Exciting news! This peek behind the scenes of State College life is a guest post by local Dan Murphy. We hope you enjoy it!

I bought a house last year. It sits in a cute and quiet little corner of Lemont. Quiet, except, for the reliable evening conference of neighborhood dogs who always seem to have a lot to report on the day’s activities. This has become a feature on the soundtrack of home. I love it.

I love home. I enjoy owning a home… though, knock on everything, I haven’t been fully initiated into the late night very expensive unexpected emergency repair club. For some in my circle, the moment I signed all the paperwork to become a homeowner was the moment they thought State College really became home for me.

The truth is, I had already made State College my home — as a renter.

Being a renter was part of my identity. It had a lot to do with my (successful) run for State College Borough Council. I remember being struck by how almost every candidate for local government introduced themselves.

“Hi. My name is [name]. I work [at a location that was over-emphasized if not Penn State]. I have lived and owned a home here since [a very specific measurement of time]. My [this many kids] are in, or graduated from, [insert school district here].” 

Besides thinking that none of that information made anyone more or less qualified to serve in local government, I realized I didn’t fit the script.

Being a renter became part of what I offered as a candidate — a piece of my identity with which many young people, young professionals, young families, and those intimidated by or feeling priced out of the home ownership market could relate.

In the Orchard Park neighborhood, one of the ten neighborhoods as defined by the Borough of State College, I was good company. Of the 2,053 occupied housing units in Orchard Park, almost 90% were renter occupied. (The Neighborhood Plan, 2014.) Renters can be found in every neighborhood in State College. Downtown, of course, but also the mixed-use Highlands and Holmes-Foster neighborhoods and the quieter residential Greentree and State College South neighborhoods. Renters are critical, and central, to the fabric of each of these geographically and architecturally defined communities throughout State College. Not to mention, the property taxes our landlords pay, with our rent checks, bolster the local economy and social service infrastructure in ways that would be impossible without us.

I rented. I loved renting. I didn’t have to mow the grass or shovel the driveway. I had great neighbors who ranged the life span and contributed in beautiful and meaningful ways to our community. I had access to a pool. And, when the hot water heater stopped working… I just had to make a call.

If I’d had kids, they would have had friends to play with and schools that we could have walked to. I was at the intersection of hiking and biking trails — a great homebase for my marathon training. It was quiet on gamedays, but also right off the gameday shuttle route if I wanted to be closer to the action. The only downside, at least the only one that still keeps me up at night, was that my neighbors never invited me to join them in the flip-cup quidditch game that sometimes popped up in the parking lot.

Renting was a lifestyle choice. Sure, it was also a financial one, but renting gave me the freedom and flexibility to create a home for myself in State College. It gave me the opportunity to focus on my career, more actively engage in activities outside of work, and to better understand the community before I landed in this beautiful corner of town at the base of the mountain.

I discovered State College using an apartment as home base, and I wouldn’t trade that for the world. I do appreciate having a little more space. I love mowing the grass. The shoveling… not so much. Owning a house in State College was not the key to calling this place home. Building community came first.