Tell me about Hermitage PA please (Pittsburgh, Erie: 2015, insurance, new home)

[Jay_F]

Looks like I will be calling Hermitage my new home, and would would really appreciate a locals view of great places to dine, cultural stuff, micro breweries, good Indian/pizza/Chinese joints, parks, etc. I have been to Buhl park, and find it a real jewel. Shenango Reservoir seems pretty nice too, and where might good hiking trails be found?. The town seems to have about every basic shopping need covered, and I guess traveling a bit West to Youngstown/Boardman, would cover anything lacking in Hermitage. Funny that it seems for a small town, traffic was pretty heavy. Curious too, if looking for a new doctor/provider, who would you go with, i.e., UPMC, Highmark, etc... Who is the big provider for the town?

I'm guessing snowfall will be less overall then say Meadville, and probably on average a few degrees cooler than say Pittsburgh overall. Also, if doing travel by air, do most go to Pittsburgh, or Cleveland?

Thanks a lot for your help, much appreciated.

[bluecarebear]

You are in a wonderful location. Hermitage is a nice little community. You will have great access to rivers and lakes. Pymatuning and Wilhelm are right up the road. Kayaking, fishing, and boating are big pastimes in the Shenango Valley. There are a bunch of restaurants along route 18 and I have eaten at several. I've heard of the Stone Church Brewpub. Locals say it is good. The original Quaker Steak and Lube is in Sharon. There are many festivals in Sharon and I read they are creating a river park. Waterfire is a big deal up there.

You may want to check out Rachel's Roadhouse over in Mercer.

Youngstown offers concerts, a free art museum, shopping, a park system, and festivals. There are the Mahoning Valley Scrappers for baseball and Youngstown Phantoms for hockey. Warren also has a strong arts scene. I have found the Sharon OH/PA region and Ohio cities to have a much stronger arts scene than Pittsburgh, especially with music.

Here are some links I posted in the Ohio forum:
2016
Youngstown Live – Mahoning County Convention and Visitors Bureau – Summer Festivals

Youngstown Live – Mahoning County Convention and Visitors Bureau – Burgers and Beards Festival

You will get more a little more sun there than Pittsburgh. Snowfall depends on location. The locals I know don't complain about it. Maybe because they live and work there so they don't drive very far.

Also, check out flights leaving from Akron/Canton.

[Jay_F]

Thanks a lot bluecare, for all of this great information... Seems I will have plenty to explore, after I settle in. Thanks again, and appreciate your help.

[SorryIMovedBack]

My family and my neighbors have always preferred Sharon Regional hospital. UPMC Horizon Farrell seems to be more of an outpatient surgery place these days. Farrell and Greenville had bad reputations for hospital acquired infections a few years ago but they seem to have curbed those incidents. I only had one dealing with Farrell. It was within the past year, and I had no problems, but Farrell and Greenville are small facilities.

Doctors seem to come and go from this town. Regardless of whether you deal with UPMC or Sharon Regional, their doctors seem to rove around between Pittsburgh and other regional hospitals.

Snow varies extremely. Some winters are very mild. Some are extremely cold or extremely snowy or both. Early 2015 dumped vast amounts of snow and it went on from just after New Year's Day continuously through February. 2016 was very mild with almost no snow whatsoever, and I never even used a snow shovel. The driveway got plowed once but had I known how little snowfall we'd actually get I wouldn't have bothered. We seem to be in a drought pattern in 2016 but it hasn't yet been declared drought. We got almost no snow, and most of the rain has also missed this year. Very dry.

Restaurants: Most are chains in Hermitage. Olive Garden was supposed to come in but reneged. Hickory Grill and Montana Chop House are franchises but more unique. Tops Buffet offers Chinese and also "regular fare" on their buffet. China Wok is much smaller but gets high ratings. Going out to eat is one of the major recreations here, but I don't do that much. Muscarella's in Sharpsville and Combine Brothers in Hermitage used to both be good for Italian. There some small independents like Nick's Inn 62 that I've never been in.

My BIL says that Hermitage is basically becoming a retirement community. I think that's true. Shenango Valley region as a whole is much sleepier than it was a few decades ago, and it's becoming more rural and isolationist, too.

[Jay_F]

Thanks SIMB for adding more great information. Glad you mentioned the medical situation; Who is Sharon regional affiliated with (Highmark?). I currently have UPMC as my provider, and I guess for anything that could be scheduled, would mean a trip to Pittsburgh, or perhaps Erie (UPMC Hamot). At my stage/point in life, sleepy doesn't sound too bad, actually kinda nice to be outa the rat-race. Thanks again.

[Geeo]

UPMC Jameson in New Castle just became part of the system a couple months ago. It's a short 20 minute drive down I-376. I think they're still converting over and the whole hospital will be remodeled, but it's affiliated with UPMC now. I think it could handle most ordinary medical circumstances, but anything specialized would probably be done in Pittsburgh.

[SorryIMovedBack]

Originally Posted by Jay_F

...Who is Sharon regional affiliated with (Highmark?)...

Sharon was bought by for-profit CHS of Tennessee, who has or recently had it up for resale.
Sharon Regional Hospital agrees to for-profit buyout | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

I think they may still be referring people to West Penn Hospital, but I really haven't had many dealings with any of the area hospitals except when relatives were hospitalized. From what I hear, all serious heart problems that can be transported are sent to Pittsburgh hospitals, by Sharon and also by UPMC Farrell and Greenville. I don't know anything about Jameson other than they have two hospitals in New Castle, the Jameson one of the north side, and also the old St. Francis building that's on East Lutton Ave. I have very portable insurance that I mostly just pay money into for nothing and never need to use, lol. But I surmise that all area hospitals have been reducing services and staffing and are consolidating and downsizing facilities as the area populace with good insurance has decreased. All of the hospitals seem to transport or refer serious cases to Pittsburgh, and serious trauma, burn victims, etc. to St. Elizabeth in Youngstown. This area is a lot more "boonies" and rural than it was when I grew up here.

[bluecarebear]

That makes sense about Youngstown. I was surprised to learn awhile back that Youngstown has a level 1 trauma center while Erie does not.

[summerhomeseeker]

Old thread but curious to know about the Hermitage area in 2021. Has it improved, stayed the same, or declined? I know there are a couple areas such as Sharon and Sharpsville. Any areas to avoid? Or desirable? Input on Mercer or Greenville?

Basically I am looking to purchase a small vacation property in western PA and Hermitage is one of the areas I am curious about. Doesn't have to be fancy. I prefer quiet, quaint, safe, within the city limits or out in the country.

Thanks in advance

[Independentthinking83]

Originally Posted by summerhomeseeker

Old thread but curious to know about the Hermitage area in 2021. Has it improved, stayed the same, or declined? I know there are a couple areas such as Sharon and Sharpsville. Any areas to avoid? Or desirable? Input on Mercer or Greenville?

Basically I am looking to purchase a small vacation property in western PA and Hermitage is one of the areas I am curious about. Doesn't have to be fancy. I prefer quiet, quaint, safe, within the city limits or out in the country.

Thanks in advance

Try Clarks Mills, Sheakleyville or Sandy Lake. I love the Lake Wilhelm area.