Is PA depressing? (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Lancaster: home, condo, health)

[backlash]

Is PA depressing... hrmm... well.. was 'The Deer Hunter' depressing?? (great move, btw) That's the general vibe.. there is a sort of beauty in hiding away from the bubble of central PA that is hiding out in the woods.. but that's no way to live.

[bolillo_loco]

Originally Posted by loose cannon

You are weird! This is not normal!

I like snow as well. The only people that I find weird are those that live where it snows and then complain about it...

[Sminthian]

It depends what you find depressing. Most people get bored out in the woods. Which there is alot of in PA. I think the opposite. I know the Bucks and Montgomery County area. I think this area is depressing. It's a very expensive area that's full of stuck-up snobs that have no money, but still think that they're better than you. You can walk around all day, and noone will even look at you because then they might have to talk to you. But, generally, no I don't don't think PA is that bad.

[kpoeppel]

Western PA is very depressing, since there are no jobs (other than McJobs).

[leeving]

Originally Posted by backlash

Is PA depressing... hrmm... well.. was 'The Deer Hunter' depressing?? (great move, btw) That's the general vibe.. there is a sort of beauty in hiding away from the bubble of central PA that is hiding out in the woods.. but that's no way to live.

The settings for the PA scenes in that movie were Clairton (near Pittsburgh) and the Allegheny mountains (around Somerset). But yeah, they got the "vibe" down pretty well. That's pretty much what it's like to live in this state. In the winter at least. Pretty hoosier.

[bnepler]

It's depressing in the winter. That's why I live in Florida. Ahhh, the sunshine...

[borocat]

Originally Posted by leeving

The settings for the PA scenes in that movie were Clairton (near Pittsburgh) and the Allegheny mountains (around Somerset). But yeah, they got the "vibe" down pretty well. That's pretty much what it's like to live in this state. In the winter at least. Pretty hoosier.

Actually the mountain scenes were shot in the Alps in Europe. The mountains in PA are much older.

[borocat]

I have lived in Western PA for over 50 years. I associate the area I live in with the colors brown and gray. When I was a kid you could throw in orange because the steel mills were operating and the sky turned orange at night.
I read somewhere that the only area that gets less sunlight than Western PA is the Washington and Oregon State. The geography being the reason. With prevaling westerlies the weather is pushed east until it hits an obstruction, in our case the Allegheny Mountains. It hang there until enough of it builds up and it either goes over the mountains or gets pushed up into Western NY.

With the lack of jobs it can be depressing, if you have a decent job it is great because the housing is cheap and cost are low. If you are older (as most Pennsyltuckians (read western pa) are you have access to a lot of doctors as they tend to go where the money is and with all the old people they congregate around us.

If you can get a healthy dose of sunshine in the winter an spring months (off to FLA) you can overcome the depression. Staying here through the winter and spring (mud) is tough, autumn and the leaves and football is fantastic!!

[bettyboo2]

i live in Delta, PA. I love it here. I think it's what you are looking for in an area that will either be depressing or not. If you are looking for peace and quite, good neighbors and nice housing, Delta is the place. Quite abit of PA is so beautiful. Just take a ride in the country or walk the many trails. It is really nice.

[Gretchen570]

Stay out of the entire coal region!!!
Also if you are anti-hunt or anti-smoke cigarette or pro-pink or don't like the sound of your neighbor shooting out back ....then definitly choose another state.
The economic climate is poor in many areas and there are alot of immigrants who have infiltrated too.
Reading had one of the worst crime rates in THE ENTIRE NATION ..A MURDER ALMOST EVERY DAY for quite awhile.
Most folks here just do not take to outsiders very well..that can be a real issue, bought a beautiful ranch here years ago..long story short..the neighbors were so mean to me I could not believe it.Killed pets,ripped up shrubs and flowers,adverse possessions against my property..I had to have several surveys!! And this was not the ONLY neighbor like this!!!!!State police did not help..1 car 1 cop 2 hours LATER!!!But if there are drugs they would have been allll over!!! (thankfully).
There were droves of others I have spoken to that said the same happened to them.There are barbed wire issues (as in alot of metal.. ,junk.. debris.. tires.. furniture.. and broken televisions in the yard).Think deliverance.Know that the township is also unwilling in many cases to get anything done about it.I could send pictures!!!
Then there is the supposed low taxes which,I might add are going up up up and now supposed to go up again.!!!! The school district in my area just reassessed everyone!! And guess what!?!!More !!! It is rising and has been at a phenomenal rate.
Thats just from the eastern half down to philly and of course out to the middle of the state,don't know about Pittsburg and those areas as much but I hear it is nice there and also very nice near Phila. in some areas..west chester is very nice!!
There is also a wide selection of suburban neighborhoods in that surrounding location,but over all Pa is nothing like Colorado where they have a ton of really great programs and a nice economic base.It lacks the programs for people..example,The group that was in my area had been shut down due to lack of funding..this group was the county crisis ctr.!!!If you called them you got put on hold and then switched around to the county hospital,and speaking of Dr's..GOOD LUCK!!!!!
I drive on average 2 hours to see a physician.
The people I know that have seen Dr's in the area..have had some SERIOUS COMPLICATIONS!!!!The one family I know had a daughter who needed a hysterectomy in an emergency ..she had never even had a child!! Or bEEN MARRIED!!! Guess what!! They cut her SPINAL and she had spinal fluid leaking for weeks before they figured that out!!!!!That poor girl was just one ..I have heard nightmares.
Getting the right help here is very difficult.Laws became very tough on Dr.'s and it is a poor area so they went to NY or NJ or even HI!!! I personally witnessed this.They are moving out ..not moving in.Almost everyone I met here not from the area is leaving or has left.It is just the truth..my friend is moving to SC as soon as she and her husband get the rest of their finances in order..they are both struggling here and found much cheaper land down south.