So You Wanna Move to Pennsylvania?

I’ve lived in Pennsylvania my whole life. I was born and raised in Elk County, the most backwoods place you can imagine, and I went to college in Greensburg, which is just a few minutes out from Pittsburgh. Between those two places, I’ve seen a lot of our beautiful state and I have some pointers for the people who are interested in moving here.

1. The part of the state you move to makes a huge difference.

since Pennsyltucky is trending….here is a helpful graph if you arent from the state❤️ pic.twitter.com/CBsWVRuAlc

— ath (@athrajnai) June 30, 2020

My freshman year of college, someone who lived near Pittsburgh said that Pennsylvania was “mostly city.” Both me and the professor looked at him like he was crazy. I was born in the “hicks & mountains” area indicated on the map, and let me tell you: there’s nothing there. It’s a beautiful area filled with impressive mountain sights, but it’s not the place to be if you’re interested in city life.

2. We’re technically a blue state, but it’s probably not what you’re hoping for.

This doesn’t look like the map of a blue state, does it? Although we tipped into the red during a few different elections (including 2016), historically we’ve been majority blue. Notice where the blue counties are. Those are our cities: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Erie. So many people live there that they often tip the scale! You’ll see plenty of confederate flags and Trumps signs in all other parts of the state.

3. Our winters suck, and it makes the roads suck too.

Only come to Pennsylvania if you’re prepared to get 5 inches of snow overnight and have to drive to work in the morning. The winters are worse in the mountains, but even the southern counties can see a hefty amount of snow every year.

What’s worse is that the ice seeps into our pavement and expands, creating enormous potholes. If you’ve seen the memes about Pennsylvania potholes, I’ll let you know firsthand that they aren’t lying.

4. It’s a mess of accents.

Good luck figuring out our accent because we can’t seem to figure it out either. Most of us speak with a strange mix of Pittsburgh, New Jersey, and New York pronunciation. Based on where you’re located in the state, one of those three accents is probably dominant in your speech, but still includes aspects of the others. If you’re from “hick & mountains” country, like me, you might even notice a southern drawl that seems to come from no where but country music and racism.

5. Despite it all, it’s a beautiful state with tons of history.

I hope I didn’t deter you from moving here. I have plenty of complaints, but I still can’t deny that it’s a beautiful place with live with many cool landmarks to visit. The history here is very rich, and it’s worthwhile to research our indigenous culture as well as some of the Civil War battlefields. Wherever you end up going, consider taking a trip to Gettysburg, my family’s favorite summer vacation spot.