Where to live in Harrisburg? (Carlisle, Penn: apartment complex, rent, crime)

[bie.felicio]

Hello!
My name is Gabriel, I'm from Brazil, and i'm going to Pennsylvania in December for a 3-month temporary job.

I'll work in Carlisle, and the company offers me housing in Harrisburg.
One housing location is in Uptown, N 6th street, between Radnor St and Schuylkill St, and the other is in Hale Avenue (East Harrisburg?).

I found some information about Uptown, one saying it's a good neighborhood, other saying to stay away, but i didn't find anything about Hale Avenue area.
So, my question is: Which of these places is better for living? N 6th Street or Hale Avenue? Or should I forget about it and try to find housing elsewhere?

Thanks

[DowntownHarrisburg]

Hi and welcome to Harrisburg!

I would avoid that part of North Sixth Street. That area is unfortunately struggling with a lot of drug- and prostitution-related activity.

Hale Ave is probably a better choice. I haven't been down that road in ages, so I'll try to check it out tomorrow for you. If I'm remembering correctly, it's actually a very attractive part of the city -- though a bit suburban for my tastes.

[bie.felicio]

Hi DowntownHarrisburg.
Thanks a lot for your reply. I saw a lot of your posts in this forum and I believe I can trust your opinion.
I don't mind if Hale Ave is a bit suburban, since it is a safe place and I can have easy access to Downtown -- of course I would prefer to live in Downtown, but I searched craigstlist and some other places and the rent Downtown is about 2x higher than what I'll pay in Hale Ave.

[truserenity]

ITA with downtownharrisburg. I am in the area visiting and I have been on North 6th st several times. I would say to avoid it entirely.

[DowntownHarrisburg]

Originally Posted by bie.felicio

Hi DowntownHarrisburg.
Thanks a lot for your reply. I saw a lot of your posts in this forum and I believe I can trust your opinion.
I don't mind if Hale Ave is a bit suburban, since it is a safe place and I can have easy access to Downtown -- of course I would prefer to live in Downtown, but I searched craigstlist and some other places and the rent Downtown is about 2x higher than what I'll pay in Hale Ave.

I just drove through Hale Ave this evening, and it is a beautiful area. You definitely want Hale Ave! The area is almost entirely residential, mostly older homes. I saw a large apartment complex there that looked decent. Most of the yards were well-kept and I did not see any signs of trouble -- no graffiti, no garbage, no junked cars, no shady characters. I would rate the neighborhood somewhere between "working class" and "upper middle class".

Harrisburg High School is at the corner of Hale Ave and Market St. HHS gets somewhat rowdy at times, but shouldn't cause any problems. There are two plazas and one supermarket within about a 1/4-mile walk. There are also two bus stops (#15) within walking distance.

Be aware that the worst part of Harrisburg -- Allison Hill -- sits between Hale Ave and downtown. You should not walk through that area at any time of the day or night unless you know how to handle yourself in a high-crime area. The worst parts are between 19th St and Cameron St. Hale Ave is pretty far from those areas, so I wouldn't worry about crime creeping up your way.

[bie.felicio]

Originally Posted by DowntownHarrisburg

I just drove through Hale Ave this evening, and it is a beautiful area. You definitely want Hale Ave! The area is almost entirely residential, mostly older homes. I saw a large apartment complex there that looked decent. Most of the yards were well-kept and I did not see any signs of trouble -- no graffiti, no garbage, no junked cars, no shady characters. I would rate the neighborhood somewhere between "working class" and "upper middle class".

Harrisburg High School is at the corner of Hale Ave and Market St. HHS gets somewhat rowdy at times, but shouldn't cause any problems. There are two plazas and one supermarket within about a 1/4-mile walk. There are also two bus stops (#15) within walking distance.

Be aware that the worst part of Harrisburg -- Allison Hill -- sits between Hale Ave and downtown. You should not walk through that area at any time of the day or night unless you know how to handle yourself in a high-crime area. The worst parts are between 19th St and Cameron St. Hale Ave is pretty far from those areas, so I wouldn't worry about crime creeping up your way.

Thank you so much!! Hale Ave will be.

[butch6734]

Originally Posted by bie.felicio

Hello!
My name is Gabriel, I'm from Brazil, and i'm going to Pennsylvania in December for a 3-month temporary job.

I'll work in Carlisle, and the company offers me housing in Harrisburg.
One housing location is in Uptown, N 6th street, between Radnor St and Schuylkill St, and the other is in Hale Avenue (East Harrisburg?).

I found some information about Uptown, one saying it's a good neighborhood, other saying to stay away, but i didn't find anything about Hale Avenue area.
So, my question is: Which of these places is better for living? N 6th Street or Hale Avenue? Or should I forget about it and try to find housing elsewhere?

Thanks