Is PA depressing? (Erie, Harrisburg, Edinboro: house, rent, vacation)

[sharris]

No PA is not depressing? There is much to enjoy here in the state. I love the change of seasons and the weather. Schools are good. Housing is afforable. taxes are ok. What else do you want to know?

[Albanynyer84]

Parts of the state are depressing...other parts are not...just like most states! I lived in NY State at one time...some areas are lovely...other parts suck. To those who think it snows a lot in PA...well in some parts of the state it does snow a lot...but some areas...especially Southeast PA it does NOT snow that often. I live near Reading and we only average 32" per year...so that means some winters there is much less! Of course people who are native to this area think we have bad winters but it's really nothing, especially if you ever lived or spend time further north or west of here. I always think it's funny when we're supposed to get any kind of snow around here and the people from here in Reading/Berks Co. start having a fit! I'm not kidding...they rush to the grocery store...they are practically in tears!!! Sometimes we're talking as little as say a couple inches of snow and people ACTUALLY get upset! Try spending a few winters in Albany. Yes occasionally we get a "rougher" winter, but not usually too horrible. Then I hear people say "well our winters used to be worse"...I am sure people all over the place say stuff like that these days...especially with this so-called global warming hysteria that's all the rage right now...but the truth is 3 of the top 5 snowy winters here in Berks county, PA for example have all occurred since the winter of 1993-94. Even so, those snowy winters here aren't any big deal compared with what you'd get further north or west. Just because someone remembers snowier winters in the past...or anything for that matter...doesn't mean it's actually true. So maybe a memory of PA as really depressing or having really bad weather isn't necessarily true. I would have to admit though that some of the most depressing places I have seen in PA are in Schuylkill County where there used to be a lot of mining...not all of the county, just where there was really heavy strip mining. That's about 40 or 50 miles north of Reading. Have a nice day everyone!!!

[PaDutchBabe]

Originally Posted by Albanynyer84

Parts of the state are depressing...other parts are not...just like most states! I lived in NY State at one time...some areas are lovely...other parts suck. To those who think it snows a lot in PA...well in some parts of the state it does snow a lot...but some areas...especially Southeast PA it does NOT snow that often. I live near Reading and we only average 32" per year...so that means some winters there is much less! Of course people who are native to this area think we have bad winters but it's really nothing, especially if you ever lived or spend time further north or west of here. I always think it's funny when we're supposed to get any kind of snow around here and the people from here in Reading/Berks Co. start having a fit! I'm not kidding...they rush to the grocery store...they are practically in tears!!! Sometimes we're talking as little as say a couple inches of snow and people ACTUALLY get upset! Try spending a few winters in Albany. Yes occasionally we get a "rougher" winter, but not usually too horrible. Then I hear people say "well our winters used to be worse"...I am sure people all over the place say stuff like that these days...especially with this so-called global warming hysteria that's all the rage right now...but the truth is 3 of the top 5 snowy winters here in Berks county, PA for example have all occurred since the winter of 1993-94. Even so, those snowy winters here aren't any big deal compared with what you'd get further north or west. Just because someone remembers snowier winters in the past...or anything for that matter...doesn't mean it's actually true. So maybe a memory of PA as really depressing or having really bad weather isn't necessarily true. I would have to admit though that some of the most depressing places I have seen in PA are in Schuylkill County where there used to be a lot of mining...not all of the county, just where there was really heavy strip mining. That's about 40 or 50 miles north of Reading. Have a nice day everyone!!!

I must give my opinion to the poster and say Reading, PA is one of the most depressing places in PA. You walk into some of the stores and suddenly you are in a different country, with Spanish being screamed in your face and you get hostile looks if you are a gringo. The city itself has been crumbling for years, though recently they have been trying to "revitalize" it, which is really only putting a band-aid on the problem. Some sections are filled with boarded up row homes and a lot of the streets are covered in trash. Gangs and drugs are rampant. I had one friend who was surrounded by some Latin Kings gang members when she stopped for a stop sign, they tried to carjack her. Lots of abandoned buildings with graffiti. The only stores in Reading proper are 99 cent shops, Chinese restaurants and pawn shops. Reading used to be a nice city with a Euro flavor, it's not anymore. They think putting in pretty flower pots, fancy bricks on the street and new street lights is going to fix it.

As far as Schuylkill County is concerned, it seems to be popular to bash it. It's not so bad, though the fall of the coal industry is sad. I hope someday in this day and age of dwindling resources, coal will make a big resurgence in Northeast Pennsylvania. But if you appreciate countryside, open space, recreation and things like ethnic festivals, low crime rates and down to earth people, you might like Schuylkill. Warning, we have very dreary winters where we don't see the sun for weeks at a time.

[Marodi]

Originally Posted by PaDutchBabe

I must give my opinion to the poster and say Reading, PA is one of the most depressing places in PA. You walk into some of the stores and suddenly you are in a different country, with Spanish being screamed in your face and you get hostile looks if you are a gringo. The city itself has been crumbling for years, though recently they have been trying to "revitalize" it, which is really only putting a band-aid on the problem. Some sections are filled with boarded up row homes and a lot of the streets are covered in trash. Gangs and drugs are rampant. I had one friend who was surrounded by some Latin Kings gang members when she stopped for a stop sign, they tried to carjack her. Lots of abandoned buildings with graffiti. The only stores in Reading proper are 99 cent shops, Chinese restaurants and pawn shops. Reading used to be a nice city with a Euro flavor, it's not anymore. They think putting in pretty flower pots, fancy bricks on the street and new street lights is going to fix it.

You know when the city is/was debating on the installation of gun shot detection system, that things are really bad.

[Gil3]

Originally Posted by Marodi

You know when the city is/was debating on the installation of gun shot detection system, that things are really bad.

That system is already in York

[mstnae]

Originally Posted by twistedsister52

I live in South Western Pa. It is beautiful here. Tons of farm land and wild life so close to the city. You can be in the hussle-bussel of the city one moment and if you know which roads to take you'll find yourself on a beautifully wooded road with little traffic. Within 40 min you could be snow skiing, whitewater rafting, antiquing, or visiting Fallingwater. What more could one ask for?

I'm moving to York (which I posted a seperate e-mail) and was asking about the recreation...particularly skiing (both snow and water). Can you possibly elaborate on the skiing options. many thanks!
Sue

[NWPAguy]

Originally Posted by imright

Just wanna know what you think.

Courtesy of weather.com:

May 15th: High temperature of 55 degrees, and cloudy
May 16th: 55 degrees and rainy
May 17th: 57 and rainy
May 18th: 50 and rainy
May 19th: 48 and rainy
May 20th: Expected to be 58 and rainy
May 21st: Projected to be 51 and rainy
May 22nd: Projected to be 52 and rainy
May 23rd: Projected to be 59 and cloudy

What do you think?!?!

[joemoedee]

Originally Posted by NWPAguy

Courtesy of weather.com:

May 15th: High temperature of 55 degrees, and cloudy
May 16th: 55 degrees and rainy
May 17th: 57 and rainy
May 18th: 50 and rainy
May 19th: 48 and rainy
May 20th: Expected to be 58 and rainy
May 21st: Projected to be 51 and rainy
May 22nd: Projected to be 52 and rainy
May 23rd: Projected to be 59 and cloudy

What do you think?!?!

Yeah, the weather in NW PA has been pretty lousy of late, according to my family, especially all of the rain. (Which on the other hand, down in Georgia, they pray for rain. ;p)

The above weather, I didn't mind too much. It was the bitter winter cold and the really bad summer storms that got old pretty quickly when I was living there.

To answer the OP's question... Any place can be as depressing, or as joyful, as you want it to be. If what makes you depressed is snow, colder weather... then yeah, it can be depressing. If you like snow, a beautiful fall, slower pace of life, then it can be the place for you.

Every place has its pluses and minuses, it's just a matter of weighing them out for your own personal tastes.

[Ohiogirl81]

It's spring. It's supposed to rain.

[loerdofthewest]

Yes PA is TOTALLY depressind Tha tis why I left for az