Tell me about Lancaster, PA

[CCG2015]

Originally Posted by twentyonedreams

I have lived in Lancaster all my life and I hate it here. First of all, the people. Everyone is extremely closed-minded. If you're not a straight white Republican Christian, this is not the place for you. Everyone is either Amish or Mennonite or so conservative that you'd think they'd be one of the two. A girl at my work has to hide the fact that she lives with her boyfriend because they would fire her if they found out. It's like being stuck in the 1950s, every family has to pretend to be picture perfect because Judy across the street would have an aneurysm if she found out your kids are growing pot in the shed. Things are too expensive, we have lived in a 200k house for 20 years and could maybe get 40k if we sell it now. They tax you to absolute death. There are plenty of families living here raising their children, but I can tell you from experience, growing up here sucks. If you want your kids to grow and learn about the world, this is not the place for you. There's nothing to do, nowhere to go. Even if there was, you'd blow out a tire from how terrible the roads are. Don't even get me started on the roads in winter. The schools are okay, but the 'best' ones are so interested in keeping their label as a 'good' school that half of the kids want to commit suicide. The schools and lack of things to do are reasons why so many people are into drugs around here. If you want to get into any sort of entertainment as a career, this is not the place for you. The air quality is pretty bad. The food here is all German/Dutch and Amish, which pretty much means disgusting. I've never seen anyone anywhere else on the planet buy and eat more 'scrapple'. People will eat anything here. Overall, I can't think of a place that I hate more than Lancaster, Pennsylvania. But I don't want to end this on a negative note. We do have Wilbur Buds, which are pretty darn good. But not good enough to make me stay here for a second longer than I have to.

As a lifelong resident myself I understand everything you're saying and I agree. there are things I like about it but the bad far outweigh it. Unfortunately b/c of money and housing etc Im stuck b/c I know Ill never be able to sell my home for enough to get started somewhere else.

To the poster that said he smells..BS.. No, it's true. now the part of not being able to tell the employers about living with someone *gasps* out of wedlock may be a bit extreme but there are a lot, and i do mean A LOT of people of that mindset here. There are so many things you just dont talk about or give your honest opinion about here b/c it would make the locals gasp if it isnt in line with their old fashioned ways. I dont even discuss the music I like b/c I do like all kinds including hip hop with bad language but I would never admit that to say my employers b/c they would look down on you or stereotype you. The only thing ppl have to talk about here are either their kids or church, that's it. personally I have no interest in either so I can't say I have too much in common with the ppl here even tho Ive been here all my life.

I am glad I am not the only one who sees things like this. It can be a very hard area to deal with as you get older if you're not into the typical Lancastrian family values things. I 've always been considered somewhat Ive an enigma in my area just b/c I dont want to be married with kids and stuck here for the rest of my life. I also can't beleive how may ppl Ive grown up with who've never really left the area for anything other than maybe a week vacation to the beach and even then they tend to stay in campgrounds filled with other ppl from Lanc.

and I work near Wilbur's, I never thought they were all that but then I was never into Hershey's either.

[pman]

The bbq at joboys is pretty good

[Duderino]

Jeez. A lot more negativity about Lancaster in this thread than I would have expected. No one it is claiming that it's utopia, but I think there are many positive attributes about the area--TONS of beautiful open countryside/farmland, an envious amount of well-preserved history, a strong "locavore" culture. Lancaster City, while it has its challenges, is truly a gem that seems to really be putting effort into revitalization. In short, Lancaster has a very strong "sense of place."

Sure, Lancaster has an old reputation for being insular and conservative, what with the types of religious sects that settled the area, but with population growth being fueled in large part by being an satellite city in the Northeast Corridor--giving it a much more cosmopolitan/less provincial feel over time--I have a hard time believing that hasn't made a lot of changes for the better.

[SteelCityRising]

My partner is a native of Conestoga Township, about six miles southwest of Lancaster city proper. I just returned from an 8-day visit there, and I really don't understand what all of the negativity is about. We explored Lititz, which is probably one of the cutest towns this state has to offer. We enjoyed awesome ice cream at the Pine View Dairy. In terms of being old-fashioned, the Park City Mall has an Apple Store, and a Whole Foods is under development across Fruitville Pike from the Barnes & Noble shopping center. We hit up the "corn wagon" along Millersville Road and enjoyed 13 ears of fresh corn for $2.50. We were able to easily day-trip to Philadelphia on one of the days. Despite having well over a half-million people, the area is still rural-oriented enough to present a very impressive display of stars at night. We enjoyed the city market and the surrounding stores and restaurants like the Prince Street Cafe.

Pittsburgh is starting to lose its allure for us due to the increasing cost-of-living and congestion, and I've been entertaining the notion of a relocation to Downtown Lancaster, where many of my partner's friends live. I refuse to accept that such a heavily-populated county on the cusp of the I-95 Corridor can be so "backwards".

[Jeanie Beanie]

My son lived in downtown Lancaster for 5 years and LOVED it. First Fridays were awesome. The food selection is varied and locally sourced and VERY few chain restaurants in the city. Good music scene. Fulton Opera House is a treasure. Weather is a four-season sweet spot IMHO. Lancaster COUNTY is pretty conservative. Lancaster CITY is accepting and chill. College town - Franklin & Marshall - and art school - Pennsylvania College of Art & Design - keep things interesting and creative.

If you're finding yourself stuck in a rut in Pittsburgh, why not investigate Lancaster City. Who knows, there might be a cute brick townhouse calling your name

[tyovan4]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Pittsburgh is starting to lose its allure for us due to the increasing cost-of-living and congestion, and I've been entertaining the notion of a relocation to Downtown Lancaster, where many of my partner's friends live. I refuse to accept that such a heavily-populated county on the cusp of the I-95 Corridor can be so "backwards".

Be careful what you wish for, SCR.
I'm from Elizabethtown and graduated from Millersville - so I'm speaking with experience about both places.

The congestion in Central PA is overall nothing compared to Pgh. But even then, Route 30 can be no picnic.

Cost of living is better there with some day to day things (ie, gas), but you will not be able to beat Pgh's real estate market.

Just because you refuse to accept that it is backwards, I assure you that it is a very conservative area - politically and socially. I have read many of your posts on the Pgh forum, as you're one of the most prolific and opinionated posters there, and I honestly do not think you would be happy in Lancaster.