July 06, 2026
Provided Image/Cate Cole
Cate Cole, founded the Philaqueens Facebook group in 2017 as a way to connect with her local community, but it has since skyrocketed in popularity. Now, she plans to expand its scope.
For Philly residents and suburbanites who strive to stay up to date on the city's chatter, joining the Philaqueens Facebook group has become a something akin to a rite of passage.
Coexisting somewhere between the omniscient narrator in CW's "Gossip Girl" and Yelp, the group has become one of the city's most comprehensive, informal resources for everything from restaurant and housing recommendations to weekend plans — even serving as an occasional asset for journalists in need of a fresh perspective. With nearly 87,000 members, the group's founder, Cate Cole, soon may be ushering the group into a new chapter that transcends the confines of social media.
Cole, 33, from Fort Washington, quietly has been the backbone of Philaqueens since founding it in 2017. The group started as a way for Cole and other social media marketers to help clients improve their outreach. But Cole said she quickly realized the format's potential to enact positive change. By the COVID-19 pandemic, she said, it had taken on a life of its own — especially among women and the LGBTQIA+ community.
"I really saw the need that people wanted to connect, especially locally," Cole said. "I think people really resonated with that. I just wanted to create a place where I could connect with local women and people over some common interests, and it blew up from there. … I think it's because I'm an only child maybe, but I've always loved connecting with people."
Having watched its growth skyrocket over the past nine years, Cole said she has no interest in becoming the face of the the group, instead referring to herself as its "biggest cheerleader." But as the creator of a community that could fill Xfinity Mobile Arena four times over, it has become a large part of her identity.
In conversation, Cole refers to the group's users as "the queens." She estimated that she spends at least five hours each day reviewing the Facebook page when she's not working her full-time job as the owner of a social media management business. Cole said people would "jump out of their seat" if they saw her screen time.
"I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is check the group," she said. "When I'm going to sleep at night, the last thing I'm doing is checking the group and making sure everything's OK. … I always kind of want to stay under the radar and just make sure things are running smoothly."
The group's barriers to participate are low. There are 10 general rules that attempt to dispel bullies and trolls, but for a group that's nearly 90,000 strong, Cole said users tend to stay relatively well-behaved.
"This group is about support and kindness and women helping one another," Cole said. "We definitely work hard on the back end to make sure things are running smoothly in that way. … But we hope that people are coming to the group to really support the mission of Philaqueens and to support one another."
Though some posts related to politics or fundraising are banned by the group's 12 moderators, users are largely given the freedom to post about nearly any topic as they see fit — which means that scrolling through Philaqueens can be a bit of a coin toss.
After opening with a variation of the customary greeting, "Hi, Queens!," any of the 5,000-plus posts uploaded every month can range from benign questions about happenings in the city to anonymous requests for legal advice. Beyond it's main page, there are subgroups dedicated to job searches, apartment hunting and people buying and selling goods.
The cacophony of posts can sometimes open the group to mostly-satricial ridicule on social media, but Cole said she has learned to take a laissez faire attitude to the jokes made at its expense.
"People come to us to ask whatever they have on their mind," Cole said. "Even though sometimes the posts can be a little quirky, that's kind of what makes Philaqueens Philaqueens."
Yet, over the past nine years the group has managed to translate its often frenzied online community into real world results.
Natalie Contrera, 37, of South Philly, said her creative agency and makeup business have benefitted greatly from the support of her fellow "queens." She also met two close friends by asking the group if anyone wanted to learn Arabic with her and responding to a query from a user who had moved to Philly from Columbia.
"I think the beauty of the group is you can make (it) whatever you want," Contrera said. "I think when you're seeking out genuine connections and working on building relationships, the group is so valuable."
Julia McKee, a member since 2023, said the group has been "pivotal" in connecting her with her community.
"The group is full of women and those in support of women who want to help, connect, offer advice and share their personal stories, recommendations and experiences," she said. "While there are many lighthearted posts, there are often times when those in the community work magic to make connections and help to solve problems. It's truly a beautiful thing to witness."
Julia McKee, bottom left, poses with a group of women she met through the popular Facebook group Philaqueens.
Cole recounted numerous stories of queens meeting their spouses, finding jobs or locating lost wallets. She even recalled one user who brought a full rotisserie chicken to another user's dying dog and sat with her until the dog passed.
"I've had moments where I get so emotional about it because of the pure kindness of people and strangers that show up for one another," Cole said. "It's a really beautiful thing to see and something that we need more of in this world."
Cole's Philaqueens work largely has gone unsung and unpaid. But it looks to be entering a new era.
In January, Cole and the mods began a regular newsletter that highlights niches like mental health resources, Black-owned businesses, fitness instructors and food services that are all owned, operated or recommended by fellow queens.
Last month, Cole enlisted the help of Addy Peterson, a member since 2023, to create the Philaqueens website. Right now, the site mainly directs users to the group's social media pages and newsletter, but Cole hopes that within the next few months it will become a directory of tips that are compiled by the group.
"Philaqueens, I feel like, has almost become a search engine in itself," Cole said. "So, we would love the website to serve as a more organized place for businesses, services (and) events that would all be in one place."
For the first time, Philaqueens is opening itself up to paid partnerships and sponsored collaborations. While the opportunities have been less than lucrative so far, Cole said, they may represent the emergence of Philaqueens as a more tangible brand.
"I definitely want to continue strengthening the community, but I also want to find more opportunities to bring members together in real life," Cole said. "Whether that's more events, partnerships with local organizations, supporting woman-owned businesses — I want Philaqueens to continue having that positive impact. I see this being so much more than just a Facebook group."
No matter how Philaqueens evolves, Cole remains steadfast that the Facebook group — and all of its good, bad and chaotic elements — will not change. Since its founding, she said, the group has given her a more empathetic worldview, thicker skin and a healthy dose of self-confidence.
"With 90,000 different thoughts, beliefs, feelings and opinions, it's not always going to be rainbows and butterflies," she said. "It's a huge responsibility, but it's also really rewarding. … I'll be having an off-day and then I have this moment where I'm like, 'I'm the founder of Philaqueens. I did that.'"
