Best, So-So and Worst Towns in PA (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh: house prices, job market)

[UrbanPottsville]

Originally Posted by denise817

Stay away from Schuylkill County. Very economically depressed. Nothing to do and not a lot of job opportunity.

Hmmmm, What about the Mine Tours in Ashland, Tuscarora and Locust Lake State Park. Denise, you got too picky about Schuylkill County! I have fun up there. Whats wrong with owning you're own business, what about the Schools. Why does Pottsville have such a big population (I think 16,000 is big, I live in a city of 80,000), more people are moving up there. Why are they moving up there, To get away from crime!!! Yes there is crime up there, but not much! Get a security alarm to fend off the Cow-Tippers!

Nothing to do: Hey, what about the Mine Tour, the Historic Walking Tour of Downtown Pottsville. I'll give you that if you like to shop.
No Jobs: What about being a Lawyer, a Judge, a Teacher, a Teller (Plenty of Banks in Pottsville), a Hotel Clerk, a Small Business Owner, the mines miss you!

[pinetar10]

latrobe is a nice town. there is a nice downtown area with a bunch of little shops, and then there's a strip on route 30 with a walmart, kmart, and some restaurants. I do not believe it has built up much in the past 16 years. Crime is virtually non-existant. If you want diversity though, latrobe is not for you. its almost all white people. Route 30 in Greensburg has really built up, so theres a lot of shopping and the like there.

Originally Posted by bap64

Hello to all. I am originally from New Alex/Blairsville area and have lived in central Florida for too long, 16 years. Florida sucks and crime is too high and I am thinking about moving back to Pa, preferably Latrobe area because I have always liked it there. What is crime like there? How much has that area grown, if any? Any input would be appreciated.

[njwife101]

We live in Jersey, and are very serious about moving to PA. I am looking foward to experincing all the nice things you have in PA. We are thinking about Bethlehem, or Quakertown, or maybe somewhere in Bucks county. Can you give me any info on what you think would be a good idea for long time NJ residents can lead a more relaxing life.

[toobusytoday]

NJwife,
I would suggest starting a new thread of just reading this one.

[3boys269]

I totally understand. We rent in Brooklyn and it is insane. We cannot afford to buy here and where here do you go??
We are looking to move to pa this summer, and we are actually going this weekend to look at some communities . we are looking in the lower macungie area, east penn school district. Also we are looking in other areas tht ar in the parkland school district. nazareth and bethlehem are also on our list.

good luck to you.

[reztrop]

I don't like the sprawl that's crawling through far eastern PA. Lots of beautiful farmland are being paved over with concrete to accomodate housing/strip malls. Nazareth is just one of many examples.

PA has one of the slowest population growth in the country, but it has the 5th highest loss rate of open space.

[JerseyShel]

I love PA. I grew up in Shoholola (Pike County) if my spellings off its been years sorry & Barryville (NY) and miss the small townness of it all. I have thought about 'going home' but found the jobs still arent there, the population still seems to double in the summer and even though no new business' have come to town home prices match Jersey. on a decent note it seems the weather has changed some and the Delaware doesnt run over as much or am I just not hearing about it as much even though I still have friends in the area???

in case you cant tell Im in Jersey now

as a kid my mom and I used to go the rainbow diner all the time for breakfast and Teddy knew as soon as we walked in what we wanted to eat, coffee cheeseburgers and homefries. we still go out once a week for breakfast only now even though its the same diner and usually the same waitress the only thing she knows is we want coffee - I guess thats something. when we got gas we went Harry's - he always had a good joke to tell, Ive used the same gas station here for 12 years and at most I get a smile with the 'yes?' they dont even ask how much gas you want its just 'yes?' we had a general store and Gus (the owner) knew everyones name and always asked about the family, on tuesdays at bingo there were usually 100 people at the firehouse and we all knew each other - when someone didnt show the first thing everyone was asking was is everything ok - did something happen do they need help, I miss that. I miss only hearing the train at night - even after 15 years here the traffic still keeps me up, I miss walking into the post office and taking a half hour to get the mail because some one always wanted to say hello and the post master was always asking how school was going - I think her name was Rosie. I couldn't get away with anything because everyone knew I was Debbie and Clif's daughter and they were quick to call my parents if I stepped out of line.

thats the kind of life I want for my kids - I want home to feel like home someplace were they belong and matter. here you could fall off the face of the earth & no one would notice. is there still a place like that or am I just living in a fantasy? I love Easton but could move to phillipsburg for the same price. every year we spend a long weekend in pottstown but agian I could stay in phillipsburg. from the amount Ive been in Allentown it seems the same. I LIKED Chambersburg alot and thought it would be a nice alturnative to harrisburg and it seemed like there was more there then where Im from but I hear traffic is outragous. I really liked Barnesville but couldn't find the "thats it' house. Hometown seemed cute but I couldnt find many listings there. I loved Lansford but couldnt find anything other then a family dollar and didnt think to ask while there if there was anything with in an hours drive. Ive been thinking about the outer areas of pittsburg (areas within a 30 mile drive) I found a house in Aliquippa but havent been able to find much on the town I think Im gonna check out the area soon but everyone I talk to says stay around Harrisburg since my other half is a mechanic and we DO NOT want to be easy reach of Jersey


any thoughts? it seems like most of the city type areas I like most of you 'natives' dont. I compare a city area to Jersey City and to me EVERYTHING seems safer

[ker8]

Originally Posted by TLA

stay away from the Lake Erie (NW Pennsylvania) area. Horrible winters and usually summers and the job market here is horrible. We are actually relocating to the south due to these and other issues. There is also been a lot of trouble up here with Meth labs. Hope this helps.

WOW! You really have some issues with Erie, now don't you.

The truth is, Erie has it's problems, like all other cities. HOWEVER, it has it's good points too. First, it's crime rate is VERY LOW. MUCH MUCH LOWER than any of the other large cities in PA. Hardly any murders occur, car theft is extremely low, etc. I don't think the drug rate is particularly low, but I also don't think it's above average either.

As to the job market, that part is true. There aren't very many ways someone without a college degree can make a good living. There are jobs out there, but the more time goes on, the fewer manufacturing jobs there are it seems.

As for the "Meth labs", I highly doubt there's more here than there is in any other city of similar/larger size. However, as Erie is located smack dab between Pittsburgh/Cleveland/Buffalo, and not far from Detroit, etc, it wouldn't surprise me if there is a lot of drugs running through Erie.

Also, if you stay out of Erie, and in the townships in Erie Co. instead, it's EXTREMELY nice. The people are friendly, not much road rage.

I'm in Cleveland for college, and whenever I get out of here and back to Erie, I'm extremely happy. I can't stand the big city rush of everything here. And although Erie is a city, it runs like a very small knit community.

Oh, and as for the "horrible winters/summers", that's all a personal opinion. Personally, I like the winters. Yes, they are long and they are cold and snowy, but I like snow. And the summers really aren't bad at all. They're humid and hot, but THAT'S HOW THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE!

[ker8]

Originally Posted by Time2Moov

Let me know when you find a nice town in PA, doubt you will! Aside from a select few, I think Pennsylvanians are the worst people in the country. They're anti-social, rude, can't drive, and have the worst food I have ever tasted. I could write for hours recounting bad experiences with people in this state. The word "neighborly" is not in their creed. They also seem to be no smarter than a box of rocks. I cannot tell you how many times I've nodded my head in agreement talking to someone that was mentally unarmed, just to avoid pointing out their stupidity.

We moved down here 7 years ago to get away from NY cost of living. Well, since it appears to have followed us, we're headed back. The difference is marginal now (Montgomery County vs. Long Island). It's a little more in LI, but definitely worth it. I'm sorry, but to live here it would have to be like "Wyoming cheap". If you compare salary to housing down here, the ratio is now worse in PA. Buh-bye!

Ummm....just wondering, but where exactly in PA were you??? B/c if it was Philadelphia, that is NOT what most of PA is like. I've lived in Western PA all my life, and nearly everyone is very nice and hospitable. Also, my grandparents grew up in Cambria county (mostly all farms) and the people out there are VERY nice.

Most of the "REAL" PA is farming country, with extremely nice, and yes neighborly people.

[ker8]

Originally Posted by Windwalker

I moved from TN to Pittsburgh and found I knew more neighbors in 2 months than I knew in 10-yrs in TN, which is kinda surprising considering the friendliness of Tennesseans (to caucasian visitors, at least). I was always considered a **** Yankee in TN who didn't fit in even after 20 years.

As a general rule, I agree that PA folks are rather rude and unfriendly and don't go out of their way to make you feel welcome. But in my neighborhood in Pittsburgh, which was designed as a front-porch kinda neighborhood in the early 1900's, folks know one another, stop and talk as they walk their dogs, watch out for one another, etc. It probably all depends upon your neighborhood, where you're coming from, and what you're looking for, which is why neighborhoods are a big deal in cities here.

Pittsburgh is a beautiful city with lots to do. Magnet schools are strong; other public schools can be troubled.

Property and all other taxes are out of control compared to TN, but housing is quite inexpensive. We bought a big old Vic with original woodwork throughout, 6 brs, 4 original tile fireplaces, huge stained-glass dining room window for $110k 8 years ago. We had to put in a new kitchen and bath, but our house would sell for $500-600k in Nashville in a similar neighborhood.

There are many quaint old towns in PA that are pretty but quite conservative. Ligionier is a pretty town. I think Litiz is gorgeous, but I've only visited. Gettysburg and the whole Lancaster area has traffic problems from growth now, but these are relative.

I've been shocked by blatant racism and anti-Catholicism I've witnessed here (this from a white Protestant). In many ways, it's worse in most of PA (with the possible exception of Philly) than it was in TN (and that ain't good!). The south had to deal with its problems after Civil Rights, but that didn't really happen as much here. Many of the suburbs of Pittsburgh were the result of white flight.

Mostly, I find the conservatism in PA about provincialism and resistance to change. (I can't speak for Philly in this regard.)

But of course it all depends upon where you are and who you're with. If you run with a more open-minded, cultured, academic crowd, you'll find that in Pittsburgh. But you'll also find lots of old Germanic, Italian, Irish, Eastern European immigrants from the 19th century still practicing things from the old country, too. That can be both good and bad.

I'm not sure about Pittsburgh, I suppose it could be anti-Catholic, but if you just go north a little ways, most of PA is Catholic. For example, Erie Co is at least 85% Catholic. Also, in Cambria Co, it's mostly Catholic. Those are really the only two counties I know much about, however.