Erie vs. Harrisburg (Pittsburgh, Reading, Scranton: 2013, apartment, rental)

[SteelCityRising]

Hello!

I grew up in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and lived there until 2009. I lived in Virginia for a year-and-a-half. I've lived in Pittsburgh since 2010.

I am just emerging from being dumped from a 6.5-year relationship with someone whom I was planning to marry who told me he found his "real" soul mate. I'm trying to heal, but since I fell in love with both him AND Pittsburgh simultaneously a lot of my memories of the city have been intertwined with painful memories of him. Coupled with a job I'm not happy with and consistently rising rents, I'm thinking it may be time for a change of scenery.

I've decided I want to explore life in a smaller city and metro area. After careful research I've narrowed down my decision to Erie and Harrisburg.

Erie? Since I first visited The Flagship City in Spring 2013 I've been in love. Presque Isle State Park is therapeutic. The city and its surrounding townships have all of my favorite chains (Wegmans, Target, H&M, Boscov's, Krispy Kreme, Tim Horton's). There's even a Mad Mex and Primanti Brothers if I yearn for Pittsburgh foods. I love snow and have been miffed that Pittsburgh doesn't get much. Erie gets slammed with snow every winter. I feel like I could obtain a job with UPMC, LECOM, or Erie Insurance with limited difficulty and/or could deliver food as a fallback if necessary. Rents are cheap! I saw a listing for a furnished efficiency by Presque Isle for $395/month (including all utilities!) Every Erie native I've met raves over their hometown. Why, then, isn't Erie given more attention or love? What's the "catch"? Seems like there would be plenty of jobs there paying ~$15/hr. to comfortably afford the rents there, no? It will be about 5 hours from my family in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Harrisburg? I don't know much about the city. I presume I'd have a relatively easy time securing a job there, as I have both Federal (DoD) and municipal (police) government positions on my resume. My goal would be to work Downtown and live in Midtown. I like the size of the city and metro area. I love the historic residential architecture. I feel like the city is revitalizing. I prefer its proximity to Baltimore, DC, Philly, and NYC. It's an hour-and-forty-five minutes from my family. Downside? It's also a half-hour from the ex's family near Lancaster, and given his currently self-destructive path he'll likely end up living with them soon.

Obviously I LOVE Erie but worry about its relative geographic isolation, as I've always lived in cities more aligned with the BosWash Corridor than with the Midwest or Great Lakes. I know nothing, really, about Harrisburg, but can someone convince me it's as worthy of my love (and more practical perhaps?) than Erie?

Professionally I have worked in sales, auditing, Human Resources, and customer service. I'd be looking for a job paying about $35,000/year. I just want a studio or 1-BR in a walkable neighborhood in either city. Rent seems cheaper in Erie than in Harrisburg, but salaries also seem lower. Job opportunities seem comparable in both cities (not as many open state jobs as I was thinking there would be).

[jFug]

Obviously I'm biased, but I don't think you will have to worry about "isolation" in Erie. Within a four hour drive you have cities such as Cleveland, Columbus, Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Toronto, Rochester, Syracuse and the southern tier of NY. Detroit's a little bit further.


Pros to Erie: Presque Isle/Lake Erie access, cheaper COL, snow (apparently a pro for you), proximity to Erie's wineries and breweries, closer to Niagara Falls, among others.


Pros to Harrisburg: Better access to NYC, Philly and DC, proximity to Hershey, feels "bigger" than Erie, better airport.


Honestly, for being two smaller cities in the same state, they sure are different. And btw I'm sorry to hear about your situation. It get better with time

[bluecarebear]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Why, then, isn't Erie given more attention or love? What's the "catch"? Seems like there would be plenty of jobs there paying ~$15/hr. to comfortably afford the rents there, no? It will be about 5 hours from my family in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Erie is a mini-Pittsburgh but worse. The economy is almost the same with Erie having the highest salaries in the eds and meds fields. I say almost because Erie doesn't have the other stem or government jobs that Pittsburgh offers. Tourism jobs don't pay a lot and that is what Erie's economy is based upon. Over the last few years many high paying companies have left Erie and teachers have been laid off which has resulted in practically everyone I know there leaving. Last I heard, there was going to be another school closing. There is more of an immigrant presence and higher crime rate than Pittsburgh. The 100+ inches of snow annually isn't for everyone and makes the city more isolated than it is during the winter months which can last from October to April.

Harrisburg will offer you a better employment option but a higher cost of living and less snow. You should visit sometime. Why not Ohio? They have a cheaper COL.

[ki0eh]

A Primanti Bros. is coming to Hershey, which unfortunately will improve the food situation.

Lancaster is more like 45 minutes with pretty much permanent traffic. So you're not as close as you think.

Many of the "state" jobs are really with contractors in Harrisburg area. Example: Deloitte Jobs - Jobs in Harrisburg, PA

Wegmans in Harrisburg area, unfortunately is so far out that your frozen food would melt before you get it to your midtown apartment. Broad Street Market is of course right there, but pales in comparison to York's, Lancaster's, or the Strip District or Reading Terminal.

It's closer to Carlisle, which could be worth looking into as an alternative to Harrisburg. Cumberland County is growing rapidly, with logistics and defense as well as the state government. But it would be farther from the train to Phila/NYC though about as close driving to Washington.

Mechanicsburg Borough has a few blocks of surprising density and walkability, and bus service to work day shift downtown Harrisburg. The Mechanicsburg postal address is the locus of sprawl over the last decade, though.

Middletown Borough has walkability but no real vibe. The Amtrak station is slated to move out to a compromise between town and airport location.

The only outpost of Tim Horton's in the nominal Harrisburg-Carlisle metro is a convenience store/truckstop near New Buffalo in Perry County, north of Duncannon on US 11/15. You could use US 11 as an alternate route from Wilkes-Barre to pick up your Tim's bags, though passing the Shamokin Dam/Hummels Wharf "strip" is nails on a chalkboard to an urbanist. (Selinsgrove Boro itself is actually a bright spot, I often find excuses to eat at Emma's Food for Life on the square.)

Shopping in Harrisburg area doesn't seem fully commensurate with the size of the metro. There is no REI, nearest is Timonium MD. There is no Apple store, nearest is Park City mall Lancaster.

Alas, I think regional economics is more in Harrisburg's favor than Erie's.

[bluecarebear]

Check out the Mechanicsburg/Camp Hill corridor. You will have a walkable downtown with the shopping (Wegman's, Boscovs, Target, etc.) that you requested.

[PreservationPioneer]

I love both cities, and having visited both areas quite frequently, I feel that I should comment.

Harrisburg is surrounded by other affordable small cities (York, Carlisle, Lancaster, Columbia, etc.). It's also near Gettysburg, which I adore.

While Harrisburg's economy might be considerably better than Erie's, Harrisburg has a high level of poverty, blight, and depressed areas, which you will be apparent if you explore the urban neighborhoods outside of the trendy areas of downtown, midtown, etc. Harrisburg also has a much higher crime rate than Erie. The housing costs are also higher in Harrisburg. I don't think the rental costs are much different in Harrisburg than they are in Pittsburgh, aside from the fact that you could probably afford to live in a neighborhood walkable to downtown in Harrisburg.

The pluses of Harrisburg are: wonderful location and access to the East Coast cities, great riverfront park, smaller cities and tourist spots nearby, fantastic architecture and history, and historic urban neighborhoods that are walkable and beautifully preserved. In Harrisburg, you get a taste of the dense East Coast style architecture of Baltimore and Philly. The row house neighborhoods are lovely!

Erie probably has a more depressed economy, but the city seems to have much less poverty, ghetto, and blight. Even the east side of Erie seems okay to me. It's nothing like Homewood, Hazelwood, or Pittsburgh's bad areas! It seems more like McKees Rocks, a little rough but probably liveable.

Erie's location is probably as good as Harrisburg's, with Cleveland, Buffalo, and Pgh right there, and the added plus of Presque Isle.

Erie is overshadowed by the larger cities in its radius. The housing costs in Erie are cheaper than anywhere else I can think of, outside of Toledo, Buffalo, or Lincoln, Nebraska.

[trackstar13]

I voted Erie and mainly because of the available choices and comparing the two cities de As someone who is from Pittsburgh and currently living in Erie, I can say that the key to a happy life in Erie is earning enough money to live well. Luckily, I am afforded the opportunity to live in Erie and earn a good salary so I will have my house paid off in less than 10 years from the inception of the mortgage and I have the ability to travel frequently within the area and beyond. Erie county itself has a reasonable amount of amenities, but another draw for me is the proximity to major cities including Toronto and I like living a relative stress free life in Erie. I kayak frequently, fish, hike, snowshoe, bicycle, etc. and all within short distances of my house so I can spend more time actually doing the activities. The biggest downside to Erie is finding a good paying job and being able to take advantage of all the area has to offer with a nice work life balance. In other words, many of the people I know in Erie who are unhappy are young adults who are not in the workforce or people who are underemployed and working multiple jobs to make ends meet. The low cost of living and affordable housing can really improve quality of life for those moving to Erie with a good paying job.

[pman]

Harrisburg's 2016 crime statistics are in, and the results may surprise you | PennLive.com
Harrisburg has had a lot of struggles but often bankruptcy represents a bottom. While the city's relationship with its suburbs isn't good, it's an attractive city with good rail access to philly, ny, and a short drive to a lot of places crime seems to be declining and the regional employment picture isn't bad.
The two cities are different and the surrounding cities are vastly different. Only you can decide which is better for you.

[g500]

Harrisburg would be busier given its proximity to major cities, and that it is the capital and 2x larger as a metro. Erie gets crazy snow, but also has a beautiful setting/little more laid back. I really feel as if these cities are equally matched, so you would be ok picking either. Also, for the record Harrisburg and Lancaster are fully separate metros. There are many commuters and some trade between them, but they operate in two different worlds geographically, culturally and politically and are a solid 45 min - 1 hour apart.

Erie and Harrisburg play baseball against each other! Its not the pros but still fun!