Lewistown or Port Royal? (Milford, Mifflin: fit in, 2010, crimes)

[jenniferhardy]

Thinking of moveing to one of these two towns Lewistown Pa. or Port Royal Pa.? How are they and which is better? Does any one have pictures would love to compare the two have not really checked into Lewistown houseing yet ( have seen some lovely pictures of Lewistown though. We have checked on some in Port Royal would love to see the area around 4th and 5th of MILFORD ST and surounding areas in Port Royal! TY in adavance.

[jenniferhardy]

Originally Posted by jenniferhardy

Thinking of moveing to one of these two towns Lewistown Pa. or Port Royal Pa.? How are they and which is better? Does any one have pictures would love to compare the two have not really checked into Lewistown houseing yet ( have seen some lovely pictures of Lewistown though. We have checked on some in Port Royal would love to see the area around 4th and 5th of MILFORD ST and surounding areas in Port Royal! TY in adavance.

Is there something wrong with Lewistown and Port Royal? If so would like to know since we are planing on moveing there or some where around those two towns any good ideas? still would love to see pictures and any info any one may have on these towns! Dont want ot be moveing to some place that is nothing but trouble (drugs, gangs or what ever!) I have search the web fro pictures but cant seem to find any! Plz help if you can! TY!

[BackToTheCityMouse]

There may -- or may not -- be anything wrong with either Port Royal or Lewistown. Depends on why you are interested in moving/re-locating there.

We lived in Juniata County near Port Royal for about 10 years, so I know the area generally. Not enough to comment on specific streets and such, though.

During the 1990s Lewistown was nationally notorious for its heroin issues, but don't know how/if that has changed.

If you are not from Central PA, I can share some tips/experiences based on my experience living there as an outsider. If you are from Central PA and are just doing a more local move, my impressions of Juniata/Mifflin Counties area won't mean much.

[jenniferhardy]

We are moveing there from out of state due to husband has a job offer so I am looking for any info I can get about those two areas! Dont whant to move in to a bad area! Yes I have seen some post about the herion that is another reson for my research on the areas or surounding areas! Any info and pictures would be nice!. TY!

[BackToTheCityMouse]

If your husband has been offered a job in Lewistown, then I recommend looking for something in that area. Downtown Lewistown isn't a bad area to shop in, walk around, etc etc. The heroin problem (at least during the 90s) was pretty much confined to the people who used it. The suburbs right around the town were okay, and looked neat and small town pretty. There are also suburbs just to the west of Lewistown (along US322) which are worth a look as well.

Central PA has a different view of some 'crimes' than other places I've lived. For example, prostitution is pretty much out in the open, and you can see the working girls walking the town squares on Saturday evenings. In Lewistown, they worked the area just outside the cinema as the chldren's early show was letting out! And if you go to a truck stop to dine, you might see them working the guys eating at the counter while families have milkshakes a few yards away. Quite a few prostitutes are very young, as it is common for girls there to quit school after 8th grade. Adult literacy rates in the area are about 65% -- that means more than a third of adults can't read at the 8th grade level!

Port Royal (in my opinion) is not a good choice. One reason is the dirt race car track IN town. Races start in March and run thru September or so. At least once a week on Saturdays, and sometimes a weeknite in addition. Races start around 6 and continue until after midnight, with Thunder Cars going about 1AM. The dirt pretty much coats the town -- homes, vehicles, streets. Car and tire parts come down in backyards. Drunks lay out around the track all night, doing what folks do when intoxicated on a warm night out in a field (use your imagination). Locals love this scene, so if you move to Port Royal be prepared to love it, too! There is no way you will be able to ignore it if you live within 5 miles of Port Royal because you will be hearing it. It's possible that the track is gone now (we left in 2000); get a copy of THE JUNIATA SENTINEL or PORT ROYAL TIMES to check it out. Note that small weekly newspapers in Central PA don't actually print the news (police blotters with lists of crimes/arrests are often denied to reporters by the local powers-that-be). The papers will make life read like Mayberry RFD. It took us years to figure out what was going down.

If you are not from PA and have employment in Mifflin County, you will find little welcome in Juniata County (were Port Royal is located). Locals take seemingly arbitrary distinctions like place of birth, county of residence, and stuff like that seriously. Discrimination isn't just a backward trait there -- it's a way of life! Be prepared to walk into a room where you are a stranger, and feel that you have walked into a hole in the space/time continuum and become invisible. Don't expect to call a local repair person for appliances and etc. If someone doesn't recognize your name as a local family, they probably don't want your business.

If your husband's job is a temporary assignment of some kind, look upon this as a great learning opportunity. Seriously...you will have deeper understanding of how so many superficial differences divide people who actually have almost everything in common -- and the political stalemate which results. If this is an open-ended job, good luck! Housing values are low in rural Central PA as are wages, and it might be difficult to get back out to civilization without some financial damage.

[Christian2003]

. For example, prostitution is pretty much out in the open, and you can see the working girls walking the town squares on Saturday evenings. In Lewistown, they worked the area just outside the cinema as the chldren's early show was letting out! And if you go to a truck stop to dine, you might see them working the guys eating at the counter while families have milkshakes a few yards away. Quite a few prostitutes are very young, as it is common for girls there to quit school after 8th grade. Adult literacy rates in the area are about 65% -- that means more than a third of adults can't read at the 8th grade level!

I don't know where you got your information, but I'd like to see the source. Maybe you were one of the young girls you mentioned because I have never seen this in the 50 years I have lived here. Oh, and by the way my income is $100,000 plus and I live in Lewistown!

[jenniferhardy]

Hmmm see this is why I joined this forum to find out about this stuff I do care what goes on where I live! We want a good place for when we start haveing kids! And so far this is all I have gotten mixed oppinions on Lewistown and not much about Port Royal! I heard they was nice places but now what I am getting they are not, very confussing! We like to go to the races have been going to dirt tracks for a while. Husband has even raced a what we call factory stock for a few years! SO that would not bother us two bad we know how the tracks can be! But not sure if we want to live to close to the track because we know how they are! Any and all info is welcome! Is the track close to Milford ST around say 1st and 5 streets? Found a house around that area so just wondering! TY!

[jenniferhardy]

I have read a lot of the post here my husband and I are trying to find info. about Pa. for he was offered a job and we have little time to let them know if he will take it! We need any info. and pictures of the area around Lewistown, Port Royal, Miffleton and any areas around there I have received 1 neg. responce on both Port Royal and Lewistown and 1 good responce on Lewistown We must let them know next week so I am doing alot of research but not finding much! We are form Ill. So we can't just go and check it out so all info. will help we don't want to make a bad move! Pictures of the locations could help too!


PS. I will be alone days maybe weeks at a time due to husbands job if he takes it so need good, safe areas! TY!

[Richard163]

Originally Posted by Christian2003

. For example, prostitution is pretty much out in the open, and you can see the working girls walking the town squares on Saturday evenings. In Lewistown, they worked the area just outside the cinema as the chldren's early show was letting out! And if you go to a truck stop to dine, you might see them working the guys eating at the counter while families have milkshakes a few yards away. Quite a few prostitutes are very young, as it is common for girls there to quit school after 8th grade. Adult literacy rates in the area are about 65% -- that means more than a third of adults can't read at the 8th grade level!

I don't know where you got your information, but I'd like to see the source. Maybe you were one of the young girls you mentioned because I have never seen this in the 50 years I have lived here. Oh, and by the way my income is $100,000 plus and I live in Lewistown!

I agree Christian2003, my wife and I live 1 mile from downtown lewistown and have very good incomes too. We moved here in 2003, knew nobody, had kids bridging the schools from High school to grade school and have fit in quite well. We all like living here and my kids still thank me for moving here. I wish to add that there seems to be a community effort to revitalize the downtown area and it shows.

[Richard163]

Originally Posted by jenniferhardy

Thinking of moveing to one of these two towns Lewistown Pa. or Port Royal Pa.? How are they and which is better? Does any one have pictures would love to compare the two have not really checked into Lewistown houseing yet ( have seen some lovely pictures of Lewistown though. We have checked on some in Port Royal would love to see the area around 4th and 5th of MILFORD ST and surounding areas in Port Royal! TY in adavance.

Check out the post by Evergrey, there are photos of Lewistown. You can do a search for Lewistown and review the posts associated with it.