How would living in Hanover be for a gay, liberal man? (Lancaster: fit in, lawyers)

[pineapplechameleon]

I am considering a move to Hanover, PA and am wondering what the town would be like for a gay, liberal man. I understand that Hanover is a conservative place with little racial diversity, and with the current political climate being as toxic as it is, I am wondering how a gay, liberal man who works in elementary education would be treated. I am a private and reserved person, but when the topic comes up I am forthright and honest with my political views and my sexual orientation. I would live alone, and my fear is being treated in a hostile manner or having my home targeted, etc. as well as more common things like dirty looks and comments. I'd just like an overall opinion on how someone like me might be treated and what it might be like living in a conservative community.

[rowhomecity]

Where are you moving from to get an idea of your expectations? Hanover is the economic center of the rural southern portion of York County and borders Adams County, with a large agricultural community. There is some light industries and several major food corporations in the town, but other than that it is not sparse with a great deal of economic diversity. It is definitely a conservative area.

Pennsylvania's small cities in the vicinity, including Harrisburg, York and Lancaster are Democratic, diverse and lean liberal and you would most certainly be fine if you lived in one of these communities and commuted to Hanover for work. I cannot say the commute would be pleasant, but very doable.

As far as the school district, I am not sure how your job would be affected by your orientation. I think more conservatives have accepted the LGBT community than before, but in Trumps era of hate spreading, it is hard to tell.

[pineapplechameleon]

Originally Posted by rowhomecity

Where are you moving from to get an idea of your expectations? Hanover is the economic center of the rural southern portion of York County and borders Adams County, with a large agricultural community. There is some light industries and several major food corporations in the town, but other than that it is not sparse with a great deal of economic diversity. It is definitely a conservative area.

Pennsylvania's small cities in the vicinity, including Harrisburg, York and Lancaster are Democratic, diverse and lean liberal and you would most certainly be fine if you lived in one of these communities and commuted to Hanover for work. I cannot say the commute would be pleasant, but very doable.

As far as the school district, I am not sure how your job would be affected by your orientation. I think more conservatives have accepted the LGBT community than before, but in Trumps era of hate spreading, it is hard to tell.

Thanks for your reply. I'm trying not to get too specific about all of the details (I like to stay private), but I would be coming from the Baltimore-Washington metro area. I have a house I am looking at in Hanover that is really winning me over, which is why I'm leaning towards it. I guess I should add that I am not flamboyant or an out-there type of person. I live my life very conservatively and low-key despite my political leanings. I'm youngish, but am a homebody.

[rowhomecity]

Originally Posted by pineapplechameleon

Thanks for your reply. I'm trying not to get too specific about all of the details (I like to stay private), but I would be coming from the Baltimore-Washington metro area. I have a house I am looking at in Hanover that is really winning me over, which is why I'm leaning towards it. I guess I should add that I am not flamboyant or an out-there type of person. I live my life very conservatively and low-key despite my political leanings. I'm youngish, but am a homebody.

You are welcome! Yes you can certainly get a lot for your money in that area. You are close to Gettysburg which is actually a very historic charming town with a mini ivy liberal arts school Gettysburg College. There are some quaint historic villages in the area as well such as New Berlin, PA. The farmland and rolling hills are very very pretty.

But it is a very conservative area. It is definitely TRUMP country. I personally could not live there. If I was offered a good job in Hanover I would probably move to the Mechanicsburg area which is right outside Harrisburg and commute about 45 minutes everyday.

Lancaster is the most charming of Central Pennsylvania's cities and that commute is about an hour. York city is very blue collar. It has a charming downtown that is historic. It kind of feels like a mini Baltimore to me. Where Harrisburg is like a mini Philly. If that makes sense.

Good luck!

[Sicilee]

Well, I’d love to have you as a neighbor. I don’t think there would be blatant discrimination, but it would be there. More likely...you might be lonely, as folks here keep to themselves, or socialize within their family or church groups. Not exclusively, but for the most part. I don’t know if there is a way to private message on here, but if so reach out to me and I’ll talk in more detail privately.

[NewtownBucks]

Originally Posted by rowhomecity

You are welcome! Yes you can certainly get a lot for your money in that area. You are close to Gettysburg which is actually a very historic charming town with a mini ivy liberal arts school Gettysburg College. There are some quaint historic villages in the area as well such as New Berlin, PA. The farmland and rolling hills are very very pretty.

But it is a very conservative area. It is definitely TRUMP country. I personally could not live there. If I was offered a good job in Hanover I would probably move to the Mechanicsburg area which is right outside Harrisburg and commute about 45 minutes everyday.

Lancaster is the most charming of Central Pennsylvania's cities and that commute is about an hour. York city is very blue collar. It has a charming downtown that is historic. It kind of feels like a mini Baltimore to me. Where Harrisburg is like a mini Philly. If that makes sense.

Good luck!

I would hesitate to call Gettyburg a "mini ivy". My wife went there, and it is dominated by Greek life and most of her college friends are conservative (although educated conservative, so not like Trump crazy).

I would say in response to OP's question, I doubt that there would be outright anti-LGBTQ bigotry in any town like that in Central PA, but it is a politically conservative area, so you'd be a political outcast.

[rowhomecity]

Originally Posted by NewtownBucks

I would hesitate to call Gettyburg a "mini ivy". My wife went there, and it is dominated by Greek life and most of her college friends are conservative (although educated conservative, so not like Trump crazy).

I would say in response to OP's question, I doubt that there would be outright anti-LGBTQ bigotry in any town like that in Central PA, but it is a politically conservative area, so you'd be a political outcast.

Yes you are right Gettysburg College has a large Greek life for an institution of its size. It is considered a historic college founded in 1832 and a prestigious liberal arts school. Very similar to Bucknell, Haverford and Swathmore which all are not obviously Ivy League institutions but are considered to be ivy league level liberal arts schools.

[DXBtoFL]

Originally Posted by rowhomecity

Yes you are right Gettysburg College has a large Greek life for an institution of its size. It is considered a historic college founded in 1832 and a prestigious liberal arts school. Very similar to Bucknell, Haverford and Swathmore which all are not obviously Ivy League institutions but are considered to be ivy league level liberal arts schools.

Eh. Perfectly fine college but a pretty big step down from Swarthmore and Haverford and the next rung down from Bucknell. I would never call it prestigious, but it is fine and there's nothing wrong with it.

Back to the OP, there are LGBTA people everywhere, even in rural Pennsylvania.

But the one thing you need to keep in mind is not so much the LGBTA population, but the specific LGBTA demographic that you fit into. Many of the gay men in York County are going to be of similar demographics to the area, in other words rural/working class white men. The pool of educated professional gay men is going to be a tiny fraction of what you find the Baltimore-Washington area. That may or may not be an issue for you but I do want to emphasize that it's far less about being gay these days than it is about like-minded gay men. While there's enough professional, educated straight people in the region, working at the colleges, hospitals, local lawyers and corporations, and they will make for pleasant neighbors for you, the "brain drain" to the big cities factor is real for LGBTA people.

In other words, if you want to date, let alone find a crowd of like minded gay men for drinks and social activities, it's going to be pretty tough, I would think.

[bridge12]

There is very little, if any, LGBTQ professional scene in the York/Hanover area. It's a little better in Lancaster and actually very strong (relative to its metro size) in Harrisburg. I suspect you'll be traveling to Harrisburg or Baltimore often. But I don't think it's unusual for gay people to live in Hanover. It just may be quite difficult to find single gay people. You didn't state your relationship status so just inferring.

[pineapplechameleon]

Well, somebody bought the home before I could decide - so I guess it wasn't meant to be. Thank you all for your kind help.