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A Business Insider writer says she moved from the West Coast to Philadelphia in the fall of 2025 for a job, then returned to Oregon less than a year later after discovering the city didn’t fit her outdoors‑oriented lifestyle. In a first‑person account, she describes struggling with Philadelphia’s winter, the lack of a car, the extra planning needed to reach natural spaces, and a social scene that felt more indoor‑focused than what she was used to in Eugene, Oregon, and San Diego.
Winter felt harsher than expected
Having spent four years in Eugene, where rain and proximity to mountains and coast shaped daily life, the writer says she assumed she could handle an East Coast winter. Instead, she reports Philadelphia’s mix of wind, snow, rain, and humidity was difficult to adjust to. On walks to work she describes wind tunnels that left her face numb and red, and she found walking in snowy conditions both uncomfortable and exhausting. A Business Insider caption notes she found the snow comforting to watch from indoors but tiring to navigate on foot (photo credit: Tristin Hoffman/Business Insider).
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Oregon transplant leaves Philadelphia within a year, citing missing outdoors and car
She missed the convenience of a car
The writer chose Philadelphia partly for its walkability and lived in Old City within walking distance of downtown. Still, she says relying on public transit and walking proved inconvenient: her regular bus route was unreliable, routine errands such as hauling groceries a mile felt onerous, and subfreezing temperatures required multiple layers of clothing and sapped the enjoyment of being outside. She writes that she missed the solitude and flexibility that having a car had offered.
Access to nature required more planning
As an avid runner who said she runs at least four times a week and had grown accustomed to easy access to shorelines, trailheads, and open space, the writer found weekday routes in Philadelphia often meant weaving through traffic or running beside a noisy highway along the Delaware River. Although the city has parks and trails, she says reaching the mountain and forest terrain she regularly sought in Oregon usually demanded a weekend trip and arranging transportation. She recounts one run that required about an hour by bus to reach Wissahickon Valley Park from Center City, a trip she enjoyed but was reluctant to repeat because of the planning involved.
Social life shifted indoors
In her account, socializing in Oregon and San Diego had centered on outdoor activities — hikes, beaches, and sporty meetups. In Philadelphia, she found friends and coworkers tended to organize indoor activities such as book clubs, chess, trivia, and knitting. While she enjoyed those events, she says the pattern didn’t match her preference for more active, outdoor social time and became both socially and financially costlier.
City life felt busier and more regimented
Compared with Eugene’s slower pace, the writer describes Philadelphia as noisy and hurried, with frequent sirens and the sense that people adhered to rigid schedules. The city’s denser living quarters, she says, made her feel cramped and less free to leave at will. Ultimately, she writes that the combination of climate, transportation, access to nature, and lifestyle nudged her decision to move back to Oregon, where she appreciates more open space, a slower pace, and the ability to drive to the mountains without turning it into a major project.
This account appears in a personal essay published by Business Insider and includes images credited to Tristin Hoffman/Business Insider.
