'York, Pa. doesn't belong on anyone's list of best places to live': opinion

Lawrence Goldman
·3 min read
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In a recent edition of the York Daily Record/Sunday News, it was reported that York, Pennsylvania is one of the best places to live in the USA according to U.S. News and World Report.  York placed #78 on the list of 150 most desirable places to live.  In front of York on the list was Lancaster at #55, and Harrisburg at #38 with Reading lagging behind at #88.  Furthermore, York was ranked #5 as far as the best place to retire was concerned. 

First of all, the ones who ranked York at #5 for best places in the country to retire must be young in age because senior citizens (like myself), have a hard time in the cold.  Any place that is not warm all year round is not a good place to retire.  Period.

Secondly, York's overall rating was only 6.3.  Ugh.  'Desirability', was rated at 5.3.  Well, they got that right.  I'll bet if you polled the 'man on the street' whether he 'desires' to live in York, the answer would be an emphatic "No".

"Quality of Life" was rated at 6.7.  However, this is a subjective term and it is difficult to quantify, and yet, U.S. News was able to do it?  Nonsense.  'Quality of Life' has to do with civil and human rights and is not synonymous with 'Standard of Living'.  Anyplace that is banning books does not have a good 'Quality of Life'.

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Speaking of 'Standard of Living', the national average annual salary is $58,260.  In York, PA?  $51,240. 

How are York's schools?  On the "College Readiness Index", York scores a 5.7/10.  That's sad.

A town is only as good as its people, and this is where I really take exception to this report in the U.S. News.  Of the criteria used to evaluate each place, the quality of its citizens isn't mentioned.

For the most part, the people of York suck!  I have lived all over the United States and all over the world and I have never met anyone like the people from York.  Besides being the most unfriendly people I've ever met because they're fearful of strangers, this place is populated by the most ignorant, racist rednecks one could ever imagine north of the Mason/Dixon line.  Hell, look who our congressman is!  Scott Perry, the seditionist.

In this 2022 file photo, North Pine Street winds its way south to intersect with East Philadelphia Street. The two homes, at left, marked with a red x, had been vacant for years.
In this 2022 file photo, North Pine Street winds its way south to intersect with East Philadelphia Street. The two homes, at left, marked with a red x, had been vacant for years.

How could a reputable publication like the U.S. News and World Report place York ahead of San Diego (#93), where the quality of life (in my opinion), is exponentially better (I've lived there), and where some of the best people I've ever known live?  I don't know, but I do know, I will not find their evaluations credible in the future.

From its ubiquitous decrepit row homes, to its less than quality people, York, Pa. doesn't belong on anyone's list of best places to live; even if the list goes to one thousand.

By the way, Huntsville, Alabama was rated #2 as the best place to live in the USA.  A place where I would never step foot in.

Lawrence Goldman lives in York Township.

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This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: 'York, Pa. doesn't belong on list of best places to live': opinion