About Erie

Erie’s unique location reaches beyond county borders offering a multitude of attractive lifestyle attributes in the area along with easy access to larger metropolitan areas of Buffalo, Cleveland and Pittsburgh, just two hours away. Erie’s small town charm and security combined with large city attractions and growth makes Erie a great place to live.

One of Erie’s greatest assets is its inventory of affordable, livable and stunning real estate. The cost of housing in Erie is below the national average and commute time is one of the lowest average commute times in the nation. Erie offers something for everyone. From the charming and affordable urban areas downtown to Millionaire’s Row with a collection of 19th century Victorian mansions along West 6th Street. There are many suburban communities surrounding the city proper including Millcreek to the south and west of the city to Harborcreek to the east.

The arts are alive in Erie. The city is home to a number of professional and amateur performing-arts groups. Most noteworthy is the Erie Philharmonic Orchestra, in existence since 1913. Downtown Erie’s historic and ornate Warner Theater was renovated in the 1980’s and serves as the hub of Erie’s Civic Center. The Erie Art Museum is a premier gallery located in a former U.S. Customs House on lower State Street near the bay front. The Erie Playhouse, founded in 1882 as “The People’s Theatre” presented its 1000th production in 2000 with THE SOUND OF MUSIC.

Erie’s newest attraction which opened in February, 2007, is Presque Isle Downs and Casino, offering a 2000 slots parlor and thoroughbred racing starting in September 2007. Also new in 2007 is the Bayfront Convention Center. This new convention center complex features a 2800 square-foot Great Hall for meetings, banquets and exhibits plus a 13,500 square-foot Grand Ballroom and is located on the bayfront and surrounded by water on three sides.

History is rich and deep in Erie. Museums and historical sites are available throughout the county, most notably the Erie County History Center and The Erie Maritime Museum, one of Erie’s newest showplaces. When it’s in port, The Flagship Niagara is docked here. The Niagara is a reconstruction of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry’s flagship at the Battle of Lake Erie. His victory over the British during the War of 1812 gave the United States control of the Great Lakes. The oldest lighthouse on all of the Great Lakes, built in 1818, stands at the foot of Lighthouse Street in the city. Niagara is docked at a special slip here.
Erie is the place for wine lovers. The region boasts 6 wineries with award winning varieties including a regional specialty, ice wine.
The area is home to five institutions of higher learning:

• Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, has a reputation for providing an exceptional learning environment for students with disabilities and is nationally recognized for their art department and animation program
• Gannon University is a private Catholic university offering more than 75 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs and encourages volunteer and community service.
• Mercyhurst College, a liberal arts, Catholic college boasting the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center
• Penn State Erie, Behrend Campus is the second largest school in the Penn State system with over 4000 students
• Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine LECOM, established in 1993, is now one of the largest medical schools in the nation and recently opened the School of Pharmacy.

As of the 2000 census, there were 103,717 people residing in the city of Erie, while the northwest region of Pennsylvania had a population of about one million.

The city’s largest employer is the locomotive builder GE Infrastructure-Rail, located in neighboring Lawrence Park Township to the east. The plastics industry is also a significant employer with over 10% of the nation’s plastics manufactured or finished in Erie-based plastics plants.

A vital part of the Erie Community is the region’s two leading hospitals, Hamot Medical Center and St. Vincent’s Health Care. They are the 2nd and 3rd largest employers in Erie County employing nearly 5,000 combined. Both hospitals are actively expanding and renovating. These facilities are complimented by other hospitals in the region including Millcreek Community Hospital, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Shriner’s Hospital for Children, Corry Memorial Hospital, Health South Rehabilitation Hospital of Erie, Pennsylvania Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home and Dr. Gertrude A. Barber National Institute.

The city is home to the following sports teams: Erie Otters (hockey), Erie Freeze (football), Erie Sea Wolves (Baseball) and the Erie Illusion (Women’s Football).

39 miles south of Erie and covering 1,013 square miles is Crawford County. Meadville is the county’s largest city, surrounded by the communities of Cambridge Springs, Linesville, Canadohta Lake, Saegertown, Conneaut Lake, Titusville and Cochranton. Crawford County has a stable economy based mainly on agricultural along with manufacturing and technology. Its flourishing tourism industry is based on Crawford County’s natural beauty and scenic trails.

Warren County is located southeast of Erie and includes the city of Warren and many surrounding townships and boroughs. The main employer of Warren is Blair Corporation, a mail order clothing and housewares company. Warren County General is a vital resource to the area providing quality healthcare. As a small rural area, Warren County is rich in outdoor activities. Situated by the Allegheny National Forest and with access to state gamelands, Warren County has a lot to offer both visitors and residents. The Allegheny Reservoir also provides water-based recreation.