Titusville, PA (NW PA) (Pittsburgh, Erie: homes, find a job, school)

[PeterRabbit]

Take the very good job at Pitt in Titusville.

[sr1234]

I am interviewing next week for a very good job at the University of Pittsburgh at Titusville. My husband and I are in our early 50s, professional people, with no kids. The posts about Titusville I could find on this board were pretty dismal but most were 18 months or older. We grew up in a very small, rural town in Maryland so we understand the "we're a small town with nothing to do" mentality.

My husband is a chemist. Any hope that he could find a position teaching or in industry in the surrounding communities?

Good luck. The competition is sky high since the only good paying jobs are in healthcare, teaching, or law enforcement. The rest of the area is on minimum wage. He might try Erie, though it will be a hike in the winter.

Is there any hope for economic redevelopment in this part of the state?

No. Most PA small towns are facing the same problems. Private industry being chased away, declining population, out of control spending by local governments, etc.

Is Titusville still considered the Meth Capitol of PA? (I read that in a post on this board.)

Yes. There are pockets of the state where drug use is worse than others. The Crawford County area is one of them.

We live in North Carolina so I am already bracing for the harsh climate change.

You are moving to the snow belt. Overcast, cold, and tons of snow and rain.

The job opportunity is very appealing but I need to know that the whole town isn't going to fall down around us within a year of moving there...or has it already fallen and can't get up?

You should drive down the main street. Looks like a scene from a zombie movie.

Thanks for any guidance/insights you can offer.

[SorryIMovedBack]

Unfortunately, sr1234 is not over-exaggerating. This quadrant of the state has been in decline since the '70s. Definitely be sure to check out the area and see whether or not it's too desolate or too poverty-stricken for you.

Schools here have trouble attracting science / chemistry / physics teachers, so it might be possible for him to find a full time high school job. Or not. When those positions are empty, they are hard to fill. But I don't know how often one opens up, either.

[North Beach Person]

Clarion University has a branch campus in Oil City, school of Nursing. The Marcellus Shale jobs to come will be in well maintenance so there may be some need for chemists there (although your husband is probably over qualified for that). Some surface mining is coming back and service companies for that need chemists, same situation as the gas companies, though.
As far as the opinions of the area go, strike a balance in the middle of the extremes and you'll have a clearer picture.
As an aside to someone earlier, there are as many dying towns in MD as PA, adjusted for size. You just don't see them due to the glitz of the DC Metro area.

[Fleur25]

Thanks to all for the very honest information. I have been invited to campus next Monday so I will have the opportunity to see for myself. I will definitely keep your feedback in mind as the group I interviewed with on the phone were much more complimentary of the town.

Thanks again.

[ditchdigger]

Good luck, and let us know how things turn out.

In the meantime, here's one of my first recollections of Titusville. My roomate and I walked downtown one evening, and on the way, we passed the Titusville Polce Department's "unmarked" car, a plain black Ford sedan, with one inch tall lettering on the door that said:

Titusville Police Department
Unmarked car

[sr1234]

North Beach Person - I am not going to extremes. Drive through the downtown. Check out the houses listed for sale. Check out the crime reports from the area. There is a current whooping cough outbreak just 30 min south of Titusville. There is a reason for that.

[hempfield mania]

That area of the state is not nearly as bad as some posters are making it out to be. If you enjoy the outdoors, you will absolutely love it. If you enjoy urban activities, you will hate it. And if you are like me and like to do both, you will be able to manage and enjoy yourself.

Many of the Marecellus Shale companies are looking for chemists and chemical engineers to support their operations. My next door neighbor just turned down two opportunities here in SW PA.

I'd position yourself somewhere between Erie and Titusville so you will have more options for your husband. Warren still wouldn't be too far off and neither would Edinboro, Westminster, Grove City or Allegheny colleges.

United Refining is headquartered in Warren and I am sure they have chemists and chemical engineers on staff. Not sure about current highering though.

[sr1234]

Originally Posted by hempfield mania

Westminster, Grove City

I am starting to think that over half the posters have never left the city of Pittsburgh and are just googling the info on NW PA.

Westminster is in Lawrence County and Grove City is far from an easy commute to Titusville.

[hempfield mania]

If you position yourself properly, the commute won't be that bad. I have a 45 min. commute to work and I don't deal with PGH traffic. Yeah, winter won't be fun, but it is doable. I know people that live in northern Butler and Lawrence counties that commute to West Mifflin every day.

I spend plenty of time up that way. I have relatives in Warren, Youngsville, Clarion, and Oil City and worked in Erie for 2 years and spent every Thanksgiving at relatives up in Youngsville from age 1 to age 29 and drove from here to there every year, multiple times per year.

Not to mention, spent a month every summer on my uncles farm from age 10 to age 17 to help him out and tooled around with my cousin up in that entire area. Just because they aren't interstates, doesn't mean you can't get around up there.... Make your way down to I-80 and you can get to I-79 and to all the colleges I mention fairly easily. Rte. 8 up that way from Franklin south is a 4 lane divided highway.

Plenty of places with possible job opportunities within an hour drive of Titusville.

Several coatings chemistry positions available in Erie.

Edinboro is looking for a PT or FT Chemsitry professor for the Spring 2011 semester that may lead to other things.
The Chronicle of Higher Education