Whats Erie, Pa like for someone in their mid 20's? (Philadelphia: employment, neighborhood)

[pittsteelerfan]

Originally Posted by MarinoG711

Metro rankings are ridiculous sometimes... like part of WV now counts as DC Metro... Wheeling WV is part of Pitt Metro.... I feel like pitt metro should only count to Cranberry in the north, Greensburg in the east, washington in the south and Robinson in the west... Not places like Beaver Falls and Uniontown... If that is the case.. then Erie gets ripped off cause it counts one county... You can make an argument to count part of NY and OH since several people live there and commute to Erie as well and are closer to the actual Erie city proper than southern Erie county... I believe Buffalo and Cleveland count them as their metros though...

When I was saying "metro", that's all I meant, was the suburbs of Pittsburgh.

[danwxman]

Originally Posted by pittsteelerfan

And the 'city' population of Pittsburgh is down to about 300,000 now. So what? Pittsburgh feels WAY bigger. The reason being, it use to be alot bigger (almost 700,000 at one point). And that's the only reason why Pittsburgh has all the stuff that is has now. I don't think they'd even have 1 pro sports team if that's all the bigger it ever was (talking about Pitts pop now compared to years ago). Not to mention, that the metro area of Pitts population is way bigger too.

Erie looks and feels like a 'small town', period.

If you needed a major operation, would you want it done in Erie? If you were a lawyer, would you really want to practice law there? (yes I know, Erie has lawyers) I could go on-and-on all day with this type of stuff.

Pittsburgh is a 'small city'. Where Erie could be called a 'big town'. I consider 'towns' and 'cities' to be two completly different things.

Having been to Erie, Pittsburgh and of course living in Harrisburg...Pittsburgh most certainly feels MUCH larger then Erie, especially with Pittsburgh's very populated suburbs. Erie on the other hand has one or two large suburbs, and the rest is mostly rural. Harrisburg feels like a larger city then Erie in many cases, even with half the city population.

[badguykc]

Originally Posted by nsgjdennis

Hi Everyone! I grew up in a small PA town about 2 hours from Erie and I despretally want to come back to Western Pennsylvania (I now live in Northern Virginia). My question is what is Erie like for a single 26 year old male?

I currently belong to a mega church and it is something that I will miss when I move (the only thing actually). Are their any other big churches in the Erie area that have lots of young people that attend?

Are people "freindly" there? They aren't in the DC area! I have lived here a year and a half and only made 3 freinds. I never had a problem making freinds when I lived in Western Pennsylvania or when I lived in New Hampshire. Is it easy to get involved with things and make freinds in Erie? What is the dating scene like?

I curently make $60,000 in my DC job and I feel like I'm poor since everything is so expensive here! My rent alone is $1200 a month and my apartment isn't even nice! I am in a high demand field so I shouldn't have a problem eventually getting a job up there (About 3 months or so). Other job offers I had in Northwest Pa pay between $45,000-$50,000. Would I be able to have a good life style on that salary?

I appreciate any information anyone would like to share.

My opinion? $45-50K in Erie is GREAT! Housing is cheap, and the quality of life is second to none. Take the 15K hit and move to Erie...your money will go so far you won't even notice that you make $15,000 less.

[pittsteelerfan]

Originally Posted by danwxman

Having been to Erie, Pittsburgh and of course living in Harrisburg...Pittsburgh most certainly feels MUCH larger then Erie, especially with Pittsburgh's very populated suburbs. Erie on the other hand has one or two large suburbs, and the rest is mostly rural. Harrisburg feels like a larger city then Erie in many cases, even with half the city population.

I think when you visit a city or town, you can 'sense' the importance of that particular place (even if you don't know nothing about that particular city or town). In the case of Harrisburg, it's Pa.'s state capital, and you can feel the importance. Not to mention, because of the polititions, you have a much more educated populace living there than compared to Erie. Hence the reason, "Harrisburg feels like a larger city than Erie". To me, Erie just felt like a very unimportant town. Just a very blah place to be.

[pittsteelerfan]

Originally Posted by badguykc

My opinion? $45-50K in Erie is GREAT! Housing is cheap, and the quality of life is second to none. Take the 15K hit and move to Erie...your money will go so far you won't even notice that you make $15,000 less.

"Quality of life in Erie is second to none"? Quality as being able to go to a 'world class' musuem, zoo, plays, Pro Sports teams, etc, etc, etc, etc! Quality of life is more than cheap housing. Everbody's likes and dislikes are different, just as their interests are. But to say that the "quality of life" there is "second to none", well that's downright funny!

[badguykc]

Originally Posted by pittsteelerfan

"Quality of life in Erie is second to none"? Quality as being able to go to a 'world class' musuem, zoo, plays, Pro Sports teams, etc, etc, etc, etc! Quality of life is more than cheap housing. Everbody's likes and dislikes are different, just as their interests are. But to say that the "quality of life" there is "second to none", well that's downright funny!

OK OK, I might have exaggerated A LITTLE. However, when you factor in, you know, things like commute times, traffic, and overall affordability...Erie blows NVA right out of the water.

Granted Erie County is only 280,000 people or so, and Northern Virginia is home to over 2 million. However, for the offered salary of the OP's job in NWPA...Erie is WAY more attractive to me than ANYWHERE in DC for $60k/year.

[pittsteelerfan]

A little? Maybe for this guy you ain't exaggerating. But for someone who was born and raised in a city, and still likes the 'city' life, living in Erie would be torture. Someone who live in the suburbs of a city still has the 'city' at it's finger tips when they want. Erie is sooooooo boring. Having extra money there would mean blowing it in a bar. Drowning your sorrows cause you're living in Erie.

[chaka khanverse]

Originally Posted by danwxman

Not to belittle Erie, but its city limits are very large by Pennsylvania standards and although it was at one point the third biggest city by population in the state, the metropolitan area ranks behind many "smaller" cities such as Scranton, Harrisburg and Lancaster.

I'm from Philadelphia and have family in Erie, so I come from a city that has very large city limits and very often visit a much smaller one. I just don't understand your statment at all.

Erie "city limits are very large by PA standards"? How? It is 22 sq mi.
Philadelphia: 135 sq mi
Pittsbugh: 56 sq mi
Allentown: 18 sq mi
Scranton: 25 sq mi

That's pretty average for its size.

It's true that Erie has smaller metro area than smaller cities in the state, but it is all by itself. Every other metro area in the state (save Philly and Pittsburgh) has other sizeable cities in PA in its immediate vicinity. Scranton has Wilkes-Barre. Harrisburg has York nearby, which is close to Lancaster, which is in close proximity to Reading, which is not too far from Allentown, which has Bethlehem and Easton... basically all of those cities are pretty much a part of a combined SE Pennsylvania metro area anchored by Philadelphia.

Originally Posted by pittsteelerfan

Erie looks and feels like a 'small town', period.

If you needed a major operation, would you want it done in Erie?

Pittsburgh is a 'small city'. Where Erie could be called a 'big town'. I consider 'towns' and 'cities' to be two completly different things.

You obviously have no idea what a "small town" really is then.

Erie actually has two renown tertiary care hospitals. Hamot, in fact, is considered one of the Top 50 Hospitals in the US overall (only Philadelphia and Pittsburgh can also claim having one of those in PA) and is perennially ranked in the top 25 for cardiology and neurosurgery. So, yeah, I would have a major operation in Erie if I had to have one.

Okay, now Erie is "big town" in your words. It really seems like you have no idea what you're talking about. Why don't you just go watch some Steelers replays since you probably have nothing else to live for, like most Steelers fans.

Originally Posted by danwxman

Erie on the other hand has one or two large suburbs, and the rest is mostly rural. Harrisburg feels like a larger city then Erie in many cases, even with half the city population.

I agree that Erie does not have many large suburbs... no smaller PA cities do. However, Millcreek Township has around 56,000 population now - that's larger than Harrisburg itself. It's actually one of the larger municpalities in the state and is contiguous with the city of Erie.

I agree that Harrisburg feels like a larger city than Erie when you are in Downtown Harrisburg. But, that is only because it is the state capital. Outside of downtown, Erie is much more extensive as far as urban neighborhoods go. Other than downtown, I don't think Harrisburg feels like a bigger city at all. Actually, Erie's urban neighborhoods are more extensive than any other city's urban neighborhoods in PA (aside from Philly and Pittsburgh, of course). And the fact that its a port city gives it a way bigger feel than Allentown, Reading, Scranton, etc.

Erie peaked in population in the late 1960s/early 1970s at around 145,000 in city proper. Though around 42,000 of that have left the city, it still retains the urban fabric that supported that larger population. Even though Allentown surpassed Erie in population a couple years ago, it is only now at its highest population numbers (~108,000)... that's still almost 40,000 people less than Erie had in the early 1970s! Erie has basically lost a "Harrisburg" and still is the 4th largest city in the state. That right there says something and shows that its city itself truly has its own, unique urban qualities. The same cannot be said for Allentown, Scranton, etc., as they have all other adjacent cities/towns sharing and supporting the region. Scranton was big once, but has lost major population since the 1930s. Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton and Harrisburg-Lancaster-York really were always just clusters of towns (not cities) that have now formed metro areas connected by suburbia.

[pittsteelerfan]

Originally Posted by chaka khanverse

I'm from Philadelphia and have family in Erie, so I come from a city that has very large city limits and very often visit a much smaller one. I just don't understand your statment at all.

Erie "city limits are very large by PA standards"? How? It is 22 sq mi.
Philadelphia: 135 sq mi
Pittsbugh: 56 sq mi
Allentown: 18 sq mi
Scranton: 25 sq mi

That's pretty average for its size.

It's true that Erie has smaller metro area than smaller cities in the state, but it is all by itself. Every other metro area in the state (save Philly and Pittsburgh) has other sizeable cities in PA in its immediate vicinity. Scranton has Wilkes-Barre. Harrisburg has York nearby, which is close to Lancaster, which is in close proximity to Reading, which is not too far from Allentown, which has Bethlehem and Easton... basically all of those cities are pretty much a part of a combined SE Pennsylvania metro area anchored by Philadelphia.



You obviously have no idea what a "small town" really is then.

Erie actually has two renown tertiary care hospitals. Hamot, in fact, is considered one of the Top 50 Hospitals in the US overall (only Philadelphia and Pittsburgh can also claim having one of those in PA) and is perennially ranked in the top 25 for cardiology and neurosurgery. So, yeah, I would have a major operation in Erie if I had to have one.

Okay, now Erie is "big town" in your words. It really seems like you have no idea what you're talking about. Why don't you just go watch some Steelers replays since you probably have nothing else to live for, like most Steelers fans.



I agree that Erie does not have many large suburbs... no smaller PA cities do. However, Millcreek Township has around 56,000 population now - that's larger than Harrisburg itself. It's actually one of the larger municpalities in the state and is contiguous with the city of Erie.

I agree that Harrisburg feels like a larger city than Erie when you are in Downtown Harrisburg. But, that is only because it is the state capital. Outside of downtown, Erie is much more extensive as far as urban neighborhoods go. Other than downtown, I don't think Harrisburg feels like a bigger city at all. Actually, Erie's urban neighborhoods are more extensive than any other city's urban neighborhoods in PA (aside from Philly and Pittsburgh, of course). And the fact that its a port city gives it a way bigger feel than Allentown, Reading, Scranton, etc.

Erie peaked in population in the late 1960s/early 1970s at around 145,000 in city proper. Though around 42,000 of that have left the city, it still retains the urban fabric that supported that larger population. Even though Allentown surpassed Erie in population a couple years ago, it is only now at its highest population numbers (~108,000)... that's still almost 40,000 people less than Erie had in the early 1970s! Erie has basically lost a "Harrisburg" and still is the 4th largest city in the state. That right there says something and shows that its city itself truly has its own, unique urban qualities. The same cannot be said for Allentown, Scranton, etc., as they have all other adjacent cities/tpwns sharing and supporting the region. Scranton was big once, but has lost major population since the 1930s. Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton and Harrisburg-Lancaster-York really were always just clusters of towns (not cities) that have now formed metro areas connected by suburbia.

I have EVERY "clue" about what a "small town" is, a "big town", a "small city", and a "big city". I've been ALL over this great country of ours, believe me, I know the difference. When I said Erie was a "big town", I was saying that in the sense of it being just that, a "town". I don't consider that place a 'city'. And was just trying to satisfy the poster that I was responding to.

The crack about the Steelers, we HAVE 6 Super Bowl rings, how many do the Eagles have again? I thought so!

By the way, Philly (I lived there before), felt like nothing more than a bigger version of Pittsburgh. It DEFINITELY didn't have a 'world class city' feel like San Fransico, Chicago, or NYC.

[pittsteelerfan]

P.S. You go have your operations in Erie. I'd run to Pittsburgh or the Cleveland Clinic if I was living there!