Reviews & Comments
Erie, PA
Erie PA is a hidden gem -
9/2/2019I've lived in numerous cities and towns around the country and traveled to countless others. Erie, PA remains, surprisingly, my favorite place to live, work and play. Why?
Here's my take on "The Gem City" (the city's actual nickname, given due to the shimmering waters of Lake Erie)...
OPPORTUNITY:
There are numerous opportunities to build and grow a business. From tax incentives by the State of PA for starting a business to the support you'll get from peers and organizations like the local SBDC or the Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority (ECGRA, an unprecedented and really cool model for disbursement of money collected from gaming taxes levied upon casinos here), it seems unlikely any other small cities will offer this much guidance to help your business grow.
ECONOMY:
The stats on Erie PA are just plain misleading. The fact is there has been half a billion dollars privately invested in the Erie PA downtown over just the past few years! Unemployment is just 3.8% and for the past 8 years or-so there's been an overall sentiment of reversing a downward trend in our economy. Plus, there are 5 universities here and the largest medical school in the country, so the city is overflowing with young people and soon-to-be physicians. It's exciting to see everything in this city growing and healthy.
COST OF LIVING:
There aren't many places you can buy a Victorian style mansion in half-decent condition in a nice part of town for literally less than 100k. That's crazy! How about a waterfront home with private beach for like 300k. That actually exists here. For those wishing to rent, you can find pretty much anything you want for less than $1,000/month. The housing market here has been stable for as long as I can remember. Erie wasn't impacted by housing crisis in 2008, and the real estate market for better or worse, is pretty much even-steven. For the average person, this is a really wonderful thing. For those in real estate development it's probably not the most exciting haha. Oh, and this review wouldn't be complete without mentioning the fact that you can buy a beer - literally 7 days a week - for just one quarter. 25 cents, not kidding! There's at least one bar per day offering "quarter drafts", and it makes for some really fun nights. To make it even better, it's legal to drink in the streets here! We're one of just 9 other cities in America where it's legal to drink in the streets! So much so that it's often encouraged, due to the countless block parties and cultural festivals. Talk about a great way to build a sense of community; cheers to that!
FAMILY:
Largely dependent on what part of the city you reside in, pretty much like every other city in America, Erie PA can be a wonderful place to raise a family. Most (not all) of the schools here offer a great education. There are countless community groups for just about anything and everything in life; Erie has clubs for everything. From church groups, to trivia night teams and adult softball leagues, it's so much fun to raise a family here! There are hundreds of new and different family friendly activities every day of the week, you don't even have to look for them, they're at every turn.
ENTERTAINMENT:
Believe it or not, this rust belt city has a vibrant arts and culture scene. Almost every Friday somewhere in the city there's a "Gallery Night" happening where you can pop into one of the many art galleries in the area for free beers, wines and socializing with friends. There's actually a half-decent music scene here, too, thanks to the countless bars (and even a few restaurants) that come alive at night and feature musical acts of all types from indy rock, to hip hop and country music. I will admit, though, there simply are not enough non-chain restaurants which is no fun. More of those are needed for sure. Overall, though, the independently owned restaurants that are here will offer you really amazing menus any day of the week (looking at you, Dan Kern, chef and owner of 1201 Restaurant).
NATURE:
It's gorgeous here. Yes, in winter, it's really snowy. I mean supremely snowy. For what it's worth, "lots of snow" typically means higher than usual temperatures unlike many other places in the Great Lakes region (like Detroit or Chicago). The Great Lakes are an incredible sight, and Erie PA prides itself in the natural wonder of our waterfront. There's a state park called Presque Isle, which is a miles long peninsula with 11 public beaches (just a year ago or-so, USA Today ranked Erie PA as having the #1 fresh water beach in the world!). Erie PA is also home to possibly the best sunset in the world (I heard a rumour that National Geographic actually ranked it #2 best sunset in the world at one point but I don't know if that's true haha). Almost everywhere you turn the landscape feels lush and vibrant (except in the industrial parts of town - OR - during winter, haha, that doesn't count). Overall, Erie PA is a really gorgeous place.
OVERALL:
Taking all of these things into account, I find Erie PA to be a pretty wonderful place to live work and play. I'm glad it's here and I look forward to a bright future.