am i crazy for wanting to move to move to harrisburg/hershey? (Mechanicsburg: school district, taxes)

[abloodragon]

Agreed!
Ryan101, also failed to mention, that as a resident of NC you also pay real estate tax on your vehicles, each and every year...for our family that adds around $300 a year. This tax includes cars, trucks, boats, RV's. While our house real estate bill is lower than our PA cousins, our income tax is 6% for the low end ($12,750) and 8% for the high end ($120,000). You don't even have the pleasure of the same exemptions that the Federal IRS gives you. We've did the math, and the taxes once added up for PA versus NC are the same (income, real estate, and vehicle, combined) Additionally, NC/SC are well known as major ice storm states. If it does snow, you are incapacitated, because there are NO EQUIPMENT TO CLEAR THE ROADS. IF you are lucky enough to live in a county that has equipment, they will have only one, and it will only be used on the Major highways, and nowhere else.
So Ryan101, come talk to us next April, after being there for a winter, and getting your first state income tax bill.

[GypsySoul22]

I spent a year in Camp Hill and it was okay. Compared to what I was used to paying we lived quite cheaply though both my husband and I had four temp jobs each (we left after a year).

People we came across ran the spectrum from racist and distrusting to very open and very nice (again, it's the same wherever you live). My husband said at one of his jobs all they did was talk about lawnmowers and pepper their conversations with the "N" word. At the last job I had there, I met a wonderful bunch of people. If I had gotten that job nine months earlier, I might have stayed.

Harrisburg, the city, that was the worst few blocks (not a real city..come on) I have ever seen. We were approached by someone a few times trying to fence jewelry. The place is depressing. If anyone of color crossed the bridge they themselves would joke they were on the wrong side of the river.

I've been in NYC many times and no one has ever approached me to see drugs/jewelry/whatever.

In Harrisburg, it happened like I said, a few times.

Just google the crime stats...and the demographics...it's sad...

[Kit624]

I have grown up in the Harrisburg area (west shore). I am a fairly "artsy" person, and so when I was offered a job in the DC area, I left without a second glance. However, I am going to return for at least a year to save some money. Here's how it goes :

Harrisburg, although far from a 'real' city, is okay. Not a lot to do, and DEFINETLY NO CULTURE. The good part is: you are only about 2 hours from both Philadelphia and Washington, DC. If you take driving to DC from any part of surburban MAryland (MoCo) or NOVA (where I currently live) you are looking at at least an hour and a half in stop and go traffic. So you're only adding a half hour in terms of travel time. Not too bad, and certinaly accessible. There's also an amtrack that goes from H'burg to Philly. And as more educated people are moving in from areas like DC and Philly to escape the suburban sprawls of those areas, the opportunites for culture are improving. Many weatlthy Washintonians or Philadelphians are beginning to move to the West Shore because they get more bang for their buck, so to speak. They work in the cities during the week (proabably rent a hotel room or something) and come here on the weekends. I think in the next five years it is going to be very different than it used to be--in a positive way.

Second, it's pretty. The weather is great. I have lived in upstate NY for college and HATED it. You get winter, spring, summer (HOT!) and fall. Summer's the worst, fall's the best.

It's cheap! Despite the fact that people on this post are saying it's expensive...well, I'm not sure where they are from, but after living near DC, I would have to say that the pay rate for an entry-level job is the same, and the cost of living is not even half! You can get a three or four bedroom apartment for about 700 a month, and even rent an entire townhome or something for about 1000. Compare to living in Philly, DC or NYC: you could maybe get a small studio apartment with no yard in a high rise, and 1000 is on the cheap end. This is why I am moving back actually--unless you work for the feds in a high power job or have two incomes, the pay is just not enough to live here, and with the proximity of H'burg to the city is certainly not inaccessible. I would love to jump on the opportunity to move closer to Philly, but Lancaster is a good option. Nice, kind of a country feel, and growing.

So there are good parts and bad parts, but they are trying to improve the general area. Hershey's nice, but it has a lot of 'old money' and am not sure where it is going. oh-traffic--there is no traffic. Coming from DC, again, well, I think there are only two lanes on I83. That about says it all. No traffic.


The general outcome. Am I disappointed that it didn't work out for me to move to DC? Yes. Am I happy that I can go back to Harrisburg for a fraction of the cost and the same relative proximity? Yep. Do I think that once I save some money (impossible to do in DC!) I will move away again? Yes.

It's not bad, it could be a good starting board. Other cities have more to offer, but they are comparitively more expensive. And the pay in central PA is low, but the cost of living ....it balances out.

Good luck.

[clientofjesus]

as a grandmother and mother and a resident of Hbg for 20 years I would not suggest living in inner city especially with young children and the Hgb schools are not bad but they would do better in Lower Paxton ,Susquehanna ,or central dauphin I feel these schools are alittle bit better and safer enviroment

Originally Posted by brianj29

Ok I am a masters level therapist/substance abuse field...I CURRENTLY LIVE IN ITHACA NY NEAR CORNELL(UPSTATE)...i WANT MILDER WINTERS MORE JOB OPPORTUNITIES ETC .i WAS INTERVIEWING IN RALEIGH(HATED THE TRAFFIC ,FAKE PLASTIC STRIP MALLS AND OVERCROWDED SUBDIVISIONS,iNDIANAPOLIS)i WAS THINKING ABOUT THE HARRISBURG AREA AS i WAS DRIVING BACK TO UPSTATE ny AS IT LOOKS LIKE A VIBRANT PLACE NOT TOO BAD WITH TRAFFIC AND A BIT MORE MILD THAN iTHACA.i LIKE THE HERSHE AREA AS A PLACE TO POSSIBLY LIVE ALTHOUGH I AM OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS...i HAVE BEEN OFFERED A FEW INTERVIEWS IN HARRISBURG BUT I NOTICED THE PAY WAS SIG. LOWER...ANYWAY AM I NUTS FOR THINKING ABOUT THIS? ANY PROS AND CONS TO THIS AREA i HAVE A 5 YEAR OLD ENTERING KINDERGARTEN AND A 9 MONTH OLD .

[PhillyPhan]

i would move to hershey b/c of the wonderful little town. eqipped with a zoo, theme park, shops eateries and a great atmosphere. the factory layed some people off, but is staying in Hershey. so let the good times roll

[Positiveone]

Is the factory staying for sure? and werent there tons of lay offs? I thought i heard they were slowly outsourcing everything and eventually just going to operate a few small offices for the Hershey company! I hope your right, We need to keep the American people working. And keep Hershey operating where it belows --PA.

Originally Posted by PhillyPhan

i would move to hershey b/c of the wonderful little town. eqipped with a zoo, theme park, shops eateries and a great atmosphere. the factory layed some people off, but is staying in Hershey. so let the good times roll

[jdfehrenbach]

I moved here in May 07 - seems to be a lot for kids to do around here. Seems to be really low costs for homes compared to NY and NJ... lots of farms, next to no traffic - I'm thinking about buying a house next year, probably somewhere in Elizabethtown... good schools, quiet places to live. Probably about 20 minutes into Harrisburg. I haven't seen the snow yet, but I'm guessing it's not as bad as Ithica. More sun though after March than in Ithica... I make 60k, and I get home at 4:30... so that's nice.

[bronayur]

I grew up in Elizabethtown, Hershey, Middletown, Mt.Joy, and I now live in Harrisburg. I have also lived in Los Angeles and South Mississippi before the hurricane and I have to say I like the area; the jobs are not always the best although as I am a nurse I get paid well. The weather is nice and it is not snowing as much as it used to. The one thing I don't like is that I never felt like the people were friendly, I would wave to them and they would not wave back like they were confused about what to do. I do have to say that it hard to meet people unless you are super social able and go to the bars all the time but people are funny and when they are you friends they stay your friends. I also noticed that we have a bit of east coast personality but not quite as biting as Philly or NJ/NY metro. As the other people mentioned it is also really near things and since I love going to concerts, Philly is seriously the best city in the world for concerts although I am not a huge fan of the city other then that. The mountains are also pretty and you can go hiking on the Appalachian trail near Halifax, I really do think the area is on the rise, I just hope that the big McMasions which names like Doe Run do not over run the place, like they did to Route 39 going out of Hershey...So sad they tour down the Deja Vu and the Food Factory!

[loch raven]

i lived in the harrisburg area from 1989-2000 before leaving for college, then leaving pennsylvania for good, for grad school. i am currently living in the delaware area, but am close enough that i still visit harrisburg once a month or so, as i still have friends in the area.

the downtown and surrounding area has experienced a lot of growth and revitalization. key to this has been the development of the downtown into a night time leisure economy, catering to young adults keen on going out and drinking, dining, dancing, etc. you can find similar kinds of inner city revitalization efforts in "real" cities, like philly, new york, DC, etc. this is not unique to harrisburg, and it brings a lot of dollars to the local economy. it also promotes binge-level alcohol use, drunk driving, and naturally, more alcohol related fighting and (attempted) sexual assault.

there is, and has been, a small but consistent underground music and arts scene in harrisburg and the surrounding area. its not thriving as it might be if the city were larger, like a philly or new york, but it is there. credit the whittaker center for science and the arts with giving the hbg arts scene more prominence. there are seminal independent bands from the US and abroad that actually play shows there. this is rare feat for a city as small as harrisburg. if you want culture, its there, you just have to look for it. it doesnt jump out and smack you over the head. this is true in virtually any city. obviously it will be on a smaller scale in a city of 47,000 vs. a city like philadelphia.

there is also a fairly large gay community in the harrisburg area, and they seem to me to be fairly well integrated. there is a lot of minority poverty in the city, but it is not as bad as it once was. and bishop mcdevitt is a very well-regarded catholic high school in the city. tuition is relatively cheap (or it was when i went there, haha). overall, i would say harrisburg has a relatively healthy mix of people, but it probably does still have an overabundance of rednecks, nascar, and "blue collar" types. diversity and culture has gotten better and more prominent, but there are still a lot of natives, who do tend toward the insular, and even backwards.

ones recreational interests and place of employment should determine where to live. on the "west shore" you have access to some excellent hiking and swimming in some of the nearby state parks. on the "east shore" you have hershey and the limited cultural opportunities of the city, and thats pretty much it. you also have pockets of some pretty nice and historic architecture in a lot of spots. and the riverfront area is pretty nice.

i will say that traffic on 81 and 83 can be a nightmare.

[BevoInPA]

This is an old thread but I will add my two cents. I moved here from South Florida. I took a huge pay cut but I also no longer pay $11,000 a year in property taxes, $3,600 a year in car insurance and over $3,000 a year in crappy property insurance. The public schools are better than the private schools depending on the school district. The people are educated and cultured in the central area (Camp Hill, Lower Paxton, Derry, Hampden) but this is a small city and you eventually, when you drive far enough out of Miami, get the same @#$%. Homestead FL, which is a suburb of Miami, has a NASCAR race track (I think it is about 13 miles south of Miami).

I am content here, feel safe (no crime or natural disasters), and traffic is NOTHING compared to South Florida. You can buy a decent house in a VERY good school district here for $250,000. In SE Florida you need at least $500,000 (more like $650,000) and the salary cut was a lot less than 50%.