Is PA depressing? (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown: train, activities, farms)

[Craziaskowboi]

Originally Posted by Pahn

The Turnpike sure doesn't feel modern. Ridiculous toll rates, and it's in poor condition in many areas, under decade-long construction in other places, and a nightmare everywhere if there's an accident. It needs toll-free emergency exit lanes for use during emergencies or something. Otherwise, enjoy that 17 miles of stopped traffic.

I drove the entire length of the Turnpike six months ago. The six-lane segments are very wide and modern. They exist north of Pittsburgh, west of Carlisle, south of Harrisburg and north of Philadelphia. All of them are in good condition. The four-lane segments have a tight median, but still meet Interstate standards with a four-foot buffer between the inner lanes and the median barrier. The four-lane segments in eastern Pennsylvania are in better condition than the four-lane segments in western Pennsylvania. The next segments to be widened from four to six lanes are near the Ohio state line, east of Pittsburgh, east of the Allegheny Mountain Tunnel, and west of Philadelphia. The Turnpike has become expensive because of Act 44, a bill passed by the State Legislature in 2007 that allows PennDOT to siphon off a percentage of Turnpike revenue, which is fundamentally unfair since the Turnpike receives no federal tax dollars. Act 44 should be repealed now that Act 89 has been passed. Act 89 benefits PennDOT, while Act 44 cripples the Turnpike.

[NYtoNJtoPA]

Originally Posted by Gerania

I sort of liked the upper reaches because there was rarely traffic. In the fall, there was always deer grazing on the grass near the road. I didn't like that part.

There is always traffic there now!

[Gerania]

Originally Posted by NYtoNJtoPA

There is always traffic there now!

Wow. The road used to be almost empty north of Route 80.

[fisheye]

Originally Posted by Gerania

I sort of liked the upper reaches because there was rarely traffic. In the fall, there was always deer grazing on the grass near the road. I didn't like that part.

Since the coyotes returned you do not see deer grazing like they used to before the return. When they graze they do not pose the same danger to motorist as when they are chased by coyotes. Once chased they just run right in front of you and you have no time to react. But there are fewer deer now than before.

I wonder how many motorist routinely see deer grazing today? After the coyote return I had trips, as a commercial truck driver, that I took across our State and back and did not see one deer (it did not happen every time). The numbers came down in a hurry.

[Gerania]

When did that happen?

[PAhippo]

well, didn't happen around here. Maybe because (it seems) there's less hunters so more coyotes kind of balances that off.

Anyway, there doesn't seem to be a decrease around here.

[fisheye]

Originally Posted by PAhippo

well, didn't happen around here. Maybe because (it seems) there's less hunters so more coyotes kind of balances that off.

Anyway, there doesn't seem to be a decrease around here.

To answer both Gerania and you the coyotes (I believe) started moving in around the beginning of this century - about fifteen or twenty years ago. I would frequently drive to Ohio as part of my job across Route 80 from Tannersville. Within just a few years the number of deer I saw along side our highways went down to almost nothing. Our State also changed the doe season about the same time; doe hunting used to be restricted to only three days and is now for the whole two week buck season. Currently our Game Commission is considering a Saturday open day that would allow more hunters in the woods. My feeling is that our Game Commission is caving in under pressures from the insurance industry and fears of chronic wasting disease.

Of course there will be pockets where the deer have rebounded and the coyotes moved on. But they can again return; they can smell deer from a long ways off. They also feed on our wild turkeys and anything else that will cross their path. My feeling is that we will never again see the herds of a hundred deer grazing in one large field; like I did almost daily when young.

[retiredtxn]

I know this is an older thread and I'm late to the party, but I'd like to add my 2 cents worth...not that anyone cares, but here goes.

I LOVE PA!! I moved in 1975 from MI, where I was born and raised, to marry a man I had met in MI while he was working there. I relocated to NW PA, got a good job at a Fortune 500 company and worked there for 12 years until they moved out of that town and went to TX. It pretty much killed that little town, which was really sad. Things did not work out for me to marry that man but I stayed in that area and got a different job. I loved the rolling hills. I loved the lake where I could go and take long walks on the bike trail. I loved the fall and the gorgeous colors. The winters were long but we survived and I'm thankful that I had many years of driving in all kinds of weather because it prepared me for life after PA.

I reunited with this same man in 1997 and we lived in CA for a few years until he retired. We traveled back and forth between summer's in PA, where his family was, and winter's in TX.

We finally went back to PA in 2008 and bought a home there. We settled in a beautiful small town not far from Erie. I had everything I wanted there and he was involved in his trapshooting all around the area. Then in 2014, he decided he didn't want to put up with the winters any more and wanted to move to AZ. I didn't want to go but we did. Can I just say...I hate AZ with a passion.

It's not cheap to live here, for one thing, and our pension is taxed here. Car registration is based on what type of vehicle it is and the year. For example, our 2017 Nissan Rogue was $350 this year and our 2016 Nissan Frontier truck was $300. Then there's the lack of good doctor's here. We live in a small town just off I40, where there's nothing but hotels, gas stations, 2 grocery stores, fast food joints, and a Walmart, but the traffic is horrible all the time.

Of course, the mountains that surround us are beautiful but everything is dry and dusty and bare looking. I miss trees!

If you live in PA...I envy you and would pack my bags as quick as I could if it were possible but it's not. My husband is not leaving here...ever. We've had this discussion several times and that's his answer. The main reason is, 2 of his 3 kids (who aren't exactly kids any more....49/45) have come here from CA. I'm stuck and all I can think about is how much I miss PA

[rowhomecity]

Originally Posted by retiredtxn

I know this is an older thread and I'm late to the party, but I'd like to add my 2 cents worth...not that anyone cares, but here goes.

I LOVE PA!! I moved in 1975 from MI, where I was born and raised, to marry a man I had met in MI while he was working there. I relocated to NW PA, got a good job at a Fortune 500 company and worked there for 12 years until they moved out of that town and went to TX. It pretty much killed that little town, which was really sad. Things did not work out for me to marry that man but I stayed in that area and got a different job. I loved the rolling hills. I loved the lake where I could go and take long walks on the bike trail. I loved the fall and the gorgeous colors. The winters were long but we survived and I'm thankful that I had many years of driving in all kinds of weather because it prepared me for life after PA.

I reunited with this same man in 1997 and we lived in CA for a few years until he retired. We traveled back and forth between summer's in PA, where his family was, and winter's in TX.

We finally went back to PA in 2008 and bought a home there. We settled in a beautiful small town not far from Erie. I had everything I wanted there and he was involved in his trapshooting all around the area. Then in 2014, he decided he didn't want to put up with the winters any more and wanted to move to AZ. I didn't want to go but we did. Can I just say...I hate AZ with a passion.

It's not cheap to live here, for one thing, and our pension is taxed here. Car registration is based on what type of vehicle it is and the year. For example, our 2017 Nissan Rogue was $350 this year and our 2016 Nissan Frontier truck was $300. Then there's the lack of good doctor's here. We live in a small town just off I40, where there's nothing but hotels, gas stations, 2 grocery stores, fast food joints, and a Walmart, but the traffic is horrible all the time.

Of course, the mountains that surround us are beautiful but everything is dry and dusty and bare looking. I miss trees!

If you live in PA...I envy you and would pack my bags as quick as I could if it were possible but it's not. My husband is not leaving here...ever. We've had this discussion several times and that's his answer. The main reason is, 2 of his 3 kids (who aren't exactly kids any more....49/45) have come here from CA. I'm stuck and all I can think about is how much I miss PA

Yea Arizona is nothing but chain stores and dessert. I do not like it at all. No thanks. It is referred to as California's bastard child.

[soulsurv]

I LOVE Pennsylvania! I love driving the rolling hills of Chester and Lancaster Counties and seeing/smelling the farmlands and some of the old stone homes. While I'm not crazy about the winters (as I age), I still enjoy it's four seasons, particularly the Autumn colors. I checked out a couple of other states, but I think I'll be a PA gal forever!! PLUS no state tax on SS!!!