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Rundown urban areas with a nice major city in Philly. But mainly kind of rural rust belty midwestern. Some more typical suburban area in eastern PA. Not that desirable to me. Not very diverse ethnically. 'Typical old school America' along with Ohio. States like MO and IA are also 'America' but slightly different...to an outsider-obviously i know PA and IA are extremely different
You seem to be underestimating the urban diversity of PA; ethnic white heritage/identity is also generally much stronger in Pennsylvania compared to the actual Midwest.
"Old School" America is also a very nebulous term. I can't think of any part of this country that hasn't been impacted by the trends of globalization and diversification.
Love the state and most people I know do also. Mountainous/hilly/rural with very cosmopolitan cities with great history. Glad its so close by, was there just a few weekends ago on the Allegheny trail.
Liberals seem to hold the state shifting to the right to vote for Trump in contempt while conservatives are more endeared towards PA for this reason.
I think above being just endeared towards PA, they also seem to have no doubt that the state will stay red in the next election, even though they barely got by with a plurality.
I think you've just summarized what is frankly a national issue/long-term concern. Note that the state also passed a gas tax increase several years ago, which now places it as the second highest gas tax in the nation (behind only California). So, it's certainly an issue getting the attention--and spending--of lawmakers.
Certainly infrastructure pains are felt more acutely in PA, due in no part to being much older than most of the US. But if anything, Pennsylvania serves as a glimpse of the future of US infrastructure, which is that legacy costs of maintenance and a greater share of budgets going towards social programs (i.e., Medicare) will begin to put much more of a pinch on infrastructure budgets.
Heck, Pennsylvania is "under-highwayed" to begin with. What're states in the Sun Belt gonna do when their superhighways have to be completely reconstructed? It won't be pretty.
Where did the state get the money to build the roads and bridges in the first place?
My impression is good overall. I've only really spent time in Philadelphia and have driven from Harrisburg to there and also through the section of southern PA on the route from Baltimore to Harrisburg. Oh yeah, the Hershey visitor center too!
When I randomly check out the countryside on Street View, it looks beautiful and a great place for a country drive. Would really like to see it in the fall. With so much Appalachian country and associated parks, there are no doubt many great locations to camp and hike.
Meh. Not for me. I like Philly but can do without the rest. Lots of road work all the time. Drivers come here and drive 5 under the speed limit in the left lane constantly. Why is this a thing? My friend recently moved to a "nice, desirable suburb" with the "best schools in the area" not far from Scranton. I couldn't believe how run down the downtown area looked and the schools are middling compared to NJ.
Meh. Not for me. I like Philly but can do without the rest. Lots of road work all the time. Drivers come here and drive 5 under the speed limit in the left lane constantly. Why is this a thing? My friend recently moved to a "nice, desirable suburb" with the "best schools in the area" not far from Scranton. I couldn't believe how run down the downtown area looked and the schools are middling compared to NJ.
To be fair, there are certainly many desirable suburbs with some of the best schools in the country (better than NJ), but they are mostly in and around Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
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