How is Mansfield, and Wellsboro, PA? (Pittsburgh, Williamsport: ski resort, apartment complexes, rentals)

[Chad2002]

Another option if you're not dead set on Mansfield/Wellsboro would be northern Susquehanna County, aka Montrose and north. It puts you within commuting distance of Binghamton, which has a lot of appeal for the 20-40 age group. I loved it when I lived there in college: great minor league sports, several high schools are ranked among the best in the country, good nighlife options...state st downtown was nice in the summer with outdoor bands & happy hours, and they serve til 3 on weekends in Bing. lol. There's also a large research university and several large employers.

[openless]

wellsboro is exceptionally beautiful, it is a have for hunters, fishers and nature lovers, it is a decent place to retire, a lot of people from harrisburg have moved up there, the price of land is just going up up up. it is a major tourist area, and the home pirces are pretty high. wellsboro has a Weis Food Market, a hardware store, subway, verizon, bi-lo, mcdonalds, a chinese place, a few pizza places, and lots of great local independant eateries. (try wellsboro diner or native bagel) if you go to wellsboro on the main strip they have a chamber of commerce where they have all kinds of free information about county events. it is home to both mansfield university and the grand canyon of pa. if youre interested, i can email you pictures of town. mansfield is more of a 'party' scene, wellsboro is more historic and laidback.

Chamber of Commerce
near intersection of rt 287 and 660
114 Main St, Wellsboro, PA
(570) 724-1926

[vwscottie]

We are going to Wellsboro for Valentines day, we love it there. We were sad to find out that the B and B we have stayed at, La Petit Au Berge, was sold, but the main B and B, owned by the owner of the Wellsboro Diner, La Belle Au Berge is still in operation. We also plan to get some skiing in at Denton.

[clarigurl666]

Mansfield only has a walmart, a bowling alley and a few restaurants otherwise a beautiful place and great college but not much to do. Wellsboro is a little better but the hspital sucks.

[Chad2002]

def agree to avoid the hospital in Wellsboro. It's well worth your health to drive to either Elmira or Sayre for your healthcare needs.

If you have children, I would even more strongly suggest crossing the stateline or living around Wellsboro. I currently work in education...I think you will find the NY curriculum better, not to mention far more uniform. Also the Northern Tioga and Southern Tioga SD's are not necessarily the best the region has to offer. The academic and sports offerings are among the most limited in the region, if not the most.

This isn't to say they're not doing OK with the resources they have, but I think a lot of resources that could be put into education get eaten up in both districts trying to support 3 high schools in each, which leads to some having graduating classes of less than 40 at times. Even the two larger high schools, Mansfield and Cowanesque Valley are still considered small by regional standards. It's a matter of choosing a "neighborhood" school with small classes or more options when it comes to foreign languages, AP classes, sports teams etc.

[Gil3]

Mansfeild is a beautiful serene place, IMO. I did not spend much time there, but from what I saw, I enjoyed it.

Chad..That's an interesting move from N.C. to Northern Pa. How was the adjustment? I was stationed at Lejune back in the 80s and was not crazy about Jacksonville at all. I have visited family that lives in the Raliegh/Durham area and they love it there. Nice for a few days, but I was ready to go after that.

[Chad2002]

I lived farther north in Currituck, practically on the beach. I have never regretted the move as I seriously disliked living down there...the cost of living & taxes were higher, it was impossible to find a good meal out, let alone good customer service.

I was a teacher when I worked there...pay was abysmal and the schools equally bad. I also found the people very fake (nice, pleasant, welcoming to you in person while they were trashing you when you weren't around)...and in spite of attending Catholic schools from elem through college, I found the religious zeal in NC/VA too much to stomach, particularly when it came to pushing their beliefs onto others.

[Gil3]

Originally Posted by Chad2002

I found the religious zeal in NC/VA too much to stomach, particularly when it came to pushing their beliefs onto others.

lol..you and me both!..I'm glad you are enjoying PA.

[jheinser]

I say there are absolutely better places to check out rather than Mansfield or Wellsboro. I moved here about 10 years ago from Long Island, and I am leaving in June to move to Pittsburgh, then back to NY. From my 10 years experience as a "transplant", both me and my family members have felt like just that ever since arriving here. Not welcome. They are a bit behind times here, a little too country. If you don't mind feeling like you live in a retirement community with not a whole lot going on, and a lot of farmers/hunters, than this is the place for you. But if you are looking for ANY KIND of a night life, this is the worst place you could be. I am 26, and a college student here at MU. No culture here. There is no good food, no real Italian food, or Chinese food, there is proabably even ONE shop that has near-acceptable pizza.
I would strongly consider visiting here prior to making any desicion. Even all the young people that grew up here can't wait to get out. The only things you can do here is ski at two different ski resorts during the insanly long winter, both more than a half hour away, or you can hike at the Grand Canyon, and there are a lot of State Parks around. But unless you are a mountian man, or serious hiker, and spend all your time on mountains or hunting, you may regret your move after being here after just a few months. Keep in mind, I am saying this as someone who moved here as well.
And perhaps I am biased due to the fact that I am from LI, but you are viewing other biased comments from people who have grown up here. Sure not everyone has a problem with the "transplants" but VERY frequently I hear very negative comments about "flat-landers", outsiders, "city" people, etc. I just keep my "stump-jumper" comments behind gritted teeth and stay thankful I am leaving. The school system here in my experience, is about 2 years behind the schools in New York, and the options in school are very limited. Only 2-3 languages, few sports, etc. Like I said, come for a visit.

[Orwelleaut]

It sounds like Mansfield has stayed somewhat like what it was in the early 1990's, and that would be a good thing. I went to Mansfield Univ. in the early 1990's, and loved it there. Haven't been back since graduating, but have fond memories of it. It is very country, true, and I couldn't ahve imagined staying around there without a job upon graduation.

It does help to be a local in Tioga County. The campus atmosphere in very "downstate PA", while the local atmosphere is very Central NY. Locals will know you are a downstater by your speech pattern. This is not a bad thing, just the local culture of the area. They do refer to downstaters as "flatlanders", but that is not meant in a bad way. It is a playful, fun-loving label for folks from South of PA's Northern Counties.

If you are a student on campus, there is plenty to do in Mansfield. Students, in the early 1990's, partied at Marx Brothers downtown. There was Berrigan's Sub Shop, which was delicious, and Pudgie's Pizza was also really good. I can't speak for what it is like to live in the area as a non-student accurately. If you are a student, though, and you like a campus that is friendly where you will know many of the people on campus after a semester, this place is great. If you like being out in the beautiful country and taking a rest from the city while in college, this place is also great. I'm sure the campus atmosphere is different now than it was 15 years ago, but I hope it is still a fun, friendly place to go to school.

The campus atmosphere, 15 years ago, was like being on vacation at a time share resort in Northern PA with your peers from the 'burbs in Jersey and Southern PA. Fresh air, scenery, no traffic, but also no parents to curb your partying and having fun. As such, being part of the on campus culture probably has little or no bearing on whether you will like living in the area as a working local after graduation.