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It's very comparable to Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Cincinnati, with a similar urban edge as these cities as well.
What about the feel. Wilkes-Barre's like NYC concentrated in a 10 mile area, a really big small city. I like that. It has all the cool things a bigger city offers, museums, bars, clubs, casinos, theaters, but no congestion, a fairly low cost of living, & a reasonal abundance of jobs. The main thing behind the move is the recent death of our local music scene.
Well, CoalCityTrash (love the screenname, by the way!) I grew up just north of you guys in Pittston, and I currently live in Pittsburgh. I really love it here. I've visited Cincinnati before, and I love it there, too, albeit that city noticeably has more of a conservative tilt to it than Pittsburgh. I haven't been to Cleveland yet, but I've heard great things. New Orleans has a violent crime rate that is just way too high for me to even want to visit, let alone consider relocating there. I don't know enough about Houston to really offer an opinion.
What I like about Pittsburgh is that we're a major U.S. city that feels like a patchwork of small towns. The city itself has about 90 neighborhoods, if I'm not mistaken, and Allegheny County has well over 100 different municipalities. While that may be inefficient from a purely economic standpoint in the duplication of services it helps to really create more of a "cozy" atmosphere here. I live very comfortably here on one job that pays $10/hr. and another job in which I namely earn tips (no, it's not prostitution!)
Pittsburgh seems to most closely align with what you seek in your last reply.
Well, CoalCityTrash (love the screenname, by the way!) I grew up just north of you guys in Pittston, and I currently live in Pittsburgh. I really love it here. I've visited Cincinnati before, and I love it there, too, albeit that city noticeably has more of a conservative tilt to it than Pittsburgh. I haven't been to Cleveland yet, but I've heard great things. New Orleans has a violent crime rate that is just way too high for me to even want to visit, let alone consider relocating there. I don't know enough about Houston to really offer an opinion.
What I like about Pittsburgh is that we're a major U.S. city that feels like a patchwork of small towns. The city itself has about 90 neighborhoods, if I'm not mistaken, and Allegheny County has well over 100 different municipalities. While that may be inefficient from a purely economic standpoint in the duplication of services it helps to really create more of a "cozy" atmosphere here. I live very comfortably here on one job that pays $10/hr. and another job in which I namely earn tips (no, it's not prostitution!)
Pittsburgh seems to most closely align with what you seek in your last reply.
I want to comment on the New Orleans part really bad but I won't.
There are over 100 cities in Allegheny County? There's only 8.
I just learned that boroughs and townships are incorporated under Penn law. Do these places have governments and city taxes?
Yep. Each and every one of these townships, boroughs, and cities in Allegheny County typically has their own board of supervisors, council members, mayors, police departments, fire departments, tax collectors, etc. It leads to a very inefficient duplication of services. Basically in TX you have large swaths of unincorporated land that simply fall under the county's jurisdiction. That's not the case in PA where every bit of land is governed on a more local level somehow.
Yep. Each and every one of these townships, boroughs, and cities in Allegheny County typically has their own board of supervisors, council members, mayors, police departments, fire departments, tax collectors, etc. It leads to a very inefficient duplication of services. Basically in TX you have large swaths of unincorporated land that simply fall under the county's jurisdiction. That's not the case in PA where every bit of land is governed on a more local level somehow.
Exactly. As a Commonwealth, PA gives a lot of power to the local level of government. Massachusetts, Virginia and Kentucky also share this designation. It has its pros and cons and is rooted in the colonial days, but the biggest benefit I think is that people tend to have more say/influence over what happens in their neighborhoods.
At any rate, as to the OP, I think you'd find all of the great qualities you're looking for in Pittsburgh if you're not looking for too much of a culture shock.
If you're looking for a more exotic experience (from a PA point of view), Houston and New Orleans seem like interesting choices as well. I think the biggest thing to get used to in those areas is the very different climate.
Good luck!
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