Moving to Meadville ... any tips? (Pittsburgh, Erie: cheap house, university, living in)

[mystree]

Stay away from the seagertown area, especially if you have or plan to have children.

Hi Mel...Haven't been in the area for about 7 years,has the area changed that much? Just curious I remember it being a nice area. I used to live in Cambridge Springs and would travel to meadville for work.

[Autobot032]

Originally Posted by mystree66

Hi Mel...Haven't been in the area for about 7 years,has the area changed that much? Just curious I remember it being a nice area. I used to live in Cambridge Springs and would travel to meadville for work.

I can answer that.

I'm guessing (since you lived in CS) that you know about the region's drug problem? Tidioute, Titusville, Warren, Edinboro, Erie, Saegertown, Venango (The town, not the county...though it has it's problems as well.) and it's constantly traveling back and forth, so crime is up some.

The Cancer causing chemicals are still in the water, French Creek has basically been blacklisted due to the scunge in it. You're not allowed to swim in it (God only knows why you're allowed to fish in it...)

One other problem, Saegertown has always been predominately white, and the people are used to it. Now, it's becoming a melting pot of races and some are having a hard time adjusting to it. A friend of the family has lived there her entire adult life and she admits she can't handle it. Her son's always in trouble (now going to Erie for Methodone treatments to kick his Cocaine habit, etc)

And with the town being as small as it is, it's just better to avoid it.

NOTE: I want to make one thing clear, my point about the racial mixing in Saegertown wasn't racially motivated, racist, nor intended to offend. Merely stating a fact, not an opinion. I hold no grievances against anyone because of their fleshtone. I apologize if anyone was inadvertantly offended, that was not the intention.

[Mel36]

Has meadville changed in the last 7 years...Oh yeah. It is an economically depressed area. Let's put it this way, where can you go in America, especially the east coast where rent is still below $700 a month?

I used to also live in Cambridge Springs as a child. I lived off of 19 heading towards waterford.

Allegeny has even given up on the French Creek project. You would think Lords would have to pay for the clean up, but then again it's a big coorporation.

As far as drug problems in the region. Erie and Crawford county has always had a drug problem. And to be quite honest where is there not a drug problem of some sort. This is different times. Jobs are being sent overseas by the millions, dairy farms are closing, and making an honest living is becoming harder and harder. Families are breaking down. Yet we wonder why is there a drug problem in our youth? Hell I am part of the youth.

Anyways, like a said before, just come back for a bit and see how you like it. If you hate it you can also move.

[mystree]

Wow,I'm just surprized it changed so much,guess I left at the right time.

[Autobot032]

Originally Posted by Mel36

Has meadville changed in the last 7 years...Oh yeah. It is an economically depressed area. Let's put it this way, where can you go in America, especially the east coast where rent is still below $700 a month?

I used to also live in Cambridge Springs as a child. I lived off of 19 heading towards waterford.

Allegeny has even given up on the French Creek project. You would think Lords would have to pay for the clean up, but then again it's a big coorporation.

As far as drug problems in the region. Erie and Crawford county has always had a drug problem. And to be quite honest where is there not a drug problem of some sort. This is different times. Jobs are being sent overseas by the millions, dairy farms are closing, and making an honest living is becoming harder and harder. Families are breaking down. Yet we wonder why is there a drug problem in our youth? Hell I am part of the youth.

Anyways, like a said before, just come back for a bit and see how you like it. If you hate it you can also move.

Problem is, they can't just move if they don't like it. They're actually planning on buying a house, and I know it's a lot more difficult than just throwin' the cash down and walking away with the key. It's also a lot more difficult to sell it. This is something they should really check every angle of, not just go with the flow.

Plus with the fact he'd be working in Franklin, traveling from Saegertown would be a distance of 33 miles each way...just for a job and to live in a diseased town.

I don't know about him, but it's certainly not something I'd be signing up for.

Plus the unemployment rate went up a bit more in Meadville, while it's holding stable in Franklin.

I just cannot stress enough, how bad Crawford County is. It's because no one's willing to try and make anything better...at all.

[Tim Sr.]

Unbelievable.

I grew up in Saegertown, left to live in Erie for 10 years at age 18, and then moved my family back.
I now live in the Woodcock Dam area and love it.
I disagree with all of the negative things said here about this area.

Economically depressed: We had a slump a few years back due to a dip in the Tool & Die Industry, but that has recovered. China took a lot of that business until the low quality of their products became known.

Drug problem: Yeah, where is that not a problem. Hasn't effected me or my family.

Chemical spill in Saegertown: A long time ago, there was an oil spill that contaminated one of several water wells in Saegertown. That was cleaned up at great expense at that time. My father serves on the town's water/sewer board and I know that the water from each well serving the area water system has to undergo regular testing. It is fine.


An area is what you make it in most cases. My family is involved in a local church and private school. My job gets me into hundreds of local homes every year for the past 20 years. I can hardly go anywhere around here without seeing people I know. Although I recently had a job offer in Atlanta where I could have doubled my income, I chose to stay here.

It is a great place to live.

For those who are convinced that it is not, please move away!

[Autobot032]

Originally Posted by Tim Sr.

Unbelievable.

I grew up in Saegertown, left to live in Erie for 10 years at age 18, and then moved my family back.
I now live in the Woodcock Dam area and love it.
I disagree with all of the negative things said here about this area.

Economically depressed: We had a slump a few years back due to a dip in the Tool & Die Industry, but that has recovered. China took a lot of that business until the low quality of their products became known.

Drug problem: Yeah, where is that not a problem. Hasn't effected me or my family.

Chemical spill in Saegertown: A long time ago, there was an oil spill that contaminated one of several water wells in Saegertown. That was cleaned up at great expense at that time. My father serves on the town's water/sewer board and I know that the water from each well serving the area water system has to undergo regular testing. It is fine.


An area is what you make it in most cases. My family is involved in a local church and private school. My job gets me into hundreds of local homes every year for the past 20 years. I can hardly go anywhere around here without seeing people I know. Although I recently had a job offer in Atlanta where I could have doubled my income, I chose to stay here.

It is a great place to live.

For those who are convinced that it is not, please move away!

No offense, but people with attitudes like your's, were part of the big reason my family and I left the Meadville area. We were sick and tired of being looked down upon and being treated differently because my parents are handicapped. You can blow sunshine up everyone's rear end, but you're not fooling me. I was born and raised in the Saegertown/Meadville area. I've seen the ups and downs, the people. There's no hope or help there.

I'll admit, we're both biased and want to follow our own points of view, but the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

It's not the end of the world to live in that region, but it isn't this wonderful family place you call it either.

[Tim Sr.]

Originally Posted by Autobot032

No offense, but people with attitudes like your's, were part of the big reason my family and I left the Meadville area.

People with attitudes like mine? A positive attitude?

Do you prefer a negative attitude?

I have met thousands of people in this area. Most are nice.

I am sorry you had bad experiences here, maybe moving away was best for you.

But you have no right to make untrue statements to discourage people from moving here. Cancer causing chemicals in our water? Any proof of that?

I am simply disagreeing with a lot of unsubstanciated negative things stated on this forum.

My opinion based on my experience can speak for itself.

[Autobot032]

Originally Posted by Tim Sr.

People with attitudes like mine? A positive attitude?

Do you prefer a negative attitude?

I have met thousands of people in this area. Most are nice.

I am sorry you had bad experiences here, maybe moving away was best for you.

But you have no right to make untrue statements to discourage people from moving here. Cancer causing chemicals in our water? Any proof of that?

I am simply disagreeing with a lot of unsubstanciated negative things stated on this forum.

My opinion based on my experience can speak for itself.

1A.) Your whole "if you don't like it, leave!" attitude is what I'm talking about. That was the attitude we encountered constantly. And more the "LEAVE!" part specifically.

2A.) I'm sure there are plenty of good people in the region (the elderly specifically), we have yet to see them. You don't understand, we lived there almost 25 years, so we've seen the ups and downs.

3A.)

Originally Posted by Tim Sr

Economically depressed: We had a slump a few years back due to a dip in the Tool & Die Industry, but that has recovered. China took a lot of that business until the low quality of their products became known.

I'm sorry, this has not recovered. The newspapers or wherever you get this type of information is either sadly misinformed, or delivering bull to the people.
Why? Here are just a few examples...

1B.) Welfare sent a letter to a friend of mine, and it said that they were going to take her foodstamps, but revised that due to the "Low and faltering" economy that has taken over Crawford County.
She called them, and wanted to finalize that she was okay, and they said yes. They also said that due to the economy, there are over 35 homeless families in Crawford County, most of them in the Meadville area. They were even current Meadville residents, and became homeless because their jobs were lost.

2B.) A CSM at Wal-Mart gave me the ins and outs of the job market in the Meadville area when I asked if they had any open positions. She said and I quote "It's not even worth your time. We won't even look at the application. We're at capacity now, and we actually need to cut some people. It's a shame because people like my husband are in desperate need of job and can't get one. My husband has put in over 200 applications since 2005, of course some of them were to the same places over and over. He even traveled to Erie and there was still nothing. This is just one of the worst places economically. The whole region really. The hardest part of all of this for my husband? I'm the breadwinner, and he's never not been one. It's a hard thing for him, he's only in his late 30's and he feels like he went on retirement. He's also college educated to boot. Here's a little secret, about 30% of our employees work at the local factories, and they work here for extra bill money just to make it. If you really want a job, get out of here." That is *exactly* what she told me, and I had it confirmed by the Welfare office. I called them for peace of mind.

4A.) My mother's still friends with a woman from Saegertown, has been since '85. And she told us all about the water, and how French Creek isn't the cleanest body of water and so on. (I doubt many are at this point). She's not the only one either. I was raised in the United Methodist Church, and Church members even mentioned it. (I don't know if they're all still there or not. I doubt they'd remember me, it's been a long time.)

5A.) You're welcome to disagree with any statement on here, but so am I. How about we agree to disagree and we both get to keep our opinions? This way we can keep from derailing this thread, and both sides of the issue can be heard?

As I said, we're both extremists on this issue, the truth lies somewhere in between. (We can both say what we want, but neither one of us has all the facts in, especially when you consider things happen, that we're not told about.)

[danwxman]

What anybody researching moving into Pennsylvania has to understand is that by and large the native population has a VERY negative and pessimistic attitude. Northwestern Pennsylvania is beautiful. Is there a drug problem? Yes. Where isn't there a drug problem? These natives that claim the drugs are so bad have clearly never experienced many other parts of the country where drugs are a much, much more of an issue.