Moving to Meadville ... any tips? (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh: low crime, homes, schools)

[rural lady]

I wish I would have moved to Meadville-Franklin, I liked Franklin, still get the humidity tho, don't know if it rains as much there as in Central PA

[joemoedee]

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??)

The heat is not bad, Humidity averages 60-80% year round. Summer is not very long, it's not going to get out of the 70's all this week, for example. Lots of snow in the winter, although not as bad as Erie County. The area is one of the cloudiest areas in the nation, on average.

As far as stuff to do? Not much. "Cruising" is quite popular, or at least was, around the Diamond Park area of downtown. There's lots of bars to satisfy the over 21 crowd. There are lots of outdoor activities as well. (Camping, fishing, hunting, etc.)

If you go to Allegheny, I wouldn't expect to hang around after graduation too long. (Well, depending on your chosen profession. Education or healthcare, you could theoretically stick around. Anything else? Good luck.)

[katchrist]

I just moved to Meadville back in mid-March of this year (2008). So far, I like the weather. The summer temperatures seem to average in the 70's and 80's. I think 90's are rare, according to the National Weather Service. I haven't lived through a winter here, yet. I've talked to alot of people I work with & they say we get alot of snow, but not as much as in the past, and not as much as they get north of Cochranton.

As far as things to do, there's a few things, but you have to look for them. If you like the outdoors, you are always close to good hiking spots. There are several state parks nearby. Erie is the closest large city, and there's alot to do there. That's only about a 40 minute drive from Meadville. The people here are friendly in some parts of the town, and unfriendly in others. It depends on the socio-economic status, I guess. I live in a lower middle-class neighborhood & my neighbors are very nice. Housing is cheap, but it's hard to find many houses that don't need alot of repair.

Overall, I like it here, though I prefer central Pennsylvania (State College, PA). It really is Happy Valley there!

Good luck!

[underink]

I've been to Meadville many times. I live in Greenville. I went there with my then-boyfriend who spent three or four years there. Apparently the drug rate has gone through the roof and there are frequent drug busts there. It really isn't a good place to have a family or buy a permanent home. I'd settle on renting a place in that area until you can find a better place to settle down, if nothing else. Don't bother with Meadville.

[pp64]

I've been looking at a few houses that are in Meadville and Seagertown...right now I live in York County. I figure I could get a staff job at one of the colleges (what I do already). As another poster asked, is there any advice anyone can give me? Maybe some areas to stay away from? I moved to Baltimore from Jersey for about 10 years and hated it , 1. The city life and 2. all the racial tensions. I don't want anything to do with that!!!

[rednet]

What anybody researching moving into Pennsylvania has to understand is that by and large the native population has a VERY negative and pessimistic attitude. Wow, what a VERY negative
and pessimistic attitude!!!! While I am NOT a native of this area, there are many positive things
I like about living in Meadville for the past four years. I moved here after living in San Diego CA
for 20 years. Compared to the Southern California FALSE paradise, there are many WONDERFUL
things I LOVE about Meadville, PA: (1) No Mexicans, illegal or otherwise (2) The crime here pales
in comparison (3) The drug use here doesn't even come close to S California (4) I know ALL of
my neighbors and their families (a foreign concept in "paradise") (5) The real estate is cheap.
I think those are five things you will never find in any of the false paradises so many love to
flock to.

[RebelPhotog]

I have family in Meadville and when I relocate, I will need to be near them. There are NO job prospects for me there. In order to work and make decent money, I'll have to be a little farther south near Pittsburgh. You may want to consider looking farther south of Meadville, as well. Oh, and, I've never seen a wifi sign in Meadville. If it's there, it's well hidden.

[GGWOODY]

I am in talking with a company in Meadville about a job. The pay would be great, and I like small-town I grew up in a tiny town. I've read a lot of negatives about Meadville, and just a few positives. Are the negatives (Weather, drugs, attitude, corruption, poverty, etc.) as bad as everyone lets on or is there a high degree of exagerration?
I'm a countryy boy from Georgia, currently living in middle Tennessee. I have a wife and 3 year-old son. I live in a great area. My wife and I want to make sure that a move to the meadville area will be a healthy one. Apparently Meadville proper is a bit dodgey, so what surrounding communities are recommended? I would like to keep my drive under 20 mi from Meadville.
As for the weather, being from the South, snow is not a constant thing that we have to deal with, and we like warm sunny days (not too warm)...it sounds like that area is a bit dreary. Y'all's take on that?

At the end of the day, the breaking point on whether we decide to move to that area (besides actually getting the job) is the environment that we'd be moving to.

[sr1234]

Originally Posted by GGWOODY

I am in talking with a company in Meadville about a job. The pay would be great, and I like small-town I grew up in a tiny town. I've read a lot of negatives about Meadville, and just a few positives. Are the negatives (Weather, drugs, attitude, corruption, poverty, etc.) as bad as everyone lets on or is there a high degree of exagerration?
I'm a countryy boy from Georgia, currently living in middle Tennessee. I have a wife and 3 year-old son. I live in a great area. My wife and I want to make sure that a move to the meadville area will be a healthy one. Apparently Meadville proper is a bit dodgey, so what surrounding communities are recommended? I would like to keep my drive under 20 mi from Meadville.
As for the weather, being from the South, snow is not a constant thing that we have to deal with, and we like warm sunny days (not too warm)...it sounds like that area is a bit dreary. Y'all's take on that?

At the end of the day, the breaking point on whether we decide to move to that area (besides actually getting the job) is the environment that we'd be moving to.

Winters are so harsh in NW PA that they will either break you or make you fall in love with the region. Maybe because it is a difficult place to live, the people in the country tend to be more salt of the earth types. They are more midwest in mindset than the rest of the state and fiercely independent. Outdoor recreation is a major interest. You can be in really rural areas once you get 20 miles out of a city or town. If you are a city type, definately stay in one of the city propers.

[joemoedee]

Originally Posted by GGWOODY

I am in talking with a company in Meadville about a job. The pay would be great, and I like small-town I grew up in a tiny town. I've read a lot of negatives about Meadville, and just a few positives. Are the negatives (Weather, drugs, attitude, corruption, poverty, etc.) as bad as everyone lets on or is there a high degree of exagerration?
I'm a countryy boy from Georgia, currently living in middle Tennessee.

I did the opposite, I moved from Meadville to Georgia.

The weather is a big factor. It's pretty cloudy most of the time, and the winters are quite harsh. If you like our mild winter down here... you'll be miserable there.

The attitude? Being new in the area isn't always too enduring on the locals. There's a big disparity between the haves, and the have-nots. A lot of the "good ole boy" network occurs there, which is what you'll have in most smaller areas, I'd assume.

Another misconception is its cheap to live there, it's really not. Utilities are outrageous. (I'm talking, 400-500 a month on natural gas in the Winter. If you're lucky.) Taxes are pretty high vs property value. The best comparison I saw was comparing Erie to Atlanta, on the Erie Times News website. The cost of living in Erie was actually higher than in Atlanta. That's pretty insane.

The biggest factor that I'd weigh is, if for some reason you lose this particular job... good luck finding another. Opportunities are not readily available as the area is not growing, and is experiencing a population decline.

For me personally, if I was independantly wealthy, I'd consider it. For my current situation? Not a chance.