RateItAll: The Opinion Network

Pennsylvania is about as close to an 'average' state as you will find anywhere in the US: a mix of rural/urban, eastern/midwestern, average in wealth, a large population but in steady decline outside the Philly/NYC commuter areas, nice scenery but nothing spectacular, etc., etc.... It isn't one of the top-ten states in the US by any standard, excepting Pennsylvania's rate of alcoholism and exports of scrap metal to China.

Reality Check: PA Pros-Nice scenery. Decent amenities (food, outdoor activities) Philly: a pleasant city, with reservations (below).

Pennsylvania Cons-Crappy roads; backward, clannish people outside Philly; nasty slums in Philly, otherwise a rather dull city outside the historic city center and a few enclaves; nasty old industrial towns literally rusting away all across the state; overall PA scenery inferior to New England, Mountain South, Colorado, West Coast; the cost of living here is surprisingly high. There must be some kind of wastebasket shortage in PA, because you see more trash lying in the streets and the sides of the roads than anywhere oustide NYC. Not the worst state in the US, but certainly not #5.

The weather is crap, there's not much to do in the small towns. (Like where I live) There are some good things about Pa, but not very many things I can name off the top of my head. I've lived here my whole life and I can't wait to leave. I get reverse homesickness every time I leave this state.

I agree with the two prior posts. Stay out of the populated areas unless you know that's where your lifestyle belongs. I've been to the nicest areas of Philly with great restaurants and attractions and somehow the place still bugs me. The country is beautiful, the more rural you go the cheaper the land/real estate gets. Compared to Jersey or NY by cheaper I mean your money will get you three times what you're looking for. A small ranch house with respectable yard and friendly neighbors for $115k? Yup, I just hope you don't mind feeling like civilization is a days car ride away.

Philadelphia on the east, Pittsburgh on the west, both still okay but sort of run down. The middle part, you might as well be in Kentucky.

PA has beautiful scenery. If you like the great outdoors then this is the best state in the mid-atlantic bar none. There are also tons of little charming towns. Central PA is very nice. Avoid any large town ESPECIALLY PITTSBURGH. Big towns/cities in this state are a stark contrast to how nice the rest of the state is. Pittsburgh looks like it was hit with a nuculear bomb. Philly is a dump too. Allentown, Harrisburg, Scranton, little washington, etc are all total hell holes as well. Final Thoughts: Where there's a large concentration of people, it sucks. Rural areas and small towns are beautiful. Exept the ones near Pittsburgh. Forget visiting any town within a 30 mile radius of that city. All of it is total sh!t.

I live in PA and I love it here. We have everything yo could possibly want: big cities (Philly, Pittsburgh), small towns (too many to name), lakeside cities/towns (such as Eire), mountains (Poconos), farms, forests, Chocolatetown USA (Hershey), historic places (Philly), large parks, long trails, scenic drives, scenic train lines, vibrant suburbs (Main Line), "PA Grand Canyon", and a whole bunch of other good stuff.

This is a great state with a lot to offer like mentioned. It has a lot of beautiful areas with 2 great cities with Philly and Pittsburgh. Philly is awesome. Urban to suburban to countryside to mountains there isnt anything you cant find. There is rich history, amazing food, great sports and entertainment. It has to be one of the best.

Stay out of the Philly ghettos and you'll love it.

Philly is a good solid city along the northeastern corridor that is surprisingly affordable- Pittsburgh is a decent city as well- other parts of the state do not make out as well.

I'm a Pennsylvanian, and am very proud of my state. We have a lot to offer. There are so many things for everyone to do. Food, history, museums, antiques, camping, hunting, hiking, fishing, swimming, picknicking, night life, theater, amusement parks, orchestras, factory tours, and sports venues. The list goes on. This is an awesome Northeast state. However, we're not perfect (our highways suck).

Beautiful state! Pennsylvania has a lot to offer, of course there are some negative areas, but tell me what state does not have cities that are less than perfect.

Pennsyltucky...

Gettysburg if you like Civil War history, Poconos if you like skiing, Appalachian trail/mountains if you are a dirtbag treehugger, and Philadelphia and Pittbsurgh if you want decent urban life with above-average universities. . .lots of history and doesn't cost as much as other places in the US. . .

I spent a month here driving through the entire state. I started in Scranton and worked my way down to Philly. and over to Lancaster. Most of this state is like looking at a skeleton from the industrial ages. All the towns here in this state are old and deteriorating. Philly is another crime ridden American city with major social problems. Scranton is a dead train town. Lancaster is scary. Dutch Country is barely even dutch anymore and is mostly just a tourist trap. Hershey & the theme parks are still fun and bring out the youth in us, but everything else is dead. I give it three stars because of the scenery and the fine produce.

I just stumbled across this page, but I'd like to rebut the posts that say Philly and Pittsburgh are the only places in the state worthy of a visit. By all means guys, go and visit these cities. You need to understand though, These are dying, and in the case of Pittsburgh, dead cities. This isnt to say the smaller cities like Alletown, Altoona, and Easton are great places either. In many ways, theyre worse in the sense that they are small cities with big city problems. Focusing on Philadelphia though, I just cant understand the attraction. Although I grew up 50 minutes away from Philly, I hadnt been downtown until I was 19. Why? I really didnt know at the time. Once I got there, I realized, "OH yeah..it sucks." There is nothing going on in this city. Sure, check out the Liberty Bell, Independence Mall, etc. South Street even. You got one day there. Outside these historic sites though, the city is covered in a distinct layer of grime. The people are largely rude. Overbites are prevalent. A better time--personally recommended--Pennsylvania Scenic Route 6. It goes all along the top of the state, with views of canyons, mountains, flora, fauna, etc. Check it out, Or just go to New York.

It has its pretty areas, Pittsburg is improving(not the Pitts anymore, forgive my pun) and the Poconos are easy to get to but; Philly is a giant pile of garbage, Its a major slum for only being 2million strong. Its the only state that makes me feel good about crossing state lines into Jersy. Virginia, south Jersy and Upstate New York nullify anything that can be considered a point to this state, Outside of a few historic landmarks.

Pennsylvania is quite possibly one of the best well rounded states of them all. I could honestly write endless pages on why but Im going to keep it short. The diversity between old and new, culture, mountains, countryside, small town life, big city life(2 great big cities and several medium ones),great suburbs, short distance to the ocean, food, amazing history, white collar, blue collar, battlefields, outdoors, rich sports (From pro to the HS level), amusment parks, ideal location, distance to the rest of the NE cities, ect, ect. What they dont have...the plains and deserts, oh well. One of the most beautiful states out there that will leave you in awe

Admittedly I only know the eastern half (and the Pittsburgh airport) but there is lots to do in the almost-upscale state. Philadelphia and the Poconos top the list with many activities, attractions, history and culture.

PA has Philly- which is a cheap cosmopolitan city to live in-but it also benefits from its central location between DC and NYC in the northeastern corridor-Pittsburgh is ok- but nothing superaltive- cheap living- the rest of this state is bordering on hillbilly.

Pennsylvania is one of the better states in this country. All over this state you will find the epitome of Americana and so much important history. PA is graced with a lot of attractive landscapes with hills, mountains, woodlands, farmland, and many rivers. It's a good destination for family vacations with destinations like Hershey Park, Amish country, and the Pocono's for outdoor activities.

I spent two years outside of Philadelphia and can honestly say that I would not consider moving back. Navigating the poorly maintained roads is nearly impossible owing to the fact that the roads change names every other block. There's the King of Prussia Mall (mildly entertaining for the first two hours) and all the touristy stuff in Philly but other than that, not worth your time. Center City is dirty and the people can be rude and shallowminded. I've met nicer folks in New York City.

PA is srangely star crossed between being liberal and progressive, and being retro and backwards. For the most part the latter is true more then the former. Sure it voted blue in the last election-barely. But by in large the state seems caught in a time warp- trying in vain to discover its future and identity.

Funny place Pennsylvania-funny comments from folks who haven't travelled much or lived too far from home to make the most exasperating generalizations I've seen in awhile. I'm older, 55, I've lived, worked, visited a lot of places and Pennsylvania has more to offer than many. [For reference Ohio 25 years, Pennsyvlania 22, Colorado 4, West Virginia 1, Indiana 2.5, Washington DC 2.5, Michigan 1, New Jersey/New York City 3---it doesn't quite add up because I double count the college/graduate school years where I had dual residency. I've been around the world a few times to places like Tokyo, Bangkok, Cairo, Bombay, Athens, Rome, Venice, Amsterdam, London to name of few of the cities--point is, I've seen more than the ash pits of Jersey.] Pennsylvania, like EVERY state and every place has its share of bigots and close-minded folks, but it is also the birthplace of this nation, it's loaded with history, tolerance, and survival. But you have to have an interest in that sort of thing to realize how dramatic that is in this state. Where most locations have long ago bull-dozed down older homes in some sort of urban renewal process, Pennsylvanians tend to fix them up and preserve them; go inside and in most you'll find the latest gadgets, electronics, and access to satellite tv and radio. Houses might look funny because they've had to survive floods and mine collapse, and extremes in weather. Its geography is extraordinary with full-rich seasons and a reason to always look forward to tomorrow, because just maybe it might get better. It has scars from its past, certainly, but it also boasts a wonderful richness in its heritage with clusters of communities where folks actually know the difference between a Latvian, Czech, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Slovak and a Pole. And in Pennsylvania they also know what it means to be an American. It has a history connected to coal, railroads, barbed wire, the American Indian, the American Revolution, the Civil War, and unfortunately is also home to more military casualties than any other state. There is not a state to match it for color and geographic beauty. The mountains here are green during the summer, a rich tapestry of color in the fall (not like the sameness of Vermont's Maples) and glorious deep snowfalls and blue skies in the winter. In the Springtime the hills are alive with color from the wild mountain laurel to dogwoods and dandilions. You want great food? Visit any western or central Pennsylvania church festival and you'll get the real thing, not some hoity toity new age, no cal, lite, mixed greens....no here in Pennsylvania you get halushki, and perogi, and haupki and kielbassi and you'll know you've had a meal when your done eating. You want to really work out? Get out of that health club and take a hike in the mountains, go trout fishing, skiing, white water rafting, or mountain and trail biking. You want to hunt or trap? We've got bear, deer, o'possum, fox, duck, pheasant, squirrel, raccoon, fisher, otters, and did I say bear? Yes and we have fresh water lakes and fresh water rivers and they have fish, plenty of fish. Sure we've got pollution; we're cleaning it up---remember we've got an extra two hundred years of industrial pollution, we were educating our women, healing our sick, and building a nation while most of the other states provided a vast road way to another place. So don't bash Pennsylvania, come here, look beyond the two major cities Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and see America---it's all here the good, the bad, the ugly, and the really beautiful...stop in and visit us, we'll leave the light on for ya!....

Suprisingly, a very nice state. Of course like any state, there are some little podunk towns that you wouldnt want to be caught dead in, but must of rural PA is really nice, with charming little towns. I think i would rather live in Rural PA or in one of the smaller cities like Erie or Allentown than in Philadelphia or Pittsburgh, but those are both cool cities too. One thing that I have to question about the ENTIRE state of PA though; who designed their houses? Pennsylvania has some of the UGLIEST and wierdest houses I have ever seen. EVERYWHERE, in both the City proper of Philadelphia and of Pittsburgh, their suburbs, all of the small towns, all of the houses in rural areas. They have some of the ugliest houses I have ever seen. What gives?

The South lost the Civil War in Gettysburg, they died in honor of what they believed in wrong or right it's a eerie place to visit and I recommend it highly. Many from the South of today still have hatred towards Gettysburg, my advice to you would be to pay honor to your fallin relatives with honor not with Git-R-Done and Rebel flag waving stereotypical Redneck fashion. If the Confederates of 1863 saw how their Flag has been turned into a Redneck Icon, they would be sick.

Pennsylvania had more KKK rallies than Alabama/any of the states in the deep south

Another hllbilly, backward Northeastern state that has been trashed terribly by Yankee scum. No wonder so many yankees are moving south with states like this one..

An lackluster state- however IMHO rated too high here. Philly is a decent city- and Pittsburgh is the 'cheapest' large 'Blue city' to reside. The rest of the state is rather... dare I say 'isolated and backwards'... strangely out of sinc with the rest of the northeastern megalopolis

Spent a year in Philly when I moved from the west cast before settling in New England. PA is two real distinct regions, Philly and Pittsburgh. I liked Philly the most. And its the cheapest large city on the east coast. The rest of the state is rather slow and not too forward thinking-nice scenary in some areas, but gray and depessing in others- Its too bad that PA. has a stupid religous nutbag for a Senator like Rick Santorum- which drags this state down.

Actually I find Pennsylvania to be a very interesting state. I loved travelling there when the trees are changing colors in the fall, it's absolutely breathtaking how gorgeous it is then. I used to love camping and fishing in PA, there's a lot of historical sites to see there, also. I have to lower my score from 5 to 3. Yes, it's gorgeous country and I have had a lot of fun there, but if you meet anyone there, the majority of them are very racial, actually admit to it and are damn proud of their ignorance.

I know it's a very personal, subjective thing, and I mean no offense to the state's residents, but there was always something about PA that creeped me out. I never actually went there until I was about 15, but I've never been able to warm up to it. After growing up in the near-vicinity of NYC, Philadelphia just seems...not very interesting, even slightly seedy and decrepit. Whereas the small towns of upstate NY have a sort of bucolic charm for me, the small towns of PA remind me of a very-creepy episode of Twilight Zone. Again, not a very fair or objective analysis, I admit, but that's my reaction. Bucks County and the Poconos (actress Jayne Mansfield is incongruously buried here in a small country cemetery) are pretty, but I much prefer the New England countryside. Allentown is really depressing, as is Easton. I've never been in Pittsburgh, although I did pass through the western part of the state on my way to Chicago, and it can be quite beautiful, at least the parts of it that I saw. Also pretty is the area around Kennett Square, which is rich in Revolutionary-War period history.

OK outside the big cities for scenery. Philly and Pittsburgh have lots to do.

Rated way too highly here outside of Philly and Pittsburgh there is really not that much.

Pennsylvania is a ggod state. I have lived here all my life. The Eastern portion has easy access to the Poconos, NYC, and Philadelphia. The Montgomery-Bucks-Delaware County suburbs are great places if you can afford to live there. Allentown-lehigh County is a dump. Northampton County is a good spot. Bethlehem is a great town and the surrounding areas in NORCO like Bethlehem Township and Nazareth are great places to live. Easton is a white trash city but there exist a few redeeming qualities to counteract the trash that live there. Reading is a dump and Berks County in general has some real boring close minded miserable people. Harrisburg is a dump. Penn State is cool. Johnstown is a solid working class town. Pittsburgh the few times I have been out there is a cool town that is revitalizing itself nicely after the mid-70's 80's recession and shift away from blue collar to white collar.

The people are very nice and down to earth in Pennsylvania. Dont really care for Philadelphia although the pizza and cheese steaks are SLAMMIN. The nice place to live is the suburbs of PA such as Falls Twp, Yardley, and some parts of Morrisville since they are conviently close to Philadelphia, NYC and New Jersey (great for commuters especially), and are quiet areas. The Poconos is a beautiful vacation spot but not the best place to live. I know, since I lived there, plus there is way too much snow with bears in your backyard to top the cake lol. Overall its a wonderful state in my opinion.

Ironic story. We were driving to NYC one year, and we stopped offt to eat at a Friendly's in the Poconos area for dinner with my mom and dad some years ago. My mom came out of the bathroom and some guy said to her, You might not want to eat here, the guys, the guys here don't care about the food. My mom came back to our table and told us, and we were like...whaaaat. Anyway, we then see the waitress bring out a large take-out order for him, and we figured out what was up. He was some redneck who didn't care to be friendly at Friendly's to colored people. My mom is black and my dad East Indian. I've lived in a relatively small town in Michigan and never seen had this happen to me there. Pennsylvania is at most, the irrelevant state. Better than Ohio though!

it is very boring! and when we go there i always get in trouble or yelled at for something stupid!

Overrated nothing 2 see there

No doubt one of the top 5 states in the country. Decent size, suberb location, outstanding landscape from mountains to rolling hills to dense woodland. There isn't an acre of land in Pa. that can't be used productively. Philadlephia gets its fair share of abuse, and rightfully so in many cases. However for every bad trait it has, it can be counterbalanced with a positive. Independendence Mall-Soceity Hill should be seen by every american. University of Penn's Campus is glorious, Fairmount Park is the largest city park in the usa and has an abundance of activity from jogging,rowing to hiking. The 200 year old stone mansions in the older neighborhoods that nobody knows about Chestnut Hill, Mt.Airy, Overbrook are mind blowing. The Philadelphia suburbs from New Hope to Valley Forge to Brandywine back to Swarthmore is arguably the best suburban area in the usa. Lancaster-Harrisburg-Gettysburg-Pittsburgh-State College-Scranton-Allentown-Jim Thorpe. A top notch state for sure.

Rateitall.com needs to fix the About Pennsylvania, Philadelphia is NOT the capital of PA, Harrisburg is.

I give the Keystone state a 3 on the basis of the metro region of Philadelphia, and then Pittsburgh. The remainder of the state has more negatives then positives.

Some parts as backwards and isolated as Vermont. Philly and Pittsburgh are dirty, cesspol crime ridden cities.

After reading some of these comments i have a good response. I'm from NY, and i am pretty familiar wih PA as well. A lot of people on here are talking about how Pennsylvania is all hicks and little podunk towns and cowfields, surprised it votes democrat and the philly burbs saved it from the reds and all that stuff. In a sense, you are right, but you have to look at the whole picture. While most of the land area of Pennsylvania is sparsly populated by fairly uneducated people and dotted with little dumptowns, the vast majority of the PEOPLE in Pennsylvania live in and around Philadelphia and Pittsburgh; Two large, modern, comfortable, educated cities, where the people won't shoot you for walking on their property lol. But even many of the small towns in PA resemble towns in New England more so than towns in say, West Virginia.

Beautiful landscape. Very historical. Only problem is the toll roads. TO SUBARU7: It is backwards outside Philadelphia & Pittsburgh. I lived in Allentown for two years and I am glad to be out of there. There is almost nothing to do there, especially on Sundays because the malls (both of them) close at 3 p.m. After that, what is there to do but sit around at home and do nothing.

Great scenic views, woodlands, mountains, waterways, historic sites and history, tourist attractions, no sales tax on clothing, wildlife and fine academic institutions. Not so great; roads are in terrible condition, pollution, dirty roads and trash in certain areas, weather is so so, always windy, no jobs, red necks and country bumpkins who never leave their county borders, weird people who don't accept outsiders, even if your from another part of the state (not everyone but high %) weird people in general who always look and act miserable and strange (again not everyone), many towns that are economically deprived and oppressed. PA is a state that is in decline since the good'ole day's after WWII, more jobs are leaving the state then coming in, the state prides it's fine academic institutions, yet find's it hard to keep state born graduates within it's borders due to the fact there is little in the way of jobs. Philadelphia was annexed by New Jersey a long time ago and Pittsburgh is now part of Ohio, well not really but the two largest cities of PA seem so far detached from the rest of the state due to their geographical locations that it seems the rest of the state is somewhat deprived of growth, excitment, concerts and cultural activities. PA is also very old fashion, the state controls liquor sales and no you can't buy beer or wine or any other alcoholic beverage at 7-11 or a grocery store. Some say it controls consumption, but PA has a lot of bars to compensate for this. PA also has it's counties broken down into local goverments, that is townships, boroughs, cities and etc., this is old fashioned and you will find they all can't agree to disagree on anything, what takes 1 year somewhere else can take 10 years or more or maybe never to happen in PA. The state is getting hard hit with job outsourcing and many plants/factories are being closed every year. Philly & Pittsburgh are more white collar with the rest of the state mainly blue collar, but many of these jobs are disappearing and the state is not very business friendly or concerned about getting companies to relocate there. I gave PA a Great rating due to the history, tourist attractions and overall scenic beauty in the remote parts of the state.

backwoods and sick. any state where you can't buy beer in a regular store, should be voted out of the union. i'm surprised it votes democrat.

Pennsylvania is the most quintessential American state. Philadelphia seems to be overshadowed by New York, but is an awesome city nonetheless. History everywhere, and the best restaurants in the country according to the experts. Pittsburgh is reinventing itself and has some awesome neighborhoods. The smaller cities are so-so, but the countryside is absolutely beautiful. Dutch country has the nicest scenery i've ever experienced. State College is the best-kept secret in the country. Great shops and awesome restaurants in a very quaint, yet bustling town. The unique foods tell the stories of all the different ethnic groups who built the state. Just a great place to go. (and I'm a southerner!)

I have never been to Philly, Lancaster or State College. But Pittsburgh, is nice. Pittsburgh has arrogant and rude residents, however, Pittsburghers have so much more than other cities, who wouldn't be arrogant about a city like that. I mean lets be honest, Pittsburgh has like 30 hospitals for 300,000 people. University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Oakland is a world-class medical center. I also read something that Pittsburgh, is sitting on billions of dollars of endowments from all those big fortune 500 companies they have had over the last 150 years. The Public Transit is the cleanest in America and the houses are cheap. Not to mention, Pittsburgh has the best Italian food in America.

Absolutely beautiful state. The beautiful green hills right past Ohio - boy. Friendly, hard-working people too.

Rating PA Above Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, A, Mass. or Washington State is dumb. Sure Philly is a decent city- but Boston is far better- and Pittsburgh? It's ok- cheap to live, but other then then kind of backwards. The rest of the state is too conservative and depressed. The scenary is ok, but not as nice a New England- and there is no decent shoreline- save for Lake Erie in the northwest. My parents where both from the Pittsburgh area- and say they would never go back to PA or Pittsburgh. Enough said? Also a 'blue state' barely- because of the Philly burbs- that rescued the rest of the state from the 'reds'..............

PA is an ok state in the northeast- Philly is a very historic city with great diversity and fun without the hassles of NYC. The Poconos offer some nice vacation spots- while Pittsburgh offers a taste of bohemian culture at a bargain price.

The mountains are pretty....the people are not. And there is a terrible smell there.

Pretty nice place, Pittsburgh is a really nice, clean city, with good people. Philly has that big city atmosphere, although crime is a problem there. And the countryside is great. I dont know why, but my favorite city in Pennsylvania is this little city called Williamsport. It kind of reminds me of just the average american town, i know it is where the little league world series is held. A lot of the small towns scattered around have a unique apeal to them (at least for me) as well. All in all i think i could live in most of PA. EDIT: Whoever made this sight must not be too good in georgraphy, THE CAPITAL OF PENNSYLVANIA IS HARRISBURG, NOT PHILADELPHIA!!! EDIT: Also, what is a Pennsylvania accent, i have never noticed one, i mean, i can notice a sort of italian accent going on in Philadelphia, and in some very rural areas in the extreme south of the state, you can even hear a little southern accent, but i have never heard in general of a Pennnsylvania Accent maybe its something you have to really listen for to notice? Also Dr. Entropy is wrong, the population of PA, while not booming, has gone from 11.8 million in the 90's to over 12.3 million now, that isnt a huge increase, but its not a decrease!

Very scenic,good food available at reasonable prices-watch out though,on major highways:there are more huge trucks speeding around than feels safe.

The northwestern corner of the state gets five stars--quaint towns, beautiful mountain vistas, friendly people. Downtown Pittsburgh and Philly are great as well--but the surrounding suburbs are not. Traffic hell. And that Turnpike is THE most stressful highway I've driven in my 15+ years of driving. Trucks--non stop construction--crazy drivers who think it's the Autobahn.

i like penna. i didn't grow up here, but it's where i live now. there are a lot of rednecks, and a lot of road construction, but for the most part the people are friendly. the air is clean, there are lots of farms and forests, and there are numerous historical sites. the winters are honestly a bit cold for my liking, but beside that, it's a pretty nice place.