People in Lancaster County (York, Hershey: fit in, sales, house)

[lititzman2003]

I know everyone's heard this from me before, but I continue to wonder what it takes for people to be accepting to those who move here from places like Philly, Jersey or New York. People from other parts of the world seem to be more accepted then we are. Is it because of the violence that everyone hears about from those states? We're not all like that, trust me. We came out here to enjoy the peaceful, laid back approach to life. We have no interest in changing that at all. There is nothing to fear from us. We come in peace!

I originally thought it was just the people in my development who were standoffish, but after recently attending our parish picnic I came to realize that it is the vast majority of the people here in Lititz that have issues with "Easterners", as I once heard us referred to as. I understand close-knit, but this is ridiculous. We like our house and the downtown area, but we really can't handle it when we say "hello" to someone's face and they just turn away. I don't get it. We shower regularly! Moving back towards the Philly area seems to be the only option left.

Does any native of Lancaster County have thoughts on this? Or suggestions on how we can fit in? Is there anyone from the above areas experiencing the same attitudes that we do? If so, we're looking for friends as well! Thanks for your comments.

[mjk1093]

Not to beat this dead horse of a topic, but reading your post two new "reasons" for Lancaster's cold shoulder did pop into my head:

1. All the people moving there have raised home prices. Good for people who might sell, very bad for the oldsters who'll never leave but now have to pay more in taxes, and for families that have onwed their homes for generations (that's common in Lancaster.)

2. Their attitude might be: Other people are a potential source of sin, even if they go to church. Just stick with God, and your immediate family, and you'll be safe.

It's astounding how many PA Dutch talk with absolutely no one they are not related to.

[micrguy]

I moved to Hershey while my wife was in school and took a sales job where my territory was all of Lancaster County. People immediately pegged me as an outsider because I always said LAN-caster instead of LINK-ester. On one sales call, somebody just looked straight at me and said "your not from here, are you?", needless to say the call ended right there.

But the strange thing was that one of the products I sold was very popular with the Amish. Once I got my foot in the door with a handful of Amish business', I got phone calls all the time from other Amish companies that were referred to me. It took our secretary in our office a little getting used to answering the phone and having an Amish guy just start spouting off directions to his farm and telling her that I can come out anytime in the next week. By the time I left central PA, I knew more Amish people than most of the natives.

[trlstreet]

I grew up in Lititz, its part of what that town is about. Don't get me wrong, its a great town to live, great schools, etc...In all fairness, I think a lot of the cold shoulder mentality surrounds outsiders/tourists since there so many (often obnoxious) tourists in town every year. It is a relatively friendly town once you get involved and get to know people more. There is an air of superiority there, though.

[mjk1093]

Originally Posted by micrguy

People immediately pegged me as an outsider because I always said LAN-caster instead of LINK-ester.

You're still an outsider! It's LANK-ister.

Originally Posted by micrguy

But the strange thing was that one of the products I sold was very popular with the Amish. Once I got my foot in the door with a handful of Amish business', I got phone calls all the time from other Amish companies that were referred to me. It took our secretary in our office a little getting used to answering the phone and having an Amish guy just start spouting off directions to his farm and telling her that I can come out anytime in the next week. By the time I left central PA, I knew more Amish people than most of the natives.

The Amish actually aren't that bad. They're pacifists and don't prostelytize. It's actually the more "modern" groups that are the most fanatical and obnoxious.

[micrguy]

Originally Posted by mjk1093

You're still an outsider! It's LANK-ister.

I used to try and practice that so I almost sounded like a native, but could never figure it out.

And if all goes well with my life, I will never, ever find myself back in central Pennsylvania. The day my wife graduated from school I almost had a moving truck packed and ready to go so that she could walk down the aisle and into the moving truck with her diploma.

[mjk1093]

Originally Posted by micrguy

The day my wife graduated from school I almost had a moving truck packed and ready to go so that she could walk down the aisle and into the moving truck with her diploma.

Wow, micrguy! You are even harsher than I am about this area. Let it go man!

I know it's hard though... rude obnoxious city folk can get on anyone's nerves... but it's the self-righteous gossipy people that pretend to be "good country Christians" that truly drive me crazy.

[lititzman2003]

Originally Posted by mjk1093

Wow, micrguy! You are even harsher than I am about this area. Let it go man!

I know it's hard though... rude obnoxious city folk can get on anyone's nerves... but it's the self-righteous gossipy people that pretend to be "good country Christians" that truly drive me crazy.

That's probably why I introduced this topic in the first place. Here we are attending a picnic with others who share something in common (the same church), and yet, we're still being ingnored! I thought it was "love thy neighbor" not "snub thy neighbor"! Frustrating, to say the least.

[mjk1093]

Originally Posted by lititzman2003

That's probably why I introduced this topic in the first place. Here we are attending a picnic with others who share something in common (the same church), and yet, we're still being ingnored! I thought it was "love thy neighbor" not "snub thy neighbor"! Frustrating, to say the least.

It seems like you're hoping church will be a place where you can socialize and be neighborly. In Lancaster that was not my experience. If you got political and started putting down non-Christians and other "sinful" groups I'll bet your reception would improve. Not that I'd recommend that sort of thing!

[amsm196]

Dont you dare try to change your accent. I'm from NY and so is my wife and our accents are incredibly heavy & we will speak our mind. Be open , be yourself and never fear what others think, hey if they want to stress over an accent then they need to wake up or move. Because guess what? Many , many more New Yorkers are moving to Lancaster as we speak. NY is way tp pricey and another thing, we are all Americans, we can move wherever we want, talk how we want and so on.

Keep it real