HELP! I was given 1 day to decide between Erie or Allentown. (Philadelphia: amusement parks, crime)

[Jaylijah]

My husband is military and was given orders unexpectedly (we weren't supposed to move for another year) and our options are either Erie, Allentown or Akron (Ohio). We have to give our decision on which place to live by tomorrow morning. I need help picking a city that suits us since we haven't visited those places before. We are a young, interracial couple that enjoys going out. Amusement parks, water parks, shopping, and night clubs are all good. We do have one child and have already looked up the schools in each place. Seems like the best school (based on state test scores) in Erie is Rolling Ridge and the best school in Allentown is either Parkway or Cetronia. Now, I need to know which city is the better one for our family and also, what are the neighborhoods like around those schools. PLEASE HELP!

[toobusytoday]

First off, you don't want to live in Center city Allentown and NONE of the schools are recommended in Allentown School district. Pennsylvania has an interesting school district set up. We have 501 school districts, each of them independently run with funds coming from state, federal, and local taxes. That means that poor cities generally have lousy schools. The good news is that commuting into Allentown is extremely easy and all of the school districts surrounding the city are good to very good. This site Pennsylvania Schools - Find a Public or Private Pennsylvania School - SchoolDigger.com Will give you a way to compare schools in any part of the state.

Allentown is in the Lehigh Valley so you will want to read posts on that forum about our area. We do have an excellent amusement park, Two Great Parks For The Price of One-Amusement Parks in PA | Dorney Park and lot's of new entertainment sites over in Bethlehem, Nightlife - Sands Casino - Resort | Bethlehem which borders Allentown. We also have a great minor league baseball team - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball | Lehigh Valley IronPigs Homepage We're an hour from Philadelphia and 1 1/2 hours from Manhattan. It's a good place to raise kids, no matter what your ethnicity.

[ker8]

Erie is very laid back and the COL is definitely lower. It's a small metro but does have some pretty good downtown bars. We also have a very nice smaller amusement park/water park with Waldameer, and of course the indoor water park, Splash Lagoon. Plus, Cedar Point is within driving distance, which IMHO, has the best selection of roller coasters, hands down. The suburbs are better for schooling (Millcreek, Harborcreek, Girard, etc). Crime is also very low for a city of Erie's size. Plus we have arguably the nicest state park (free!) in the state with Presque Isle.

I guess it just depends now (among other things) on what size metro area you want. Erie has only about 280K metro. Allentown is much larger at 816K.

[Rtom45]

I have lived both places, 22 years in the Allentown area and 17 so far in Erie. I think Allentown would be a better fit for what you want.

[Ohiogirl81]

There's a lot to do in Erie for a city its size and your kids will get a good education at just about any of the county schools. The cost of living and Lake Erie can't be beat.

[PAhippo]

I agree with Rtom45. Both places have a lot to offer but I think Erie has more outdoorsy stuff (hiking, birding, etc) which you didn't mention as being of interest. Ergo-Allentown.