More renters ‘scraping by’ | Morning Newsletter
😀 And 20 happy places in Philadelphia.
The Morning Newsletter
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Welcome to a new week, Philly. The weekend’s nor’easter continues today, with rain expected for the region and high winds still going at the Shore.
More renters in the city are “scraping by” each month, saddled by low incomes and higher costs.
And we could all use more joy in our lives. To help you find yours, we mapped the 20 happiest places in Philadelphia, according to readers.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
P.S. If you’re heading into Center City today, prepare for traffic: There will be widespread road closures Monday for the parade marking the U.S. Navy’s 250th anniversary.
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Almost half of Philadelphia renters spent more than a third of their income on housing costs in 2024, according to Census Bureau data.
That figure grew over the previous year, while household incomes lagged.
Cost-burdened households have less money to pay for other essentials and to save for emergencies and future goals. Many renters share the burden by renting with friends and family.
In their own words: “I try to be strategic about what gets paid,” said a Sharswood resident who splits housing expenses with her sister and pays about $900 per month for rent and utilities. “Especially right when rent is due, it feels like I have the least amount of money.”
Reporters Michaelle Bond and and Lizzie Mulvey dig into the data.
Where is your Philly happy place? A neighborhood park, a museum, your local watering hole?
😀 After The Inquirer’s Beatrice Forman reported on a Drexel University class project that mapped students’ own favorite spots, we asked readers, too — and got more than 200 responses.
😀 We then curated the list down to 20 places based on geography, popularity, and vibes.
😀 Among them: Center City dive bar Dirty Franks, West Philadelphia’s Woodlands cemetery, and Citizens Bank Park during Red October (maybe just not this year).
See the happiest places in Philadelphia, in readers’ own words.
What you should know today
A police officer was injured Saturday after a man drove beyond the security barrier at the local Coast Guard headquarters on Columbus Boulevard.
The Navy’s new top officer told The Inquirer he would follow orders to deploy naval assets anywhere, including U.S. cities — as long as the order was “lawful.”
A plan to turn the old Pennhurst State School and Hospital grounds in East Vincent Township, Chester County, into a data center has drawn strong opposition from residents.
A bankruptcy judge approved Prospect Medical Holdings Inc.’s plan to “abandon” Crozer-Chester Medical Center and Springfield Hospital if their sales fail to close promptly.
Hundreds of nurses and technicians at Temple University Hospital approved a new three-year contract, averting a strike.
An annual festival in Nicetown held Saturday was dedicated to Qidere Johnson, better known as LGP Qua, a rapper killed in May.
North Philadelphia’s St. Joseph’s Preparatory School hosted its first HBCU symposium Saturday as the prestigious private school furthers its mission to grow more diverse.
The Weaver House in the Bok building is closing, and looking for a single buyer for the 16 giant floor looms it acquired from the University of the Arts.
Penn State has fired its head football coach, James Franklin. He leaves behind a complicated legacy.
🧠 Trivia time
In November’s election, why will Pennsylvania voters see the option to mark “yes” or “no” next to some judge candidates on their ballots?
A) Those judges are running against each other
B) Those judicial positions may abolished
C) Those sitting judges’ terms have expired
D) The ballots were misprinted
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🦅 Discussing: “I think football is immoral, but my kids love ‘Fly, Eagles Fly.’ What should I do?”
🍁 Planning: A road trip to the Delaware Water Gap for a scenic fall weekend.
⛪ Mapping: The Philly-area locales spotted in the sixth episode of Task.
🎸 Plotting: Which shows to see during Philly Music Fest.
🐐 Hoping: The Philly Goat Project can get Ray the goat a wheelchair.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: 2026 Flower Show theme, “Rooted: Origins of _ _”
MENACED ARRAIGNING
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Terry Hafler, who solved Sunday’s anagram: Ali Velshi. The veteran MSNBC host says Philadelphia is where he does “my best thinking, my best sleeping, and my best eating."
Photo of the day
📬 Your ‘only in Philly’ story
Think back to the night that changed your life that could only happen in Philly, a true example of the Philly spirit, the time you finally felt like you belonged in Philly if you’re not a lifer, something that made you fall in love with Philly all over again — or proud to be from here if you are. Then email it to us for a chance to be featured in the Monday edition of this newsletter.
This “only in Philly” story comes from reader Diane Lodge Knott, who describes a core memory of a magical New Year’s Day:
I was born and raised in Baltimore, but my Philly-born father would occasionally bring my mother and I north to visit our very few relatives. Memorialized in a tucked-away picture is me at age 10, topped off by my new Mickey Mouse ears hat that I’d just gotten as a Christmas gift, dungarees, and my best wool coat. There I was, freezing my toes off, watching the 1957 Mummers Parade! Banjos, giant feather head pieces, and colorful costumes were my first introduction to that magical tradition. This Baltimore little girl had never seen such a thing.
I remember we ducked into a narrow store where the fragrance and warmth of hot-from-the-oven pretzels overwhelmed me. I still love a parade, especially accompanied by banjos. But a warm pretzel always takes me back there.
Now at 79, I live in Bryn Mawr and can go to St Denis Cemetery to visit my great-grandparents’ grave just six minutes away. I never knew them, but I love Philly like a native. It must be in the genes!
Whether you plan to look as dapper as Hoagie and his humans, to dress as sparkly as a Mummer, or to lounge about in sweatpants all day, have a good one. Thanks for spending time with The Inquirer.
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