Relocating to PA

[runswithscissors]

Also say what kind of work, there's alot of commuting issues here if you need to.

Edited to add, Phila metro area has close airports and quick trips to the NJ Shore (beach) and Atlantic City, and Baltimore MD, with the harbor aquarium area and the equally nice Delaware beaches. Delaware has no sales tax too! Lots of shopping.

[luckylaw]

I wish I had seen the original poster's message back in 2006, but then I wasn't a member of this board then. I find PA to be a racist state, despite the integrated areas mentioned above. I'm simply being honest as an observer who lived in various parts of the state for 8 years (from southeast PA to mountains of northwest PA). The economic racism is bone deep inside many an institution. Also you can tell when a neighborhood is about to under go, pardon the term, "white flight". There are many neighborhoods like that in cities like Philly, Chambersburg, Allentown etc. I can not recommend Philly as it not only seems to have race problems but also self esteem issues which I think overshadow the race issues. Perhaps it is because Philly is in the shadow of New York so it's seems it can never measure up...I tend to think it's due to the political corruption there, that has made many neighborhoods in Philly stagnate which naturally effects the inhabitants.
Pittsburgh has architectual charm and yes, it is diverse, but that's about the only place in PA that I would slightly recommend to anyone considering a move to PA. The suburbs around the city are not too bad, but overpriced. Crime should not be an issue unless you plan on living in an area that is totally rundown while you wait for real estate values to pick up which seemed to have never happened in PA in the last 15 years.
I lived in various parts of the state a few years back and honestly did not like it. There are much nicer states with more diversity than tried and true conservatively narrow PA! For nonwhites I cannot recommend places like Kane or Bradford PA. That entire region of McKean county has some issues.
Finally, keep in mind these are all opinions of people of various ethnicities, economic backgrounds and genders with different experiences. What might hold true for a Black male will not be the same for an Asian female or an Hispanic male. My rule of thumb is to check out a place first in person if you can before spending your hard earned money in a place you'll be wishing to move out of your 2nd day there!
I have since moved from PA and have no plans of moving back.