I will stay 1 Year in PA!! (Philadelphia, Altoona: apartments, insurance, credit card) - Pennsylvania - City-Data Forum

Biancozz · 05-11-2006, 04:44 AM

Hello everybody, I'm an Italian guy and after my degree in Economy the company that I've analyzed in my Thesis offered me a 1 Year Stage in their industry in Pennsylvania, exactly in Telford which is a little town in Montgomery County as i've learned reading on internet.
So on Internet I've found this forum too (we are 7 hours ahead) and i've decided to write to know if some of you have ever been in Telford or in the cities around it.
And what can you suggest me for living in PA. For example in summer what's the weather like?? is it very hot, is it windy??
So please help me to understand how is the place in which I will live for 1 year

Thank you.
Dario.

nainee · 05-13-2006, 12:41 PM

Hey there.

I've lived in Houtzdale pretty much my entire life. My family relocated over in Houtzdale from England in 1993. I live in Texas now, (I just moved here close to 10 months ago.) But, Houtzdale is probably one of the worst places to live. There's absolutely NOTHING there. The town basically consists of a few restaurants & Your neighborhood market. You have to drive an hour to a shopping center (Altoona/State College,) so it's not that great. Also, one of the big party places is the Electric Avenue, which has been overcome by 20 year olds that have sex & do drugs for a living.

The weathers nice though. In the summer it can reach up to 95 or something, it's never gone over 100 though. You get a storm atleast one time a week. I'm only 16 years old, so you have to understand at my age, I can't drive or anything so I had to depend on my parents to drive me all these places. I'd have to hang out "downtown." Haha, with all the druggies. You can get close to your neighbors though, there is a lot of nice people there, it just basically consists of people who plan on doing absolutely nothing with their lives.

:] Have fun!!

jackooboy · 05-13-2006, 05:28 PM

Montgomery County is mostly suburban Philadelphia. I looked the town up on mapquest and it should be relatively nice. I don't know specifics about the town, but Philadelphia is the fourth largest city in the United States so you should definently visit it during your stay. It is the birthplace of the US Constitution, Ben Franklin was one of its key citizens and overall it is very historic in nature.

New York is only 2-3 hours from your house so you should go visit there too.

Biancozz · 05-16-2006, 01:32 PM

Thanks everybody, if someone wants to tell me something more I'll listen to you...byebye!!

keri berghaier · 05-31-2006, 11:59 AM

Hi,

I live about 20 minutes from Telford, PA. It is a cute little town that is poised for a resurgence. It is a bit run down, but the local government is spending quite a bit of money to reenergize and replace all of the street lights, fix sidewalks and clean up public places. Telford has a small town quiet feel to it yet it is only minutes away from any shopping need that you may have.

Property values are slightly lower for the average of Montgomery County, meaning that you can still get a good deal for a home. There is also an old cigarbox company that is being renovated to Beautiful apartments.

The summers are hot in July and August it isn't particularly windy, winters we usually get snow and it can be cold. It is only and hour or so to the Poconos for great skiing, though not the Italian Alps!

I hope this helps, let me know if you want some more information on Telford or the surrounding area.

Congratulations of finishing your thesis! I am an agent for Coldwell Banker Hearthside in Dublin, PA, again about 15 minutes from Telford. Let me know if I can help you in anyother way.

Sincerely,

Keri Berghaier
Coldwell Banker

Biancozz · 06-03-2006, 11:36 AM

Thank you very much Keri for your description, well I think I will not have any problems for an home because the Enterprise for which I'll work will give me one, maybe as I've seen you work in a Bank I would like to know if It is particoularly difficult for a stranger to open an account+credit card there in PA so I can have my moneys without paying too much for the operations, becuse if I take moneys there with my italian credit card, I have to pay more or less 5€ every time.
And do you think it will be a problem for me to buy an used car and make an insurance being a stranger??

Maybe I will have some logistic problems in the first days, but I think also that the Managers of the Company will help me.

Do you suggest me some good Fitness Center around Telford??

Thank you very much.
Dario.

Biancozz · 06-12-2006, 06:10 AM

If someone else can tell me something more please write

Dan Corcoran · 06-12-2006, 07:37 AM

The best idea for financial affairs is to do a wire transfer of funds from your bank in Italy to a new checking account in Pennsylvania. Once you have a local checking account, it will be a lot easier to do all of your transactions. Then you can have your paycheck deposited directly to your U.S. account.

You will also need a Pennsylvania driver's license, which shouldn't be difficult to get if you take your passport with you for identification. The driver's test in the U.S. is much less difficult than in Europe. Buying a car is also no problem...money is very popular with car salesmen!

Passports and international driver's licenses are not much value inside the U.S., since most small towns are not familiar with them. You should be able to establish yourself with U.S. credentials within a couple of weeks...your employer should be a big help with this.

Good luck!

Biancozz · 06-17-2006, 05:11 AM

Thank you very much for the help.

Biancozz · 06-25-2006, 01:28 PM

Some other helps??