01 · the cities
Lancaster
Lancaster is the heart of Pennsylvania Amish country, with horse-drawn buggies on rural roads and the Central Market (the oldest continuously operating farmers market in the country, since the 1730s). The food scene is sneaky-strong, the surrounding farmland is gorgeous, and the city's downtown has come back nicely. Whoopie pies, shoofly pies, and sticky buns are mandatory.
full dispatch→Reading
Reading is the Pagoda lit up on Mount Penn (a Japanese-style pavilion built in 1908 that's become the city symbol), old factory bones, and the surrounding Berks County farmland. The downtown food and art scene is growing into the old factory bones, with breweries and galleries opening steadily. Pretzels, scrapple, and Pennsylvania Dutch baking are everywhere. Cheaper than nearby Lancaster.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$1,517/mo
$1,478/mo
Median home price
Median home price
$384k
$311k
$73k less than Lancaster
State income tax
State income tax
3.1%
3.1%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$6,561/mo
$6,600/mo
Gross left after rent reflects state income tax but not federal, based on $100k salary. Enter your salary to find your ideal city.
03 · the weather
Pleasant days/yr
Pleasant days/yr
158 days
157 days
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
3 days
2 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
25 days
32 days
days below 20°F per year
Reading drops below 20°F on 7 more days per year than Lancaster.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
63 / 100
65 / 100
2.0 pts ahead of Lancaster
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
1 routes
0 routes
Metro size
Metro size
559k metro
433k metro
Lancaster has 1.9x fewer events per month than Reading.
the verdict
1
Lancaster
categories won
3
Reading
categories won
Reading wins on money and lifestyle. Lancaster has the edge on weather.
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