Deciding who is the most proud of being from Pennsylvania is tough. Kevin Hart was so ready to share his pick for the Super Bowl LIX that he recorded a video with two eagles. Eve has the “Philly, Philly” single with fellow Philadelphia native Beanie Sigel, which she released on her first album Let There Be Eve…Ruff Ryders’ First Lady. While Michael B. Jordan was born in Santa, California and raised in Newark, New Jersey, he and Ryan Coogler made sure the Rocky spin-off Creed was in Philadelphia, with Meek Mill on the movie soundtrack, the notorious statue on the steps, dirt bike riders and ATV drivers. And who could leave out Philadelphia natives Will Smith, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, Patti LaBelle and Taylor Swift? But there’s more to Pennsylvania than celebrities, dirt bikes and football (although that 44-20 score against the Kansas City Chiefs is worth bragging about). So where are the best places to live in Pennsylvania? Find out here.
10 Historical Facts About Pennsylvania
The East Coast state has countless options for historians who want to celebrate Black History Month all year-round. Here are a few history facts about Pennsylvania.
- “Lest We Forget” Museum of Slavery, which was founded 2002, gives visitors in Philadelphia a look at the private Ragsdale collection of slavery artifacts (shackles, whips, branding irons), Bill of Sale documents, and Jim Crow memorabilia owned by J. Justin and Gwen Ragsdale.
- Octavius Catto, an African-American teacher, civil rights activist and organizer of one of America’s first baseball leagues, helped to desegregate the Philadelphia streetcars with an act of civil disobedience. He also participated in the campaign to pass civil rights amendments, including the 15th Amendment which guaranteed voting rights to African-American men.
- McAllister’s Mill Underground Railroad Station is Gettysburg’s only officially recognized Underground Railroad site where hundreds of enslaved people seeking freedom were sheltered during their escape years before the Civil War. Visitors can take a one-hour tour of the one-half mile site.
- Daniel Hughes, part Native American and part African-American, carried lumber on a small barge from Havre de Grace in Maryland to Williamsport, Lycoming County. He was rumored to hide runaway slaves along this Freedom Road route, but it’s unclear whether it was hundreds or more than 1,000.
- The African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church began a printing company, the A.M.E. Book Concern, in Philadelphia in 1817. Although materials such as hymns and sermons were its primary output, by the late 19th century, A.M.E. Book Concern published writings from W.E.B. DuBois and reprinted poems from Phillis Wheatley Peters.
- The African American Museum in Philadelphia has three main themes — the African Diaspora, the Philadelphia Story and the Contemporary Narrative. The museum explores the Civil Rights movement, architecture, arts and entertainment, law, medicine, politics, religion, sports and technology.
- A Shared Heritage Trail is a self-guided tour that guides visitors to 29 landmark locations linked to historic sites, murals and businesses from the region’s African-American community from Erie’s earliest days through the Civil Rights Movement and present day.
- Built in 1768, the Johnson House Historic Site Inc. was a key stop in the 1850s along the Underground Railroad. It was also rumored to be a meeting place for abolitionists William Still and Harriet Tubman.
- Although Roberto Clemente Jr. made headlines for supporting now-President Donald Trump, his father was a right-fielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates and was vocal against the segregation he witnessed while playing Major League Baseball. Roberto Clemente Sr., a Black and Puerto Rican man and a Marine Corps vet, demanded that the Pirates provide Black players with another vehicle so they could drive to Black restaurants where they would be served instead of eating on the bus. Clemente was vocal about wanting to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers, with a bigger Puerto Rican population, but even an offer to refund the Pirates $4,000 in exchange for his freedom didn’t work. Joe Brown, the Pirates’ general manager, refused.
- Daisy Elizabeth Adams Lampkin was the only woman in a group of African-Americans invited to meet with former President Calvin Coolidge for a discussion about racial violence and discrimination. Five years later, Lampkin purchased stock in the Pittsburgh Courier and eventually became vice president of the Courier Publishing Company in 1929.
Most Populated Neighborhoods in Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in Pennsylvania with a population of 1.5 million. The City of Brotherly Love is followed by Pittsburgh (303,413); Allentown (124,597); Reading (94,878); Erie (92,371); Upper Darby Township (84,894); Bethlehem (79,167); Scranton (75,682); Lower Merion Township (64,115); and Bensalem township (62,931).
Best Job Markets in Pennsylvania
According to WalletHub’s 2025 “Best & Worst States for Jobs,” Pennsylvania got a total score of 52.02 and a job market rank in 10th place. The state ranked fifth place for employment growth. When it comes to jobs, the city largely determines the opportunities. Because of Philadelphia’s tourist destinations, Monster speculates that hospitality jobs are high. Life science companies and higher education jobs (80 post-secondary institutions and 40 private colleges and universities) also make the latter two a possibility. In Erie, finance, health care and manufacturing jobs are common. Other cities have a little of both with health care, life science and engineering jobs. Harrisburg stands out for logistics and administration jobs.
Cost of Living in Pennsylvania
Using the most popular city in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, a Chicagoan making $50,000 should do OK here. They’d only need to make $44,693 to maintain the same lifestyle. A $50,000-earning resident from Los Angeles may be pleasantly surprised to find maintaining the same lifestyle would be $33,944. A New York City resident would only need about half of that $50,000 salary ($28,720) to be comfortable in Philadelphia. In the other top 10 cities in Pennsylvania, the rates are either lower or about the same.
Lifestyles in Pennsylvania
In the aforementioned WalletHub study, Pennsylvania received a score of 45 in economic environment rank. While WalletHub considers it in the top 10 for family fun, the rest is a mixed bag: no. 21 for health and safety, no. 26 for education and child care, no. 20 for affordability and no. 19 for socioeconomics. Singles may be especially intrigued to move to Pittsburgh, which ranked fourth place as “Best Cities for Singles.”
Crime Rates While Living in Pennsylvania
CrimeGrade.org looked at machine learning, Best Neighborhood’s data and FBI data to grade various states when it came to crime rates. Pennsylvania did pretty well with a B- in violent crime, A- in property crime and A- in other crimes. Pennsylvania is in the 90th percentile for safety, meaning 10% of a few other states are safer but 90% of the rest of the states are more dangerous. Larceny, motor vehicle theft and simple assault are the state’s biggest obstacles in crime.
Living in Pennsylvania
With its dynamic artsy background, rich history and low crime rate, Pennsylvania is worth thinking about when it comes to moving for leisure, school or a job change. While the frigid winter temperatures may deter some, others can make the best of it with winter sports such as skiing, sledding and ice skating. And if outdoorsy activities aren’t a family favorite, there are more than enough indoor events to keep everybody busy no matter the city.
