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WOW Scranton is REALLY white for a city of that size!!
Well since I've heard so much about Richmond lately, I Know for a fact now that Scranton is better.
Yes, Scranton is probably one of the "whitest" cities in America. We're home to "The Office" though, and Dunder-Mifflin is home to a gay Hispanic guy and a few African-Americans!
Thanks very much for your insight here. Since you have lived in both Harrisburg and Metro DC and are familiar with the Scranton area I really do value what you have to say. I'm well aware of the fact that people tend to put up stricter social barriers in NoVA than to which I'm accustomed up here in NEPA. At work I can easily strike up random conversations with complete strangers, many of whom routinely tell me much, much more information about themselves than I probably ought to be hearing for a first-time encounter! All it takes is a smile from me and a "How are ya?" to get people to open the social floodgates. The people here though despite their friendliness are also very pessimistic about the region's future. With a new medical school, rebounding downtown, growing national recognition, and a metropolitan population that has grown for the past several years after many decades of steep decline following the collapse of the mining industry I find it hard to be so downright negative about the Electric City's impending renaissance. We're by no means perfect, but living amongst so many folks who are so "jaded" has really soured me.
I may find that I hate NoVA. I may also be pleasantly surprised. In any event at age twenty-two I'm still blessed to have many years ahead of me to learn from my mistakes and treasure my life experiences. I already know I do NOT want to make NoVA my permanent home, but fortunately Pittsburgh has always beckoned to me, and my potential new employer does indeed have the opportunity for me to transfer there after a few years if I so choose.
Heh, heh, you mentioned Pittsburgh - a city I really dislike (for reasons I won't get into here but can send you a PM if you are curious). However, as someone from the Scranton area, I think you'll probably like, or at least feel comfortable in, Pittsburgh - there are a lot of similarities between the 2 places. You may encounter some of the same negative thinking about the area that you encounter in Scranton however, if my experience living in western PA (albeit not in Pittsburgh or in the immediate vicinity - I lived a bit more than an hour away) about a decade ago is any guide. If nothing else, I definitely encourage you to spend some time in the Pittsburgh area and possibly move there at some point in the future, just because you have a lot of curiosity and interest in the place and the best way to satisfy the curiosity is to go there. Like you said, you have lots of life still in front of you and you might as well maximize and enjoy it.
Getting back to the DC area, you definitely won't have to worry about negative thinking about the region's future here; there's little to worry about on that front (except the very high cost of living). The much bigger issue to worry about, especially for someone like you that often wears your heart on your sleeve (or at least that's my impression), is inadvertently saying something that offends or bothers somebody just because you are trying to be open and honest. IMO, it's hard to joke around irreverently in the DC area; if you tend to be a wiseguy like I am, the place can make you shake your head at times. On the positive side, DC really isn't all that far from Philadelphia (almost exactly the same distance that Scranton is) and though New York is further, you have so many transportation options (including some cheap ones like BoltBus and Megabus) that it will seem closer. I've gone to both cities multiple times since I moved here almost a year ago and never had a problem - usually I've traveled via Amtrak, BoltBus, or Megabus and the travel has been almost entirely hassle-free. DC doesn't have anywhere near the local culture a Philly or NYC has, mainly because of the huge transplant population, but unlike say a Phoenix or Las Vegas, Washington does clearly have a local culture (which I personally find very interesting), albeit one that is based on the much smaller city that DC used to be before the boom in federal government and related private consultant/contractor jobs. The DC area also has some striking housing architecture, particularly west of and near (both sides) of Rock Creek Park and in Old Town Alexandria. I think it is a good place, with many opportunities, though it is much different than not only NE PA but most of the rest of the U.S.
Yes, Scranton is probably one of the "whitest" cities in America. We're home to "The Office" though, and Dunder-Mifflin is home to a gay Hispanic guy and a few African-Americans!
Given the sudden emphasis on this forum being placed upon Richmond, Virginia I felt as if now would be as good of a time as ever to see who would rise victorious in a fierce Internet poll---Scranton, PA, the city that was so over-hyped by me back in 2007 that you all felt like vomiting, or Richmond, VA, the city that is now being so over-hyped by Richmonder that I feel like vomiting?! LOL!
Vote and discuss below!
I chose Scranton. For the beautiful surrounding mountains, a real 4 seasons climate and a smallish city I could live in.
I could live in the Richmond area also. Few places have as much history as southern Virginia. Still I will take what I know best - NE Pennsylvania!
I don't know where vasinger/blueva/Richmonder27 has been lately, but much if not most of Richmond is straight ghetto.
How many homicides were there in Richmond last year?
By beautiful streets do you mean East Broad Street? Chamberlayne Ave? Nine Mile Road? Hull Street? Or do we just pretend those parts of Richmond don't exist?
I don't know where vasinger/blueva/Richmonder27 has been lately, but much if not most of Richmond is straight ghetto.
How many homicides were there in Richmond last year?
By beautiful streets do you mean East Broad Street? Chamberlayne Ave? Nine Mile Road? Hull Street? Or do we just pretend those parts of Richmond don't exist?
Every city has its less attractive spots.
Obviously you never seen Monument Ave, or Church Hill, or Shockoe Slip (and I dont mean ladie's underwear!)
I don't know where vasinger/blueva/Richmonder27 has been lately, but much if not most of Richmond is straight ghetto.
How many homicides were there in Richmond last year?
By beautiful streets do you mean East Broad Street? Chamberlayne Ave? Nine Mile Road? Hull Street? Or do we just pretend those parts of Richmond don't exist?
There is a lot pretending going on in his posts.
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All it takes is a smile from me and a "How are ya?" to get people to open the social floodgates. The people here though despite their friendliness are also very pessimistic about the region's future. With a new medical school, rebounding downtown, growing national recognition, and a metropolitan population that has grown for the past several years after many decades of steep decline following the collapse of the mining industry I find it hard to be so downright negative about the Electric City's impending renaissance. We're by no means perfect, but living amongst so many folks who are so "jaded" has really soured me. 
