Why I Love My City: Harrisburg, PA
A local offers a glimpse at life in Harrisburg.
Beautiful views, history, art, and food collide in Pennsylvania’s cool capital city. Located on the Susquehanna River in the central part of the state, Harrisburg is both the perfect place to live a flourishing life and crush your career goals.
To get the scoop on all things Harrisburg, we turned to local Olivia Edwards Rindfuss, a senior associate at Triad Strategies, a bipartisan public affairs firm that specializes in advocacy and government relations campaigns. She and her husband moved to Harrisburg in 2017 from Washington, D.C.
In a few words, how would you describe Harrisburg?
Affordable, historic, young.
What brought you to Harrisburg?
I grew up in the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina, another capital city that was recovering when I was a child in the 1990s and 2000s. Life brought my family to Pennsylvania, to a really small farm town on the eastern side of the state. I knew I wanted to live in a midsize city, coming from a larger city that had academia, sports and new things on the horizon all the time — I love that. I think Harrisburg is like a microcosm of many large cities but with a quaint community and neighborly feel.
When I was a college grad in politics and public policy, the holy grail — or where everyone wants to end up — is in D.C. I met my husband there as a young staff person, but we weren’t making enough money to really have a full life.
We began looking for jobs in other cities, and both of us realized we wanted to live in a city like Harrisburg that has about 50,000 people. We found jobs similar to what we were doing in D.C., but we liked it better here. We could build the life we wanted. Our dollar stretched further, we had a better work-life balance, and we could appreciate the little things in life, like making friends with your neighbors or going to brunch.
Share with us your perfect weekend itinerary that’s close to home.
Friday Night: I would start with dinner at any of the restaurants on Restaurant Row, either a fusion restaurant or one with outdoor seating that you can take advantage of, relax on the patio and see the river. After dinner, you can take in an indie film from our local movie theater, Midtown Cinema, or take a walk on what we call 3rd in the Burg, our third Friday of the month event. Our local galleries are open late, restaurants do drink specials, and there’s live music throughout the city.
Saturday: If you want to do some constructive tourism, I’d definitely recommend taking a tour of our beautiful Pennsylvania State Capitol. It was FDR’s favorite capitol building — he called it the most beautiful place in the state. Right down the steps of the Capitol, you can get brunch at one of the state’s three top brunch spots. Home 231 has an outdoor patio, it’s farm-to-table, and they bring in almost everything locally. Au Bon Lieu is a French place owned by a Parisian who moved here with their partner. Another great brunch spot is called Note. Bistro and Wine Bar. The woman who owns it and her small team make everything from scratch. It’s very high end, you can sit outside at the bistro tables and bring your dog, and you can see the river.
Sunday: I’d go to City Island. Harrisburg is on one side of the Susquehanna River, and in-between, there are these massive islands. One is called City Island. It’s built out and has a 1-mile loop, and you can take your dog on a walk and see the river. There’s a popular playground for families, and we have a beautiful steamboat ferry. On Sunday afternoons, there’s no shortage of local concerts.
If you have a friend in town, where are you going for dinner, and what are you ordering for the table?
I’d go to RUBICON and MANGIA QUI. They’re in adjoined row homes at the base of the capitol. They are a world-class French fusion restaurant and an Italian restaurant. They have an amazing happy hour. They have a brass-adorned bar with some barstools, or you can sit outside at the bistro tables and take in the scenery. I’d order oysters and champagne for the table.
What makes living in Harrisburg unique?
Harrisburg is unique because it’s a state capital, but we were actually a city that led Black entrepreneurship in Pennsylvania. We have a historical neighborhood called Black Wall Street, and it was not only a stop on the Underground Railroad, but it became a stronghold for the third-largest African American population in the state. People can build here and thrive. It continues to be a beacon for entrepreneurship in our BIPOC communities.
We have a wonderful local scene for everything — art, food, drinks, even community action. You can feel a part of the action just by stepping outside your door and taking a walk through the city.
What makes Harrisburg pet friendly?
Harrisburg has a high walkability score, and we have an 8-mile riverfront sidewalk that is part of a larger 20-mile loop known as the Capital Area Greenbelt. Many of our residents enjoy the riverfront with their dogs or take a leisurely stroll with their families. It overlooks the Susquehanna River – everyone loves the riverwalk for their pets. We have a series of dog parks throughout the city. Many of our restaurants and tap houses have patios that are pet friendly.
We even have a wonderful minor league baseball team called the Harrisburg Senators, and they actually encourage dog owners to bring their dogs out for Wednesday games, and they call it Wet Nose Wednesday. That’s just such a neat draw to the city, and it brings a lot of families and dog owners together.
What’s a little-known secret about Harrisburg?
We have over seven locally-owned theaters that have stage shows, musicals, and children’s theater. We have our own symphony, and it’s one of the state’s top performing symphonies. The Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra performs in a historic building that used to be the state planetarium.
We also have a world-class Civil War museum. It’s a huge, huge museum, and it sits on a hill overlooking all of Harrisburg. It was built a couple of decades ago, and it’s phenomenal.
What advice would you have for someone considering a move to the Harrisburg area?
I would tell them to come and walk the city. You’ll be charmed. You’ll find so many cute artist-driven shops. And when you can see yourself living in a colorful community of vibrant life, you will be sold. Come in, walk the riverfront, take a gander through our neighborhoods.
This article was sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.
