# Think of a city in Pennsylvania other than Philadelphia or Pittsburgh **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 12, 2015, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-pennsylvania-other-than-philadelphia-or-pittsburgh/734426 "2015-10-12T15:24:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-pennsylvania-other-than-philadelphia-or-pittsburgh/734426/1 "2015-10-12T15:24:25Z")
Inspired by the recent “think of a city” threads for Britain and Australia, let’s do something similar in a different part of the world. Other than Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, what is the first Pennsylvania city that you can think of? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-pennsylvania-other-than-philadelphia-or-pittsburgh/734426/2 "2015-10-12T15:25:44Z")
Harrisburg. Lehigh Wilkes-Barre Doylestown. Hershey Sorry – I grew up in NJ. Lots of 'em come to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-pennsylvania-other-than-philadelphia-or-pittsburgh/734426/3 "2015-10-12T15:26:56Z")
Allentown ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-pennsylvania-other-than-philadelphia-or-pittsburgh/734426/4 "2015-10-12T15:27:42Z")
Erie ---
**Author:** ![Carryon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Carryon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carryon)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-pennsylvania-other-than-philadelphia-or-pittsburgh/734426/5 "2015-10-12T15:29:53Z")
I recall in 4th grade we had to learn five cities in all fifty states. My first thoughts are Harrisburg (Capital), Erie (Port), Allentown (Billy Joel song), Scranton (mentioned on All In The Family a lot), York (former US Capital) ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-pennsylvania-other-than-philadelphia-or-pittsburgh/734426/6 "2015-10-12T15:31:28Z")
Harrisburg is the first I thought of, I’m assuming it’s the 3rd biggest because it’s the capital but I may be forgetting something. Next I’d say Erie because I used to work up near there and knew people who lived there, but it’s not much of a city. \ Holy crap, Harrisburg is _tiny_, smaller than Scranton even. Rounding out the top 5 are Allentown, Erie, and Reading. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-pennsylvania-other-than-philadelphia-or-pittsburgh/734426/7 "2015-10-12T15:32:43Z")
Hershey, Lancaster, York. Lived in the last for a few months in '85. ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-pennsylvania-other-than-philadelphia-or-pittsburgh/734426/8 "2015-10-12T15:37:24Z")
Tower City ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-pennsylvania-other-than-philadelphia-or-pittsburgh/734426/9 "2015-10-12T15:37:57Z")
Scranton. ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-pennsylvania-other-than-philadelphia-or-pittsburgh/734426/10 "2015-10-12T15:38:02Z")
Erie Harrisburg Allentown Grove City (I know this one because IIRC, there are outlet stores close to there that I used to drive to when I lived in Youngstown, OH) ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-pennsylvania-other-than-philadelphia-or-pittsburgh/734426/11 "2015-10-12T15:40:32Z")
I grew up in Maryland and was a high school wrestler. So I think of a pile of small-to-tiny college towns with wrestling programs: Bloomsburg Stroudsburg Lehigh Clarion If I weren’t who I am, I’m sure I would think first of Harrisburg or Scranton. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-pennsylvania-other-than-philadelphia-or-pittsburgh/734426/12 "2015-10-12T15:42:44Z")
State College. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-pennsylvania-other-than-philadelphia-or-pittsburgh/734426/13 "2015-10-12T15:43:22Z")
I forgot the obvious: [Intercourse](http://www.villageofintercourse.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-pennsylvania-other-than-philadelphia-or-pittsburgh/734426/14 "2015-10-12T15:44:07Z")
Allenwood (home of Clyde Peeling’s Reptiland). ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-pennsylvania-other-than-philadelphia-or-pittsburgh/734426/15 "2015-10-12T15:44:11Z")
Jim Thorpe. a town mostly known for not having any connection at all to the man the renamed their town for. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-pennsylvania-other-than-philadelphia-or-pittsburgh/734426/16 "2015-10-12T15:58:28Z")
Harrisburg, Hershey, State College, Indiana, and Wilkes-Barre. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-pennsylvania-other-than-philadelphia-or-pittsburgh/734426/17 "2015-10-12T16:05:59Z")
Hershey ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-pennsylvania-other-than-philadelphia-or-pittsburgh/734426/18 "2015-10-12T16:06:56Z")
Breezewood ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-pennsylvania-other-than-philadelphia-or-pittsburgh/734426/19 "2015-10-12T16:09:48Z")
Harrisburg is the first to come to mind. I’ve got family in western PA, and went to school in eastern PA, so I could name plenty more, but Harrisburg is the only that there’s any reason I’d put it at the top of the list. I’d probably also mention Johnstown, Altoona, Villanova, Bryn Mawr (which isn’t technically incorporated), Lancaster, Greensburgh, State College, Indiana, Allentown. On any given day, there’s a few others I might remember that aren’t coming to mind right now, and I might forget some of those. Erie and Hershey probably wouldn’t come to mind (though of course I’ve heard of them), because I don’t have any particular connection with them. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2015, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-pennsylvania-other-than-philadelphia-or-pittsburgh/734426/20 "2015-10-12T16:11:44Z")
Ummmm. Punxatawney? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-of-a-city-in-pennsylvania-other-than-philadelphia-or-pittsburgh/734426.md?page=2)