Is PA depressing? (Philadelphia, Erie, Reading: unemployed, eat, rich)

[jfeagin]

Originally Posted by stan1977

??????????? Do they have the heat on 90.

I live in South Central, PA and it cost me $300 a month in the winter. Heat is set to a toasty 65. $500 is believable up in NE. Gonna be nice in FL this weekend.

[sharris]

No I would say that it is anything but depressing. There is much to do here. Life is what you make it anyway....

[appalachiangirl]

Western Pa does tend to be dreary and depressing. The area around Lancaster seems to be just the opposite---a more growing economy,sunnier weather (and less snow in winter).I was there last year and was impressed with what I saw. There are some positive trends in SW PA and WV (northern) though. Interstate 43 which is supposed to connect I-79 in WV to Pittsburgh is being built and new shopping centers and housing has been built along this interstate.

[jfeagin]

Originally Posted by appalachiangirl

Western Pa does tend to be dreary and depressing. The area around Lancaster seems to be just the opposite---a more growing economy,sunnier weather (and less snow in winter).I was there last year and was impressed with what I saw. There are some positive trends in SW PA and WV (northern) though. Interstate 43 which is supposed to connect I-79 in WV to Pittsburgh is being built and new shopping centers and housing has been built along this interstate.

If Lancaster is sunnier, western PA weather must really be bad. The mid-atlantic (at least MD, and southern PA, and NoVA) has to have some of worst weather in terms of sun that I have seen, NE is probably worse. During the summer even when it is sunny, the blue skies are more milky white due to the haze. Heat and humidity, I love, haze.... nope. PA (again, at least the part I live in) is very beautiful, hills, rolling farm land, old barns, etc. However, the weather, for me, stinks. I like lots of sun, warm days. Thank heavens summer is coming but the haze... Then comes the grey and cold again. (for me, under 70 is cold). But that is just me. Other folks may, and actually do like the seasons, and for them Southern PA would be an excellent choice. I like one season...

Is PA depressing... depends on the person, I don't like the weather but I also don't think it is depressing... Now the local and state "government".... That is depressing.... The local population whom, for the most part, think the 1950's were great and don't want to progress, depressing.... Those who think progress is adding a new casino paying the awesome salary of a whole $9 an hour but who don't want to create any high tech jobs. $2.5k for heating my house for a year, 2.5k for school tax, 1.5k for property, 1.0% income tax for county (heaven knows what adams country actually provides me), .5% income for fairfield school district, 3.08% for state (these are flat tax, no deductions mind you), and $4.90 per capita tax for the school district (yes I have to write a separate check for each member of the family). Schools that under perform yet want more money. (not only the schools fault) Other than that, PA is not depressing (sorry tax time has me cranky).

[blcapdee]

Originally Posted by cremebrulee

I'm interested in why you believe PA is depressing compared to other states?

Creme

Don't know why exactly...It's just a feeling I have that comes over me when I go there (to central and w. PA). I don't have this feeling as much in most parts of E. PA. If I had to guess, I would say, it just lacks character (as a whole, yes, I know some parts of PA have character). for the most part, I think PA lacks an identity of their own. They really aren't like the rest of the Northeast and they definately have some midwestern tendancies, and they aren't a whole lot like their mid atlantic neigbors either.
They have a very open look to it, like the midwest, where if you are up on a hill, you can see across town. Unfortunately, it also means that you see all the mountains you stripped of land. Example, I was driving with my family in Clearfield County and we went to a beautiful vineyard, I think it was called Starr Hill. It was great, great wine and great vistas but we then turned a corner on our way out and they had stripped the mountains for the coal and it just ruined everything, looked awful. It really grounded us. For a while, we could have been somewhere else, but nope, we were in PA, alright.

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by jfeagin

Now the local and state "government".... That is depressing.... The local population whom, for the most part, think the 1950's were great and don't want to progress, depressing.... Those who think progress is adding a new casino paying the awesome salary of a whole $9 an hour but who don't want to create any high tech jobs.

That's it in a nutshell, along with your tax woes. The local and state governments work for themselves, not for their constituents. We're taxed to death, but are continuously promised that will change if only the new casino/highway/ball park/insert pie-in-the-sky idea here can come to fruition. Much progress in the state is held hostage by labor unions. And if it was good enough for your grandmother, by the gods it should be good enough for you!

Compared to that, a hundred or so cloudy days a year is nothing. Although I must admit that the low-pressure systems churning up the coast toward southeastern Pennsylvania affect my sinuses much more intensely than anything I ever experienced living in Erie.

[cremebrulee]

I think, the world is our Oyster, and how your think and believe, is how your going to like or dislike, this and that...

I betcha any state is awesome to live in....but when it comes down to it...

I LOVE PA

[jfeagin]

Originally Posted by cremebrulee

I think, the world is our Oyster, and how your think and believe, is how your going to like or dislike, this and that...

I betcha any state is awesome to live in....but when it comes down to it...

I LOVE PA

That is great, like anywhere there is a lot to like in the state. Everyone has to make their own decision.

John Feagin

[kpoeppel]

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81

That's it in a nutshell, along with your tax woes. The local and state governments work for themselves, not for their constituents. We're taxed to death, but are continuously promised that will change if only the new casino/highway/ball park/insert pie-in-the-sky idea here can come to fruition. Much progress in the state is held hostage by labor unions. And if it was good enough for your grandmother, by the gods it should be good enough for you!

Yep. Up here in Erie we have a brand new taxpayer-funded convention center thanks to Fast Eddie, Rendell. Remeber...it created jobs, so it was worth building.

Nevermind that we don't have an actual economy to speak of, beyond treating heart attacks and serving fast food. One would think having successful businesses that could actually use a convention center would be higher on the priority list.

One thing about PA politics is that anything that will "create jobs" will be done, regardless of whether it is needed or not. Prosperity through taxation is the economic model for PA "prosperity." I could probably be elected governor by promising to create jobs by paying arsonists to burn down all of our major cities. Why think of all of the jobs that would create! We'd need tons of arsonists, which would "create jobs." We'd need lots of firefighters to put out the fires (so I'd get the fire department union endorsement for sure...just think of all the overtime!). And think of all the jobs I would create for general contractors and construction companies to rebuild everything. By jove, I've found the solution to all of PA's economic woes!

[BPP1999]

Originally Posted by kpoeppel

Yep. Up here in Erie we have a brand new taxpayer-funded convention center thanks to Fast Eddie, Rendell. Remeber...it created jobs, so it was worth building.

Nevermind that we don't have an actual economy to speak of, beyond treating heart attacks and serving fast food. One would think having successful businesses that could actually use a convention center would be higher on the priority list.

One thing about PA politics is that anything that will "create jobs" will be done, regardless of whether it is needed or not. Prosperity through taxation is the economic model for PA "prosperity." I could probably be elected governor by promising to create jobs by paying arsonists to burn down all of our major cities. Why think of all of the jobs that would create! We'd need tons of arsonists, which would "create jobs." We'd need lots of firefighters to put out the fires (so I'd get the fire department union endorsement for sure...just think of all the overtime!). And think of all the jobs I would create for general contractors and construction companies to rebuild everything. By jove, I've found the solution to all of PA's economic woes!

I think organized labor is largely responsible for PA's woes. In fact, I'd say unions, who supposedly "brought us the weekend," also brought us the rust belt. Employers avoid PA because of high business taxes, and manufacturers avoid PA because of high taxes and business-killing union policies. It may be relatively affordable to live here, but it's not to do business here.