Is PA depressing? (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Scranton: Home Depot, employment, disposal)

[CosmicWizard]

toobusytoday

Thanks for the post. I was born and raised in Berks county PA. I chose to leave PA on my 18th birthday, not because I hated PA in general or anything in particular that I disliked ( other than the gloomy weather and the humid climate ). Rather I left PA in search of greener pastures so to speak, not knowing exactly what I was looking for. I've lived in many states during the past 40 years and I liked many of them more than Pennsylvania. Even though Pennsylvania is a beautiful state I currently prefer the scenery and climate of the western US. Throughout my life, my preferences keep changing, so perhaps one day in the future I might prefer all that PA has to offer. Although I'm not a rabid PA lover myself I appreciate those of you who are. It is a state that deserves to be loved and taken care of, so that it is still in good shape IF I ever decide to return.

Many Blessings....Franco

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by toobusytoday

Btw, It never would have occured to me to put buying beer in small quantities as a priority.

I see the alcohol issue mostly (aside from the convenience factor) as a symptom of Pennsylvania's aversion toward change -- the literal definition of "conservative." Yes, change occasionally comes to Pennsylvania, but v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y.

[newjerseybt]

Originally Posted by IHATEPA!!!

First off, I realize that there will be depressing places, people, etc. no matter where you go. that's life. I also acknowledge that, to an extent, things such as this are a state of mind.

Pennsylvania's biggest problem, in my opinion, is a resistance to change. .......

But, this state as a whole needs to purge the old timers out of the political system and get some younger, fresher blood in this state with fresh, new ideas that will help PA move forward and get PA out of its mostly stagnant state that it's currently in.

...I mean, most of PA's people fall into one of two categories:

1)Grumpy old people-This ties in with the resistance to change issue. This group seems to be stuck in the 1940's-1970's. They seem to be so convinced that the "good ol' days" were so much better that they steadfastly refuse to embrace modern times. Thus, they strike me as bitter, jaded old crones....

2)Hillbillies-....These people seem to come right off the pages of any Jeff Foxworthy "You Might Be A Redneck If..." joke book. They reinforce many negative stereotypes of society in general. By that, I mean people that come across as lazy, dumb as dog ****, totally lacking in hygiene, abusing Gov't and state assistance programs, constantly having kids when they can't even begin to afford them, among other things. If that's how somebody wants to live, that's their business. The issue I have with this group of people is that they think that that kind of life is the best thing going, and they have no desire to even try and better themselves.

Grumpy Old men...Resistance to change...

Many grumpy old men were brought up during the depression and never finished school as they had to work to support their family. I ran into a few who are illiterate and obviously have no interest in the latest technology but they are very good people. The moral value system of the 40's and 50's is another story. It is one of the main reasons I moved to PA. It can be quite an obstacle to some young folks.
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Hillbillies: "...... abusing Gov't and state assistance programs, constantly having kids when they can't even begin to afford them, among other things."

It sounds like many other States in the US. When you give away money...the people will come ...and get hooked on government programs like junkies to heroin...which is no accident.

[Northwoods Voyager]

I spent some time in the Pittsburgh area, McKeesport, Munhill, Turtle Creek, etc. many years ago. Was fortunate to visit the Laural Mtns. a few times, which I thought at the time was simply beautiful. I found the people in general were welcoming to strangers. Depressing? Yes, in many ways. The air pollution was terrible. My winter visits left me with a feeling of 'I can't wait to get out of here'. As so many other replies have eluded to tho', it is what we are bringing to the area and what we hope to take from it and what will we leave when the time comes to move on. PA is not much different than other states when you factor in the distinct varieties of the population. Thank heaven we are not all the same.

[Katiana]

An observation - PA may be conservative in the rural areas, but the cities are quite liberal. It's the rural PAers who vote Republican but who are outnumbered by the Dems in the cities during presidential elections, so PA usually ends up as a Democrat/liberal state for the electoral college votes.

Pittsburgh is more of a blue-collar Democrat city than a 'liberal' one.

[Smoker]

Pittsburgh - the last Republican mayor was elected in 1936.

[IHATEPA!!!]

Originally Posted by ShadowCaver

Well, don't hold your breath... "The bill moves to the full Senate, where it might not see a vote until fall."

Thanks very much too all who have commented/posted regarding the state of the state of PA's emotions. If the dice would roll and the dominoes fall in the proper manner such that we find ourselves in that part of the world, I do look forward to partaking of some of the local fine microbrewed beverages, bopping over various hills, collecting mud in underground holes, and taking youngest boy child fishing in the flowing streams. I've only flown over PA, and from those window seats, was always fascinated by the geology there. Again, thanks!

...gulp... ...ok, was typing this when the above post appeared too - wow... now I am going to have an extra brew w/ my lunch...


btw, I am proud to be a hillbilly. as w/ most labels, there are various definitions and/or degrees thereof.

for the heck of it, and sorry if you've relayed such info before, but for the sake of this thread, where abouts in PA have you lived/traveled/experienced that which you are speaking of? For how long? You from PA originally? Where abouts are you thinking of heading to? Just curious...

Shadowcaver,

First off, about the hillbilly remark in my previous post, I said that and threw that label out in the sense that alot of native residents of PA really ARE hillbillies! I know people who live out in the country and are farmers and whatnot, but at least they are intelligent, keep themselves clean and neat when not working, are responsible, not always in trouble w/ the law, etc.. Now, I've seen plenty of people here in PA that look like they just stepped off the set of Jerry Springer and their lives in reality are far worse than anything you'd see on Springer! No lie!

I'm originally from the Heartland portion of the Midwest, KCMO to be exact. Had to move out here at 9 years of age. Reason being, my parents are both native Pennsylvanians. My Dad lost his job before I was born, and had to relocate out west to find work. After I was born, and as time went on, My Dad got homesick for PA, and finally said "To heck with this!" and took a job back here in PA in '84. It was for much less salarywise, but, as far as he and Mom were concerned, it was well worth it because they got "go home again".

We moved to the western half of the state, the Pgh side. I immediately noticed the stark and drastic changes between PA and MO. Most notably, the people as I previously posted about. Lived here since, and disliked it the majority of the time. Grew to flat out HATE IT in recent years!!!

Maybe part of it is me, but I was raised in the Midwestern Heartland mindset, where hospitality, friendliness, and actually having concern for people and their feelings were high priorities. Here, most PA residents seems to be cold, indifferent, callous, and in some cases outright MEAN! Also, the general sense of humor is markedly different. Out west, the humor is meant to build up and reinforce friendships, not tear them apart like here in PA. PA residents like to say something rude or insulting, then say they were "kidding" to excuse it.

I plan to move back to KCMO very soon. When I do, you can rest assured I will NEVER move back to PA. I'll be back to visit becuase of family and old friends, but will never be back permanently.

P.S. More about the hillbilly thing. In Missouri, there are plenty of farmers. They live and work out in the country, but are respectable people when not at work in the fields. PA hillbillies seem to be just that, hillbillies. I'm not going to rehash that, because that's all in my previous post.

[IHATEPA!!!]

Originally Posted by newjerseybt

Grumpy Old men...Resistance to change...

Many grumpy old men were brought up during the depression and never finished school as they had to work to support their family. I ran into a few who are illiterate and obviously have no interest in the latest technology but they are very good people. The moral value system of the 40's and 50's is another story. It is one of the main reasons I moved to PA. It can be quite an obstacle to some young folks.
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Hillbillies: "...... abusing Gov't and state assistance programs, constantly having kids when they can't even begin to afford them, among other things."

It sounds like many other States in the US. When you give away money...the people will come ...and get hooked on government programs like junkies to heroin...which is no accident.

The moral value system of the '40's and '50's is a completely different animal as opposed to the 21st century. Old timers here need to realize that plenty of young people today, and even not-so-young people are in fact going to be defiant to their parents, elders, and those in authority. People today ARE going to live together and bear kids while not married. People are going to conduct themselves without any semblance of morality. Not condoning these things, but as a young person in 21st Century America, I have learned to accept these things as part of the modern times. Most PA grumpy old people seem to be determined to stay in the '50's, when everything was much more "homogenized" as opposed to today. They can't accept change, like most PA residents period, BTW, and that's why I have issues with them.

As for the hillbillies living off of welfare, that is true, you do it see it everywhere. But, as previously mentioned, PA seems to be a leading candidate for becoming the "Dixie of the North" in this country. Some folks up here even have Confederate plates hanging from the front bumpers of their vehicles, and flags hanging from their vehicles. Thus, you see a high percentage of people like that here. After all, as somebody pointed out, a large chunk of PA is Applachia.

[mm_mary73]

What exactly do you mean by "Dixie of the North" If I read your post correctly, you've never been anywhere but Missouri and Pennsylvania.

[stretch00]

I lived in rural SW PA for two years. It was the biggest mistake of my life. It was depressing, the people were bigoted, jobs were scarce, there was no entertainment, restaurants were terrible.

It was cheap, and the scenery was beautiful.

I will never go back.