Erie, Pa-I'd consider elsewhere! (Pittsburgh: insurance, crime rate, how much)

[gacri]

Listen, I have been reading over the posts about Erie, PA and I must say that I felt compelled to respond. I have lived in Erie my entire life and really have seen it do nothing but go from bad to worse. As far as the job market goes, you know a town is bad when the lay off 26 police officers because the city was on the verge of a "distressed city status". A new mayor has now come on board and I should say that he is trying to do the right thing, so it appears...the past mayor nearly got arrested for his corruption in office. If I could say anything positive it would be the somewhat lower cost of living, average 3-4 bedroom home in the suburbs is 200-220 and the schools in the county area are decent. Erie just had its sixth homicide for the year, one more and it will be the most ever in a one period. Ther are basically no jobs here, by that I mean career related paying enough to raise a family. Unless you work at one of the major hospitals, whcih are hiring nurses, or GE or Erie Insurance, you are out of luck...I will agree if you can find work here you can live good, but when GE and Erie Insuracne open their applications the get flooded with applicants. In closing I should say that last winter Erie had approx. 120 inches of snow!, more than Buffalo NY! So the weather in my opinion is horrible. I'll agree Presque Isle is nice, but can only be enjoyed 3 months out of the year..We will be moving upon my wife graduating college, and I realize the grass is not always greener on the other side but it doesn't take much to improve the quality of living once getting out of the "mistake on the lake" Erie, Pa.

[supersoulty]

Well, as I have always told people, Erie is more of an "experience" than a city... full of good, bad, and just different.

I didn't live there "all my life," but I grew quite well acquainted with it over the years I lived there and so I will rush to its defense.

First off, if you want to live in a larger community, that has enough to do to keep from getting completely bored, but is close enough to a place where there is alot more happening, then Erie is the location for you. The place is pretty well located, between Buffalo, Cleveland and Pittsburgh, and I think that, because of that, it will improve its lot in years to come, you can't buy a strategic location like that.

City government is in shambles, and I do not share your optimistic view of Mayor Sinnot... I think he is a damn fool who can't imagine anything beyond the status quo. Mayor Filippi, who you denigrated, was a reformist, but got a little too big for his britches and started to think he was above the roles. But even then, Erie is not as bad as some places in the old Industrial Belt, and is is better than most.

True, jobs aren't easy to come by, but if you can get a job at GE Locomotive, of Erie Insurance, or Lord Corp (which you left out), the biofuels plant, or any of the other dozen or so machine factories in the area, then you have a really good job. In fact, Erie is one of the few places left where real manufacturing jobs are still a serious option, and that again is largely the result of its strategic location. The jobs that are left can't be done in places that lack highly skilled labor, so there is pretty decent job security.

The crime rate in Erie is really low compared to a number of places. The bad neighborhoods in the lower 1st and 2nd Wards are about what you would expect. I agree that the police department is horrible. They spend most of their time patrolling the nicest neighborhoods in town and only go into the bad ones when there is a problem. Erie is not geographically large, or topographically challenging, though, so the police can usually respond quickly... if they feel like it.

Erie has a very large cultural scene for a place of its size. The Warner Theater is a top venue... and I mean, in the country. There are some strange people in Erie, such as the "Bicycle Twins" Jesse and Ricardo, and I say that as a good thing. The fact that Erie even has a zoo is impressive, but the Erie Zoo would be pretty good for a city four times its size. State Street is vibrant on weekend nights.

Erie is not a bad place. I was getting bored of it by the time I left, but then again, I am young and was unemployed. Had things been different, I might have stayed, and would have been content doing so.

[supersoulty]

BTW... common misconception, even amounts the people who live in Erie... yes, summer comes late in Erie because of its location, but cold temperatures also arrive much later, because it takes the water in the lake as long to cold down as it takes it to warm up. Heavy frost before December is really rare.

[Ohiogirl81]

gacri, if you have experienced Presque Isle only three months out of the year, you haven't experienced Presque Isle at all.

Whining about the weather is so lame. Heaven knows Erie has a lot to offer in the winter in the way of outdoor and indoor activities. Remember: There's no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing. Get a pair of snowshoes, and head out to the peninsula in January. Tip: Stay on the bay side if it's windy.

Erie is more of an "experience" than a city

Heh. I like it.

[loose cannon]

Pro wrestler Jack Brisco during a snowstorm in 1984 told police while being escorted to an Erie venue to wrestle, "They had the right idea when they called this town Erie." True story.

[loose cannon]

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81

gacri, if you have experienced Presque Isle only three months out of the year, you haven't experienced Presque Isle at all.

Whining about the weather is so lame. Heaven knows Erie has a lot to offer in the winter in the way of outdoor and indoor activities. Remember: There's no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing. Get a pair of snowshoes, and head out to the peninsula in January. Tip: Stay on the bay side if it's windy.


Heh. I like it.

Whiniong about weather is not lame. Living in an area with sunshine and no snow is the goal of many.

[loose cannon]

I was in Erie back in 1990 for work related reasons. It was the summer fortunately. It was a nice town. I enjoyed myself. I would'nt be opposed to going through ther again, but I certainly would'nt live there.

[psturncros]

I live in Florida and I'm planning to move back to Erie after 22 years . You might think that I must be crazy to even think about it. Florida is not what you might think it is, yes its warm year round but the pay down here is bad. I work for the Department of Corrections for the State of Florida and I only make $31,000 a year. We have gone two years with out a pay increase and the time we did get one it was 2%. I got a hole $20.00 extra in my check . The State of Florida is a right to work State, this means they have the right to pay you crap wages and if you don't like it you can go look for another job. Cost of live is higher down here then in Erie and the traffic is hell. I'm move back home and going to pound the streets of Erie and find a good job . So take it from someone who has lived and worked in another State, the grass is'nt any greener on the other side. Be happy to live in Erie and look out Erie I'm coming home where the food is better and the people are hard workers .

[Rtom45]

We moved here in 1995. I like it for the most part - I don't like winter. Fall is great, the lakes moderate the weather. I'm a steelhead fishing fanatic, so this area is perfect for me.

[jrw355]

I think for all the bad crap you have to say about Erie, moving somewhere else you would be shocked at how much you will miss Erie. It isn't as bad as you may think. Like someone else said, the grass isn't always greener on the other side......