Small towns in central PA (Pittsburgh, Northumberland: violent crime, buy, school)

[turboredcart]

ok- im single with no kids. I moved here in 88. I lived in a series of small towns in Snyder, Union, and Northumberland county.

All of my friends came here from elsewhere.

unless you went to school here, you will never break into the click.

im a loner so it doesnt bother me.

the click- expects one to adopt small town ways- that is too say- you will run into flack if you come with a huge bold mouthy attitude.
the powers that be here- can black list you from your line of work. etc.

ALWAYS be carefull what you say in public.

NEVER badmouth ANYONE, as you might be talking to their cousin, neighbos, ex.

It took me 2 yrs to dump my urban ways. it is much easier on a person the sooner you can adapt.

as for crime most of it is a fight- 2 men over a lady. other then that- it is practically crime free.

overall it is worth it.

feel free to pick my brain.


roger

[turboredcart]

at Lowes my brother from Chicago made a goofy comment at the chceck out. something about naked ladies. As it turned out teh cashier was from my church- one of teh nicest people I have known. I exclaimed, THIS IS MY BROTHER FROM CHICAGO, and this is beth from my church. [so as to diffuse the matter]

i could have lost a freindship/aquaintanceship over that outburst.

in Chicago it is funny. here it is a jab.

then there was the food fight at KFC. i never went back there. i could ring eds neck!

i said these people know or know of me. dont do that.

[RTK]

I grew up in Northumberland County. I now live near Pittsburgh. I believe in your message you said that it was hard to make friends unless you went to school there. One thing for certain is that you can't talk about experiences you had in school. But there is plenty more to talk about. When we move into a new area we need to get involved in the community. Join organizations, a church, and be outgoing to meet new friends. I make it a point to talk with everyone. When I go to the supermarket I smile and say hello to everyone. When I go to the doctors office I make a point to say something to everyone in the waiting room. And when I meet someone I look at them and try to find something that is a positive about them. If in the conversation they mention they have kids, I ask their names, how old they are, where they go to school. The next time I see tham I ask about their kids by name: How is Jenny doing? How's Bill coming along in baseball? How does is your nice husband and how does he like his new car? And I am sincere about it. I want to get to know them. I tell them where I live and to stop in and say hello and be sure to blow the horn when you go by. If you move into a new area and do this I believe that you will find you will have many new friends and the new community will be a great and exciting place in which to live--even more than if you went to school there. Try it. And don't forget to blow the horn when you go by!

[Phebe]

Great info on how to make friends. We never lived in the same area for more than a year when I was a kid. Since growing up, I've lived in 3 different places for several years each time. I've always felt like an outsider, so I will try your approach! Thanks!

[RTK]

If you want to have friends you must be a friend.
If you want birds in your back yard you must feed them.
If you want squirrels in your back yard buy a bag of peanuts and spread them around.
If you want to have friends you must be a friend.

[rural lady]

Originally Posted by turboredcart

ok- im single with no kids. I moved here in 88. I lived in a series of small towns in Snyder, Union, and Northumberland county.

All of my friends came here from elsewhere.

unless you went to school here, you will never break into the click.

im a loner so it doesnt bother me.

the click- expects one to adopt small town ways- that is too say- you will run into flack if you come with a huge bold mouthy attitude.
the powers that be here- can black list you from your line of work. etc.

ALWAYS be carefull what you say in public.

NEVER badmouth ANYONE, as you might be talking to their cousin, neighbos, ex.

It took me 2 yrs to dump my urban ways. it is much easier on a person the sooner you can adapt.

as for crime most of it is a fight- 2 men over a lady. other then that- it is practically crime free.

overall it is worth it.

feel free to pick my brain.


roger

You are right as i moved to a rural area, you never know when you will need a plumber, electrican etc, and you will get more help from rural people if you are not to proud to just ask, sometimes you just get help without asking, just don't try and change things. Listen and learn, you got it.

[BackToTheCityMouse]

I'm originally from central New Jersey, but spent the 1990s living just outside a small town (less than 900 residents) in central PA.

While we did encounter some xenophobia (fear of outsiders and outside culture) and cliqueishness, people are pretty much the same where ever you go. In other words, you can find nice people anywhere but mean people s--k regardless of location. I doesn't really matter if someone refuses to speak with you because your purse isn't expensive enough or because you don't go to the right church. It's just immature and stupid.

I do know what is meant by 'not badmouthing' anyone -- that is code talk for covering up any wrongdoings that might reach the attention of those outside the community. Usually applied to violent crimes (murder, sex offenses, domestic violence) or big $$$$ property crimes (usually arson). Stuff that is never written up in the weekly 'news'papers and rarely reaches the outside press.

[KevinE]

Originally Posted by turboredcart

feel free to pick my brain.

roger

I'm told there are no women in central PA ... is this true?

[ChelseaDaley101]

You are very correct !!!! I like outsiders though !!!!
Pa is a crappy cominwealth state

[onebigmess]

Central PA sucks for outsiders & I have lived here on and off for 7 years.As a single woman I soon discovered how bad it was. I took some adult dance classes and discovered what a racist place it was.I asked why they did not have more dances.They said " the coloreds ruined it". WT??? Where am I ? Alabama in the 1950's? And, if you go to a "singles dance", what you find are ALL COUPLES. No one dances with a stranger. I've gone down to Louisiana 2-3 times to bars and had men ask me to dance.Obviously, I was not from the area, but no big deal. This place scares me.