Favorite region/metro/city in Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh: college, quality of life, living)

[Muinteoir]

What is your favorite region/metro/city in Pennsylvania? In hopes of a fair challenge, I have grouped parts of Pennsylvania to more evenly reflect population and influence, while acknowledging that population or economic prominence do not necessarily equate preference.

Weigh criteria on your own specific preferences. Some criteria: quality of life, economy, culture, infrastructure, education, amenities, scenery, recreation, activities.

Philadelphia: city/county limits.

Suburban Philadelphia: Delaware, Montgomery, Chester and Bucks counties.

Lehigh Valley + Northeastern PA: I combined these for a better match up. Think of this as the 476 corridor (and beyond) past the Philly metro.

South-Central Pennsylvania: Harrisburg-Lancaster-York metros. Adams, Berks, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, Perry, Snyder, and York counties. This is Pennsylvania Dutch Country.

Allegheny County: Pittsburgh and its inner suburbs.

The “rest” of PA: Named for lack of a better, all-encompassing term. This is a big geographical area comprised of a lot of conservation land such as the Northern Wilds and Laurel Highlands. Most of Northern and Western Pennsylvania are in this group with smaller cities such as Erie, Williamsport, Altoona, and State College. This category has some of Pennsylvania's most breathtaking natural scenery. (I give the outer metro Pittsburgh counties to this category because overall, they reflect the more politically conservative and rural make up of this category, and this category can use the population bump).

[rowhomecity]

I love the city of Philadelphia so much. But suburban Philadelphia is one of the nicest suburban regions in the USA. And sadly nearly no one in the rest of the state knows this. Literally the wealth and character are top 3 in the nation.

[cpomp]

Philadelphia is obviously a center for culture, history, energy, food, etc. But I second the suburban Philadelphia option.
Truly a wonderful region and rather under the radar from a national perspective.

[trackstar13]

Why not include a separate category for the city of Pittsburgh? Allegheny county is pretty big and Imperial doesn't have much in common with the city of Pittsburgh.

[jtab4994]

I think Pottsville, a Schuylkill County coal town that hung on because of the Yuengling Brewery and is now on the upswing, is a nice little town. So I voted "other".

My wife and I have also talked about retiring to the Danville area.

[Ohiogirl81]

I smell a southeastern Pennsylvania bias with this post. You left northwestern Pennsylvania, a corner of the state like no other, out of your poll.

[Muinteoir]

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81

I smell a southeastern Pennsylvania bias with this post. You left northwestern Pennsylvania, a corner of the state like no other, out of your poll.

Well, thank you for sniffing your way into my thread! I allocated it to the “rest of PA,” because I figured Erie/Northwest Pennsylvania does not pack a big enough punch in itself. That option seems to be doing well. Congratulations!

[jcp123]

I went “rest of PA”.

Most of the metros have an old, rust belt vibe that gives off a melancholy vibe to me. I don’t like spending time in those parts of PA or other similar places outside of PA. Out in the sticks, at least, there’s a bit of that Appalachia country boy vibe. Not rich, but living kinda well, in a way.

[PreservationPioneer]

I love Philly. Pittsburgh is alright. My favorite parts of the state are the mountainous rural areas, quaint small towns like Gettysburg, Franklin, Hollidaysburg, and the small historic cities like York, Pottsville, Johnstown, etc. So I picked "other."

[Muinteoir]

Originally Posted by trackstar13

Why not include a separate category for the city of Pittsburgh? Allegheny county is pretty big and Imperial doesn't have much in common with the city of Pittsburgh.

Again, proportionality. Pittsburgh is a city of ~300K. I’d be decried for stacking odds against metro Pittsburgh.