Pennsylvania is the perfect starting system, to be honest. However, remove the JH to Kansas and put it somewhere else. Connect Penny with Hudson and Magellan, if necessary bring Humboldt back and get Puerto Rico back to where it was. Cortez is a system protected by the Treaty of Cortez, which restricts certain ships in that system. I really don't want to see all the bimbos showing up with their lolwut-named capitals and weirdos silent engaging anything. It's already stupid enough to have Gallia going for Cortez instead of California, while Cortez is protected by Liberty, Bretonia, Crayter, Hellfire and smaller groups. You don't need to pester that system with noobs additional to that.
An alternative would be an extra system, a hub, so to say, with one-way jump holes to the capitals of each house and some bigger factions. Place a fat station in the center of the system, something like Durban Station with parts of Cayman's station models and make it the beginner station. No way leads back to that station.
Otherwise, Pennsylvania worked well. I don't think there is a need to change it, especially not to Cortez.
