What people don’t understand about Philly’s “grit” is that it’s a SUBSTITUTE for the things that make other cities thrive. We don’t have the richest people, or the smartest, or the luckiest, or the most talented. Grit is what helps close the gap, but you’re better off with the wealth that makes a New York thrive; the talent that makes an SF thrive; the brains that make Boston what it is; the happenstance that brought the nation’s capital to a swamp on the banks of the Potomac. We fetishize the city’s tough mentality so much we forget it comes from destitution, not prosperity, and we should be striving for the latter, not constantly reminding ourselves about the former.

Legitimately, what is the answer here? Philadelphia is a city with incredible heritage, placed smack dab in the center of the universe, with a big collegiate population, low cost of living, and strong suburbs. It’s getting lapped by Pittsburgh, Boston, Austin, Tampa, Nashville. Why?