Jay Honeck wrote:

I often wonder how the internet will affect this phenomenon. Now that
it is possible to have "next-day-air" delivery virtually anywhere, and
you can order anything instantly off the internet, how long will it be
until people REALLY disperse all over the countryside, completely
dispensing with the rudiments of what we consider "community"...?

A long time I hope. It is usually pretty easy around here to tell the
"flat landers" (no offense Jay) from the locals. Just last weekend our
church group went rafting down a local gorge. When we ferried the
vehicles to the downstream end, we had to drive down a dead-end road to
turn the trailer around to park it at a camp on this same road that is
owned by one of our church members. After turning around and starting
back, an older guy stops us and starts complaining about people who
drive down "his" road and turn around in front of his camp. This is
pretty odd behavior for this area, but I just brushed him off and went
on my way. Later, we stopped for coffee at a local general store on our
way back to launch the rafts. This same old man comes into the store.
At that time, one of the men in our group said he recognized him. He
used to live near him in downstate PA (where the flat landers live). At
that point it all clicked. The folks from Philly come up to northern PA
to "get away from it all", but then bring their nasty and unfriendly
attitudes right along with them.

Matt