RELO Roundtable…a gathering place

Philadelphia is affectionately known by some as the ‘City of Brotherly Love’ (from the Greek words philos, meaning "love" or "friendship", and adelphos, "brother").

Unfortunately, the logistic hurdles that America’s sixth largest city often challenges relocating residents with can make the process of movin' around the metro area anything but friendly.

Problem anchored in history

Shortly after William Penn purchased the land from a native Lenape tribe in 1681, he planned a quaint little town based on a rectilinear street grid designed to keep houses and businesses spread far … far …… far apart. The Quaker’s original idea was to avoid some of the unhealthy congestion typical of many seventeenth century European cities during the young country’s colonial expansion.

Unfortunately, Penn’s urban planning attempts didn’t last long. Due to the site’s relative proximity to the center of the thirteen original colonies, Philly became popular not only as a trading center and cultural arena but quickly established itself as the political hub for the country’s founding fathers. Limited from expansion by the Delaware River, prosperous merchants and wealthy residents quickly and easily subdivided then resold their original plots into smaller and smaller lots.

By the time the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, Philly already had a reputation of being one of the most difficult and congested cities to travel around in the United States.

Philadelphia: A 'City of Neighborhoods'

Today, Ben Franklin’s Philadelphia has one of the nation’s largest per capita concentrations of world-class institutions devoted to higher education. With over 85 colleges, universities and technical schools, 24 teaching hospitals and seven schools of medicine and operating in the region, its first suburb is popularly known as University City or University Center – not to be confused with Center City (a/k/a downtown).

Many domestic and foreign students, budding artists, and young families are attracted to this ‘City of Neighborhoods’ because of these world-renowned centers of education, medicine, and technology. The city’s rich history of intellectual and international diversity and blue and white collar job opportunities are greatly enhanced by the slightly more affordable housing options available in the vibrant, close knit communities that comprise modern Philadelphia.

For all its charms, however, moving into or out of Philadelphia can be a logistic nightmare for those unfamiliar or inexperienced with the process.

City Regulations

The City of Philadelphia’s Department of Street’s Traffic Division allows residents to temporarily prohibit parking if they call 215-686-5525 no later than 3 business days (72 hours) prior to having the need to spot a truck. For $25.00, a permit is granted to reserve 40 feet of space near their home. (40 feet, incidentally, is equal to two parking spaces). Requests made later than 3 days will not be processed.

This means that those moving with trucks longer than approximately 26’ feet might have to use some type of smaller auxiliary vehicle to ‘shuttle’ their household goods between the street and their home. Since many full-service movers use much longer tractor-trailer combinations to perform long distance relocations, budget conscious consumers should plan for the possibility of having additional charges tacked on to their moving bill under the moving company's 'impractical operation' clause in their tariff. Depending on the amount of 'stuff' being moved, this often unanticipated expense can add hundreds of dollars to the final cost. (See Moving companies sometimes restricted by regulations that prohibit truck traffic)

The same requirement also applies to more budget-conscious do-it-yourself (DIY) shippers who choose to use one of the popular nationwide mobile/portable storage or container moving options like PODS, ABF’s ReloCube, GoMini’s, Atlas Van Line’s SmartMove or Unigroup's United Mayflower Container Services products to handle their relocation.

Inexperienced DIYers frequently don’t consider that the total amount of space required to accommodate both the delivery service vehicle and the container structure itself is often much longer than what the traffic department’s permit allows. For that reason, many of these companies won’t service many addresses in the greater metro market. This can be a huge problem (and an expensive budget buster) for anyone planning a move to the area without knowing an exact delivery address. Click here to review the ordinance requirements under Title 11 of the Philadelphia Code.

(NOTE: Permits will not be issued prior to payment of the fee. The Streets Department will ONLY accept checks or money orders by mail. If anyone wishes to pay by cash, they should contact the Streets Department first prior to requesting a permit.)

Selecting the right mover

Since many Philadelphia based movers are familiar with the city’s layout, parking and permit regulations, and unique building service requirements, it can often be cheaper paying for professionals to handle your home or office relocation needs than doing it yourself. They have the proper equipment, trained supervisors and manpower and, most importantly, the local experience required to minimize problems doing a job that most novices normally find is quite difficult.

Regardless of which type of service is selected, inexperience shoppers can reduce the risk of incurring unexpected charges by doing their homework in advance. Check out this professional guide for Tips to Find a Reputable Mover.

PhiladelphiaSpeaks is a popular new cloud community that reflects the enthusiasm, funky vibe and unique spirit of the city. Those considering relocating to the area will find some good ‘word-of-mouth’ feedback and a list of local resources at their forum on Moving to Philadelphia. 

The names of several local movers with mostly favorable reviews keep popping up throughout these threads.

Broad Street Movers
Mambo Movers
Old City Movers
The Sultan of Schlep

Wanna plan a successful move to Philadelphia? As a wise ol’ Mr. Franklin once observed, "Diligence is the Mother of Good Luck.".  But only if you do your homework!

Related Articles:

What does it mean when your mover adds a ‘shuttle’ charge to your move? – RELORoundtable

Pennsylvania residents can now confirm movers’ credentials – RELORoundtable

Moving? How to manage your lump sum relocation benefit – RELO Roundtable

How to Find a Reputable Mover: A Professional Guide – RELO Roundtable

How to Choose an International Mover – RELO Roundtable

Disclosure: RELO Roundtable has not received any compensation in advance for publishing or distributing this content although fees may occasionally be collected through affiliate relationships with one or more of the vendors listed herein.

  is a mutually supportive but commercially neutral learning environment that deals with the trials and tribulations of movin’.

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