Is PA right for me? (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh: appointed, for sale, insurance)

[Caligirlrefugee]

Hi All,
I have been reading this forum with great interest for the past few weeks. I live in Southern California and am looking to relocate in the next few years. I am tired of the high cost of living/housing, the acceptance of poor social behavior and crime as being the norm, and feeling like a minority in my own neighborhoods.
My mom grew up in Johnstown which lends me to looking into PA as a new home for us. I need to convince my mom to move with us if and when we go and I think taking back to her home state is an easier sell .
Here is my question: is it realistic to expect a slower pace of life with good people and a nice place to raise my three children, along with being able to secure employment in the field of loss prevention (hubby) and working with developmentally disabled/social work (me). I know people get wrapped up in the "grass being greener" on the other side and I don't want to be disappointed in making a move across the country to find the grass just as brown as it is here in California
Thanks for the input... I am optimistic but want to be realistic at the same time... there is good and bad everwhere but am longing for the good to OUTWEIGH the bad for a change....

[boosthead]

Hello, I'm from pittsburgh and I have to say I love it there. I grew up there and then went to college at penn state (in state college PA). Both are amazing places. The job situation in pittsburgh is not the greatest right now but the med and field is strong. as is bridge maintance. I was raised in pittsburgh and i turned out ok! It depends on what you want. I have friends that don't like pittsburgh simply because it snows and is not sunny all the time. The way I see it: pittsburgh has great parks, schools, it's VERY scenic with hills and rivers, housing is cheap, people are nice (stay out of bad neighborhoods of course), lots to do, neighborhoods have personality (not many strip mall but if you want em you got em), and you better beleive traffic is better than SoCal. The grass and hills are literally, very green.

[SteelCityRising]

As a lifelong resident of PA, I can tell you that the quality-of-life here is superior to many other parts of the country. With the exception of the Philadelphia suburbs and the extreme Eastern Pocono Mountains, the majority of the state has a "laid-back" atmosphere, as people here aren't as hurried and obsessed with commuting three hours each way to work in order to outdo their neighbors' brand new Audi A6 with their own Audi A8 as they are in LA, NYC, etc. Being less stressed about $$$ and showing off means that people have more time to spend with their families, which leads to an overall better sense of community involvement and civic pride.

Overall, MOST expenses here in Pennsylvania are below the national average (once again outside of Philly's 'burbs and the parts of the Poconos that are now the NYC 'burbs.) Housing prices are significantly lower than the national average. Considering you currently have a home in CA, I'd assume it's worth at least $300,000, and possibly even much more, judging by my own snooping on Realtor.com. If you were to sell that and move here, even $300,000 would get you a newer 4 BR, 2.5 BA home with 2,500+ square feet on an acre of land and a 2-car garage in MOST parts of the Commonwealth.

Utility costs are on par with the national average, as are gasoline prices (Currently at around $3/gallon here in Scranton). Property taxes can range from being average to considerably ABOVE AVERAGE; It mainly just depends on how high your particular school district's rate happens to be. Insurance rates are similar to the national average, and PA has a sales tax of 6% on everything except for clothing, which is, once again, about average to a bit below average. Considering you're coming from CA, EVERYTHING here will seem to be "dirt cheap!" LOL!

I don't know what part of PA in particular you were in search of, but I can tell you that Johnstown is a BAD IDEA! Sure, the community has friendly people, a low-cost-of-living, low crime, and a nice setting, but the unemployment rate is by far the HIGHEST IN THE STATE! If you and your husband are fortunate enough to secure employment in Johnstown, then by all means have at it, but I'm not very optimistic. Nearby Altoona is basically a mirror image of Johnstown.

Pittsburgh is a WONDERFUL CITY! Certain neighborhoods are seedy (Just like in LA or Frisco) but there has been a recent upswing lately in the number of people seeking to relocate to the city's scenic downtown. Many of the suburbs are also safe, quiet, and affordable, and if your mother craves a jog down memory lane, then Johnstown is only about an hour away from the metro.

Philadelphia and its suburbs are nothing but "Keep up with the Jones's", "BUY BUY BUY!!!", "GIMME MONEY!!!", etc., so I say AVOID at all costs if you were looking for a more "laid-back" atmosphere. Similarly, Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton, which is currently a nice place to call home, is going downhill as housing prices (and commute times) soar as people commute to both NYC and Philly from here to work. Cultural opportunities and great schools still abound in that area, but I can foresee it becoming just as much of a "rat-race" as Jersey in about 10 years.

Harrisburg, the state capital, has a better employment outlook, but the city itself has major crime issues. The surrounding cities of Lancaster, Carlisle, Lebanon, and York are good bets, but all have succumbed a bit to sprawl and traffic congestion.

I may be a bit biased, but I've lived in the Scranton area my whole life and love it here. The area is VERY laid-back; I work at a local Lowe's store, and our customers are always so willing to go out of their way to strike up random conversations about anything, indicating just how friendly many of the people here are! Crime here is below-average, and the schools are above-average. Traffic is becoming an issue on I-81 at rush-hour (intended capacity of 40,000 vehicles per day is now at around 80,000 per day), but it's still not NEARLY as bad as CA! Housing prices here are VERY affordable; You can still find a beautiful larger home here for under $150,000. On the flip side, just like Johnstown the employment figures here aren't so rosy. We've shed a lot of manufacturing jobs over the past decade, and they've been replaced by terrible jobs in retail, customer service, tourism, etc. Many people are starting to commute from Scranton to NJ for work (about 90 minutes each way) so this may be an option.

Overall, our state has MANY fine qualities that should appeal to you. A low cost-of-living, friendly people, four distinct seasons (just had a triple-digit heat wave last week, and we had a blizzard last winter!), low traffic, and low crime are all appealing. Unfortunately, the employment situation just SUCKS in much of the state; People have a hard time finding decent jobs here, but the low-cost-of-living usually makes up for it.

[Caligirlrefugee]

Hi... I really appreciate the insight into PA living. I have researched Johnstown just because that is where my mom grew up but know that it is economically depressed. I am focusing in on Pittsburgh primarly because I thought it would offer better job opportunities.

Unfortunatly I DO NOT own a home in So Cal at the moment. I had to sell mine due to a divorce back in 2001 right before the market exploded and was not able to get in in time... my current husband and I are out of the running for a home here in CA at the moment.

We do see the housing market crashing around us in a hurry but so is the quality of life here. I suspect in the next two years or so we would be able to buy again in this area but we really are not sure if we want to stay in CA. When I research the home prices back there I am just floored. I posted in this forum about an 11,900 dollar home that I found for sale on the realtor web site. It just boggles my mind....

Anyway thanks for the input again... number one priority for us would be secure a job offer first and then consider a move. That may be next to impossible from the other side of the country but we are going to give it a go!

[paintballer1708]

Well im moved out of Pittsburgh about two years ago and moved to Cleveland. I find Ohio a much better state to be living in, but that doesnt mean i dont like PA. Ohio's taxes are about 4 times lower than Pennsylvania's. But im sure PA is much lower than California. If you want to live around Pittsburgh i suggest South Hills, Dormont, Baldwin, and Mount Lebanon. Good luck with your move.

[DonnaPGH]

You'll freeze your tail off!

[untuchableface]

Yeah, moving from So Cal to PA is going to be a shocker!

1. the people aren't nearly as fast paced
2. you are going to freeze during the winter
3. it's a lot cheaper

I grew up in northeastern pa and then went to school in pittsburgh. I enjoyed pittsburgh but found it to be very college-centered. The city is more of a business city and closes down early due to work hours. It's a beautiful city though - I would just suggest staying out of Oakland if you are going to move into the city.

By the way, I am hoping to move to California soon. We are swapping.

[pghguy]

The biggest issue you will have in Pittsburgh is the Job Front, the economy here is much slower than most of the nation.. when a boom happens, Pittsburgh is usually the last place for it to arrive, and when a bust happens this is one of the first places to get "cut".

Now there obviously are jobs here, but you can't compare the economy here to California.... of course because you can't compare the economy here to there, that means you also have affordable housing, lower taxes, a slower lifestyle.

Personally I think Pittsburgh is a great choice for raising a family. I too lived in Cali for a brief time, and there is definatley a lifestyle difference between the two. However, to put it into perspective.... the median household income in Pittsburgh area is about the nation average of about 40-45k a year... and trust me, you can live, own a home and raise kids on that here. You obviously can make much more than that too... just saying that's the median here.

Things are different here... folks are nearly as health conscious in general... in fact this is the only place I have ever lived where when you order the Grilled Chicken Salad, you will get it with fries on top if you don't tell them not to do that.

The biggest drawback here is simply economic. If you are used to places where the economy is always hopping, you won't tend to find that here. This isn't a SF/LA/NYC or ATL... but then again, its exactly because its not those things that gives it its charms as well.

[MagStar]

I too live in Cali. my husband and i are in the IT field and work for a big fourtune 500 Co. We are hoping to transfer w/in the Co. which would make it ideal. We have 3 children and are conserned about the quality of education. More over we just want to make sure that houses are really as cheap as they appear on realator.com. We'd be selling our home in Ca. for over 600K, We've looked at Aliquippa but I don't know where that is in relation to Pittsburgh.

Can anyone tell me more about Aliquippa as a whole. Housing, people, recreation, entertainment, education?? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

[pghguy]

Alliquippa is a bit outside of Pittsburgh... drivable distance but not right next door. Its an old steel town where the mill is no longer there..... so not exactly a hopping place.

'Quips did go to states this year.

Don't worry, housing here is insanely cheap compared to Cali... you can buy new construction "mcmansions" around pittsburgh for 250k a pop all day long.