State College Economy/Housing (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh: lease, unemployment rate, schools)

[GrubLogic]

Hi there,

I'm a Penn State, University Park graduate living and working in North Florida. The economy here never recovered from the Recession, and I miss the northeast, the Allegheny Mountains, and the vibrant culture of State College. I have great memories from there, and I'm young enough to move back, work, and pursue my M.A., etc.

Given that the economy is dominated by Penn State, is Centre County still a viable place to relocate to?

I'm open to living in smaller towns and commuting to work at various campuses (Altoona, etc.).

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Best, Ray

[briantroutman]

Hi Ray-

I’m a fellow Penn State graduate who grew up in central PA (Williamsport). After earning a second undergraduate degree at West Chester, I relocated to San Francisco for several years, then spent a year living in Tampa (huge mistake), and finally moved back to greater Philadelphia. I missed PA while living in CA, but I still enjoyed living there very much. In Florida, on the other hand, I was counting down the days until my lease expired and I could move out. Fortunately, I’m self-employed from contacts I made in SF and can take my work with me, so the local economy wasn’t (and isn’t) an issue for me.

The big variables would be what field you’re in, what you plan to pursue for your M.A., and what you want to do after that. Is it a foregone conclusion that you’re going to earn your master’s from Penn State?

From what I’ve read, Penn State is still very much the dominant force in Centre County. So apart from the university (which is the county’s #1 employer), many of the remaining employers are organizations and companies that are necessary for the people who live there (healthcare, education, government, etc.). If you’re in meteorology, there’s AccuWeather, of course, and there are some companies in what we might call the applied sciences equipment industry (Supelco, Restek, Raytheon).

Here’s a list of employers that you might find helpful: The top 40 employers in Centre County | Centre Daily Times

Centre County population continues to grow at a healthy clip, and unemployment rates are among the lowest in the state. That said, I don’t think I’d move to Centre County without having a job offer in hand. If you’re not in medicine, education, or one of the scientific fields that would be in demand locally, I think you’ll find that the supply of jobs for college graduates in other fields (management, arts, social sciences, etc.) is fairly low.

If you miss the Northeast, vibrant culture, etc. and are interested in moving back to Pennsylvania, have you considered locating in either of its two major metro areas? I think you’ll find they’d offer the greatest number of opportunities for college graduates in the state—both also offering Penn State campuses as well as many other well recognized graduate schools. I’m fortunate in that I don’t have to worry about local job opportunities, but if I did, I’d want to be either here in the Philadelphia area or in Pittsburgh.

[Wells5]

Most of the available non-professional and unskilled jobs in Centre County are in the service industry. Manufacturing used to be an important component but the big factories (Corning Glass, C-Cor, Cerro Copper and Brass, HRB Singer, Nuclide Analysis Associates) have moved away or shut down.

[GrubLogic]

Thank you for the in-depth response! I'm also self-employed (publishing industry), so I have some flexibility in terms of relocating. Still, I have some interest in university or public service jobs (benefits, less isolation).

I will take a closer look at Pittsburgh, for all the reasons you mention. You make a good point about the less circumscribed economy and opportunity. What's funny is that—even with limited opportunities of dedicated college towns—Centre County runs circles around many similar metro/statistical areas here in North Florida (which is terrifying!).

Thank you again. I'll be giving further thought to what you wrote.

Best, Ray

[rowhomecity]

Originally Posted by GrubLogic

Thank you for the in-depth response! I'm also self-employed (publishing industry), so I have some flexibility in terms of relocating. Still, I have some interest in university or public service jobs (benefits, less isolation).

I will take a closer look at Pittsburgh, for all the reasons you mention. You make a good point about the less circumscribed economy and opportunity. What's funny is that—even with limited opportunities of dedicated college towns—Centre County runs circles around many similar metro/statistical areas here in North Florida (which is terrifying!).

Thank you again. I'll be giving further thought to what you wrote.

Best, Ray

Yea check out Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. (Pittsburgh being the more affordable of the 2).

And yes State College is one of the prosperous metros/regions of PA.

The parts of PA that are doing well economically.

1) Southeast PA (which you surprisingly might like, Philadelphia and its suburbs are very desirable with a very high quality of life)
2) Pittsburgh
3) Lehigh Valley (another area to consider; lots of universities and Bethlehem is quite vibrant)
4) Central PA (Lancaster - Harrisburg - York). Lancaster being the nicest/most vibrant of the 3.
5) State College

[Wells5]

Correction and upon further research, HRB Singer is now part of Raytheon, which is still in State College. Most of its employees are classified as professionals. There are also a few small technology and bio engineering companies like Cannon Instrument, ATS Rheosystems, Chemcut, Ultran, Blatek, Salimetrics, Sound Technology, API Technology and Teledyne Paradise Datacom (started by former C-Cor employees).