Hometowns: Connellsville vs. Weirton

It's not a contest.  It's just that I've noticed that my hometown bears several similarities to Paul's hometown.  Both are small towns within 50 miles of Pittsburgh, so I guess there are bound to be some.  I thought I would try to describe some of the ones I've observed.  Maybe some differences too.

First of all, both cities were major players in the steel industry in the early 20th century.  Connellsville with it's coke ovens, Weirton with it's steel mills.  Both saw booming economies as a result.  Both exist along rivers, with Connellsville being on the Youghiogheny and Weirton on the Ohio, which aided these endeavors. 

Both areas seem to have large Italian American populations (moreso neighboring Follansbee, where Paul's father's family is from, than Weirton itself), as well as large Catholic communities, with an emphasis on religious education.  Hence, our shared experiences of our Italian heritage & attending Catholic schools.

Both areas are now financially depressed, but Connellsville especially these days.  Though Weirton is much larger, its steel industry is hanging on by a thread.  Young people from both areas seem to migrate closer to Pittsburgh for good jobs.

Oh, and the pizza shops!!  Lots of family-owned pizza shops.  :-) 

There's something else.  Something sort of intangible.  A small-town community feel.  Where people know what's going on & know each other.  They talk about each other, but they also support each other when they need it.  I never know what's going on where I live now.  I barely know the names of my local elected officials.  I know my immediate neighbors, but I couldn't tell you most of their last names if my life depended on it.  The only other people I know in my township are those I happen to work with.  Oh, and my eye doctor, who happens to belong my church.  Ok, now I'm grasping at straws.  My point is that I don't have that small-town-grew-up-here-and-know-everyone feeling about where I live, and I've lived here for 14 years.  That's ok, though sometimes I miss it.  I can visit Connellsville for a dose of it, and Paul can visit Weirton. 

It's weird to me that Weirton is about 1/2 the distance to Pittsburgh as Connellsville is, yet it is "a state away."  Weirtonians are their own people, but all of Paul's friends have been incredibly warm & friendly to me.  I feel like I'm part of the crowd.  But when I meet someone new there, they might ask me if I know so-and-so, and someone will say, "oh, she doesn't know her; she's from PA."  Like I'm an alien.  My house is literally 15 minutes form the border of WV.  It's funny.  But it's true.  I probably don't know so-and-so.  Sometimes I do work with so-and-so because, as Paul's grandma used to tell people, I am a "big shot at Bayer," which is only about a 30-minute drive from Weirton. Oh, how she used to make me laugh with her knack for tall tales!

Aha, I thought of a BIG difference between Connellsville & Weirton!  You canNOT walk into a grocery store in Connellsville & buy beer!  That makes me far superior and Paul a heathen!  I win!