Susquehanna Life

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, Jan 1, 2004 by Fern Siegel

Byline: Fern Siegel

WHAT IT'S ABOUT: Just what it says. A lifestyle magazine that covers 20 counties in Central Pennsylvania. Sure, you've heard of Lewisburg, noted for its famous felons and bucolic Bucknell University. But this rolling-hills region of the Keystone State also houses Lancaster, home to Pennsylvania's Amish community, the scenic Susquehanna River Water Trail and America's oldest brewery, Yuengling, 175 years young. Susquehanna Life celebrates Central Pa.'s culture, history and Main Street lore. Flipping through its pages is a gentle reminder that the East Coast is not all bright lights, big city.

WHY WE LOVE IT: Because every urbanite dreams of a house in the country. We might not all want to live in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, however idyllic, but we need to know it exists - if only in the cosmic landscape of our minds. SL takes life easy. It delights in saluting the historic trolley in Williamsport and keeping readers abreast of the latest uses for mums. And where else can you read a story about Noxen, Pa., population 950, billed as "Home to More than Rattlesnakes"?

RECENT ARTICLES: "The Controversy Surrounding Jim Thorpe," "The Log Houses of Mifflinburg," "Canoeing the Susquehanna" and "The Yuengling Story."

AD BASE: Primarily local business, including horse farms, shops, area restaurants and an abundance of retirement communities.

VERDICT: There is something gently reassuring about Susquehanna Life. Think of it as It's a Wonderful Life without the regrets.