Since many Carnegie Mellon students don’t get to visit suburban and rural Pennsylvania very often, I wanted to give a glimpse into the small towns of Pennsylvania.
Why I was here: Did you know State Game Lands 296 is the nearest big (greater than three square miles) conserved region of land in Pittsburgh? No? Really? Well, first, it probably isn’t — scrolling around ArcGis a little more is telling me Racoon Creek State Park, directly west, is likely closer and definitely bigger. But I don’t know and don’t care to know how to bike to Ohio, and State Game Lands 296 is directly off the only bike route out of Pittsburgh that I had been on. And its topographic map is interesting! There are old strip mines, a stream, an abandoned iron furnace, and a potentially cool Creek Falls. Plus, of course, the small community of Layton, PA on its southern flank.
The house of the serial killer in “Silence of the Lambs” is in Layton, one of maybe 15 houses in the whole town. And honestly, tiny town with a big old serial killer house is most of what you need to get a good idea of the place.
Guessed population: 75
Actual population: …it’s unincorporated! So, hard to know. But revisiting the actual street map, 75 would be a long shot. There are 3.5 roads total in what Google Maps tried telling me was a real place.
Truck stop rating: 2/10. I recall a food option and perhaps a repair shop but 1) no clue why a truck would end up in Layton and, more pressingly, 2) I really don’t see the bridge I took to get there holding much more than 10 tons.
How long could I live here: 4 weeks. The back hills are very pretty at sunset. However, at some point I’ll need someone my age besides myself to talk to.
How much fun would my dog have here: Not much. She would not do well with the distant rifle sounds and recurring train horn, there are no open green spaces for her to run around in, and she would end up getting shot.
Overall: 6.5 / 10, with the caveat that I do quite well with grizzled rural retirees who have a passion for gun rights (and I’m a sucker for rolling farmland).
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