Good/bad sections of Ridgway, PA (York, St. Marys: crime, homes, employment)

[musicnsunshine]

My husband recently got a job in Elk County, and we'll be relocating there soon. We're considering moving to Ridgway. Can anyone tell me which are the good/bad sections of the town? For example, good would be where the residents are fairly quiet, friendly, and keep their properties clean. Bad would be where there are druggies, loud parties, and broken-down cars in the yard.

[Dylan D]

i thought ridgway was a big dump altogether, compared to st.marys.

[Mary K]

Obviously someone from St. Marys posted the last reply. I would suggest the southeast side of town where the older homes are. Everyone in Ridgway is very friendly and unlike some "other" area towns you are not treated like an outsider if you were not born and raised there. As well, the traffic in town here is much less and drivers are very much more considerate of other drivers on the road. Crime is much lower in Ridgway comparative to some "other" towns in Elk County. Hope you enjoy your move to Ridgway.

[PAman]

Saint Mary's is a nice town. I enjoyed the visit I made there, met some friendly people who were curious as to who I was and why I was there...If youre there for the right reasons(work,fell in love with the town\city and wanted to live there, etc...) the people will open up for you...The people I met opened up once they realized I truly wanted to see their town and actually gave me some good pointers on local "sights".
I drove through Rway on my way to St.Marys. I prefer SM, bigger, more "urban" in feel and appearance, and I've got a soft spot in my heart for hulking manufacturing structures, and Saint Mary's has plenty of that...If you need schools, SM has a beautiful complex on top of a hill on the south side for its public school system, and Elk County Catholic HS looks like any other catholic school built between 1950 and 1970.

If youre in St. Mary ever, I suggest a restaurant located downtown called Gunners. It's not New York 5 star, but it's a good restaurant with a large menu and some very interesting dishes that are tasty. For breakfast I'd go for the diner across from the post office, it's a little hidden as there isnt a huge sign publicizing it(I dont even remember the name!), but good bang for your buck and they're willing to cook to your desire\need ie if you want egg whites, they wont look at you cross eyed, like the people in West Middlesex's diner did to me when I asked for egg whites.

Ridgeway just didn't do it for me, it was a little too small. A nice, quiet town, but just a little too tiny for my tastes, but if it works for you, welcome to our commonwealth and hopefully you'll be a "lifer" here!

The Greater Dubois-Punxsy-St Mary area isnt overly populated, SM and DuBois are the real business,educational and industrial centers; Punxsy seems to be a one week a year town. If you like the outdoors and quiet neighborhoods, you'll do fine there.

[15801]

i personally think DuBois is a little better.. but thats just my opinion.. theres more to do and DuBois is bigger but SM has less crime and not many gangs..

but then theres Treasure Lake in DuBois too.. Treasure Lake is probably the nicest area around by far.. but thats all in your opinion.. also Sylvan Heights and Coke Hill.. etc..

but yeah.. ha DuBois is also known as DuB/ DuB City.. i dont know why.. thats just the way it is hahaha

[jsn2007]

I agree with the post about the southeastern end of Ridgway. There are a lot of beautiful and comparatively low priced homes in Ridgway. The historic homes are especially nice. Saint Marys is the heart of industry and commerce for Elk County. It has the highest household income in the region. The clean and maintained look of the community exhibits this. There are two golf courses, many historic and scenic attractions and very good school systems. Dubois has quite a bit more along the lines of commerce. This also reflects its low household income levels. Saint Marys is more urban than Ridgway and most people depend on Saint Marys for their healthcare, entertainment and household needs. Most people that work in Ridgway actually commute to Saint Marys for employment as well. If you are looking for a quiet and more affluent community to live in, Saint Marys or Ridgway is it. The people of the area are all usually welcoming.