Your Opinion of why PA sucks so bad... (Harrisburg, Mechanicsburg: low income, townhome)

[jeepejeep]

Originally Posted by DowntownHarrisburg

There are political threads for political topics. And if you want to discuss Pennsylvania politics, feel free to start a new thread. You feel that "the liberals" have ruined your life, fine -- post away. Knock yourself out. But stop crapping this thread up with general politics.

If we wanted to read wharbargl about whose favorite political party did what to whom, we'd be in the politics thread.

I'm sick and tired of seeing the far-right and far-left extremists hijack every thread they come across to serve their own personal agenda, and I know I'm not the only one.

You're right and I apologize to all.
Now that I have power back here in NY after the hurricane, I can start planing my move to PA. I haven't visited all that much outside if the Bloomsburg area which we've visited quite a lot and we really like. From what I've seen of PA it really is a beautiful State and the people we've met so far are truly very nice.
We look forward to seeing and meeting more!

[DowntownHarrisburg]

Originally Posted by jeepejeep

You're right and I apologize to all.
Now that I have power back here in NY after the hurricane, I can start planing my move to PA. I haven't visited all that much outside if the Bloomsburg area which we've visited quite a lot and we really like. From what I've seen of PA it really is a beautiful State and the people we've met so far are truly very nice.
We look forward to seeing and meeting more!

Bloomsburg is a nice little town. In fact it's the only town in Pennsylvania. It's a little too rural for my tastes, but that's what makes PA so great -- you can easily find anything from a hirise apartment in a major metro area to a log cabin on a 20-acre wooded tract and everything in between.

You were also looking around Chambersburg, weren't you? Any luck on settling on a spot?

[DowntownHarrisburg]

Originally Posted by PeeAye Native

You're wildly off the mark about Harrisburg. It has bad areas, but the entire city in not like that. You clearly didn't drive through the downtown restaurant and bar district in the evening, or the entire riverfront 'Front Street' corridor.

I've noticed that most of the complaints about Harrisburg are based on comparisons to NYC / LA / Chicago / Philly -- metro areas that are hundreds of times bigger. For being a small city, Harrisburg offers tremendous bang for your buck. I've lived downtown for about six years, and having a few dozen restaurants / live music venues / bars / lounges / nightclubs within three blocks of my home is just awesome -- to say nothing of Riverfront Park and all the recreation, socialization, and community events it brings.

I often compare Harrisburg to Scranton or Wilkes-Barre. By population only, Scranton is about 50% bigger than Harrisburg, and Harrisburg is about 20% bigger than Wilkes-Barre. In some ways, Harrisburg has more of a "big-city" feel than either Wilkes-Barre or Scranton. We have more hirises, more high-density living, a beltway, better nightlife, those sorts of things. And yet downtown Scranton offers better shopping, both by way of the mall as well as street-level retail. And although Wilkes-Barre's Public Square is highly underutilized IMHO, it's still there, and it will eventually come around. Harrisburg is lacking in both of these areas.

Even with these deficiencies, I think Harrisburg still comes out on top (my personal opinion, not trying to spark a debate). You've got a reasonable facsimile (for a city of 50,000) of big-city amenities, and when the pond starts to feel a little too small, NYC is a short train ride away -- to say nothing of Philly or Baltimore.

When the locals fire up the ol' "lol harrisburg sux lol" rhetoric, I always ask why they still live here. Their response is usually dumbfounded silence.

[jeepejeep]

Yes, we were looking at Chambersburg but the wife decided it was too far from family in NY. It's about 4-41/2 hours from family.
Bloomsburg is around 3 hours and that's seems OK with her. We are looking to be more rural so the area around Bloomsburg seems right. We'd like 10 or so acres not too far 915-20 mins) from town with decent shopping.
Hopefully we'll get out there before it gets too cold.
My wife needs to be near good cancer screening hospitals/care centers as she's a breast cancer survivor and needs regular scans. I love the outdoors, shooting and hunting. I've heard there's a good cancer hospital in Danville which looks to be pretty close to Blooms. The area looks to have good hunting also. Hopefully right what we want.
Anyway, not to hijack the thread in yet another direction! PA like everywhere else, has good and bad. It really depends on what you like/want. It seems diverse enough for most to get a good fit. I had to laugh at the OP's mention of potholes. NY is the pothole King as far as I've seen! Any area with harsh winters is goingto have bad roads and construction to try and keep them in good shape. It goes with the territory.

[Duderino]

Originally Posted by StAcKhOuSe

i could go on, but what's the point? you will continue with your venomous retorts and childish "we're glad you left, hopefully the door hit you in the ***** on the way out" rhetoric.

I apologize to come off snippy and as a "keyboard warrior," but I just really dislike sweeping generalizations. I am completely fine with constructive criticism, of which plenty is reserved for Pennsylvania -- and, in fact, I encourage that -- but you're just generally being unfair. I also am legitimately glad for people who are happier in places that they've moved to -- no one should have to live in place that doesn't make them as happy as they could be.

PA wasn't for you, and that's completely fine. No state is going to be for everyone. Yet there's a major difference between expressing criticism of a place in a tactful way and being blatantly crass. That's honestly all there is to it.

[hashford]

understood what original poster was trying to achieve...although most of the answers would be blinded by opinion. it is nice to know the good and bad when going into a new area, specially the bad..and there are plenty of posts like this one. city vs. city is one of them.

[dreamingofsunshine123]

Originally Posted by mercurythewise

Is it the potholes in the road?
Is it the neverending road construction projects?
Is it the below-average salary in most job areas?
Is it the uneducated idiots with a chip on their shoulder?
Is it the fact that it only has one semi-modern city?
Is it the high murder rate of Filthadelphia? Reading?
Would you vacation here for more than a day?
Is it the awful regional cuisine?
Is it the dumb dutch culture? (I use the word 'culture' sparingly)

And to those who moved out of PA, how long did it take you to Detox
PA from your system? Don't be afraid these hicks can't harm you anymore.

Exactly.

PA sucks for numerous reasons. The weather sucks, the people are fat and under-educated, not to mention have no style. The cities are dirty (and boring), the roads are in terrible conditon, did I mention it's just plain boring?

[hashford]

you just described large portions of georgia.

[KingKrab]

Honestly, This forum is a little strange. I understand everybody is entitled to opinions, but what grown man is going to want to be taken honestly when describing a whole state such as, "the people are fat and under-educated, not to mention have no style. The cities are dirty (and boring), the roads are in terrible condition, did I mention it's just plain boring?"(note he mentioned moving at 18. What kid really experiences cities such as Philly and Pittsburgh before 18? Have you ever hung out in Philly in your mid 20s?) Constructive criticism is always good. I have issues with how the unions control things in the NE states, how the roads are in bad shape, and other issues politically. But to come on here and complain about how everybody is "under-educated and fat" like a fourth grader is just another thing.

I lived in two other states, and returned to PA. I am well traveled, well educated in architectural engineering, not fat, run everyday, and probably am boring (I will give them that). But do these 4th grader Pennsylvanian bashers understand what fools they are making of themselves in how they behave behind a screen name? It is silly, childish, and downright bizarre. Imagine if people in your everyday real day to day lives could see what you post on the internet. I am not here to argue via keyboards with angry hateful people who have no concern with understanding differences between states. I could really care less if somebody thinks Pennsylvanians such as myself are all fat, dumb, hillbillies to them. I am comfortable with myself to realize that is not the case. It just sheds bad light on the quality of this forum.

Also, Bloomsburg is a very nice little town. I actually have a job going on up there right now, and have been going there off an on. Most Pennsylvanian towns with PA state universities are nice. However, many towns on the drive up there I have to go to on route 61 are old mining towns that have seen better days. There are a lot of them in Pennsylvania that unfortunetley will have trouble ever making a comeback since they don't full-fill a need that they once did.

[DowntownHarrisburg]

Originally Posted by KingKrab

But do these 4th grader Pennsylvanian bashers understand what fools they are making of themselves in how they behave behind a screen name?

Put simply, no.

The formula is usually the same. They stumble over to the forum, post "LOL PA SUX AMIRITE", then lean back in their chair, stroking their neckbeard and marveling at how clever their masterstroke was. "I sure showed those plebes," they often think.

Then they usually get ignored.