Do you miss Pennsylvania? (Erie, Chester: apartment, activities, money)

[pman]

Pittsburgh

The 42,151 people age 65 and older living in Pittsburgh proper last year was a 23.4 percent drop from the 55,034 in 2000. Those older adults are now 13.8 percent of the population, compared to 16.4 percent a decade earlier.
Allegheny County's elderly population declined from 17.8 percent to 16.8 percent, with 205,059 people in the age group now, or 23,357 less than in 2000...
The population here is still relatively old, but is no longer aging at a faster clip than elsewhere.
While Pittsburgh's median age dropped by more than two full years in a decade, the median age rose in Cincinnati, Cleveland and Minneapolis, among other comparably sized cities for which data were released.
And while the 65-and-up age group fell slightly as a share of Pennsylvania's still-relatively old population, to 15.4 percent from 15.6, the proportion of elderly continues to increase in nearly all other states...The state had a 17.2 percent growth, meanwhile, in people ages 20 to 24, reflecting the large number of children of that age born to baby boomers. In that age group, Pittsburgh had an even bigger surge of 22.1 percent...Pittsburgh continues, however, to lack any influx of younger children. The 40,983 individuals age 14 and under in 2010 represented a 26.2 percent drop

Read more: Census finds Pittsburgh is growing younger

Philadelphia

McKay, 25, moved here from Blue Bell, where she grew up, and drives to her marketing job in Plymouth Meeting.
She is one of the 50,306 young adults, ages 20 to 34, who helped contribute to the city's population growth from 2000 to 2010, according to census data being released today, which show breakdowns of residents by age groups.
Last year, there were about 393,000 people ages 20 to 34 who lived in the city, accounting for 26 percent of its residents.
While the city grew by a mere 8,456 people, or 0.6 percent, much of the increase was attributed to these young professionals who live in Center City, South Philly east of Broad, and the Manayunk and Roxborough area, according to a Daily News analysis...
Adults ages 55 to 64 also boosted the city's population, with 35,592 more of them living here, particularly in the Northeast, West Mount Airy, Germantown and Center City, based on data released along state representative-district boundaries.
But a large decrease in the city's population was that of children ages 5 to 14, a group that saw a 43,370 decrease, suggesting that families with school-age kids moved out of the city for better opportunities.
Along those lines, the number of adults aged 35 to 54 declined by about 16,000 over the decade...

Census shows young adults are being drawn to the city | Philadelphia Daily News | 05/19/2011

the state as a whole got less old, both cities are getting younger in part by attracting young people,losing old, and both cities are struggling to keep families. that's what I get. still, there's good reason for hope since neighboring states are still getting older (nothing against elderly but a good mix of ages is good for the state)

[Katarina Witt]

^^Here's what I think is interesting:

Pittsburgh continues, however, to lack any influx of younger children. The 40,983 individuals age 14 and under in 2010 represented a 26.2 percent drop

So the people who are moving to "the city" are not the people with kids?

[airbalaC]

I moved to the DC/Northern Virginia area for work from southeastern PA almost two years ago, and I CANNOT WAIT for the day that I possibly return home to Pennsylvania. I hope it happens in a couple of years, after I get more work experience and have the flexibility to work wherever I may choose. I'm making a big push to settle down and start a family here with my boyfriend.

There's things that I definitely appreciate about DC/NoVA that are more difficult to find at home (like walkability, free museums everywhere, better public transit than home, a little more culture), but there's so much more that I miss about home (the sports scene, amazing cheesesteaks, seeing the sky at night, proximity to the beach, the green space and more nature, better drivers and less traffic, people are more friendly in general, winter, my family is there, lower cost of living while being paid the same amount as in NoVA).

[Mr Yuk]

Originally Posted by westcoast30

I mean I don't mind partly cloudy, which still can be pretty sunny. But more often than not, partly cloudy in Scranton leans towards cloudy than sunny. From time to time, I do remember a handful of clear blue sky days in the winter with the white snow on the ground. But it's not the norm, unfortunately. The sunniest months I can remember tend to be April (with the wild mix of temps), July, Aug, Sept, and sometimes Oct. May and June are virtually like Seattle. Overcast and rainy. Sometimes chilly. Your classic summer morning would be a clear blue sky until 11 am then overcast and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Sometimes in the summer, you can go days without sun! Again, "to each his own."

This is absolutely false. NE PA, and all of PA for that matter, has a good mix of 4 seasons. And it is not "always overcast, gloomy, and raining" here....in fact the summers can be downright hot.

I will say that at least I do not have to fear ever being swallowed up by an earthquake. We do not get tornadoes here (at least none of any real consequence). We're pretty much immune to most severe weather disasters unless you happen to live in a flood plain.

Sorry for that glass-half-full moment, please carry on with your pessimism.

[lilyflower7]

Originally Posted by Mr Yuk

This is absolutely false. NE PA, and all of PA for that matter, has a good mix of 4 seasons. And it is not "always overcast, gloomy, and raining" here....in fact the summers can be downright hot.

I will say that at least I do not have to fear ever being swallowed up by an earthquake. We do not get tornadoes here (at least none of any real consequence). We're pretty much immune to most severe weather disasters unless you happen to live in a flood plain.

Sorry for that glass-half-full moment, please carry on with your pessimism.

Is it Seattle? No, but it's very often overcast in Scranton - it tends to be the wet side of a mountain. I do agree with you on the summers and the rest though.

I miss how cheap Scranton is (particularly living in New Jersey now) but that's about it. I could see myself living in the Philly suburbs or Philly proper at some point though.

[westcoast30]

Originally Posted by Mr Yuk

This is absolutely false. NE PA, and all of PA for that matter, has a good mix of 4 seasons. And it is not "always overcast, gloomy, and raining" here....in fact the summers can be downright hot.

I will say that at least I do not have to fear ever being swallowed up by an earthquake. We do not get tornadoes here (at least none of any real consequence). We're pretty much immune to most severe weather disasters unless you happen to live in a flood plain.

Sorry for that glass-half-full moment, please carry on with your pessimism.

I was out there for the 4th of July and the weather was nice. From what I heard, this summer is hotter than usual. Of course it isn't overcast everyday, but in general, it is frequently cloudy in ALL SEASONS. Winters are almost entirely cloudy with barely a hint of sunlight. Stats back it up and more often than not in the winter, you will see a bland dreary sky. Summers aren't very sunny either, but generally are okay; HOWEVER, some summers can be very cloudy and rainy. You don't realize the lack of sunshine until you moved elsewhere. I always hated it, others don't mind it. Again, "to each his own." It isn't being pessimistic when you point out the honest truth - it's a very cloudy region. It's almost as cloudy as Seattle and is cloudier than NYC, Boston, Philly, and DC.

BTW -- the whole natural disasters excuse is getting old, as if tornadoes never hit NEPA (*cough* Lake Carey '98 *cough*) or remnants of hurricanes and flooding never create problems either.

[sp2007]

Originally Posted by westcoast30

BTW -- the whole natural disasters excuse is getting old, as if tornadoes never hit NEPA (*cough* Lake Carey '98 *cough*) or remnants of hurricanes and flooding never create problems either.

I'll never forget driving by there a week or so after the tornado and seeing that tree stuck in the roof of that one house off Rte. 29. And the fact that you could see the whole lake clearly from the road afterwards. Just crazy.

[Synergy1]

We lived a bit outside Valley Forge for 20+ years and I worked in center city Philly for 35years and my wife worked for Univ of Penn for 30years...We had a nice summer place in South Jersey for a number of years too. We are sooo glad we moved to Florida and sold each place...
We do not miss PA the least.
The area we lived had homes drawing in at $450,000-$550,000 and considered upscale but still dirty compared to SE Florida which is where we live now for 6 years.

[sp2007]

Originally Posted by Synergy1

We lived a bit outside Valley Forge for 20+ years and I worked in center city Philly for 35years and my wife worked for Univ of Penn for 30years...We had a nice summer place in South Jersey for a number of years too. We are sooo glad we moved to Florida and sold each place...
We do not miss PA the least.
The area we lived had homes drawing in at $450,000-$550,000 and considered upscale but still dirty compared to SE Florida which is where we live now for 6 years.

As opposed to Florida, where the houses sold for $450,000-$550,000 6 years ago and are now worth 1/2 that.

[pcity]

Originally Posted by airbalaC

There's things that I definitely appreciate about DC/NoVA that are more difficult to find at home (like walkability, free museums everywhere, better public transit than home, a little more culture), but there's so much more that I miss about home (the sports scene, amazing cheesesteaks, seeing the sky at night, proximity to the beach, the green space and more nature, better drivers and less traffic, people are more friendly in general, winter, my family is there, lower cost of living while being paid the same amount as in NoVA).

The bolded seem more a function of urban vs. rural. If you're living/working near Philadelphia or King of Prussia, of if the Schuylkill is in any way involved in your commute, traffic is pretty terrible. There are places with clear skies and green space in NoVa; they're just not in Arlington or DC, although I would say the DC suburbs have more parks compared to Philly suburbs.