Thanks for Voting!
State College is a college town located in central Pennsylvania. It is home to Penn State University, a major research university with over 45,000 students enrolled. With its high student population, the town offers a wide variety of things to do for visitors and residents alike. From outdoor activities such as hiking trails and fishing spots, to cultural attractions like quaint museums and art galleries, there's something for everyone! The nightlife scene is also active with bustling pubs and nightclubs throughout the downtown area. Furthermore, the city is known for its vibrant festivals and interesting local exhibits that showcase the area's history and culture.
Residents of State College rave about the warmth of their community; many feel connected with each other due to their shared interests in Penn State athletics or other activities. Visitors comment on the beauty of the surrounding landscape as well as how friendly and welcoming the locals are. In addition, visitors also appreciate how easy it is to navigate around town given its grid system of roads and walkable streets. With all these things going for it, no wonder State College has earned high reviews from both locals and visitors alike!
based on 27 ReviewsGet to know State College with the latest comments and reviews from people who live in or have visited State College
Hard to beat State College - 7/11/2019
I relocated to State College about 30 years ago. We hadn’t planned to stay this long, but life here is “easy”. Outdoor activities are ample. There are many beautiful parks with walking trails close to most neighborhoods. Rothrock State Park is close by and has an old hemlock grove and endless trails. Cultural activities are many with two local museums and PSU. Health care is very good, especially for a town of this size. People are very friendly. While ethnic diversity is low, the University makes up for that with a broad mix of students. State College also hosts one of the highest rated art festivals in the country and has a large community of artists. On the minus side, it’s not easy to get to an International airport. Pittsburgh is 2.5 hours away by car or one can fly to Philadelphia or Dulles to connect. So, that’s a limitation if you like to travel by air. Restaurants also are limited. There are a handful of good ones, but most are American fare (burgers and fries).
Read More
Start Your Review of State College
Some will excel here. Check here to see if you wi - 6/5/2011
State College is a small "safe" town, you will always see friends, coworkers, physicians, mechanics, supervisors...at the doctor's office, in the store, near your home, at the park, wherever you go. You decide if that is comforting or suffocating. The town is friendly (HAPPY VALLEY), but it is not necessarily nice, at a certain level it is highly political place-wherever you go (prepare to be asked by sales people, "do you work at the university full time?" And then be treated accordingly), a side bar if you are a person of color, you are assumed to be foreign, less aware, needing "help" (you will be like Man Friday in Robinson Caruso)(the local news supports this stereotype). Ask a simple question anyplace and be prepared to hear the history of it and how and why it works (boring as hell, DON'T GET UPSET, everyone wants to prove mental superiority is all...just be prepared). If you're not from State College, or PA, or from the Midwest, this environment may hit you hard. You will
Read More
NEVER A DULL MOMENT - 4/20/2010
I lived in State College, PA all my life untill 2006 when we finally moved south where it was warmer. State College itself is a fun place to be when it comes to football games,the arts festival and the famous Grange Fair at the end of August. Spring slowly warms up, but the planting season isn't until the end of May (I hated waiting that long to plant flowers). The public school system is currently tied up in politics, however, there are a lot of good private schools in the area.
I think religion is still a touchy subject, after the 1989 riots the local churches got together and had what they called "bless the fest" b/c it was the last night of the arts festival. We served over 2000 hotdogs one evening and it was appreciated by most. If you really want to be entertained and stay out of trouble that night, just sit on the wall on College Avenue and watch the people,it's FREE. The new I99 road has caused a lot of heartache and bitterness, it seems they are taking over the
Read More
Nice enough town, just not for me - 2/24/2009
Well, I've been in State College for about 6 months now, having relocated from Phoenix when my fiance got a job at Penn State. It's definitely got some good points: fairly nice looking town, people are friendly, schools are good, crime is low, etc... Now I keep hearing how wonderful it is here in "Happy Valley," since the area is supposedly immune to the bad economy. However, in almost a year of searching I've been unable to find a job here (I'm an engineer). I now regret having turned down New England area job offers to stay here.
Moving to State College is really kind of like stepping back in time 100 years or so. People's level of devotion to Penn State is almost frightening (the jokes about it being their religion aren't that far off), and there's a "y'all ain't from 'round here" mentality that I'm pretty sure has cost me some job interviews. Talk to the residents about life in other states, or even the fact that you didn't grow up here, and you might as well
Read More
Reasons to love State College - 2/10/2009
Having lived in State College since 2001, we have seen the area go through many rapid changes on its way to becoming a substantial city. In the midst of the current economic turmoil in the world, it remains to be seen how State College will fare. Historically, the area has to a large degree been much less affected by recession than countless urban areas.
The anchor, Penn State, is what drives and buffers the local economy, but there are stable growing businesses here such as MiniTab, Raytheon and the Applied Research Lab (which is part of the University but is not funded by the University) that supply a good deal of professional local jobs, not to mention countless other small (25-50 employee) companies throughout the area.
Recent developments such as the connecting of I-99 to Altoona, PA and outlying regions as well as the reconstructed 322 to Harrisburg have opened up State College to commuters and commerce not realizable before at least not in a
Read More
State College and whats wrong with it. - 1/30/2009
First off, state college is a hick town in the middle of hick nowhere that is trying very, VERY hard to convince people otherwise. I was raised in State College and always liked it...then I grew up.
Hope you dont want a decent job. There are over 40,000 students who will work for minimum wage if you dont want to. The professional jobs and other employment opportunities that require more than two brain cells to rub together are RARE to nonexistant. If you can get on at the university, you may have a shot. ALL of the factory jobs are gone..they've closed or moved on...Corning went to china...there is no manufacturing here anymore...and those places were the only hope for non-college educated individuals(you know...90% of the population) to make decent money (corning had good starting jobs in the $10-$15 an hour range in 1987!)
Then there's the culture...or lack of it. Museums?...Live Theatre?...naah. Drunken, halfwit, this-close-to-inbred college children
Read More
Getting Around - 6/24/2008
The bussing around town is excellent. Pretty much anywhere you need or want to go, CATA is there and usually on time.
Things get hectic on campus, whether driving or going by bus, as it's a very congested area, they're re-routing a lot of the roads away from campus, and there's always construction
Read More
housing in state college - 1/25/2008
State college is not being effected as much as areas in cities and other states, with the new housing situation, new homes are steady, but are slightly down, now is the best time to build, Low Rates and competitive building
Read More
Relocation - 9/10/2007
My fiance and I are considering a move to State College. I have a job lined up, but she does not. She is a secondary English Teacher with 12 years experience, 2 masters degree's and a certificate in guidance counseling. Does anybody have any information on education jobs and what the pay in the
Read More
some good, but more bad - 4/30/2007
After living in State College for about 7 years, I finally decided to move out. I don't really have a chip on my shoulder about the place, but I'd rather raise my kids in a "real" town.
If you aren't a college student, an employee of the university, or a pizza shop entrepreneur, it's really hard to get yourself established. There aren't very many middle to high paying job opportunities outside of the education and research segments of the job market. In other words, unless you are a teacher, meteorologist, or engineer, don't bother coming to this town, (unless you want a career as a wal-mart employee or waiter).
The State College school district is very good, BUT THAT IS IT. DON'T SEND YOUR KIDS ANYWHERE ELSE! If you don't have the money to live in the State College school district (which you won't unless you work in a professional field at the University), don't move here if you have kids. The housing costs are very high compared to the rest of the
Read More