Erie has lots of healthcare jobs, plenty of state parks nearby, the Allegheny National Forest, a huge lake, and a reasonable cost of living. We lived in NEPA for sixty years but abandoned it because of the Marcellus Shale activity. We have family in Philly and Harrisburg and think that both are expensive and hard to get around. We live within the city limits and like it but rural areas are just a few minutes' drive south. The weather hasn't shocked us, we were at 1600 ft elevation in NEPA and the winters we've experienced in Erie are much easier so far. Pittsburgh is a two-hour drive, Cleveland is about ninety minutes, and Buffalo is just over an hour. There are casinos in all three. Ashtabula, Ohio, a half hour west, has a live poker room, too. We are much closer to Detroit than we are to Philly, it's a big state! Good luck with your search.

We tired of the truck traffic on Rt 81 traveling from Harrisburg north to our old residence in Susquehanna county. We enjoyed taking the extra time and following Rt 22 to Rt 11 north along the Susquehanna river. You can hop on Rt 80 outside Danville PA for a quick ride east to the Poconos.

Erie, from the lake Erie ale trail to Presque Isle, the theaters, restaurants, music scene, museums, lighthouses (3), we're 150 miles closer to Detroit than we are to Philly but still PA through and through.

I81 from Scranton north to the state line is pretty. While not in PA I86 from Elmira to Erie is just north of the border and has beautiful scenery including great views of Chautauqua lake from a nice eastbound rest area.

Todd Snider - Looking For A Job

The Rodeo Song - Gary Lee and Showdown Revelers drinking on the other side of a lake we liked to visit would play it loudly enough for us to hear every word while my boys and their pre-teen cousins danced on our dock.

The Atlantic City Pop Festival was staged two weeks before Woodstock and went off without a hitch. Working bathrooms, food vendors, etc, and most of the headliners who would play at Yasgur's farm. It didn't make the national news because it was a smooth, professional operation. You had to have a ticket. Lots of weed and other mind-altering substances and other than Joni Mitchell walking off because the crowd was too noisy, it was a great weekend of music.

It is in a fairly remote area (dark sky). We visited while wandering US RT6 . There are lots of hiking and other outdoor activities in state parks and forests nearby. We wound up having a free beer at Strawbs one afternoon in St. Marys. The PA Grand Canyon and the village of Wellsboro are about an hour east.

James Carville summed it up pretty well, (paraphrasing) Philadelphia in the east, Pittsburgh in the west, and Alabama in between. Erie is bluish but 5 minutes over the city line the "Don't blame me I voted for Trump" signs dot the yards.

I was looking for somewhere kinda on the way that might be a change of pace for a traveler familiar with Gettysburg. It's a big state and we have lots of attractions. There are some nice state parks and state forests closer to Philly but Ohiopyle and Falling Water are personal favorites.

State College, Philly, and Pittsburgh are all cool. Erie has a lot to offer, too. The largest of Penn States' satellite campuses, and Gannon and Mercyhurst Universities are here. It has lots of great outdoor opportunities close at hand. The population is just under 100k and it is a fairly diverse mix with lots of different ethnic festivals and a good variety of restaurants. Lots of people still don't lock their homes. It is almost the midwest but has a rail connection to New York and Chicago and an airport with connections to Charlotte, NC, and Chicago. I don't know if Gannon or Mercyhurst has aid available to foreign students but the overall cost of living is fairly low.

The Futures So Bright (I Gotta Wear Shades)

Timbuk 3 - I Gotta Wear Shades

Who - Live at Leeds 1970