am i crazy for wanting to move to move to harrisburg/hershey? (Philadelphia: appointed, best city)

[Ryan101]

Originally Posted by Marodi

If you move here expecting metropolis offerings with the price of the boonies your wrong. And as for dead? Last I checked south central PA was the fastest growing region in the North east.

Okay, I understand that certain parts of the surrounding 'burbs around the "cities" of central PA are growing, but that still doesn't change the pandemic issues that this part of the commonwealth has.

Is there a useful economy that makes it worthwhile to live here? Not so much. At least, not at least until you know someone that's inside a particular industry (the Commonwealth positions are a perfect example). Also, even with that, they still laid off over 30% of their people for several days because God forbid they didn't agree on the budget (or lack thereof).

The taxes are rather high, and the cost of living is high (mainly just in consideration for what little you get for the cost). Now that I'm living in Charlotte, NC....our cost of living is similar, but you get SOO much more for it, and the average per capita income is nearly $20,000/year more.

Now, in terms of entertainment, what do you have? Ghetto clubs and sports bars on wonderful 2nd street 'Alcoholics Alley', er, I mean 'Restaurant Row'.
Wow, I'm certainly not impressed. Unless you're into dancing to 50 Cent, there's not much at all within Harrisburg itself. The scene there is reminiscent of The Body Snatchers, everyone's walking, talking, and dressing the same.

Outside of one jazz club that's the size of a walk-in closet and Cafe Fresco's there's zero culture in Harrisburg. Interestingly enough, Fresco's happens to be the only progressive alcohol serving establishment in the area and guess why? It's owned by a couple from Brooklyn....so they kept the vibe in there very NY. No smoking, great food, great conversation with intelligent people, and no booty music.

Anyhow, did I expect metropolitan anything when I came to Harrisburg? No, but I expected at least SOMETHING. Which there quite simply is not.

After being in NC for all of 3 months, I now wonder why anyone would ever make the conscious choice to waste their lives in such a dump such as Harrisburg.

[Ryan101]

Also, just for clarification...

The things I've said here, while they are stinging opinions, were said because the area does have potential. Also, I'd always looked at the town from a very critical standpoint as I grew up in an area that offered much much more.

The rub is this : the potential is limited by the crooked government officials that people keep voting in - Rendell, Reed, and all of their State Senate buddies for example. It's also limited by the acquiescence of the locals for not demanding more. Whining and complaining to friends does not neccescitate change, making a stand on the steps of the Governors door does.

Look at things this way, Hershey's shutting down, Tyco's laid off folks in droves, the schools are some of the worst in the entire Commonwealth, there's nearly no funding coming in (again, because of those two factors that I stated above)....and the issues go on and on.

Again, I didn't dislike everything about the area....but there simply was simply too much of the same boring stuff constantly to make it ever truly appealing to someone who's spent their life in a real city.

[Marodi]

Originally Posted by Ryan101

Also, just for clarification...

The things I've said here, while they are stinging opinions, were said because the area does have potential. Also, I'd always looked at the town from a very critical standpoint as I grew up in an area that offered much much more.

The rub is this : the potential is limited by the crooked government officials that people keep voting in - Rendell, Reed, and all of their State Senate buddies for example. It's also limited by the acquiescence of the locals for not demanding more. Whining and complaining to friends does not neccescitate change, making a stand on the steps of the Governors door does.

Look at things this way, Hershey's shutting down, Tyco's laid off folks in droves, the schools are some of the worst in the entire Commonwealth, there's nearly no funding coming in (again, because of those two factors that I stated above)....and the issues go on and on.

Again, I didn't dislike everything about the area....but there simply was simply too much of the same boring stuff constantly to make it ever truly appealing to someone who's spent their life in a real city.

It isn't perfect, but it's better than what it was. It was in 1981 ranked as the 2nd most distressed city in the US.

[LivingSingle123]

I lived in the Harrisburg area for 11 years before moving back to Pittsburgh to be closer to my family.

No, Southcentral Pennsylvania doesn't have the culture of NYC, and it's pretty conservative, but I certainly didn't find it to be the hellhole that some posters say it is.

I would say that the job market in Southcentral Pa. is slightly-to-somewhat better than Pittsburgh's economy, primarily because its the state capitol. However, you're in a different field than me, so the Pittsburgh area might be a btter choice for you.

I would say the best thing about the Harrisburg/Hershey area is its easy access to other cities. From Harrisburg, by car it's approximately 3 hours to NYC, 2 hours to Philly, 1 and 1/2 hours to downtown Baltimore, and 2 and 1/2 hours to DC. So I would travel to these cities on the weekend to get my 'dose' of culture, and then come back to relative peace and quiet.

And, by the way, I lived for a while in Middletown, where PSU-Harrisburg is located. I didn't find it to be all that awful. The residents of Middletown are a little odd, but certainly not NYC-level odd.

(PS: I'm moving from the Pittsburgh area very soon. I love my hometown, but I can't find a job here to save my life.)

[Icy Tea]

About the only downside I see between Harrisburg and Lancaster is the Three Mile Island power plant. When I drove through there seemed to be a lack of housing developments, just many farms. That's good, but I can't help thinking that TMI kept many developers away the last 30 years.
Hershey/Harrisburg ranked 2nd in minor league sports team cities out of 250. Reading was 5th. Hershey has a great hockey team and the Harrisburg Senators are a good team with a fairly decent stadium. Reading has the 2nd best minor league ballpark in the country with a great fan base and Lancaster just built a new ballpark that is very highly rated as well. If you like sports, you're in a great area.

[Marodi]

Originally Posted by Icy Tea

About the only downside I see between Harrisburg and Lancaster is the Three Mile Island power plant. When I drove through there seemed to be a lack of housing developments, just many farms. That's good, but I can't help thinking that TMI kept many developers away the last 30 years.
Hershey/Harrisburg ranked 2nd in minor league sports team cities out of 250. Reading was 5th. Hershey has a great hockey team and the Harrisburg Senators are a good team with a fairly decent stadium. Reading has the 2nd best minor league ballpark in the country with a great fan base and Lancaster just built a new ballpark that is very highly rated as well. If you like sports, you're in a great area.

Pft.. anyone that's afraid of TMI has issues imo. Besides if you live really close to it, you'll die fast if it explodes as opposed to philly and other cities down wind that would die from radiation. That's the extreme point of view though.

[LivingSingle123]

Originally Posted by Marodi

Pft.. anyone that's afraid of TMI has issues imo. Besides if you live really close to it, you'll die fast if it explodes as opposed to philly and other cities down wind that would die from radiation. That's the extreme point of view though.

I'll say it's an extreme point of view.

You're more likely to die from boredom than you are from an 'exploding' nuclear reactor, especially the ones at Three Mile Island.

[danwxman]

Ryan101 has been bashing Philly on that forum as well, he's obviously just got some issues.

Anyway, if the Harrisburg area was so bad, then I doubt the area would have gotten all these awards:
*

Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal has ranked Hershey-Harrisburg as the second-best minor league sports market in the country. (2007)
*

Greater Harrisburg ranks among the top areas in the nation for attracting new businesses and business expansion, according to one study. Data collected by the National Policy Research Council ranks Dauphin County number two on a list of the top 20 small counties for recruitment and attraction. The council also ranks the Harrisburg-Lebanon-Carlisle area fourth in a listing of the top 20 mid-size metros for recruitment and attraction.
* Harrisburg named among Relocate-America’s “100 Top Places to Live” for 2007
*

Harrisburg ranked in the Top 5 Best Cities for Retirees by Kiplinger’s Magazine. (2007).
*

Harrisburg-Carlisle was ranked 200 in the list of Top Overall Cities by “Boomtowns 2007,” Inc. Magazine up from 237th in 2006.
*

The Greater Harrisburg area has been recognized as one of “The 100 Best Communities for Young People” by America’s Promise Alliance for mentoring and educational programs created by the Camp Curtain YMCA Black Achievers Program. ( USA Today, 2007)
* ESPN.com ranked an American Hockey League game in Hershey, PA as one of the Top 10 “Ultimate Hockey Experiences in North America” (October 2006)
* Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine rated Harrisburg 12th on the Top 50 Smart Places to Live (June 2006)
* Salary.com placed Harrisburg in the number 6 spot of the Top 10 Salary Value Index, which accounted for building personal net worth, local salaries, cost of living and unemployment.

* Entrepreneur.com rated Harrisburg the 15th Best Midsize City in the East for Entrepreneurs. (2006)

* Boomtown's '06 Hottest Midsize Cities ranked Harrisburg at #15 for Most Balanced Economy and Growth. (2006, Inc.com)

* Forbes.com reported Harrisburg as #21 in large cities with the lowest Crime Rate. (2006)

* Harrisburg received the rank of being the 4th most "Profitable City for employees", out of 180 cities across the nation by Salary.com. (April 2005)

* The 2004 Mayor's Challenge™ placed the Harrisburg MSA at #10 for Best Cities.

* ApartmentRatings.com rated Harrisburg region at #18 for affordability in the Renter's Livability and Satisfaction Survey (2005)

* Inc. Magazine rated the Harrisburg MSA in the top 100 Best Places to do Business overall. (2005)

* KPMG's 2005 Study designated Harrisburg as the 10th Most Competitive Mid-Sized City for Locating Your Business (2005)
* Harrisburg is the 47th Most Unwired City in America- Intel Corporations's Top 100 Unwired Cities in the USA (June 2005)
* Harrisburg was ranked 4th in Salary Value Index published by Salary.com for the largest metro area category. (2005)
* Employee Relocation Council and Primary Relocation rated Harrisburg as the 29th Best City for relocating families. (2005 CareerJournal.com)
* Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center/ College of Medicine conducted $100.8 million in research & development in 2005, nearly double the total from just five years ago.
* Harrisburg placed 1st (tied) as Least Stressful Place to Live in the Nation- Sperling's BestPlaces.net (2004) Harrisburg was also rated as having the 7th least crime for a large city
* ThomasNet Inc. magazine ranked harrisburg 18th out of Top 35 medium cities for business (2004)
* Harrisburg is the 68th best city to hook up in, according to Unilever's "Best City for the Dating Game". (2004)
* Harrisburg is the 27th Funniest metro region in America- Hallmark shoebox Division (July 2004)
* ExpansionManagement.com placed Harrisburg at #8 on the Top Logistics Metros in the Northeast. (2003)
* Harrisburg placed in the Top Climbers: Fastest Growing Cities for Wiring- Yahoo Internet Life. (May 2002)
* Ranked 7th "Top Ten Midsize Cities Creativity Ranking" from The Rise of the Creative Class by Richard Florida (2002)

[abloodragon]

to Ryan101
LOL! I've spent 10 years in NC, while Charlotte is 'nice', what long list of cultural activities are there? When you get bored with Charlotte, where are you going to go? Asheville?
The things I've learned while in NC....you can say anything about anyone, as long as you preface it with "God bless them but...". I'm an RN, this past spring our hospital was hiring a new administrator, one of the big concerns brought up in the meeting, was that they not hire an 'outsider', that they hire someone born and bred here, and they followed through and hired a local. Have you encountered the all important tobacco god? A few years ago, while volunteering at a local rescue squad, I complained about all the smoking,...I was told by the 'Chief' (a nonsmoker) never to say that around any of the board members, because tobacco was what built this place.
BTW, it's not OK as a southern baptist to have a drink in your own home, but it is OK to have a cigarette at the front entrance to the church.

[go phillies]

Originally Posted by abloodragon

BTW, it's not OK as a southern baptist to have a drink in your own home, but it is OK to have a cigarette at the front entrance to the church.

Another reason I like it on this side of the Mason-Dixon line. Not very many judgmental Baptists compared to the South.