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Old 06-20-2010, 01:31 PM
 
Location: Kittanning
4,692 posts, read 9,037,720 times
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I moved to Pittsburgh from Michigan a couple years ago. So far the only larger PA cities I have been to are Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. I assume these are the best cities in the state, considering they are the largest and generally considered the most vibrant. Or am I wrong? I thought it would be fun if people familiar with the state could rank its cities. I am particularly curious about Erie, Scranton, and Harrisburg.
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Old 06-20-2010, 02:04 PM
 
5,802 posts, read 9,897,487 times
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I'm pretty much with you and I'm from Pittsburgh -

1 Pittsburgh
2 Philadelphia
3 Harrisburg
4 The Rest of PA

The Burgh and Philly will probably flip flop around throughout this post but this is pretty much your tops list.
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Old 06-20-2010, 05:43 PM
 
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It would all depend upon what factors you are ranking those cities (Erie, Scranton, Harrisburg) by.

Harrisburg is a tough one because so much of it's "vibrance" would come from the fact that it's the State Capital. What if the capital had been someplace else?
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Old 06-20-2010, 09:13 PM
 
Location: Villanova Pa.
4,927 posts, read 14,218,011 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Blackbeauty212 View Post
I'm pretty much with you and I'm from Pittsburgh -

1 Pittsburgh
2 Philadelphia
3 Harrisburg
4 The Rest of PA

The Burgh and Philly will probably flip flop around throughout this post but this is pretty much your tops list.
I hate to sounding pompous but there will be No flip flopping unless this a subjective "My favorite city" type ranking.

If this is an objective unbiased ranking the list starts with Philadelphia big gap Pittsburgh big gap and so on .
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Old 06-20-2010, 09:20 PM
 
21 posts, read 75,213 times
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Someone who is in their 20s and single will have a completely different answer as opposed to someone with 3 kids. I'm assuming your mean as far as things to do.

I'd rank Pittsburgh as number one since I'm more keen on the western part of the state but then philly, Harrisburg, then probably Lancaster. Those would be the top four.
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Old 06-20-2010, 09:22 PM
 
3,189 posts, read 4,983,145 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rainrock View Post
If this is an objective unbiased ranking the list starts with Philadelphia big gap Pittsburgh big gap and so on .
You seem to have an inside track on what the criteria of this ranking system the OP meant even though it wasn't really stated outside of just "vibrant".

Vibrant could mean population-wise or employment-wise for example.

I think we need a better definition first.
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Old 06-20-2010, 09:33 PM
 
Location: Villanova Pa.
4,927 posts, read 14,218,011 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KoobleKar View Post
You seem to have an inside track on what the criteria of this ranking system the OP meant even though it wasn't really stated outside of just "vibrant".

Vibrant could mean population-wise or employment-wise for example.

I think we need a better definition first.
It doesnt matter. In all due respect to Pittsburgh Harrisburg etc etc.All phases of vibrancy Philadelphia tops the list.

Philadelphia is Pa.'s #1 city. A better argument would be what is Pa's 3rd most vibrant city.

Philly is locked in comfortably at 1.Pittsburgh at 2. Not trying to agitate just being a realist.

Philadelphia is one of the 5 best cities in the country. Yes it has its problem spots but the culture,architecture,design,education,economy, restaurant sectors outclass just about every city in the country , not just Pennsylvania.

You should all be proud that Philadlephia is part of this state.
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Old 06-20-2010, 09:40 PM
 
Location: Philaburbia
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Erie has a Great Lake (which seems to be news to very many people who have lived in Pennsylvania all their lives ... ). That alone ranks it above the others.
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Old 06-20-2010, 09:47 PM
 
3,189 posts, read 4,983,145 times
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I don't know where you've gotten that information, but I'm afraid it's not accurate.

Employment opportunities are far better in Pittsburgh...the statistics back that up.

Pittsburgh is attracting more highly educated people (5th in the USA)...the statistics back that up.

Pittsburgh has a higher number of residents with degrees from higher education institutions and more kids go on to college there than Philly.

Pittsburgh was ranked the America's Most Livable City by Rand-McNalley

Pittsburgh was ranked #2 Most Scenic City by Places rated.
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Old 06-20-2010, 10:21 PM
 
Location: Villanova Pa.
4,927 posts, read 14,218,011 times
Reputation: 2715
Quote:
Originally Posted by KoobleKar View Post
I don't know where you've gotten that information, but I'm afraid it's not accurate.

Employment opportunities are far better in Pittsburgh...the statistics back that up.

Pittsburgh is attracting more highly educated people (5th in the USA)...the statistics back that up.

Pittsburgh has a higher number of residents with degrees from higher education institutions and more kids go on to college there than Philly.

Pittsburgh was ranked the America's Most Livable City by Rand-McNalley

Pittsburgh was ranked #2 Most Scenic City by Places rated.
The above^ is a mix of deceptive per capita rhetoric and magazine fluff pieces.

For example the per capita income of my township of Lower Merion(60,000 pop.) and the economic and job data of LM would absolutely destroy Pittsburgh but that doesnt necessitate that Lower Merion is a more vibrant place than Pittsburgh. Far from it.

Philadelphia is in a different class than Pittsburgh. Its the cultural core of the 9th largest metro in the world. On a normal given day there are more people in the 4 sq. mi. area of Center City Philly than in the entire 55 sq miles of Pittsburgh.
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