lancaster, lancaster county, lancaster city??? (Allentown, Harrisburg: insurance, condo, houses)

[col]

Looking into I understand the good and bad about the city, can anyone explain the area of lancaster is it the same as lancaster county...are there good areas not far from the city???? Schools, arts, activities? any condo communities or private communities? we are really looking for a ranch house in a nice area

Please help, all the different explanations and regions are confusing.

Col

P.S can an artist (painter) sell his work here?

[danwxman]

Ranch houses galore in suburban Lancaster and the city has a wonderful arts scene/district near the art school.

[col]

Are there specific areas I should be looking at for the arts, farms stands, ranch houses etc....whats around these areas? Stores/shopping, supermarkets (wegmans?), hospital etc...What is the employment situation I as a artist am freed up my wife works in a high position in the developmental disabilities field with retarded adults...we'd need to find work in that capacity, a reasonable commute is fine. its it better in the county or the city or a suburb of the city???

thanks for you answer(s).

Col

[Icy Tea]

Lancaster has some great privately owned supermarkets that make Wegman's look like 7 11's. Stauffers and Shady Maple are but two. Lancaster's eastern and northern suburbs are very upscale but still have amish and mennonite farms around, more as you get further away from the city. Plus all the back roads and farms have farm stands.

[col]

better than wegmans great. How is the job market in lancaster county...
is there a difference between the county and the township I now the city is
a small city.....

thanks for the help.

col

[Icy Tea]

Unemployment is better than average, county wise, it being very farm oriented. But there are alot of medical and pharmaceutical jobs jobs as well as manufacturing. The amish work many craftsman and trade jobs as well as farming. Harrisburg has alot of service/government jobs and many commute.
Healthcare is rapidly growing and the tourism industry is always going to be big.

[col]

thank you for your reply

col

[merrisweel]

I'm sorry, I have to disagree on a point made previously.

My family (and myself) has lived in Lititz(outside of Lancaster City, in Lancaster County) thier entire lives, and I've shopped at Stauffers for the better part of that - my mom even got upset when the new Giant opened next to the Lititz Stauffers and "those poor people are forced to work on Sundays."

I lived in Allentown for 3 years after college, and I will tell you that there is no way that Stauffer's is better than Wegmens. Wegmens is the best supermarket chain on the PLANET(next to central market in Burlington, VT), and when compared, Stauffers has nothing.

The closet Wegmens to Lancaster County IS on Tilgman Street in Allentown.

sorry just had to state the old opinion

[CHIP72]

Originally Posted by merrisweel

The closest Wegmans to Lancaster County IS on Tilghman Street in Allentown.

Actually, there is now a Wegmans on the Carlisle Pike on the Harrisburg West Shore (north of Mechanicsburg).

[teachbeach]

Lancaster is a county with many boroughs, townships and villages. The major city of Lancaster County is the city itself. Some "city" areas are terrific, the downtown area has some wonderful old historic homes and great neighborhoods and then a portion of not so good, high density housing which houses a less than desirable population that seem to be the blight that creates the news about drugs, murders, drive by shootings etc. Overall it's a small area. There is so much to do in Lancaster County; shopping, history, museums, culture, recreation, parks, church, restaurants, tourism, craft shows, town festivals, ethnic heritage days. The two colleges (F&M, and Millersville) as well as tech/trade schools offer all types of programs/training for continuing/higher education. Employment is good, cost of living (taxes, groceries, insurance) is reasonable. There are tons of home business ventures (woodworking, gardening, farming, quilting, pottery etc) in the area. Some of the larger communities with their own schools, recreation facilities, police, libraries etc are Manheim, Ephrata, Lititz, Hempfield, East Petersburg, Penn Manor, Landisville, Columbia, Millersville, Mountvale.