What's life like in Erie and surrounding suburbs?

[trackstar13]

Originally Posted by bluecarebear

Inexpensive IF there are lots of high paying jobs. Those are scarce. Trust me, I know plenty of people who have moved away from the city because of the lack of jobs and layoffs.

Western PA is not cheap. Not sure when you last lived here. Yes, Erie is cheaper than Philly but so is Pittsburgh.

I agree about the issue with good paying jobs in many parts of western PA and Erie especially, but I can't agree with the western PA not being "cheap." Erie is still pretty affordable and I have seen 2,000+ square ft. houses in nicer neighborhoods of the city sell for under $50,000. I have even seen smaller houses in my neighborhood, Frontier, sell for under $70,000. I am not sure it gets much cheaper than that and some of the outlying areas have many sub $100,000 houses that come with acres of land and have pretty low taxes.

[LakeEffect2]

What's the state of water quality in Erie these days?

Any abandoned industries that messed up the ground (and lake) water? I'm not trying to play off the Flint scare, but any old industrial city has the potential for a water quality problem, whether it be with lead or other hazardous substances.

In recent years, the western end of Lake Erie has been hit badly with heavy green scum (algae bloom?) that supposedly originates from ag chemicals in Michigan and Ohio. Aerial and satellite images of this stuff are not pretty. It has affected municipal water supplies. Does this crud makes its way downlake to the town of Erie?

[Clark Park]

I'll mention something that will probably impress no one reading this thread.

When I visited Erie a few years ago for the first and only time over a weekend I noted that there is a lot of nice historic architecture in the city. Also shady tree lined streets. Things like that are important to me.

Erie is the 4th largest city in Pennsylvania, so it's not some Podunk small town.

The place does have some charm and character.

I wouldn't be surprised if nobody cares about those things.

[jFug]

Originally Posted by LakeEffect2

What's the state of water quality in Erie these days?

Any abandoned industries that messed up the ground (and lake) water? I'm not trying to play off the Flint scare, but any old industrial city has the potential for a water quality problem, whether it be with lead or other hazardous substances.

In recent years, the western end of Lake Erie has been hit badly with heavy green scum (algae bloom?) that supposedly originates from ag chemicals in Michigan and Ohio. Aerial and satellite images of this stuff are not pretty. It has affected municipal water supplies. Does this crud makes its way downlake to the town of Erie?

I don't know if you're asking about drinking water or just the lake water but as far s I know, the water at our beaches is pretty clean. There have been some e coli advisories at some beaches (especially when the water temp. is warm) but no major health concerns.


Erie's drinking water has never had any major problems like lead. However, there has been lead poisoning as a result of old housing stock that still contains lead paint.

[trackstar13]

I haven't notice too much of an algae bloom in Lake Erie near Erie, PA, but it is a concern as the algae bloom spreads from Ohio east. I know that the western basin of Lake Erie is much shallower than the central basin (Erie) and the eastern basin (Buffalo) and I believe this is a factor in the algae blooms. Presque Isle Bay has been cleaned up significantly in recent years and as the bayfront continues to develop as a place for tourism and recreation, I think it will only get cleaner.

[trackstar13]

Originally Posted by Clark Park

I'll mention something that will probably impress no one reading this thread.

When I visited Erie a few years ago for the first and only time over a weekend I noted that there is a lot of nice historic architecture in the city. Also shady tree lined streets. Things like that are important to me.

Erie is the 4th largest city in Pennsylvania, so it's not some Podunk small town.

The place does have some charm and character.

I wouldn't be surprised if nobody cares about those things.

I agree about the history and architecture and I love the houses near Gannon University on Millionaire's Row, i.e. 6th street. In terms of architecture in Erie, these are the main places to check out:

1) 6th St. near Gannon University Millionaire's Row. In this area you can also check out the Watson-Curtze Mansion, which has recently been restored to its former glory and is the headquarters for the Erie Historical Society as well as a museum you can visit.
2) West 21st Street has probably the second largest intact group of historic homes in Erie and is pretty awesome. The area between State and Chestnut streets is the main area here that has been kept up fairly well.
3) West 10th and 8th streets are also pretty nice, but can be hit or miss from block to block. Some of the houses have been remodeled with crappy vinyl siding, but some are still pretty intact, especially on 10th street. The area between State and Weschler on West 10th is the main area I like in this part of town for historic homes.
4) Both the Frontier Park/Kahkwa neighborhoods as well as the Glenwood Hills neighborhoods are also very historic and there are some amazing homes in these neighborhoods. The mansions on South Shore Dr. and upper State St. are pretty impressive as well as many of the streets that border Frontier Park itself. I would say that anywhere from Monaca Dr. to Pittsburgh Ave. north of West 8th street is worth checking out and Ferncliff Beach is a really unique group of historic boathouses that can best be seen from boat or Kayak in Presque Isle Bay. For Glenwood Hills, the area surrounding Glenwood Park from 38th to 42nd Streets is very nice as well as State and Cherry Streets.
5) You can also stay in the Spencer or George Carroll houses if you want to stay in historic bed and breakfasts while you are in town checking out the historic architecture.

I am really surprised that more people are not into the architecture in Erie and the surrounding areas. It is amazing how much there is to see and the two main lighthouses (Presque Isle and Erie Land) are also worth checking out if you have time.

[bluecarebear]

Originally Posted by LakeEffect2

What's the state of water quality in Erie these days?

Any abandoned industries that messed up the ground (and lake) water? I'm not trying to play off the Flint scare, but any old industrial city has the potential for a water quality problem, whether it be with lead or other hazardous substances.

In recent years, the western end of Lake Erie has been hit badly with heavy green scum (algae bloom?) that supposedly originates from ag chemicals in Michigan and Ohio. Aerial and satellite images of this stuff are not pretty. It has affected municipal water supplies. Does this crud makes its way downlake to the town of Erie?

Pollution and algae can close the beaches every once in awhile. The notices of the beach closings are posted. As far as general water quality, Lake Erie is the same water as Cleveland, Toledo, Buffalo, Detroit, etc. so it is basically the dumping ground for those cities. It is fine to swim in as long as you don't drink it. I think the PA fish commission has said not to eat fish from the Lake more than once a month.

[trackstar13]

Originally Posted by bluecarebear

Pollution and algae can close the beaches every once in awhile. The notices of the beach closings are posted. As far as general water quality, Lake Erie is the same water as Cleveland, Toledo, Buffalo, Detroit, etc. so it is basically the dumping ground for those cities. It is fine to swim in as long as you don't drink it. I think the PA fish commission has said not to eat fish from the Lake more than once a month.

What are you talking about? Lake Erie has three distinct basins and the central basin, where Erie is located, has significantly less problems with algae than the western basin. Here is a link to an article that explains this better: Algae blooms in Lake Erie continue to be a concern - GoErie.com - Erie, PA

I have never heard of a Presque Isle beach closed for an algae bloom and it may be an issue in the future, but to my knowledge has not been yet. In terms of the water quality and eating fish, it depends on the type of fish and most fish are safe to eat from Lake Erie. I believe Walleye and Perch both fit in the safe to eat once a week category in Lake Erie and the water quality in the lake has improved significantly in recent years due to the invasive zebra mussels that filter the water and less pollution. Relatively speaking, Lake Erie also has a very short residence time and all of the water turns over in about 2-3 years. The algae in Lake Erie is mainly due to fertilizer and farm runoff as well as increased water clarity and temperatures.

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by LakeEffect2

What's the state of water quality in Erie these days?

Any abandoned industries that messed up the ground (and lake) water? I'm not trying to play off the Flint scare, but any old industrial city has the potential for a water quality problem, whether it be with lead or other hazardous substances.

The Flint River as a water source is not comparable to Lake Erie as a water source.

In recent years, the western end of Lake Erie has been hit badly with heavy green scum (algae bloom?) that supposedly originates from ag chemicals in Michigan and Ohio. Aerial and satellite images of this stuff are not pretty. It has affected municipal water supplies. Does this crud makes its way downlake to the town of Erie?

As others have pointed out, the western basin is much shallower than the rest of the lake. So once again, your comparisons are not valid.

[trackstar13]

Not sure if anyone else has seen this, but the new "Love Erie" campaign and video are very interesting. The video shows some really nice visuals of the Erie area and I have included it below.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMLzLEJjLiU