Survey Calls Philly The Best City To Live 'The Millennial Dream'

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – A new study has just named the City of Brotherly Love "the Best City for Millennials" although it may not be the most popular.

The study done by Millennial-run apartment search site Abodo showed that one-in-five Millennials dream of living in the Big Apple a.k.a New York City. Less than 1 percent said the same of Philadelphia. Actually, sorry to say, but cities like Chicago and Minneapolis fared way better than Philly.

But, there is a bright side. While Philadelphia may not be Millennial's first choice, when it comes to the things that matter, the city known for their cheesesteaks comes out on top.

The study surveyed about 2,000 people born between 1982 and 1998. What they found was although most Millennials wanted to live elsewhere when it came to things like budget-friendly rent and available jobs there was no better place than Philly.

Here's how it worked.

First, they asked Millennials to rank their desired qualities in a city on a scale of 1 to 10 – with 10 being the most important.

Despite what many Generation X'ers would like to believe, this list proved that millennial's priorities are pretty intact. The top three qualities turned out to be a thriving job market, affordable rent and affordable home prices.

According to the study, outdoor spaces (such as parks and hiking trails) mattered slightly more than local restaurants, pizza places, and movie theaters. And top rated public schools mattered more than movie theaters.

So which cities actually fit Millennial priorities? Philadelphia hit 95 percent of Millennials' criteria, followed by Boston, Washington, D.C., New York City, Portland, and Seattle at 90 percent a piece.

The only thing stopping Philadelphia from having a perfect score was their poorly rated public schools.

Even with that in mind, the company judged Philadelphia as the best city for Millennials due to the city's stable job market and average home prices. Philly's unemployment rate was 20 points below the nation's average at the time of the study. In addition, compared to NYC it's almost a no brainer which is the cheaper city to live in.

Philly the "perfect" city also scored well when it came to LGBTQ friendliness, walkability, quality public transportation, and nearby bodies of water.

While we have no doubt that Philadelphia is the best city to live regardless of age. The study serves as a reminder to simply keep your options open.

But just in case you're still unsure, take a trip to the City of Brotherly Love and find out what all the hoopla is about.

By Jasmine Payoute