I write this blog post from a bus shelter in a bucolic corporate office park in the wilds of Chester County, where I have to kill 50 minutes before the next bus back to the city arrives. It's also no place to be if you do not have a car, as I don't.
There is a very convenient bus connection to the city, but if you have time to kill and want to do something nearby, there's nothing nearby unless you have a car.
The one cafe in the buildings on this cul-de-sac has a decent menu but the ambiance of an employee lunchroom, and there's no Wi-Fi. There's a real restaurant in a hotel about a quarter mile away, but the landscaping and the lack of sidewalks certainly doesn't encourage walking there.
Want a cuppa and a place to hang out and surf the Web? For that you will have to visit a casual eatery in a strip mall about a mile and a half away, across a freeway and down a two-lane road (again, no sidewalks).
I guess this establishes me as a city kid once and for all. Which may be a problem for me, for the 'burbs are where the jobs are these days.
The city of Philadelphia may have finally ended its five-decade-long population drain, but its employment base continues to be somewhat anemic and job growth in the city sluggish at best. I can, however, be thankful for our region's extensive mass transit system, which makes it possible for me to get to a lot of those jobs, as well as the interview for which I had come out to Chesterbrook. But once there, there's a real dearth of options if what you are used to is the wide variety of places and activities the city offers within an easy walk of where you are.
It's that variety of options, and the opportunities they provide for chance encounters, that make cities especially appealing to people like me who work in creative professions such as advertising, publishing, the arts and the media. Even though jobs in those fields as well are found all across the region, they remain disproportionately concentrated in the city.
Of course, so many diversions so close by can also be distracting, which may be one reason why corporate campuses and office parks are so appealing to many employers. The fewer distractions, the easier it is for staff to focus on their work.
Still, there must be some sort of happy medium between the hyperstimulation the city promises and the monocultural tranquility of the suburban office park. This region has it in the many suburban downtowns that sprang up around railroad stations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. An office park within walking distance of one of those might just be an ideal place to work, for it promises tranquility and focus when you want it and variety when you don't.
What are the qualities of your ideal work location? Do you prefer variety and stimulation, or peace and the opportunity to focus? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Stimulate your job search with the resources available on PhillyJobs.com.
By Sandy Smith Sandy Smith is a veteran freelance writer, editor and public relations professional who lives in Philadelphia. Besides blogging for PhillyJobs.com, he has written for numerous publications and websites, would be happy to do your resume, and is himself actively seeking career opportunities on
Beyond.com. Check out
his LinkedIn profile and read his other posts on
PhillyJobsBlog.com.
Sometimes coming in 5th isn’t so bad. Philadelphia held onto its number five spot when counting down the largest cities in America. 1950 peaked the city its population record at 2.07 million people. After that, changes in industry and the suburbanites exit from the city, the numbers dwindled but Philadelphia stayed in the top five for over 60 years. New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston all have higher populations than the City of Brotherly love, which eeked out Phoenix to remain in fifth place. Phoenix was expected to grow faster and larger and predictions for Philadelphia were that it would stay the same if not shrink. Both insights were incorrect. Reaching 1.44 million residents, Phoenix grew by 9.4% but it wasn’t fast enough to surpass Philly which surprisingly saw growth as well. For the first time in 50 years the city’s residents rose by 8,456 bringing the official population to 1.53 million. Mayor Michael Nutter is encouraged by the announcement. "When you have 50 years, 60 years of steady population decline, growing is a big marker. It's a big deal. I think it means something to the psychology of the city, that it's a city that has grown, and will grow." There has been an effort made to bring people back from the suburbs and into the revitalized core of the city. Neighborhood growth can be seen in several places: Center City East grew by 24.7%, Center City West by 12.1% and the Northern Liberties-Fishtown area increased by 23.7%. At a news conference Nutter said, "What this is really about is folks recognizing this city is moving in the right direction. We're the city of the future. People can be anywhere. They are choosing to live in Philadelphia." Not only has Philadelphia grown but the surrounding region has expanded with it. The growth of the city and surrounding suburban counties is expected to help advance the community economically, politically, and psychologically. Nutter feels it’s a win for everyone in town saying, "It's a confidence-booster. It's an image booster. . . . To be now legitimately in the top five cities in the country is putting Philadelphia in the proper spotlight." Well it’s a win for everyone except Phoenix. Tough luck guys, better luck next census. Are you looking for a job in the Philadelphia area? Be sure to visit PhillyJobs. 
By Heather Fairchild - Heather is a multimedia developer with experience in web, film, photography and animation as well as traditional fine arts like painting and sculpting. In addition to writing for PhillyJobsBlog.com, she is co-founder of design and promotion company, Creative Kazoo with fellow Beyond.com blogger, Staci Dennis. Heather’s spare time consists of making puppets, teaching Sunday School, building Legos and doing science experiments with her children. 
