Not so friendly area....
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6/4/2014
I am a transplant to the area, moved here from Maryland a few years ago. I thought that this would be a great place to raise my children, especially since my family moved here from Baltimore City. One thing that this town does not have much of is crime, at least compared to Baltimore city, well murders at least.
The pros of the area (Harrisburg and surrounding towns) - lots of festivals (there is usually one every week); beautiful scenery (green mountainous terrain and river setting); many fantastic parks (something we did not have in Baltimore); many recreational activities (if you are a hunter, you will be in heaven, this I am not); fairly cheap housing prices compared to surrounding states.
Unfortunately, to me, the cons outweigh the pros - very (I mean extremely) rude, ignorant people, to the point that I have gotten into several altercations with people because many people think they can just walk in front of you, on top of you, or do whatever they want and don't have to say a thing. For example - when I first arrived here, I was waiting in line at the grocery store. My groceries were on the conveyor belt. A woman came behind me and set her basket on top of my groceries. I had eggs and milk. After me pointing out her error, she gave me a dirty look and moved her basket. Unbelievable! This must be a PA dutch thing because these people have no idea what manners are or even the ability to be friendly. This is something that I have never encountered on such a high scale. Rudeness is everywhere in the world but just about everyone is rude here. I have made a few friends here but it took years to do this. Okay, point made.; Traffic that is just unjustifiable. Worse than Baltimore traffic and there is no other logical reason for this except for poor infrastructure and truck accidents on I-81/I-83.; Rough winters and rough summers but that is to be expected in the area; High taxes. When you buy a home they only tell you about the property tax, not the separate school tax. It was a shocker there.; Lack of decent pay. I work at a local hospital here and the pay is $5/hr. less than Baltimore and this is one of the highest paying hospitals in the Harrisburg area.; Serious lack of any diversity; Awful drivers (I put them on the same level as Baltimore. Lots of people who like to ride your butt on back roads.); Alcohol laws (good luck trying to find a 6-pack in this state); Lack of funding for schools but high school tax (what? doesn't make any sense to me). The West Shore School District has closed 2 schools in the past 3 years and they are trying to cut school sports now. Principals drive around in Lexus and BMW cars and the superintendent makes a ton more than he should. I understand that people should be well compensated but not at the cost of a child's education.
I have lived and traveled in many areas of the east/west coast and abroad but after living here I would have to say that these people are the rudest that I have ever encountered. Unless you are a very outgoing, friendly person that can try to break through the hardness of these people, don't expect to make friends. I came here as a fairly outgoing and easy to get along with person. Now after several years, I don't really know what it is like to make friends who would like to just go out for a drink with you. The same applies to my husband. These people are very family oriented, which I have seen written on this site before, which isn't a bad thing but you really need a life outside of family too.
I adore my home in the area and the scenery but I am more than happy to get away from the area. This place has seriously sucked the life out of me and turned me into a person that I was not raised to be.
Tatertoo123 | Etters, PA