Do Philadelphians judge each other based on their neighborhoods?

What does it mean to you when someone tells you he or she lives in Frankford? Or is from Chalfont? Or grew up in Mt. Airy but now lives in Pennsport?

Do we expect people from certain neighborhoods to look or act a certain way?

In an essay written for our partners at NewsWorks, Celine Thompson discusses what people presume about her when she tells them she’s from West Philly and that she lives in Frankford.

“About a year ago, a young woman told me that she would not have thought that I lived in Frankford, since her brief introduction to my personality did not fit what she thought she knew about the community.” She goes on to say, “I just happen to think everyone should see that there is enough room for someone like me in my own neighborhood.”

Have you ever felt like you didn’t fit the expectations of others in your neighborhood?