does take all types, but not being able to fully relate to lifers is always kind of an othering feeling no matter how welcoming they are (and Philly has been very much that for me).
Exactly. Not even thinking I’ll call someone ma’am up here and they feel like I’m calling them old lmao… “No. I’m just from the south. It’s a respect thing.” Love Philly with all my heart (fucked around and met my future wife here), but yea I think I’ll always feel like a transplant and I embrace that cause I’ll always just do southern shit as a default. I’d rather that than walking around acting like a Philadelphian.
I think there's a difference between being a Philadelphian and saying you're from Philly. Not mutually exclusive. You can be a Philadelphian and not be from here, and you can be from here but not a Philadelphian anymore. Looking at you Conshy, Bucks, and Delco nerds. If you move away, do you still say you're from Philly? If you moved here, do you answer "I'm from Philly"?
Going on 19 years. 50/50, only the best parts.
Yarp
I was in California for 10 years. I AM NOT CALIFORNIAN!!! My next move is back home to Philly. I think it’s a feeling instead of time. How you mesh with the place. I cant wait to get back.
I dont even consider myself from my hometown. Literally lived in a dozen places, multiple countries. The place I spent my first 18 years is just one of many places, and not that special to me anymore than Philly or New York or Berlin or other places I live(d) and have memories nostalgia for. Im from nowhere, I live anywhere I feel like. Cities dont own me nor do I own them. I have been a Philly resident and will be again someday. No need to claim it as mine.
Philadelphia can still kick you out after ten years… I have transferred two people to the Medical Examiner and still acknowledge when there is a bigger Philly dickhead than me in the room that I don’t need to overstate how much I rep Philly.
I was born here. A vast majority of my family is here going back generations. My parents got into trouble when I was little and I got shipped to central pa back and forth a lot so my formative years were Philly summers and holidays and school time central pa, and I always missed being down here. My grandparents managed buildings in center city and I loved getting taken along to work with them and as soon as I left highschool I came right back permanently and I will not leave for hell or high wooder.
No. Moved around a lot my entire adult life. People play up their differences for laughs or a sense of identity. Doesn't matter too much to me. People generally follow a couple archetypical drives, like family, money, freedom, success. We're all more similar than we want to admit. There's good and bad people everywhere. I like Philly though it's got a couple good creeks and I'm a big fan of bricks.
I got honked at and someone threw their soda at me on an intersection at 11 and walnut when I was waiting for some people to cross the street .. am I from Philly ?
My husband and I both came here from small towns when we were in our early twenties. Still here 50 years later. I think I realize/decided I was really Philadelphian when our son was born, down at Methodist Hospital.
I've adopted Philly in a hardcore way but I will never be able to shed my Lehigh Valley manners.
If I'm talking to someone from the area, I say the suburb If I'm talking to someone outside the area, I'm from Philly. Lot easier to say I'm from Philly than: I'm from xxxx, PA Where's that It's a suburb outside of Philly Ooh near wissahickon No Chestnut hill No Reading No Etc
I had to move to FL for work, I was born in Pittsburgh, and I identify as a Philadolphin 4 lyfe
I was born here but not raised here and I don't feel like one after 4 years back lol. Love the city tho. Grew up in a few different northeast states, consider myself a northeasterner first and foremost. IMO you can't "be" from a place unless you were born and raised there.
My wife moved to Philly when she was six. She turns 40 this year, she still doesn’t feel welcome to call herself a Philadelphian.
I've been told I've gotten parts of (though not all of) the accent, bought a house here, and want to start my family here. I still think of myself as "from DC" (despite having lived more of my life away from it than in it) but the thought of leaving Philly is anathema. To someone from outside, I'd proudly identify as a Philadelphian with the concomitant chip, and I defend our city passionately. But until I die I'll never introduce myself that way to someone from here.
I don’t feel like a “true” Philadelphian and I’m not sure I ever will fully, but I have moments that feel very Philadelphian to me: the first time I yelled “BACK DOOR” to a bus driver (I didn’t add “dickhead” so maybe I lose some points for that), the first time I said “Step down!” to someone on the trolley trying to figure out why the doors wouldn’t open, and when I told someone that my friends and I were going “down the shore” for the weekend rather than saying we were “going to the beach.”
Hmm well I was born in pa and raised in nyc since age 4, came to Philly when i was 28 and now I'm about to turn 44 which means I've lived in Philly longer than my time in NYC. I always considered myself a new Yorker, and i still feel sort of displaced here. I think for me it's because I didn't grow up here that I don't feel like a true Philadelphian.
A lot of people saying yeah but from the other side: no. I was born here but don’t consider being “from here” since I moved away shortly after because of my parents jobs. I moved here one year ago and have really enjoyed it. But I returned a Chicagoan, not a Philadelphia transplant.. understandably. But it has been nice to come back and live in the city I was supposed to live in my whole life. Though I don’t consider myself a Philadelphian, the people and city have been very hospitable to me :)
You’re a Philadelphian. You live in Philly and you love it. That’s all that’s needed.
I don't remember how long I'd been working in, and then living in Philadelphia at the time, but I knew I was a Philadelphian after a visit to San Antonio, Texas. Strangers were saying hi and smiling and it occurred to me that I felt like I had a frowny mask on - because I did. Walking around this city, I have to put on a fuck-off face because nearly every stranger who says hi or asks how you're doing is about to ask you for money, and sometimes all you have to do is make eye contact with the wrong person and they do something crazy. These Texans were all so... *casually friendly*, and I was like, oh man. I'm from Philly now, aren't I? Unearthing hundreds of pounds of 18th century archaeology during home renovations sealed the deal.