Doing some research on Erie... (Pittsburgh, Scranton: middle-class, low crime, how much) - Pennsylvania (PA) - City-Data Forum

Magritte25 · 10-17-2010, 09:52 AM

Can anyone suggest areas in Erie that are nice to live but are not subdivisions? Areas with good schools and low crime rates?

Renaldo5000 · 10-17-2010, 10:04 AM

Millcreek isn't bad. Stay away from the East Side.

I lived in Erie for a year. It honestly blows there. I constantly whine about Pittsburgh, but the 'Burgh is heaven compared to Erie.

SteelCityRising · 10-17-2010, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Magritte25

Can anyone suggest areas in Erie that are nice to live but are not subdivisions? Areas with good schools and low crime rates?

Any particular reason why you're looking to leave the Diamond City? I thought you were happy in Wilkes-Barre? Not to be dismissive about Erie, but while it doesn't "blow", as was said above, it also isn't really a step-up from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre at all. If you were looking for another city in PA that has some great in-town walkable areas I'd investigate Bethlehem, Downtown Harrisburg, Carlisle, State College, Williamsport, and Pittsburgh.

Magritte25 · 10-17-2010, 01:43 PM

My husband is looking for a job now that he's graduated and we are looking at different areas if he can't find something here in NEPA.

Magritte25 · 10-17-2010, 01:44 PM

Why is Erie so bad? It looks a bit like Wilkes-Barre on a larger scale and it has beautiful amenities too.

SteelCityRising · 10-17-2010, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Magritte25

Why is Erie so bad? It looks a bit like Wilkes-Barre on a larger scale and it has beautiful amenities too.

I actually think Erie has quite a bit going for it. The Lake Erie shoreline may not be the "official" beach, but as someone who spent senior week at Lake Erie after graduating high school I can definitely say it can hold its own. Erie is nice in that it is relatively close to Buffalo, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh if there's something lacking. I can safely tell you, though, that Erie is PA's "snow belt." Erie proper isn't so bad, but as soon as you go a few miles inland into the foothills of Erie County you can really pick up some rapid accumulation in the winter. For me as a snow lover that would be a blessing, but for others that could be a big burden.

Erie is oriented around a rigid grid-shaped street network, which makes it very easy to navigate and enhances its walkability. Gannon University and Mercyhurst College add a bit of cultural flair to the city, but not to the same extent that Wilkes University and King's College do for Wilkes-Barre, in my opinion. Presque Isle State Park is a must-see in Erie, if you haven't been there already. There are also some wineries in and around Erie County, and especially once you get into the Southwestern parts of Upstate NY. Northeast of the city is the suburb of "North East" (which is ironically in the northeasternmost corner of the northwesternmost county in the state). It's a nice little town with its own traditional downtown business district and older homes. Erie has a plethora of your typical big-box retailers and chain restaurants in and around the Millcreek Mall and the Peach Street Corridor.

I don't think I can agree with the suggestion above for Millcreek Township because it is typical suburbia, for the most part, which I know you're not interested in. All in all Erie isn't a bad city, but it's really not a "step up" from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, either.

Magritte25 · 10-17-2010, 04:39 PM

I'm not really looking for a step up. Our primaries worries are the following, in order: 1. Securing a job for my husband (well, he will do that himself, but you know what I mean) 2. Very good school districts 3. Nice "old style" neighborhoods. 4. And to a lesser extent, within a day's drive back home to the Wyoming Valley.

I have been to Presque Isle and that is what made me fall in love with the area. How much worse is the snow up there than here in the eastern section of the state? How long are the winters? Much longer?

I also like that it's so much closer to Cleveland and Pittsburgh.

SteelCityRising · 10-17-2010, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Magritte25

I'm not really looking for a step up. Our primaries worries are the following, in order: 1. Securing a job for my husband (well, he will do that himself, but you know what I mean) 2. Very good school districts 3. Nice "old style" neighborhoods. 4. And to a lesser extent, within a day's drive back home to the Wyoming Valley.

I have been to Presque Isle and that is what made me fall in love with the area. How much worse is the snow up there than here in the eastern section of the state? How long are the winters? Much longer?

I also like that it's so much closer to Cleveland and Pittsburgh.

Erie isn't exactly noted for having the strongest employment outlook, but if your husband finds something in his field, then it can be very plausible to move there, as it also has a low cost-of-living.

The problem with "very good school districts" is that you and I both know that demographics of a place DO skew results. In NEPA the places with the "best schools" are in the Abingtons, Mountain Top, and Back Mountain, all of which are upper-middle-class areas overall. What else do those areas have in common? They are home to a smaller number of students who come from socially- and economically-unstable households as compared to an inner-city school district like Scranton or Wilkes-Barre Area (both of which, ironically, are pretty good for urban districts). They also have smaller percentages of students who have a primary language other than English. Millcreek Twp. is the "ritzier" part of Erie, being in the 'burbs, so I'd hazard a guess to say that's where you'd find your best schools. Then again, everyone admonished my alma mater of Pittston Area, and I (and many others) turned out just fine. I think if parents take an active role in the education of their children then the sky is the limit for their success.

As far as neighborhoods go I'm partial to West Sixth Street and the area around Gridley Park. It has the "vibe" of Kingston to me---relatively flat, shade trees, sidewalks, and gracious larger older homes with character.

As far as the winters go it all depends upon how the wind is blowing off the lake. Lake-effect snow is odd. A band of snow can develop that is only 10 miles wide, but it could reach 75 miles into the state off the lake. The winters aren't really any "longer" there, but while they aren't at risk for Nor'easters like NEPA is we're not at risk for the lake-effect snow bands like they are.

Cleveland and Pittsburgh are both very underrated cities, especially Pittsburgh.

Magritte25 · 10-17-2010, 06:25 PM

My husband has a degree in Accounting, so it's a very "open" degree that lends itself to moving most anywhere. I live in the WB Area School District and let's just say I am less than impressed with it on the whole. And I am a graduate of the school district myself. The amount of teachers who have gotten jobs because of who they know has translated heavily into entitled educators who feel like they are doing us peons a favor by teaching our children. And I use the word "teaching" loosely. Furthermore, according to all of the pertinent data and research I've done, WBASD ranks, average, at about a 3 out of 10. This includes community support, parent support, test scores, rate of graduation, etc. It's not just test scores. It's the whole picture that disturbs me.

I am pretty sure we are thinking of the same neighborhoods. The one I am thinking of has beautiful treelawns in the middle of the streets, little cottages lining each side of the street and is a very short drive from the downtown area. Is this the area?

Renaldo5000 · 10-17-2010, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Magritte25

Why is Erie so bad? It looks a bit like Wilkes-Barre on a larger scale and it has beautiful amenities too.

It is a small and slowly dying post-industrial town. But, there are some good suburbs and schools if you are family oriented. Jobs are hard to come by.

Winter is horrible there. It is right on the lake so you get ungodly amounts of snow. I remember having to wake up early every morning just so that I could dig out my car. They don't call it "Dreary Erie" for no reason. If like gray skies mixed with snow up to your hips then it is the place for you. June - September are really pretty though. I will also add that the beginning of spring in Erie is absolutely gorgeous. It's too bad that it is such a hole for the other nine months out of the year.

I strongly advise the Pittsburgh area over Erie. More jobs, more to do, etc.. You can always drive up to go to the beach. It is about 2 1/2 hours away.