I’m sure that if you’re living in Pennsylvania, you love it here; I know that I do. It’s a beautiful and diverse state with seemingly endless secrets, treasures, and fascinating history. However, like any other place, Pennsylvania comes with its down-sides. Here are some of the things we’ve grown to despise.
- Our strange liquor laws
camera_obscura [busy] Go to any other state and ask “where’s the liquor store?” and the people there will know you’re from Pennsylvania. Between the liquor store being closed on Sundays and strong restrictions on what types and amounts of alcohol you can buy in convenience stores or grocery stores, we have some of the strictest liquor laws in the country.
- New Jersey
MPD01605 Our neighbor to the east takes some heat from Pennsylvanians, particularly those from the Philadelphia area. For whatever reason, it seems that western Pennsylvanians’ feelings toward Ohio are much friendlier than eastern Pennsylvanians’ feelings toward New Jersey. There does not seem to be any specific reason for this deep-seated resentment.
- People who ask if you’re Amish
trialsanderrors/ Flickr No! I’m not. Next.
- Constant road work
thisisbossi/ Flickr It doesn’t seem to ever end.
- The damage winter does to roads
Ann Larie Valentine A road will be nice and smooth one day, recently recovered from a months-long construction party. Then it will snow and before you know it, that road is cracked and full of potholes. Woe is us.
- Differing political attitudes in other parts of the state
Paul Weaver/ Flickr Pennsylvania is a swing state, which means that in each election, we could fall to be either a red or a blue state. This isn’t to say that our population is politically ambivalent; quite the opposite. We’re polarized, with left-learning centers in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and more conservative populations living in the central and northern parts of Pennsylvania. This variety can be nice, but if you’re dedicated to one political party or the other, you might hate sharing your home state with such a large contingent of political opponents.
- Death by taxes
401(K) 2012/ Flickr Pennsylvania has some of the highest taxes in the country, which can feel like a constant drain on your wallet. A 2014 study concluded that the reason for inflated Pennsylvania taxes is an unusually high public corruption rate.
- Deer running in front of your car
fauxto_digit/ Flickr You never know when a deer is going to dart out of the woods and directly into your vehicle’s path. These collisions are terrifying, dangerous, and expensive.
- Bears who invite themselves to your family picnic
Jim Mullhaupt They never even bring anything good to the potluck; they usually just grab something out of the dumpster on the way over.
- Dealing with PennDOT
Megan Duong/ Flickr One of the biggest risk factors to life in Pennsylvania is the likelihood that one day, you’re going to have to deal with PennDOT. I don’t think there is anyone in the country who enjoys a trip to the DMV, however we have PennDOT to thank for our own state’s version of this bliss.
- Industrial and environmental disasters
Scott Drzyzga/ Flickr Pennsylvania has been home to some of the worst industrial disasters in the United States’ history: the worst nuclear accident occurred at Three Mile Island, our coal mines have claimed more lives than any other state, the coal mine underneath Centralia has been on fire for over 50 years, residents of Donora still experience effects of pollution from the 1948 fluoride smog, and the list goes on. Pennsylvanians are proud of our industrial background, yet it has come with poor environmental and circumstantial effects.
What would you add to this list? Do you disagree with any of the above? Share your thoughts below.
camera_obscura [busy]
Go to any other state and ask “where’s the liquor store?” and the people there will know you’re from Pennsylvania. Between the liquor store being closed on Sundays and strong restrictions on what types and amounts of alcohol you can buy in convenience stores or grocery stores, we have some of the strictest liquor laws in the country.
MPD01605
Our neighbor to the east takes some heat from Pennsylvanians, particularly those from the Philadelphia area. For whatever reason, it seems that western Pennsylvanians’ feelings toward Ohio are much friendlier than eastern Pennsylvanians’ feelings toward New Jersey. There does not seem to be any specific reason for this deep-seated resentment.
trialsanderrors/ Flickr
No! I’m not. Next.
thisisbossi/ Flickr
It doesn’t seem to ever end.
Ann Larie Valentine
A road will be nice and smooth one day, recently recovered from a months-long construction party. Then it will snow and before you know it, that road is cracked and full of potholes. Woe is us.
Paul Weaver/ Flickr
Pennsylvania is a swing state, which means that in each election, we could fall to be either a red or a blue state. This isn’t to say that our population is politically ambivalent; quite the opposite. We’re polarized, with left-learning centers in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and more conservative populations living in the central and northern parts of Pennsylvania. This variety can be nice, but if you’re dedicated to one political party or the other, you might hate sharing your home state with such a large contingent of political opponents.
401(K) 2012/ Flickr
Pennsylvania has some of the highest taxes in the country, which can feel like a constant drain on your wallet. A 2014 study concluded that the reason for inflated Pennsylvania taxes is an unusually high public corruption rate.
fauxto_digit/ Flickr
You never know when a deer is going to dart out of the woods and directly into your vehicle’s path. These collisions are terrifying, dangerous, and expensive.
Jim Mullhaupt
They never even bring anything good to the potluck; they usually just grab something out of the dumpster on the way over.
Megan Duong/ Flickr
One of the biggest risk factors to life in Pennsylvania is the likelihood that one day, you’re going to have to deal with PennDOT. I don’t think there is anyone in the country who enjoys a trip to the DMV, however we have PennDOT to thank for our own state’s version of this bliss.
Scott Drzyzga/ Flickr
Pennsylvania has been home to some of the worst industrial disasters in the United States’ history: the worst nuclear accident occurred at Three Mile Island, our coal mines have claimed more lives than any other state, the coal mine underneath Centralia has been on fire for over 50 years, residents of Donora still experience effects of pollution from the 1948 fluoride smog, and the list goes on. Pennsylvanians are proud of our industrial background, yet it has come with poor environmental and circumstantial effects.
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.
