Commute from Mechanisburg to Penn State Harrisburg? (Hershey, Elizabethtown: apartments, rentals)

[Wanderingcow]

Hello - My husband and I are relocating and I will be working at Penn State Harrisburg at 777 Harrisburg Pike. I've seen some nice home rentals in Mechanicsburg, but I'm concerned about the commute. I had been warned that having to cross the river added a lot of time to the commute. We've also looked at Hershey, which is about 20-25 minutes, so I'm not opposed to that amount of time. Any guidance is appreciated

[225digger]

the trip across the river can be long in the morning and afternoon , usually the turn pike is quicker depending on where your at in mechanicsburg and penn state is pretty close to the harrisburg east exit hershey is not to bad , but pricing can be high ..... did you check into the elizabeth town area ? thats not that far away and very nice in that area .

[DowntownHarrisburg]

Mechanicsburg to PSH would be a brutal commute if you plan on commuting through rush hours (roughly 7-8:30am, 4-6pm). The area from the I-283 / PA-283 interchange all the way through I-83 and PA-581 to Mechanicsburg is stop-and-go during peak hours. It takes me about 15-20 minutes to get from the Eisenhower Interchange (I-83 / I-283) to downtown Harrisburg during afternoon rush hour. I would guess that Middletown to Mechanicsburg is at least an hour during that time.

If you don't mind paying tolls every day, the PA Turnpike (I-76) would be considerably faster, though you'll still see congestion getting to and from the Turnpike.

Hershey would be a much shorter commute. If you can tell us what specifically you're looking for, we can make some more specific recommendations.

[Wanderingcow]

Thanks so far! In an ideal situation, we are looking for a detached home rental w/ yard, away from Harrisburg proper. We have two dogs, so a fenced yard of some size (it doesn't have to be huge) is critical. Safety, of course, is a consideration. Right now, we are considering the Briarcrest townhomes in Hershey as a possibility. I'm thinking, ideally, Middletown, Hummelstown, Hershey, Elizabethtown. I've been looking on Craiglist, rent.com, and homes.com for rentals.

Thanks!

[ki0eh]

I commuted a couple of years to the Rossmoyne office park (Mechanicsburg postal address, actually east of US 15) from south of Hummelstown (SW corner of Derry) and it was much faster on the Turnpike despite both interchanges (Harrisburg East and Gettysburg Pike) being under construction much of that time. I agree with floor9 that doing that in normal daytime rush on I-83 would be a hair pulling experience. That would be much worse from Mechanicsburg borough and north. Unless you have a specific reason to live in the Mechanicsburg area I'd stick to the southern east shore and Elizabethtown areas on your list.

[DowntownHarrisburg]

Originally Posted by Wanderingcow

Thanks so far! In an ideal situation, we are looking for a detached home rental w/ yard, away from Harrisburg proper. We have two dogs, so a fenced yard of some size (it doesn't have to be huge) is critical. Safety, of course, is a consideration. Right now, we are considering the Briarcrest townhomes in Hershey as a possibility. I'm thinking, ideally, Middletown, Hummelstown, Hershey, Elizabethtown. I've been looking on Craiglist, rent.com, and homes.com for rentals.

Thanks!

Standard Craigslist warning: I browse the rental listings from time to time, and the majority of them appear to be scams. Be very, very careful with Craigslist.

I agree with the other posters -- I think you'll be a lot happier looking around Middletown / E-town / Hummelstown. Try to avoid Steelton. I'd recommend staying south or east of the I-283 / I-83 interchange.

I'd suggest taking a look at The Pines in Middletown, but they don't have fenced yards. Take a look at the rental listings in our local newspaper: Pennsylvania Apartments for Rent - PennLive.com

[Wanderingcow]

Do you mean the Village of Pineford in Middletown? The townhome units do have small fenced areas - has anyone heard anything good or bad about this complex?

[DixieJo]

I used to live in Pineford, albeit this was the late 90s. I lived in one of the single bedroom Garden Apartment units. I enjoyed it there. The office staff was friendly and helpful, maintenance was prompt and attentive. I had no problems with neighbors. And there was a super grocery store within walking distance from my building, 2 blocks away!

I haven't heard anything all that bad about Pineford. I was just in Middletown over the weekend. Heck, even took a walk over to and around Penn State Harrisburg. My walk took me past Aldwyn Court Apartments, which is on Spring Street in Middletown nearby the campus. So if you'd like to look at something REALLY nearby to PSH, that's an option, too. I know nothing about Aldwyn Court except its location.

But Middletown is safe, quiet, it's in a good location to get to most points of interest, and it has enough amenities within that you dont HAVE to go outside of the borough if you dont really want to. Grocery stores, fitness, entertainment, airport, train station, bus stops, parks, and restaurants both fine and casual.

But any of the towns you've mentioned - Middletown, Hummelstown, Hershey, Elizabethtown - would be good for your needs. Elizabethtown is very similar to Middletown in ways. It is also a college town, quite a few rental properties, quite a few amenities in town. Kind of hard to go wrong with any of those locales.

[happywanderer6688]

Hershey is OK but expensive -- better for tourists. For sure avoid it if you have school children. Lots of "poor little rich kids". Hersheyites will tell you differently, but look at Hummelstown, Middletown or Elizaberthtown. Folks there are a lot more genuine.