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drewbaccaAWD t1_jbhi0tf wrote

Decade away due to military, and then another five-ish years in Chicago. I have a love/hate relationship with PA. Not sure I consider Lancaster a greener pasture, it's still very much Pennsylvania no matter what corner you're in... just a slight variation of the same.

Closer to Philly definitely makes me feel a bit less like I'll be battling zombies any time soon but then I miss the wildness. If I was independently wealthy I'd likely hang out in large population areas for a few months at a time (London, Paris, Singapore, Tokyo, etc.) and then spend the other half of the year in New Zealand or Alaska just trying to avoid people.

I sometimes miss the healthier lifestyles of the West Coast but I don't miss the woo woo.

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Popular-Variation-29 OP t1_jbhm0km wrote

In my town in Lancaster county, the poverty rate is 5%, and the town I used to live in is 17%. Salaries are also significantly higher where I live now, the area is growing, and downtown is busy. Where I'm from, the population is shrinking pretty quickly, and lots of downtowns are filled with mostly empty shops. So comparatively, it's much greener in some ways. But I still like it out there.

But you are correct. It is still Pennsylvania.

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drewbaccaAWD t1_jbhoto5 wrote

>the population is shrinking pretty quickly, and lots of downtowns are filled with mostly empty shops.

Sadly common place no matter where you go in PA. On the other side of that coin, at least entire neighborhoods aren't being bull dozed to build new 500k condos where they can fit four units where one house was previously which was common in Seattle and San Diego when I was there.

Honestly that's the most depressing thing for me being back in this state, I just feel like all the momentum is elsewhere. There's a "land that time forgot" sort of energy, although still comforting in its familiarity and I do appreciate the local history.

The rural areas are just not super sustainable and too far removed from city hubs. It's funny but I sometimes forget where I live until I want to go out and try some new restaurant and realize there are no new restaurants to explore!

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Zeeinsoundfromwayout t1_jbhmak5 wrote

🙄. Pennsylvania is known nationally for being very different between city and the boonies.
Maube it’s been a while for you but Lancaster and Pittsburgh don’t have a ton in common.

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drewbaccaAWD t1_jbhnqle wrote

More likely you haven't visited the right pockets of Pittsburgh.. you go two blocks over and suddenly you feel like you're in Lancaster only they eat gobs instead of moon pies. Pittsburgh itself is a bit bipolar like that.

I've lived in both Pittsburgh and Philly.. Philly feels more like living in Chicago, San Diego, Phoenix, Seattle (other places I've lived). Pittsburgh is rather unique and boonies in its own way.

Whether I'm around Danville, Gettysburg, York, Lancaster, Sharon, Oil City, etc. there is definitely a sort of commonality although it's hard to describe.

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Zeeinsoundfromwayout t1_jbhrsvn wrote

I live there.

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drewbaccaAWD t1_jbjba33 wrote

Well, then I'm confused why you so strongly disagree with the above statement.

The dialects change but it's still guns and Jesus country no matter what corner of the state you go to. And yet, there's also a unique character in those red areas that still make it feel like Pennsylvania rather than Ohio or New Jersey although as I stated above I'm really not sure how to describe it but it's something different and still unifying.

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Kythera35723 t1_jbnwik1 wrote

> And yet, there's also a unique character in those red areas that still make it feel like Pennsylvania rather than Ohio or New Jersey although as I stated above I'm really not sure how to describe it but it's something different and still unifying.

You've put in words something I've been trying to put in words for years.

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Popular-Variation-29 OP t1_jbht42a wrote

I was comparing Lancaster County to Armstrong County. Not Lancaster city to Pittsburgh.

Also, the exact point I was making is that Western and Eastern Pennsylvania are different from each other.

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