Need help moving to the Camp Hill area... (Harrisburg, Carlisle: apartment, for rent)

[Pellifritz]

My husband was transfered to the Camp Hill area and now me and the kids is following him, but now we have to figure out where to move to.

When are you moving? Christmas break
Where are you coming from? [b][/B]Williamsport area
Have you been here yet? Yes[b][/B]
Will you buy or rent? Renting
If renting, are you looking for an apartment, a townhouse or loft? House 3/2
How much can you spend? up to 1300
Are you married or single? Married
Do you have children? two
Do you prefer public or private schools? Public
Do you have pets? Yes
Do you want or need a yard? Yes
Are you keeping a car? Yes
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? Calm and quiet but within driving area of bustling

My kids wants to go to a school no more than 1200 students but no less than 900. The school needs to have football and softball. We are trying to stay within 30 mins of Camp Hill. I hope someone can help because we just can't decide. Thank you in advance...

[DowntownHarrisburg]

Hi and welcome to Central PA*!

You will have no problem finding a home in that price range here. I can't speak to the school districts, so someone else will have to chime in and make a suitable recommendation.

In addition to Camp Hill, you'll want to consider New Cumberland, Lemoyne, Wormleysburg, Enola, Mechanicsburg, and possibly even Carlisle. If you want to go a bit more rural, look towards Dillsburg -- it's about 15-20 minutes away from Camp Hill. You'll have a small-town feeling, but with Camp Hill and the Harrisburg metro area in your back yard.

If you start to head north, Marysville should offer you substantially lower cost of living. It's about halfway between rural living and small-town living. However, the school district is probably just below your size limits. And even though it's only about 10 miles from Camp Hill, actual commute time will probably be around 30 minutes.

You might also want to look just north of Harrisburg (north of PA-39). Most of the homes in this area will fall within your budget, will be well within 30 minutes of Camp Hill, and are served by a decent school district.

You should be aware of the traffic in the area. It's my experience that the "west shore" (areas west of the river) has much worse congestion than the east shore. Rush hour generally runs 7am - 9am and 4pm - 6pm. Most flows into the city in the morning and out of the city in the evening. The bridges become major choke points during this time, but not if you're flowing opposite rush hour (into Camp Hill in the morning, out in the evening).

If you find any specific addresses that you'd like us to vet, feel free to ask. And again, welcome!

* - we know we aren't really geographically in the center of the state, it's just a local misnomer. Don't try to fight it.

[baychic]

I think there's a place for rent on 26th street in Camp Hill. Check out craigslist!