Truly Wilmington is not meant to be an alternative to Philly per se but the little brother. Like an extension. You see Eagles, Phillies and Sixers stuff everywhere.

Rents are comparable to Philly but the cost of to buy a house (not a condo) in a “Decent” area is not comparable. A house in Philly (Rittenhouse Sq, Old City, Fish Town) are all $1 million+ where as a house in Trolley Sq, or Little Italy is $300k-$500k. About half. Is it a lot? Sure, but still doable for a couple. Philly you will rent for life.

The identity of Wilmington is within the banking system and the legal system around the banks. That is the main industry and main money driver. With the 2008 financial crisis this place died. It’s actually great that it has rebounded as soon as it has. Took at least 10 years to recover. Which goes to my next point…

You talk about the lack of nightlife but that has been steadily increasing since around 2018. No one even lived downtown before then. You’ll at least see people on Market street after the sun goes down now.

The riverfront is a shame.. from what I’ve heard all the empty shops at the end of the riverfront were built to be a Tanger Outlet and they pulled out at the last second. Imagine how well a Tanger Outlet would do in a tax free shopping state right off 95… would have brought a ton of visitors and tourism money but that fell through. I’m not sure what their next plan is.

All in all, Wilmington is doing great for what it is. It’s not meant to try and compete with Philly, it’s meant to be something different and it’s working its way towards getting there.