My husband and I are both from Pa. and heartily agree with that comment, which we have laughed over for years. Whenever we hear a town mentioned that we don't immediately recognize, one of us will say, "Oh, that must be in the Alabama part of Pennsylvania."
I think the "Alabama" part extends further east then most people assume. For example, I don't know if Berks and Lancaster County are considered Southeast or Southcentral PA, but I like them both alot. They have a nice country, "southern" feel.