What do Native Pittsburghers Consider Themselves? (Erie, Scranton: law school, law, areas)

[zip95]

Originally Posted by Katiana

I grew up about 45 min to the west out of the city in Beaver Falls. It was a happening place when I lived there. Even now, it's nothing ike the depths of Appalachica. Yes, I've been to W Va, many times. I don't think it's as bad as eastern KY either.

There's no need to argue over degrees of squalor.

[kpoeppel]

Originally Posted by Tallysmom

I am a native Pittsburgher -- but my parents aren't. They were born and raised in Hyndman PA and in Cumberland MD and Hyndman. And our roots are so solidly in the mountains maybe I should just declare myself a charter member of the Pennsyl-tucky Club.... that sounds like a good sandwich... Hmmm bacon, lettuce, home-growed 'maters and....roadkill... ( I just know that's going to offend someone, but lordy -- I am laughing my butt off here....)

So my view of Pittsburgh is colored through my parent's eyes -- which is why I would say Appalachian.

Hyndman and Cumberland...isn't that where the mainline of the B&O Railroad went? I'm sort of a railroad buff, so your post got my attention. Isn't Hyndman located at the bottom of the B&O's Sandpatch Grade that cuts through the Allegheny Mts? Did you have any relatives that worked for the railroad?

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by kpoeppel

Hyndman and Cumberland...isn't that where the mainline of the B&O Railroad went? I'm sort of a railroad buff, so your post got my attention. Isn't Hyndman located at the bottom of the B&O's Sandpatch Grade that cuts through the Allegheny Mts? Did you have any relatives that worked for the railroad?

Well -- I don't know about the Sandpatch thing, but there are railroad tracks through Hyndman -- that's where Daddy and his brothers picked up coal that fell off the train cars to help heat the house. (I just looked it up and you are right -- the Sand Patch grade goes down to Hyndman.)

Pappy (my mother's father) did work on the B&O -- in fact -- he bought his burial plots in the Meyersdale PA Union Cemetery, overlooking the railroad tracks. Both he and Nanny are buried there.

[BrianTH]

The Kentucky issue is why I think "Northeastern and Appalachian" is the best answer. That is because the Northeastern and Southwestern halves of Appalachia are indeed notably distinct, and most or all of the Kentucky part of Appalachia would probably be in the Southwestern half of Appalachia.

Incidentally, there is semi-official recognition for Appalachia in the form of the Appalachian Regional Commission. See here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appalac...nal_Commission

The other point I would note is that Pittsburgh is the de facto capital city of Northeastern Appalachia, and there is also semi-official recognition of Pittsburgh's status as such by various federal agencies and media organizations. In fact, this region is sometimes known as the "Pittsburgh Tri-State" (although it sometimes is defined to include parts of more than three states). See here:

Pittsburgh Tri-State - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Note that both those links have maps, and if you compare the map in the second link to the map in the first, you can see that the "Pittsburgh Tri-State" region is indeed more or less the Northeastern half of Appalachia (and includes little or no parts of Kentucky).

[ainulinale]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Pittsburgh Tri-State - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

That is incredible how far the Pittsburgh influence goes. I had no idea FSN Pittsburgh was broadcast all the way from Canton to Charleston to Harrisburg to Scranton!

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by ainulinale

That is incredible how far the Pittsburgh influence goes. I had no idea FSN Pittsburgh was broadcast all the way from Canton to Charleston to Harrisburg to Scranton!

Indeed, although it makes sense once you start thinking about it. For example, people actually from those parts of PA (Harrisburg, Scranton, etc.) in my experience tend to be pretty adamant about NOT being part of the Philly orbit. But if they are not part of the Philly orbit, then whose orbit are they in? I guess the answer is Pittsburgh's.

[Mermaid77]

Unlucky.............

[Katiana]

I've lived in Bloomsburg, PA in the central part of the state. It's not in Philly's "orbit" as BrianTH calls it, but neither is it in Pittsburgh's. Central PA is its own place, IMO.

[CHIP72]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Indeed, although it makes sense once you start thinking about it. For example, people actually from those parts of PA (Harrisburg, Scranton, etc.) in my experience tend to be pretty adamant about NOT being part of the Philly orbit. But if they are not part of the Philly orbit, then whose orbit are they in? I guess the answer is Pittsburgh's.

Harrisburg is definitely NOT in Pittsburgh's orbit, at least not for the people that live there that aren't from western PA. South Central PA is in its own orbit.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Katiana

I've lived in Bloomsburg, PA in the central part of the state. It's not in Philly's "orbit" as BrianTH calls it, but neither is it in Pittsburgh's. Central PA is its own place, IMO.

I think that is partially true, but only partially because for certain sorts of services, economies of scale are such that Central PA alone can't support them. In fact, what the other poster and I were implicitly discussing above is a classic example: major-league sports teams. Central PA does not have the scale necessary to support its own major-league sports teams, so if you want to be a major-league sports fan in Central PA, you have to choose teams from outside Central PA.

Of course, sports isn't the only example: all sorts of other services, public or private, will require a greater scale than Central PA alone can provide. And indeed, some will require a greater scale than the "Pittsburgh Tri-State" alone can provide (e.g., some will have to be done on a national scale).

Edit: Obviously this applies to CHIP72's post as well.