Is PA depressing? (Harrisburg, Gettysburg, Penn: nightlife, pollution, farmers)

[danwxman]

Originally Posted by BackToTheCityMouse

I live in suburban (East Shore) Harrisburg area, and there are other forum regulars in the area as well. Please let us know if there is anything we can help with -- I can recommend all kinds of services/businesses except apartments and bars.

Your post took me by surprise because I've read so many comments here about how Harrisburg is like heaven on earth for party loving 20-somethings. I do know that people in this area network very selectively (translation: they can be xenophobic and clique-ish, in some groups racism and sexism are still cool and accepted behaviors), and there are lots of people working overtime to convince themselves they are East Coast hipsters. Whatever you do, don't tell them you didn't think they were here visiting from Brooklyn...and here only to invest in converting warehouses into lofts and art spaces.

Haha...my friends and I always joke about how we are wannabe hipsters. That's one thing Harrisburg doesn't have much of. It's mostly young "professionals"...I chalk it up to the lack of a large college.

[LexusNexus]

Depression is a state of mind, not the state of a place. A person can be depressed even in the most lively and vibrant of locations.

I find PA to be a place of quiet quality. My wife is from PA and it was the state that gave me my first job after college. Great state and one of my favorites. Interesting, good-natured people. Genuine, sincere interactions. PA women usually possess beauty that is more than skin-deep. It's a beautiful state.

If anyone is depressed and think it's because they live in PA, think again. It's YOU, not the state.

[BackToTheCityMouse]

What do you do for a social life if you are young in Harrisburg, but not a 'professional'?

Or is everyone who doesn't work in fast food or in a factory or as farm-related labor considered 'professional' here? Or is it simply a matter of how much money your family has or how much you earn? Or what pieces of paper you have from your education regardless of what work you do? I know the opposite isn't true.

I have yet to crack the code Probably won't before I move out of state. Such is life

[danwxman]

Originally Posted by BackToTheCityMouse

What do you do for a social life if you are young in Harrisburg, but not a 'professional'?

Or is everyone who doesn't work in fast food or in a factory or as farm-related labor considered 'professional' here? Or is it simply a matter of how much money your family has or how much you earn? Or what pieces of paper you have from your education regardless of what work you do? I know the opposite isn't true.

I have yet to crack the code Probably won't before I move out of state. Such is life

Good question. Most of my friends actually aren't professionals, though I am on my way to become one (in college, have an internship at a high-tech firm). It doesn't have anything to do with family, at least for me, but it does have to do with who/where you went to school. Most of the people I socialize with I went to high school with or lived in the same town with. There are a few exceptions, people I've met who have moved here from out of the area recently...there is definetely a scene for people who aren't professionals, it just isn't as big right now. But it is happening. Judging from the past few first fridays and the grand opening events at HMAC, the arts/hipster scene is coming into its own.

The nice thing is if you have any kind of personality or are outgoing at all it is easy to feel like a big fish in a small pond....which can be a good thing if you like that, a bad thing if you crave a larger pond.

[BackToTheCityMouse]

That's a good answer, thank you much

Since I am too old to be hip in Harrisburg (sounds like the title of a mid-life crisis novel ) and not a local, no amount of personality or even talent would make me an H-burg Hipster. And since I've never done a single day's work in PA, didn't go to college here (or even pre-school), and my dad was a blue collar union dude, I'd have to find myself a little niche in the smaller blue collar scene. Like that old episode of STAR TREK, I'll have to dig ore in the mines and never live on Stratos with the artists and poets. (Weeps forlornly, shedding enough tears to dampen the entire subdivision.)

Now I am beginning to understand why so many young people leave the area or don't return after going to college out of state. They discover that things are different elsewhere. For those who like it here, great. For the rest, there are options when you leave. All good.

[ki0eh]

Originally Posted by BackToTheCityMouse

What do you do for a social life if you are young in Harrisburg, but not a 'professional'?

PA Capital Region - Hikes and Activity Schedule

[BackToTheCityMouse]

This means all those ads on H-Burg's Craig's List from people who claim to be professionals, and want to hook up to go hiking, aren't professionals?

So, just like Michelle Obama wanted to check out a prospective mate on the basketball court, women here want to know does he, or doesn't he, hike?

[BevoInPA]

Can someone delete this whole thread?

[millereau]

Where are the rough areas?

[ktygirl]

Getting back to the original question......no Pennsylvania is not depressing.....It can get quiet and lonely in winter and extremely cold on the plateau, but there is a beauty in it. Summers can be quite nice as well - cool in the evenings as summers seem shorter than winters. Spring and Fall are the best! There are always places to go -- just look in the local supermarkets they have plenty of brochures. Be careful driving and have fun! Pennsylvania is beautiful!!!!