Moving to Meadville ... any tips? (Pittsburgh, Erie: middle-class, renting, houses)

[katchrist]

I'm glad I found this forum. I'm moving to Meadville next week & I sorta wished I'd found this before I took a job there. Oh, well... I'm a little worried about the schools. They're ancient & I noticed that almost 40% of the students are receiving free or reduced lunches & the poverty rate is pretty high. Is it true that Meadville rarely has sunshine?

[NWPAguy]

Yeah, I'd say it's true that NW PA in general "rarely" has sunshine. That being said, you'll get more sunshine in the summer than you will in the winter. Up here, near Corry, we just had a run of four days straight where there was some sunshine every day... two of those days were sunny from morning until night. However, in the winter months, you're only going to get maybe an average of one day per month where it's sunny all day. We had a nice January thaw, which saw two straight sunny days in the low 60s. Naturally, I was outside working all day! However, you don't have to take my word for it. Look up Meadville on this website, and scroll down far enough until you see the graph which shows "cloudy days". Notice how there is a relative dearth of days in the winter months which are "free of clouds". (January seems to show maybe 6% of days being free of clouds. Do the math... that's like 2 days, at most.) Look at the "sunshine" graph... you'll see that during the summer, there is more time when you can see the sun than when you cannot... but even in July, if you look at the cloudy days graph, you'll see that only one out of every five days is entirely sunny.

The poverty rate is high because there are few good jobs out here and the government insists upon subsidizing those who won't work. This is a very high welfare area... and one of the reasons for that is because welfare continues as long as recipients make a concerted effort to find acceptable employment. In Crawford County, there just isn't much of that. I'm glad you got a job... consider yourself one of the lucky ones. Erie Plastics, in Corry, just laid off over 150 workers. I found out that a local company just advertised three job openings, and over 1,000 people applied for those three jobs. What does that tell you about the economic climate of this area?

That being said, if you can deal with it always being overcast and dreary in the winter, there are a lot of friendly people around here. That could be because most of the people who remain here are the old-timers who grew up here and, since retirement, do not have to worry about whether or not they'll be able to make money here. This area just doesn't offer much of an attractive nature to 20-somethings like my wife and I. We're looking to join the masses moving south to the Sun Belt. Only trouble is, if everyone does that, will we be able to sell our house? I wonder how many other people are in a spot like that...?

[kpoeppel]

NW PA has a terrible economy. There is very much a culture of entitlement around here. Remember that western PA was the cradle of organized labor, and so much of the population believes that economic prosperity is created by taking wealth from someone else instead of taking initiative themselves. Also, there are a large number of senior citizens here, many of whom live on Social Security. There are a large number of people on welfare.

The people who want to better themselves move to places that have jobs, like in the sunbelt states. So there's sort of a "sociological filter" effect. The ambitious leave, leaving the slackers behind. The slackers vote for polititions who will subsidize their slacking with other peoples' taxes, forcing even more productive people and businesses to leave the state, and so on. It's a vicious cycle, and I don't see it ending until the state is bankrupt.

No, not everyone here lives off the government, but there are far too many who do.

One a positive note, NW PA is one of the few areas of the country that hasn't had to endure a massive housing bubble.

[Elementaryteacher]

Don, do you have children or are you planning on having them? I would recommed living near Neason Hill school in Meadville or going to Conneaut Lake if so? As a teacher who has been in both Crawford Central and Conneaut School District, these two have the most predominant opportunities. These schools are also located in the wealthier sections of crawford county. There are WONDERFUL teachers at the other schools as well but parent support means a lot today. Also, are you looking for a victoria charm home or an upscale allotment or country life. Crawford County offers all of those things depending on what you want.

[Elementaryteacher]

I have lived here most of my life. I also have lived in Virginia and South Carolina so I can compare those as well. I enjoy the seasons here and although winter can be depressing, I have never noticed a lack of sun. Maybe I am used to it? Meadville schools are old but are renovating. They have an excellent sports program. They also send children on to Ivy League schools which you unfortunately don't see in the country as much.

[vertov76]

Originally Posted by Autobot032

You're entitled to your opinion...just like those of us who are negative.

Obviously, our concerns are valid, otherwise there would only be one, maybe two people complaining and they could be considered trolls.

That's not the case, here. Plenty of people online and offline have problems with Meadville and regret living there or the lack of ability to leave it behind.

I have to be honest...your case is a rare one. Not too many people can claim what you have. A lot of people are looking for jobs, but can't find any. A lot of people are wanting to move from Meadville and for good reason.

For someone who's already established in life (such as yourself) sure...Meadville wouldn't be a bad place. Neither would it be for retirees, the elderly, etc.

However, the youth of the community have no real outlet for their creativity, skills, or abilities. When my cousin checked into Allegheny for her education...she found out that most of the students aren't even from Meadville. Why? Because a lot of Meadville's young adults come from poor backgrounds that couldn't even hope to afford the costs of eduction there.

She ended up going to Penn State Behrend and she's so happy she could burst. Erie gives her more options, she's actually studying exactly what she wanted (and no, I have no idea what it is that she's majoring in. She flip flopped several times before settling, so your guess is as good as mine.) she has far more opportunities than she had ever hoped for. She even has friends that she can trust and rely on.

In Meadville? None.

You're either rich, or poor. There's no in-between in Meadville and it shows. That's one of the reasons she had no friends in Meadville, and one of the reasons why it depressed her so much.

I haven't seen her this happy in a very, very long time.

There are some positives to Meadville (though the list is small) and there are negatives as well. Again I say, you're entitled to your opinion...as are we.

I probably shouldn't look at it so bitterly (though I have legitimate reasons) and you probably shouldn't look at it through rose colored glasses. The truth lies somewhere in-between.

Thanks for your thoughtful reply. I agree, it's probably somewhere in-between, which is why I wanted to post my overwhelmingly positive experience in Meadville. I also agree that folks are entitled to their opinions.

Your comment about Allegheny interested me, because I think it's another positive that Allegheny is able to draw a population of folks to Meadville that aren't from the area. The trick is getting them to stay or come back, like I did.

I'm glad your cousin likes Erie. I lived there for a few years and found it agreeable as well - certainly if you want more options. My indignation is more at folks who are down on the whole NW PA region...

Also, regarding the comments another individual made about NW PA weather... I like not being innudated by floods, hurricanes, being under water restrictions, having a house that doesn't even have AC installed, and... I LOVE the snow. The neat thing about living up north is just when you've had enough of the weather, it changes again. I don't know how my family (mostly in the south) puts up with the constant heat, breathing that stale AC, boarding up their windows every summer during hurricane season, finding an insurance company that will insure them for the next big one... My parents pay more in flood insurance than they used to on their mortgage! (And thank God they've been down there long enough that they didn't lose their shirts in the housing crisis.) My sister spends two hours a day sitting in traffic, which is more time than I spend in my car in two weeks, unless it's for pleasure.

I consider myself pretty well travelled in these fifty states, and I'd certainly take Pennsylvania over FL, GA, SC, NC, VA, AL, TN, MS, TX and MO, all of which I've had the "pleasure" of experiencing to some degree, a couple intimately. How can those folks put up with it???? (I haven't been out west enough to really comment, although I could see myself in Colorado or Oregon or somewhere like that maybe... New England has always seemed pleasant, although really expensive where I've been.)

I guess the reason for my post in the end is it seems like so many posts on the internet are people venting or complaining, and I wonder if people are just so miserable all the time or if it's just the internet bringing it out. I'm proud of Meadville. I know it's not very wealthy or bustling. I'm not so blinded like some locals are who think it's a great place because they're afraid of the unknown. I've lived lots of places. But Meadville is a great place for this 31 year old to raise a family and enjoy his life, and I hope that someone wouldn't turn down a job here because of the negative comments on this or any other forum. If you can't find a job here, well how can I blame you for wanting to leave. You gotta pay the bills and eat, right?

[brad32312]

i grew up in northwest PA.. (erie,crawford,venango county)

short answer: don't do it.

after i left Pennsylvania, i realized the opportunities are much better elsewhere, (ex. employment, raising a family, weather)

Meadville itself, is a very depressed town. there are many misconceptions that it is "dirty." As far as cleanliness, it is in many sections, from a now-outsiders opinion. the entire area sucks in my eyes in certain areas. one thing i can say that is extremely great about the area is the people. i live in the south where hospitality is "strong." is it, but most of the great people i've met in my life have come from that area. the people (speaking in general) are down to earth, VERY hard working, good people. they treat people the way they would want themselves treated. As someone posted earlier, if you are an avid outdoors man, you are definitely in the right place. the hunting/fishing in the general area is outstanding. but if you are looking for a place to settle down and find a job, I'd really consider looking elsewhere. good luck in your search!

[joemoedee]

Ah, Meadville.

I grew up in NJ, and my family moved to Meadville when I was in 10th grade.

Meadville does have its charm, but I have to agree with most of the "naysayers" on the board.

If you're an outsider, you typically remain as such. If you're "in", then you have it made. Many of the comments stated are ones that I or my family have said in the past. "Chip on their shoulders, etc"

Jobs are few and far between, and most pay less than anywhere else. (IE: I was told of a IT job, required a multitude of skills. Pay, 30-35k. Anywhere else with the job requirements would be 60k+)

There's a common misconception that it is affordable to live. It's not. Well, let me rephrase that, it depends on the quality of life that you want to obtain.

You can find an old home for 35k, but you end up in a home worth 35k. You want $300 rent? Yeah, you can get it. And the place will be worth all of $300/month. Want a new home? Prepare to pay. My home, 3/2, .6 acres, nice subdivision which was two years old, was purchased down here outside of Atlanta for 125k, in Meadville it would be 25-50k more. Easily.

Heating is expensive, my family that remains in the area end up with huge heating bills in the Winter, and most don't even keep their homes that warm. In fact my quality of life is much better down in Georgia, with less money spent per month. And a much higher income.

The city is run like Mayberry without charm. It seems that the buddy system is the way the government is run totally.

The weather is pretty lousy, with a lot of clouds.

Lots of underground drug use, predominately due to a lack of activities available to youth. A lot of unreported crime, although overall it's a pretty safe area.

There are some pluses, though.

Like hunting/fishing? Lots of it to be had. We even used to get off "Doe Day". (Talk about a culture shock for a kid that grew up in view of the Philadelphia skyline)

Like bars? Downtown Meadville has more than most large cities it seems.

A lot of the country landscape is eye catching. The high school (MASH) was good, although if you have teenage kids I wouldn't recommend moving them to the district. Being an outsider is tough. Young children have a better chance as they go through school and become less of an outsider.

There are some good real estate deals to be had, especially if you're looking for land. (Feel free to inquire on my Parents 5.5 acre 3/1 farm-ette. Shameless plug.)

Overall, if you're well set on money (A well established job, lottery winnings, massive profit from a home sell, etc.) then it could be well worth checking out.

If you're just starting out, looking for employment... be warned. For me? It's a place to visit family and friends.

[Junebug2009]

Hi all,
So I am a potentially transferring college student coming from Oregon to PA. I originally spent my first semester of college in Virginia but, being from Oregon, I did not expect that thing called humidity. We are extremely lucky and fortunate that in Oregon, we don't have ANY of that icky stuff. So naturally, I could not tolerate it and wasn't expecting it to be so SUFFOCATING!! Needless to say, I am looking at other colleges and Allegheny is of great interest to me. I am mainly concerned with the kind of humidity that is normally felt in Meadville. Is it as bad as Virginia? How long do the summers last? I am a winter/cold person and I hate the heat. I can stand it for a short period of time if I am tanning or in a pool, however being surrounded by high heat and inescapable humidity is a curse to me. I would really love any input from people who either go to school there, visited there, or lived/live there.
Thanks guys!!
PS- I went to Randolph which is in Lynchburg, VA (VERY small town where people hung out at Walmart...is Meadville this kind of situation??)

[goodgirl49]

Originally Posted by Junebug2009

Hi all,
So I am a potentially transferring college student coming from Oregon to PA. I originally spent my first semester of college in Virginia but, being from Oregon, I did not expect that thing called humidity. We are extremely lucky and fortunate that in Oregon, we don't have ANY of that icky stuff. So naturally, I could not tolerate it and wasn't expecting it to be so SUFFOCATING!! Needless to say, I am looking at other colleges and Allegheny is of great interest to me. I am mainly concerned with the kind of humidity that is normally felt in Meadville. Is it as bad as Virginia? How long do the summers last? I am a winter/cold person and I hate the heat. I can stand it for a short period of time if I am tanning or in a pool, however being surrounded by high heat and inescapable humidity is a curse to me. I would really love any input from people who either go to school there, visited there, or lived/live there.
Thanks guys!!
PS- I went to Randolph which is in Lynchburg, VA (VERY small town where people hung out at Walmart...is Meadville this kind of situation??)

It will be humid in Meadville in the summer, but not as bad as VA. On average, the summer will be a month or two shorter.