The City of Brotherly Love doesn’t always garner the positive attention it deserves, but a new report indicates that's all about to change.
Having been ranked the ugliest, fattest and most miserable city in America in the past, Philly is moving in a new direction and slowly making a more positive name for itself and locals are taking advantage, according to results from a new Pew report, "Philadelphia 2015: The State of the City."
Over the past year, the city welcomed lots of brand-new public spaces like the Schuylkill Banks Boardwalk (we're coming for ya, Jersey Shore!) and Dilworth Park.
Philadelphia received top marks for dining and tourism and was selected by Forbes as the permanent home of its annual 30 Under 30 Summit.
Unemployment fell to 7.8% last year and the city gained nearly 9,000 jobs – the biggest single-year increase in job creation since 1999. said the report.
Public safety also saw improvements.
The number of homicides in 2014, 248, went up by just one from the previous year – an all-time record low in nearly half a century – and major crime continued to decline, according to the findings.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
And though the School District of Philadelphia continued its ongoing struggle with finances, the election of Governor Wolf brought back hope to residents that more state aid is on the way.
With all this improvement, more and more Philadelphians are optimistic that the best is yet to come.
And people outside the city agree that Philly has a bright long-term future, according to the stats.
