Where does my family belong?

[pman]

population is too congested? what a joke. anyway, johnstown is a depressed dump. if you want to live in or near a small city, I don't know that reading fits the bill since there's not much reason to go into town. bethlehem is a nice place if it's in your budget. lebanon-lancaster might fit the bill as well, lancaster has a decent restaurant scene and train access to philly and ny,lebanon isn't far away. south central pa(gettysburg, york, harrisburg-carlisle might be a good fit). I also second the idea of a pittsburgh suburb. Parts of PA are amish country but given they make up about 1% of the state's population, it obviously isn't the dominant sect. I've never been to williamsport so I can't comment on it but it looks like a nice town from a city data photo thread.

[Hopes]

Philly's population is too congested for someone interested in living in a city of 30k to 50 population and have horse stables nearby. While I haven't been to Williamsport, I've spent significant time in the towns between Williamsport and Harrisburg. It's a great area. Look at Selinsgrove and towns near it. I initially said that it was too far away from quality hospitals and a major airport because it's 2-1/2 hours from Philly, but I just checked and it's 2 hours away from Baltimore so it's still a contender.

It really comes down to Harrisburg, cities and towns north and south of Harrisburg, and a Pittsburgh suburb.

[trackstar13]

I will recommend Millcreek Twp., which is a suburb of Erie, and has a population that is a little over 50,000. Millcreek was 93 out of the top 100 places to live this past year on the CNN list and this was the second time it made the list.
Millcreek, PA - Best Places to Live - Money Magazine

The Catholic population in the Erie area is very large and Erie has a decent regional airport. Additionally, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Buffalo are easily accessible for bigger airports if necessary. In terms of your budget, you can buy a pretty nice house in Millcreek for your price range.

[thecoalman]

Originally Posted by Joysey77

The state is so large I dont know where to begin to look. There are certain things I am looking for and have researched one county after another, one region of PA after another and am just confused where to go.I am a stay at home mom and my husband will be retiring soon. We have 5 kids so good schools are a must. Low crime is a must. I can afford about 250000 for a house and would like a little land if possible. Im also very conservative, Italian and Catholic so being around people similar to me would help. I will have a horse so parts of the state that have many farms for boarding and training will help. Im concerned with flooding. I just lived through Sandy and watched the bay flood down my street. So low chance of flooding is essential, if possible. I need to be within 2 hours to an excellent hospital and major airport. Also, I dont want small town or big city. Maybe 30-50000 would be nice. Im coming from Jersey and dont want to much of a culture shock lol!What do you recommend?

Try the surrounding communities in the Wyoming Valley.

250K will get you a really nice house on a few acres in the right location. That's a sizable budget in this area, having watched some of those realty shows I was surprised to learn I'm living in a million dollar home if it were located in some of those suburban areas . Here's an example, if you found a similar property with a few more acres I'd imagine you could house the horse yourself:



There is a very strong Catholic and Italian community here.

Low crime, assuming you're not moving into the valley which really isn't bad itself in most parts.

Schools, decent for the most part. Again you need to research the schools as there is about 8 districts in the area. Some are not that great.

There is a hospital that is going to be about 30 minutes but within a 2 hours you could just about be in Philly. There is airport in the area with jet service.

[toobusytoday]

Originally Posted by Joysey77

The state is so large I dont know where to begin to look. There are certain things I am looking for and have researched one county after another, one region of PA after another and am just confused where to go.I am a stay at home mom and my husband will be retiring soon. We have 5 kids so good schools are a must. Low crime is a must. I can afford about 250000 for a house and would like a little land if possible. I'm also very conservative, Italian and Catholic so being around people similar to me would help. I will have a horse so parts of the state that have many farms for boarding and training will help. I'm concerned with flooding. I just lived through Sandy and watched the bay flood down my street. So low chance of flooding is essential, if possible. I need to be within 2 hours to an excellent hospital and major airport. Also, I dont want small town or big city. Maybe 30-50000 would be nice. Im coming from Jersey and dont want to much of a culture shock lol!What do you recommend?

Why is it that people, no matter what state I'm researching, and Ive looked into many, have the need to tell me not to turn your town into NJ? I don't understand. I always ask simple questions where is best for my family and in turn get a NJ comment. It gives the impression that your very nasty for no reason.

I guess I wouldn't talk about wanting to move to a brand new place and not wanting culture shock in the same breath.

I've moved a bunch and my biggest suggestion is to figure out what's really important to you. You are not going to find North Jersey in Pennsylvania. There will be a culture shock, but I hope that's not a bad thing. I didn't really think there were areas in Pennsylvania outside of the big cities that have a big Catholic Italian population so it's interesting to hear the responses.

You probably can find a house that's in your price range in the Lehigh Valley but not with land. There are many places though that board horses.

[thecoalman]

Originally Posted by toobusytoday

I didn't really think there were areas in Pennsylvania outside of the big cities that have a big Catholic Italian population so it's interesting to hear the responses.

In the Wyoming Valley you're either Polish(or other peoples from eastern Europe like Slovak ), Italian or Irish... usually a combination of all three. It certainly works out well as far as the food goes.

[bnepler]

You may want to consider the Hershey area. It's a conservative Italian area. Hershey medical center there and close to major highways. There are horse farms in the surrounding areas, Grantville Horse track there.