Google’s 2011 Zeitgeist report shows change in Philadelphia search users

Each year, Google tries to capture what’s on people’s mind internationally with its Zeitgest report, an insightful look at culture and mood based on a measure of the company’s gigantic search history.
But Google also completes regional evaluations, which shed light on local zeitgeist. You can see the interactive regional report here.
Google’s annual evaluation of search data shows a common thread in Philadelphia: queries on Google by locals appear to be driven by informational resources, not the news cycle or by memes, like is common nationally (Rebecca Black was the fastest rising search).
And in comparison with 2009, Google’s Philadelphia audience is changing, or its wants are. Dominated that year by requests for information related to the city’s universities, 2011 data shows an audience hungry for information about major public institutions, hospitals, retail outlets and landmarks.
Dwarfing other search queries, SEPTA claimed the highest searched term during the year. It stands alone at the top, owning what appears to be at least three times the next most-searched phrase, Philadelphia School District, as pictured above.
Third on the list, perhaps not unsurprisingly, was PA unemployment.
Following those top searches were, in order, Penn In Touch, Jefferson Hospital, Penn Blackboard, Franklin Mills Mall, Philadelphia Inquirer, Sesame Place and Reading Terminal Market.
For more detail, view the Philadelphia zeitgeist report at Google.