Is PA depressing? (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Lancaster: theater, casino, median income)

[Summering]

Coming from NJ I found the people in Pa to be more welcoming and friendly.
Someone would wave at you from across a parking lot that you didn't even know. If thats hillbilly........then so be it. I felt it was extremely friendly.
People in restaurants would take the time to talk to you........listen.
No matter what...........Pa is a place that will call you back and back again.
The mountains are everywhere, large and wide........
In these mountains are State Parks........with falls, and lakes, fishing and swimming.
There are environmental centers that take kids on hiking tours....to learn and explore.
There are water parks, ski slopes, river rafting, horse riding........and every wonderful outdoor amusement you can dream of.
Watch candy and pretzels being made in Canadensis, Pa.......
Visit the antique stores up that way........then Golf at Skytop Lodge.......while there swim and hike.
Stay at Camelback........go to the water park or ski!
Then head to the Outlets and shop til' you drop.........
There is nothing to hate about Pa......its beauty can unfold before you.
Some people will never, ever, be happy no matter where they live.
I choose to live here.......and find it with its wonderful winters, and grand summers......a fantastic place to be.

[reztrop]

Finding something depressing is all about mindset, outlook, and attitude.

I recently moved to PA, and I love it. It is a beautiful state with rolling hills covered with lush greenery. Eastern Pennsylvania and western Pennsylvania are like two different states though. I live in the eastern half, and I found Pennsylvanians in general to be very proper, friendly, and welcoming.

Last winter in a suburb of Philadelphia as I was returning to my car in a Home Depot parking lot, my car windows were completely covered with ice after a snow storm. I only had a small tool at my disposal to wipe the ice off. Someone in the parking lot noticed I was having difficulties scraping the ice off. He came over to my car, and voluntarily used his big ice scraper to completely scrape the ice off. Now that's hospitality.

There are very beautiful residential neighborhoods in the suburbs of Philadelphia; like Villanova, Bryn Mawr, Chestnut Hill, West Mt. Airy, Elkins Park, Wayne, and St. Davids.

[Summering]

Originally Posted by reztrop

Finding something depressing is all about mindset, outlook, and attitude.

I recently moved to PA, and I love it. It is a beautiful state with rolling hills covered with lush greenery. Eastern Pennsylvania and western Pennsylvania are like two different states though. I live in the eastern half, and I found Pennsylvanians in general to be very proper, friendly, and welcoming.

Last winter in a suburb of Philadelphia as I was returning to my car in a Home Depot parking lot, my car windows were completely covered with ice after a snow storm. I only had a small tool at my disposal to wipe the ice off. Someone in the parking lot noticed I was having difficulties scraping the ice off. He came over to my car, and voluntarily used his big ice scraper to completely scrape the ice off. Now that's hospitality.

There are very beautiful residential neighborhoods in the suburbs of Philadelphia; like Villanova, Bryn Mawr, Chestnut Hill, West Mt. Airy, Elkins Park, Wayne, and St. Davids.

That is the kind of person that Pennsylvania has..........
I am always amazed by their "random acts of kindness"......wonderful

[clip4art]

I just returned from a whirlwind exploration of NEPA. I have to find a town to live in because we are relocating for employment reasons. I think Clarks Summit is the top choice so far. But I want to say that everywhere we visited, from Jim Thorpe to Clarks Summit to Wilkes Barre had the nicest people! The scenery was breath taking. Scranton is evolving into something very unique. Overall It was a very good experience and I am not as apprehensive now about moving.

[Summering]

Originally Posted by clip4art

I just returned from a whirlwind exploration of NEPA. I have to find a town to live in because we are relocating for employment reasons. I think Clarks Summit is the top choice so far. But I want to say that everywhere we visited, from Jim Thorpe to Clarks Summit to Wilkes Barre had the nicest people! The scenery was breath taking. Scranton is evolving into something very unique. Overall It was a very good experience and I am not as apprehensive now about moving.

That was beautiful wording.......see that......it takes someone, sometimes from out of state.......to let us all know what we have here.
"Everywhere we visited, from Jim Thorpe to Clark Summit"........
"the nicest people"..........It is ,so beautiful in this area. Its so nice to hear these positive thoughts. I have been here for many years and some sights still take my breath away.

[IHATEPA!!!]

Originally Posted by 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.

The phrase "Dixie of the North" was coined by somebody I know who sees the same things I do about PA. The confederate flags and whatnot on the vehicles that I alluded to earlier triggered that comment. Doesn't it occur to these people in PA that they're on the wrong side of the Mason-Dixon line for stuff like that!?

True, I might have only lived in MO and PA, but I have traveled to various places and been around this country quite a bit on trips, vacations, and whatnot. Practically everyplace else I've been I have seen a distinct difference between PA and said place. You have bad people, places, things, etc. everywhere you go, but NOWHERE like you do here in PA! Bad attitudes, in various ways, seem to be all that one sees in PA. Yes, PA IS depressing! Big time!

[Summering]

Originally Posted by IHATEPA!!!

The phrase "Dixie of the North" was coined by somebody I know who sees the same things I do about PA. The confederate flags and whatnot on the vehicles that I alluded to earlier triggered that comment. Doesn't it occur to these people in PA that they're on the wrong side of the Mason-Dixon line for stuff like that!?

True, I might have only lived in MO and PA, but I have traveled to various places and been around this country quite a bit on trips, vacations, and whatnot. Practically everyplace else I've been I have seen a distinct difference between PA and said place. You have bad people, places, things, etc. everywhere you go, but NOWHERE like you do here in PA! Bad attitudes, in various ways, seem to be all that one sees in PA. Yes, PA IS depressing! Big time!

I never saw a bad attitude on the Pocono people......the new people coming in to the Poconos ,yes.
It amazed us that when we'd come up to visit the waves we'd get from people we didn't know. The amount of time a waitress would talk to you...
( this was amazing to my grown children also) The time they give you.....never fret to ask a question to someone in the Poconos. The long-timers here will stop ,and chat, and explain for hours. I find that friendly and enlightening...............
Things are changing ,and that is depressing. This new look of pants down to the knees of the teen boys is crazyness! And from what a newscaster said last night on TV......it is not "hip-hop" or the "cool thing"......it came from ...prisons! It looks hideous, and wacky.......Parents need to step up to the plate and stop their children from following a crazy crowd.
All in all........it is just like everywhere else.......except a bit more friendly here.
Those flags you speak of I see in my travels southward also.....
Who cares.........we love all our flags.......
The Dixiestampede still has the North against the South......its for fun....no one takes it serious. I love Pa.......Its people, land, mountains, streams, lakes and the entire glory of it all. Breathless..........

[Duderino]

Originally Posted by IHATEPA!!!

True, I might have only lived in MO and PA, but I have traveled to various places and been around this country quite a bit on trips, vacations, and whatnot. Practically everyplace else I've been I have seen a distinct difference between PA and said place. You have bad people, places, things, etc. everywhere you go, but NOWHERE like you do here in PA! Bad attitudes, in various ways, seem to be all that one sees in PA. Yes, PA IS depressing! Big time!

The MAIN element of your posts that makes me skeptical (and annoyed, quite frankly) is how you lump every area of the state together. That you can't differentiate various regions and attitudes in a state over 46,000 square miles large containing over 12 million residents is a testament to how unfair and generalizing your characterizations really are.

Oh, and by the way, I've seen Confederate Flags in New Jersey, as well. It's certainly not impossible for someone to have been born and raised in the North and have an appreciation for Southern culture and history -- my father being a prime example of this.

[heavenly]

Tonite on PBS there was an inspiring exploration of various neighborhoods in the Pittsburgh area. They interviewed dozens of residents from Homewood, Lawrenceville, Highland Park, etc. all clamoring about how great it is to live in PA. Some as you say are 2nd and 3rd generation. They showcased a neighborhood run and the yearly "steps" trek.

I even saw a few African-Americans, which I am. I was just about to pack my boxes and leave mousquito infested houston in the dust... until I read these posts.

Geez I just want to be where people care about each other... does such a burgh exist today?

[Katiana]

From the Denver forum, by Morning Glory:

I have lived in Colorado most my life. I moved to rural Pennsylvania for a few months and was HORRIFIED by the racism, use of the N word, etc. Actually got told real Americans were "all white", so I guess if Denver was racist I probably would not have been so offended! It was so disgusting that I moved back after a couple months. Seriously I have never heard anybody talk that way in Denver like they did in PA, and MANY of them did, it was accepted. So no I would say Denver is less racist than most but there is always a jerk wherever you live, you just have to ignore them