Part 3: Life in Erie, Pennsylvania
The People: Demographics and Diversity
Small City in Northwestern Pennsylvania
Erie, Pennsylvania is a small city in the Northwest corner of the state of Pennsylvania on Lake Erie. It is the fifth-largest city in Pennsylvania according to the most recent US Census data. It was previously the fourth largest city in Pennsylvania as of 2010 but the population is steadily decreasing in the city. The estimate from the last census shows that there are 95,508 people in the city. The breakdown is pretty diverse as Erie is home to many refugee populations from the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.
Small, Multicultural City
In terms of small cities, Erie’s population is very diverse and would scale to the diversity of many large cities on the coasts of the country. 72.7% of the population is White, 16.4% is Black, 0.4% is Native, 2.8% is Asian and Pacific Islander, 4.6% is two or more races, and 8.3% is Hispanic. This simple breakdown doesn’t give one the full picture of the diversity in the city.
As I said before, the population is gaining a lot more refugees from countries all over the world. According to data collected by the Erie Reader as of 2019, 6,300 people were foreign-born which makes up 6.5% of the city’s population. And even the County as a whole received about 11,200 immigrants, which is 4.1% of the county’s population.
The rest of the data reflects the county as a whole, but the majority of the county lives relatively close to the city of Erie itself even if the county is enormous and could fit 7 Chicago-sized cities inside of it.
The top 5 immigrant groups in Erie are Bhutanese, Indian, Mexican, Chinese, and Nepali. There are also people from Somalia, Jordan, Syria, and other parts of Africa and the Middle East represented in these foreign groups. The point is to say that Erie’s government is very welcoming and accepting of its multicultural identity.
Multicultural Identity
The city has a decent variety of this multicultural identity in its festivals. There are many festivals celebrating heritage throughout the summer in Erie. For example, there is an Asian festival in May, an Italian festival and Polish festival in August, a Greek festival in July, and a German festival in September. Besides the fact that Erie has a large immigrant population, there is also a diverse group of European events for those who can trace their roots back to certain countries. This offers a vibrant and diverse offering of food and culture year-round in the city.
Gateway Between the Midwest and the Northeast
Erie could be best described as a city in the gateway to the Midwest while simultaneously introducing you to the Northeast of the United States. In my own experience, I consider Erie neither Midwest nor Northeast, it is kind of in its little bubble but offers both of those experiences to visitors and residents every year. If I were in the food section of the series, I would get more into the cultural offerings and also the local concoctions and delicacies but I’ll save that for a future read.
Unique City
The point of this is to show that Erie is much more than just a small city in the Midwest-Northeast and is a surprising mix of tradition and infusion of culture from the New Americans who settle here for their second home. I know in the past I’ve harshly criticized elements of this city due to greed and profit but this is one aspect of the city that I largely view as mostly positive.
The Eccentricity and Diversity of Erie’s Forgotten Side of Town
Relating this part to the economy, the Eastside is where a lot more of the diversity lies in terms of the number of non-White residents living, and I do believe that more investment in the city’s East Side would benefit the people as a whole.
I would describe Erie’s people in general just as my own experience with them as being eccentric and interesting with many stories to tell. Like many of the other cities in the “flyover states” in the country, the city has faced many challenges with the drug epidemic and opioids and there are many challenges presented with that as well. I think that the city’s investment in diversifying itself though will greatly positively impact its future and its opportunities to start growing again.
