While Philadelphia pulls out the stops to cast itself as a world-class destination city, the behavior of area college students may indicate that, at least among the young, the city has a long way to go.
``Satisfaction with living in the region definitely increases with age,'' said Mary Gregg, who oversees a yearly survey of Philadelphians for a business coalition called Greater Philadelphia First.
The 1997 study found older Philadelphians are more likely to say they're proud to live in the land of cheesesteaks and rowhouses. But the young are less tickled. Only 6 percent of the under-30s surveyed said they would rate the region as an excellent place to live (compared to 15 percent among people in their 40s and 22 percent of people over 60).
Weekend departures are only a small part of the effect.
What has city officials and promoters really alarmed is that boredom with the city - mixed with a perception that Philadelphia has few good jobs - contributes to a more significant, more permanent departure: An en masse, post-graduation, good-bye Billy Penn youth flight.
It amounts to a brain drain.
``They're free agents. They can name their price,'' said the Pennsylvania Economy League's David Thornburg. ``They will go where jobs, quality of life and the overall culture supports them and welcomes them. This is the game we play and if we're not playing that game very well, then we'll suffer as a result.''
If local college students are inclined to skip town, the city's chances of drawing youth and energy from elsewhere seem slim. That, says city expert Joel Kotkin, of L.A.'s Pepperdine University, is a problem.
``Look at the role they play,'' he said. ``They dominate the club scene. They dominate the music scene. They dominate the fashion scene. If you don't have those people . . . you're consigning yourself to a slow erosion over time.'' How can a city reinvent itself, he asked, if not through youth?
