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Old 07-06-2020, 03:03 PM
 
1 posts, read 1,567 times
Reputation: 10

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I've come across a job lead in Somerset and I'm looking into there and the surrounding communities to move my family to. Since I'm not there and it's not feasible to travel there to get boots on the ground info, you guys are the next best thing.

So here's a list describing us - I'd like to see if we'd enjoy moving here.
We're coming from commiefornia - politically independent and heavily right-leaning
hate commiefornia and dislike 80% of it's inhabitants/politics
gun owners
non-religious
enjoy privacy
educated but blue collar
adaptive (meaning we can acclimatize to the local "way of life"
actually dislike hot weather, but haven't lived in real cold weather (swedish bloodline though)

We're close to Los Angeles but we don't necessarily like big city living, meaning we don't need there to be something to do constantly. My worry is actually more about my kids as I've read some other stories on this forum about non-religious kids not fitting in well in some of the more rural communities in PA. May end up homeschooling anyhow because we're not a big fan of public school curriculum or the bs they feed our kids.

I'd also like this thread to turn into a Somerset general for anyone from the area to just drop their thoughts in. Any and all info is extremely helpful.
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Old 07-06-2020, 08:43 PM
 
5,297 posts, read 6,172,002 times
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Must be a really good job to entice you into moving to Somerset County. The main industry there used to be coal mining, now it's services. See link for county information.


//www.city-data.com/county/Somerset_County-PA.html
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Old 07-07-2020, 09:47 AM
 
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Somerset County is a very snowy area (though last winter was mild). I love that but most people probably wouldn't. For example, wikipedia says "Somerset County along with Garrett County is one of the snowiest inhabited locations in the United States, with the highest elevations of the county averaging 150+ inches of snow each winter." I'm guessing at the lowest elevations it might be closer to 50 inches but that's still a lot to most people.
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Old 07-08-2020, 04:08 PM
 
9 posts, read 9,743 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PGH423 View Post
Somerset County is a very snowy area (though last winter was mild). I love that but most people probably wouldn't. For example, wikipedia says "Somerset County along with Garrett County is one of the snowiest inhabited locations in the United States, with the highest elevations of the county averaging 150+ inches of snow each winter." I'm guessing at the lowest elevations it might be closer to 50 inches but that's still a lot to most people.
Good point here. The 10 feet+ of snow per year is usually centered around the ridgetops (especially Seven Springs area), but the rest of the county still receives its share of snowfall through the year. Most of Somerset County sits at much higher elevations than surrounding areas, making it susceptible to relatively heavy snowfalls (Somerset borough is over 2,000 feet in elevation, compared to Pittsburgh at roughly 700 feet above sea level). The higher elevations also lead to Somerset County having generally lower temperatures than surrounding areas - winters can be harsher, but summers can be quite pleasant compared to Pittsburgh and other lower elevation cities.
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Old 07-14-2020, 07:46 AM
 
Location: SW Pennsylvania
18 posts, read 30,082 times
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Somerset is laid back. Violet crime in Somerset Co? lol. Pennsylvania Turnpike access for east to west travel. Great rails to trails with Great Allegheny Passage trail. Highest point in Pa, Mount Davis, is in Somerset County so yeah a little more snow, but you won`t be snowed in. Pa is one of the easiest states to get concealed weapons (gun) permit. Amish here and there. Church issues ? Nothing forced on you. I find great worship and fellowship in my church. Hope I helped.
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Old 07-14-2020, 07:58 AM
 
Location: Washington County, PA
4,240 posts, read 4,915,255 times
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Winters in Somerset County are no joke. Here is the average weather for Somerset (not on a mountain). 93" of annual snow.








Versus Seven Springs which is on the mountain at about 2500' in elevation. If you're at the top of the Laurel/Allegheny Mountain Ridges its probably even more as they reach above 3000'.


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Old 07-14-2020, 02:38 PM
 
1,524 posts, read 1,309,909 times
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Originally Posted by speagles84 View Post
Winters in Somerset County are no joke. Here is the average weather for Somerset (not on a mountain). 93" of annual snow.








Versus Seven Springs which is on the mountain at about 2500' in elevation. If you're at the top of the Laurel/Allegheny Mountain Ridges its probably even more as they reach above 3000'.

I believe they measure the snowfall at the top of Seven Springs (elevation 2994). I'm just a snow fanatic who is nit-picking but I suspect 150" is accurate for the thin ridge peaks (which few people live on) and around 90" is accurate for most of the county. To the average person, all this really means is "it snows a lot" though.
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Old 07-14-2020, 06:18 PM
 
Location: SW Pennsylvania
18 posts, read 30,082 times
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I live less than an hour from downtown Somerset. If schools are closed occasionally because of snow, yeah, stay home. An retired local teacher lives on top of the Laurel Ridge(Somerset County). He made it to work to our local school at the bottom of the Ridge every wintry day. PennDOT has snow plows out there. Flagstaff, AZ gets 100 inches of snow a year also. Would I not live in Flagstaff because of snow ? Heck no. Ski resorts up there (PA) have had less than stellar years because of lack of snow. Lyme disease in Pa IS a concern to me. Snow no.
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Old 07-14-2020, 06:54 PM
 
1,524 posts, read 1,309,909 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by denny52 View Post
I live less than an hour from downtown Somerset. If schools are closed occasionally because of snow, yeah, stay home. An retired local teacher lives on top of the Laurel Ridge(Somerset County). He made it to work to our local school at the bottom of the Ridge every wintry day. PennDOT has snow plows out there. Flagstaff, AZ gets 100 inches of snow a year also. Would I not live in Flagstaff because of snow ? Heck no. Ski resorts up there (PA) have had less than stellar years because of lack of snow. Lyme disease in Pa IS a concern to me. Snow no.
Oh I'm with you. I live in the Pittsburgh area and wish we had the snow that Somerset gets. That said, some people hate winter weather and would be miserable November through March in Somerset. They should at least know what they're getting into.
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Old 07-29-2020, 09:29 AM
 
3 posts, read 2,709 times
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We're also looking to escape California. We call it the People's Republic of California. We're also looking into the Somerset area. I'm not so much concerned about snow as I am about the the local economy. It seems like a lot of PA towns suffer from a post-industrial blight. We'll be retired when we move, so I'm not concerned about finding work. I am concerned about moving into an area with a very depressed economy.



We've also looked at Meadville, but that seems too remote. I like what I see about Somerset in terms of hiking, biking, skiing etc. I also like that it's possibly a bit cooler than lower elevations in the summer.
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