what is the Reading area like? (Lancaster, Harrisburg: crime, house, to buy)

[mra68]

We might be relocating to Reading - what areas do you recommend (or recommend we avoid?)

[mjk1093]

Reading city has a lot of crime & drugs... going way back to the '30s when the mob corrupted the local police force. They'd bus gamblers up from Philly every day. It was an illegal version of Atlantic City. A cop was just killed there the other day.

Outside of Reading city, you get your typical mix of suburbs - as far as I know there's no "special cultural issues" people might encounter living in Berks County (where Reading is located) unlike some other areas in central PA.

[Oldiebutgoodie26]

^
I agree. I've not heard one nice thing about the city of Reading- LOTS of crime, terrible schools. Outside the city limits- it's nice. Berks county is lovely, but I would avoid that city.

[JerryS]

I agree, Reading is not a place to raise kids... Just my opinion.
It will not be on any "Top 10 Places to Live" lists anytime soon

[mjk1093]

Harrisburg on the other hand is on the "Top Ten Places to Live" list at various magazines... sorry... just a little bit of home-town boosterism

[mra68]

Interesting. Thanks for the heads-up.

Is Wyomissing too close to the bad areas of Reading? It's hard for me to tell on the map.
My dad grew up in Middletown (near Harrisburg) so he'll be glad to hear that area is on the way up.

[summa56]

Agree with all the rest...don't go to reading...bad news!!

[mjk1093]

Wyomissing is a pretty wealthy area - expect to have some dough to buy a house there. Their HS is the only one in Central PA to rank in the Top 500 in the country.

[lititzman2003]

Shillington isn't bad, either. The further you are from the city of Reading the better.

[garriekeyman]

Have to agree with the general sentiment here. Avoid Reading. Drugs and crime are at intolerable levels there as is true along the Route 222 corridor between Lancaster and Reading. Did I just read the other day that there have been something like 50 murders along Route 222? I believe I read that special legislation is also being proposed to clean up and police that area better. Rural Berks County in general, however, is gorgeous. My sister lives in Bernville and I'd like to, too. Am looking to relocate out of Lancaster County where growth had been mismanaged, farmland preservation given little more than lip service, and the local politicians sit in the back pockets of the builder associations. Also, in fair warning to all...avoid relocating along Route 501. If you do you will be subject not only to rampant congestion but to the unfiltered stench from trucks belonging to the Stewart Mitchell Co. out of (I believe) Baltimore. They haul tankers of asphalt and spew stench. We've been after them for years to clean up their act but they don't. They transport along 501 to Myerstown, passing our home on 501 numerous times day and night. The smell is unbelievable. Lititz, once known for the smell of chocolate, is now known for the smell of asphalt trucks. Consider yourself warned.