What kind of accent does pennsylvania have? -

I ve been told I talk like a hick by many people. I m just wondering if anyone knows this accent?

There are so many different accents and dialects in PA. It is actually the most diverse state in the nation for dialects. People from the north have an Upstate NY accent. Those in the central part, a PA Dutch accent. Scranton/Wilkes Barre have their own dialect, and then there are the Pittsburgh and Philly accent which are like night and day. The only accent I would classify as hick in PA would be the accents found in the SW part of the state south and east of Pittsburgh. This accent is much like WV, but I really don t like the terminology of hick to describe someone.

There are lots of Pennsylvania accents. There are a couple distinct Philadelphia accents. I have one that is so distinctive, a waitress in another state once spontaneously asked what part of Philadelphia was I from. people from suburban Philadelphia also have a clearly distinctive accent and use Philadelphia pronunciations ( a drink of wudder /water/)The Northeast park of the state, Scranton, Wilkes Barre and coal country in general have a distinctive twangy accent. People in the rural Pa Dutch Counties are very distinctive also. As you go west to Pittsburgh, and the southwest, they sound more like midwesterners to me. They drink pop where in the east, we drink soda. And the folks up in Erie sound like they come from Ohio.I have never heard one referred to as Hick however there may be some relation to that and the folks from nearby West Virginia.

There is definitely a Pennsylvania Dutch influenced accent, which mingled with the upstate New York accent or the Maryland or West Virginia accent, makes for something that is very distinctive. There is also a Pittsburgh area accent. Pennsylvania ia a pretty big, densely populated state with many different ethnicities.

There isn t one Pennsylvania accent. Most eastern counties have their own accent, as well as a distinctive accent for the middle of the state, and then another accent in the Pittsburgh area.

pennsylvania is big, it depends what part you re from. Philly is very different from Pittsburgh, i wouldnt call any of the PA accents hick but i guess it depends what region you are in now.

What will the weather in NYC be like in late dec-early jan? -

Im going for a trip for new years and i need shoes coat and shirts but need to know what kind

Shoes = Boots, not shoes, we do get snow (And occasionally a lot, like 3/4 feet). Coat = Something thermal if you can afford it, if not a gooseneck or something for weather in the low teens, possibly single digits on a couple days, and many in the 20s/30s. Shirts = Turtlenecks work for me, though long johns would do the trick as well.Additionally, we do get a fair share of rain, sleet, and rarely hail. Dress appropriately, but again realize the weather will be in the lower to mid teens for the most part.As for fashion, that really depends on your type. Are you goth, an urban kid, etc? What you want to wear is up to you, I rock in baggy jeans because I still can t believe the youth find tight jeans cool now. No sense in bundling up something you want to eventually grow to be bigger huh? And if you think that is a joke, ponder this...what if you took a baby, and left it in a box no bigger then it s own body? If you fed and ensured the childs proper nutrition and care was taken care of, it would grow deformed, as the box did not allow for proper bone growth (Sorry for the gross explanation, it was the quickest one I thought of). I know what I am talking about isn t a bone per se, but it sure as hell grew since I was a kid so I am glad I rocked in baggy jeans, lemme tell ya ;)

Cold, very cold. My advice dress warm for new years.Good luck

Very cold.

Rain, Wet and cold....good luck!

Are the yellow leaves gone in Prescott, AZ? -

I was hoping to go up in Mid-December. I know it reaches lower than freezing during the nights so I was unsure if the fall foliage was still there or not.I tried looking for some pretty colors at the end of October but really, the courthouse was the ONLY place with a large concentration?? Where do I go to see a LOT?

You re too late. The pretty leaves fall off for the winter. By mid December - forget it - bare limbs.Next year check the newspaper or try calling the chamber of commerce for areas like the White Mountains - Show Low - especially out toward Greer, or Flagstaff (drive up to the Snow Bowl), or Sedona to see when their fall folliage is at full color. The time will differ each year.

Did the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant ever go into operation? -

When I was at Fort Ord in 1981-82, I used to hear a lot of news about protests at the Diablo Canyon plant near San Luis Obispo, trying to stop the place from operating. Did anything ever come of that?

No, it s still operating. I have a bunch of family/friends that work there. I live 15 miles from here.

I remember the protests being all over the news as well. The only things that came of it was they (PG E) improved the structure of the plant to be more earthquake resistant and we got a rate increase to pay for the 5 or 6 years of litigation the protesters caused. The plant had both reactors operating by the mid 80 s.

It is still in operation to this day. Not sure where you heard that it was no longer in service.I went to school at Cal Poly in nearby SLO and I never remember seeing picket lines there.EDIT: PGE is in negitions for a 20 year extension on the contract at Diablo Canyon. See article from 11/27/09 http://www.sanluisobispo.com/348/story/9��