I work in Philly - it is a great city! Very clean and lower crime compared to New York. Also the cost of living is much lower than California - not to mention the taxes! We have a great startup scene as well, but if your real goal is Create your own startup, then the Valley or NY has more money and exposure. On the other hand, if you want to join a great company, we have some great ones- from DuckDuckGo to Comcast. GSI Commerce just got bought by eBay, so I guess they do not count as a startup, but it is a great company. You can live in NJ and have the option to work either Philly or New York.