east vs west shore

[chefddr]

I have lived on the East Shore since moving to PA 14 years ago. Until I moved to Middletown, I was pretty happy. Now it is time, after 6 years to move to the West Shore, my boys need better schools, and Mechanicsburg is where we hope to settle

[BigFish1023]

I have lived in Harrisburg for about ten years, but I have a four year old and I will be moving either to the west shore or somewhere outside of town on the East. Regarding other comments: 1. Carlisle is too far west and has problems of its own; it's more like Harrisburg than the West Shore. Also, the good public schools here are better than the private schools, and it is not a question of East or West as much as it is a matter of getting at least a little East or West of Harrisburg... I am a teacher in West Shore SD, the really big, pretty good district on the west shore. I love it there, but it would not quite be my first choice for my daughter. In all honesty, the best communities for kids are the small towns outside the city, schools (starting with the best) are as follows: Camp Hill (consistently in the top ten in the state no matter what group you ask and the community is that good too). Hershey and Cumberland Valley, both almost as good as Camp Hill, but CV is very large and has one high school. Next, Lower Dauphin S.D., Hummelstown, PA or Mechanicsburg S.D. (both lovely communities). If those are beyond your price range, West Shore SD is also very nice. I would send my child to any of these schools without hesitation. By the way, don't pay for private school around here, Camp Hill is better than any of them! Just move there if that is what is most important to you. By the way, people on the West shore are not less cultured. There are fewer minorities of major minority groups, but there is a great deal of more subtle diversity. If you get to know people in the region, you will learn quickly that more diversity does not equal more culture...