http://www.fastcompany.com/article/why-you-shou...

We're one of only eight cities to be profiled: Boulder, Seattle, New York, Boston, Austin, Chicago, New Orleans and, oh yes, Philly!

Agreed Blake! Until we as Philadelphians stop looking at and talking about Philly as a 2nd class city, we will never be viewed by others as anything else. We have to be the ones to show the rest of the world what a wonderful place this is to live and work. Our problems are not any different than anywhere else. Let's stop concentrating on the negative! Start reinforcing and talking about the positives. Then we will start getting the positive attention that will help bring in the resources to correct some of the issues.

I think we'll find that when these things are fixed, they will have a small, incremental impact. And then we'll be back to focusing on the things that really make a difference.

The reality is that business and wage taxes are 2-4% too high and that city government and the various city agencies can be a pain in the ass to deal with.

These things have never impacted a startup's ability to succeed. They are at the bottom of the list of things a startup should be thinking and worrying about it.

On the list of things a startup should be worrying about — talent, community, mentorship, capital — Philly is starting to come into it's own. This region is improving at a DRAMATIC pace.

Don't get me wrong, inflated taxes and bureaucracy can and should change. They encourage established businesses to move outside city limits to the surrounding areas. They discourage outside businesses from relocating to the region. And they have plenty of other side effects none of us want.

But I'll tell you what else has side effects none of us want — toxic statements like this:
“But at the beginning of 2010, I'm finding it very difficult to answer the specific question 'Why you should start a COMPANY in Philadelphia?' with anything other than, 'You probably shouldn't.'”

This is sensational and ridiculous.

Alex and I are both committed to running multiple businesses in Philadelphia. I hope it is clear that we try to have a positive impact on the city in as many ways as possible.

However, we stand to gain more respect by embracing the issues that we face, speaking openly about them, and working towards solutions.

This, of course, does not mean that we can't celebrate the great things about Philadelphia (there are many), but let's do that with integrity and purpose.

It could be that it is networks though, not geography directly. Of course, networks are impacted by geography.