New Job in Chambersburgh, PA...where should I live? (Pittsburgh: fit in, school)

[leb5044]

Hello all,
I'm potentially accepting a job in Chambersburg, PA in the near future. From talking to some people in the company some people live in Chambersburg, but a lot of people live in Hagerstown, MD or Harrisburg, PA.

I am a 24-year old, single, educated, professional female. I am looking for an area that has some night life...bars, restaurants, young people like me. Safety is also a concern for me though, as well.

Any insight into these areas or suggestions of other places would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[Rtom45]

Harrisburg has what you're looking for, but its at least an hours commute each way.

[faeryedark]

I'd think you'd be better off living in chambersburg and driving out of town for the night life. MD has taxes on things PA doesn't so you may want to consider that.

[leb5044]

My commute is about 30 minutes now without traffic...an hour if I'm trying to get through the Pittsburgh tunnels at rush hour. The commute is not the worst of my worries.

[PeterRabbit]

Ignore the above b.s. by leb.

[maf763]

Originally Posted by PeterRabbit

Ignore the above b.s. by leb.

leb is the OP. I think she is trying to give a sense of how long she is willing to commute. Sounds like Harrisburg would be the best bet.

[CHIP72]

Chambersburg does have a small, all-female college (Wilson College). You may fit in if you live near that college. Shippensburg (less than 10 miles north) has Shippensburg University, a moderate-sized state-owned school (similar in size and type to Slippery Rock and California/CUP and somewhat smaller than Indiana/IUP). Shippensburg is a smaller town than Chambersburg however. Carlisle (a town about the same size as Chambersburg about 30 miles northeast along I-81) has Dickinson College, a small liberal arts school, and again with college age students around may be a good fit for you. Hagerstown (25 miles) and Harrisburg (50-55 miles), though both much larger than Chambersburg, don't have any colleges. Harrisburg does have 2nd Street "Restaurant Row", which is something that may appeal to you. Having said that, with fuel prices likely to be high and volatile, you may not want to live so far away from work, especially considering you probably are in a relatively low-paying "starter" professional job (making that assumption based on your age; my apologies if my assumption is incorrect - most of us older than 24 usually were in one of those "starter" professional job at some point in our mid-20s).

One other thing I'll note is that I-81 has a lot of truck traffic, which is something some people really feel uncomfortable with. If you live far from Chambersburg, you'll need to deal with that truck traffic on a regular basis.

[pman]

Originally Posted by CHIP72

Chambersburg does have a small, all-female college (Wilson College). You may fit in if you live near that college. Shippensburg (less than 10 miles north) has Shippensburg University, a moderate-sized state-owned school (similar in size and type to Slippery Rock and California/CUP and somewhat smaller than Indiana/IUP). Shippensburg is a smaller town than Chambersburg however. Carlisle (a town about the same size as Chambersburg about 30 miles northeast along I-81) has Dickinson College, a small liberal arts school, and again with college age students around may be a good fit for you. Hagerstown (25 miles) and Harrisburg (50-55 miles), though both much larger than Chambersburg, don't have any colleges. Harrisburg does have 2nd Street "Restaurant Row", which is something that may appeal to you. Having said that, with fuel prices likely to be high and volatile, you may not want to live so far away from work, especially considering you probably are in a relatively low-paying "starter" professional job (making that assumption based on your age; my apologies if my assumption is incorrect - most of us older than 24 usually were in one of those "starter" professional job at some point in our mid-20s).

One other thing I'll note is that I-81 has a lot of truck traffic, which is something some people really feel uncomfortable with. If you live far from Chambersburg, you'll need to deal with that truck traffic on a regular basis.

isn't mont alto near chambersburg?
what about gettysburg?

[CHIP72]

Originally Posted by pman

isn't mont alto near chambersburg?
what about gettysburg?

Mont Alto (much, much smaller town) is less than 10 miles southeast of Chambersburg, while Gettysburg (smaller town than Chambersburg) is about 30 miles east along US 30. Gettysburg does have a small, liberal arts college (Gettysburg College) that is similar in size to Dickinson College in Carlisle.

[leb5044]

I'm slightly familiar with Harrisburg, however I have never even heard of Hagarstown before. Does anyone know how safe the area may be? I am starting to lean more towards Hagarstown because of it being closer.