Mount Union PA Snapshot of a Small Town

I was born and raised in the Mt. Union area..I don't think it's as bad as carjackings and such..but, it's like any other place someone can live..there's good and bad.
I live in the city of Houston, Texas..now let's talk about carjackings and such.

I miss Huntingdon, esp. Mill Creek Hollow. Born and raised there!

Amazing how someone that hasnt lived in Mt Union for so long can make a judgement call of fear of being car jacked and drunks in the graveyards . I'm still laughing at that one . I still live in the Mt Union area and from what I can see Huntingdon has just as many drugs bust and drunks as MU does . It's not the thriving little town it once was but to alot of people old and young it's still home , can't imagine wanting to leave, there is still alot of very good caring people here

I was born and raised in that area. That was a long time ago. I moved away in the middle 70's. We had great fun way back then. I didn't think anything of going by myself to Hill Valley Hotel. And you go through Mt. Union to get there. I was back there a few years ago and I went there again. Things have changed.But, Way back in the 70's Drugs rocked that small part of the world too. People just pretended that it wasn't a problem. Things went missing cars,tools,machinery. Wake up people, his didn't just happen. It was always there. Believe me there is still about 25 years behind, to the greater Allentown-Reading area. There are alot of very caring people there. Here you trust no-one. But the job search is better here.

Wish I were back wrote:

I moved from Huntingdon back in 1970 (17 years old) thinking anyplace has to be better then here. Have regreted it ever since. I go back to hunt and visit at least twice a year, and love every second of my precious time spent there. Can't wait for retirement. The grass is not always greener.

Well, if you would have kept that thing put away, you would not have had to leave and join the AF and leave your baby brother to fend for himself. You would have been able to stay in Huntingdon, and spend the rest of your mothers silver dollars at Freds, while coming home at night and sharing cookies and chips with you know who! But Nooooooo, you had to mess it all up! You know you could have eventually bought Fred's and renamed it Smedley's. So whenever you make your annual pilgrimage to PA during the first Monday of December, you should drive up Moore street and think to yourself, self, I could have bought Fred's!!

I grew up in MU back in the 70's and 80's. Graduated in 81. I have since been too and lived in many other states and also other countries. MU is still HOME and always will be. Yes, it is not like it use to be, but in this day and age what town is? Believe me the influx of drugs are in every small town and city in this country. I often come back to visit family in my hometown and I will always thank God I was raised there. It taught me the moral values that I live by today and that all started in that small town.

I've been reading all of these opinions about Mount Union and most of them have been insensitive.You cannot judge this town by not getting down to the nitty-gritty of what happened. It was a beautiful town to grow up in with wonderful parents, neighbors and good people who cared about each others. Jobs shut down or moved out of town, our mentors died.There wasn't anyone who stepped up to the plate or wanted to contine to carry the torch.Otsiders move in and duly influence our young people. Let's get real.

Even cities that get ranked as " #1 Place In America to Live" have murder and drug problems. Charlottesville,VA which has been rated and a "best place to live", has a new venue at which Elton John, The Eagles and many other well known groups have performed but not without incident. At one of the Hip-Hop/Rap concerts people were shot in the parking lot after the "show." On an almost weekly basis someone is murdered in this "best place to live." Drugs? multi-million dollar busts take place almost monthly... usually involving connections to New York or some other large city. MU is just a microcosom of the country at large. Moving away is not going to help you unless you have an education that will separate you from the problems associated with stupidity, drug dependence, and bad choices of friends. I still have a lot of relatives living in MU and the surrounding areas. I only visit a couple of times per year but I check the internet for MU news and that news is not much different from other areas I have lived.

Old Resident wrote:

It's poverty stricken to say the least.
We go there only because we have relative buried there and we go to visit their grave sites to pay our respects. When we do we just pray we aren't car jacked or worse when we have to sit at a red light or stop sign. Drunks all over the place, even at the cemetary they are hanging out drinking and begging for money. Mt Union is not like it used to be 40 years ago.....it's not the ideal place to live and raise a family.
All I have to say to the person who commented before me from Mill Creek....we moved away from Huntingdon all it takes to move is a suitcase and a few dollars. Believe it or not there is a world outside of where your at and good jobs too. If we made it out you can too. Good luck!

This is such a lie. Mount Union is harmless. You don't see people begging for money at a grave yard! LIE!

Old Resident wrote:

HAHAHA.....the above was to say plants not planes!
Now you know I am old!

country garden market

I Lived In Mount Union All My Life. I graduated in 75, and Moved to New York City, If you want t talk about drugs and dunks, You will find five times many on each block, people get shot at more than MU EVER DID!!! WhenI come back I see That MU has A Bad Name For Itself, I had Friends and Family tha lived in mu all their lives and when they moved to other towns they Over dose on drugs and become acholcolics, One of my best friends got shot and killed in Ohio, I feel at home and no worry at MU now... I know that MU does have drug bust and drunks, but it is mostly The people that live out of mount union that are scared, they hear rumors and such,some aren't even true, if you lived in Mu you would know wat was going on.

I live in mount union, but i just moved here from baltimore and i lived there my hole life. All I have to say is mount union is not a bad place to live at all. Try growing up where i did. You had 2 deaths in the last month or longer. not in baltimore. try every day

I have lived in MU all my life. I have to say it is not the MU people that make MU bad, It is people bringing their kids, here to get out of the city and their "kids" bring their ways and habits with them. If you drive Shirley Street on any given day, you don't recognize anyone. Alot of hispanics. As far as drugs and crimes, ever heard of Lewistown? And what about the body found in Huntingdon???

I just built a house here in Kistler. And it is like every other small town in the US. It has drugs, rape, killings, theft, vandilism....shall I go on..... It is like every other little town in America. The person who wrote this obviously lives in their own little world and does not realize stuff like what they are describing happens everywhere. Open your eyes and you will see. I grew up in a large city and love it here in MU. No one ever talks about the wild life, mountains and streams. Some night you are in PA take a long look...smell the fresh air...and enjoy life. MU is just another "normal" town just like ever other town in AMERICA.

MU Girl wrote:

If you drive Shirley Street on any given day, you don't recognize anyone. Alot of hispanics.

Do you mean the folks who run Brother's Pizza who have been there quite a long time? I don't see too many hispanics around Shirley street.

Its not bad here like that WTF

I am about to move to Mount Union. I grew up in New Kensington PA which is a pretty bad city. I am coming from Cleveland OH right now and I dont think Mount Union crime is even close to Cleveland. Every town or city has bad people that is why it is a good idea to have a gun in the house. You are right new to MU, in Cleveland you cannot even see the stars most nights and the smell of factories and you could make a wrong turn and noone would ever see you again.

Jack wrote:

I live in mount union, but i just moved here from baltimore and i lived there my hole life. All I have to say is mount union is not a bad place to live at all. Try growing up where i did. You had 2 deaths in the last month or longer. not in baltimore. try every day

Amen to that Jack, try broad daylight drive-bys, in New Kensington where I grew up crack rules. Also with the poor and unemployed and Hispanics that's everywhere, those people are just Americans. I don't like to put people into categories to me they are just people.

I have never seen anyone begging for money at a cemetary, but I have seen it daily (when im there) at the Taylor Apts. Such a slum hole, the HCHA and HUD need to get their act together. Mount Union as a hole needs a face lift, its a sad sorry mess, full of liars, backstabbers, druggies, and families living on Government checks. I'm sad to say that I have lived here 20 of my 23 years. Change needs to happen, Good change like we have seen with the Snap Fitness and Subway moving into the typically empty Mount Union buildings. Unless of course its a store to buy tobacco, we all know how popular those are! Oh and how about the lovely school system, I have never seen more jokers in charge of our high school system than there is now./rant off

What Mount Union does need in the way of a business is another full line grocery store. Most residents go out of town to shop.Something to fill the gap between McDonalds and Appleby's would be nice also but the lot is too small for a grocery store. We don't need another tobacco outlet, bar,or dollar store.