Anyone have any info on YORK,PA (Lancaster, Hanover: apartment complexes, rentals)

[east_tennessee_family]

We are considering relocating to York,PA. My husband has been looking for career advancement and has interest in a position in York, PA. Problem is....I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT PA>>>> We have 1 child still at home (one in college in Maryland) and he's very active in Band. Hes 12 and in the 7 th grade and is doing VERY well where we are now. (A/B student and actually LOVES school..imagine that). I don't want to upset his world so we are looking for good schools, nice very low crime area, NO GANG activity, etc.... Is this EVEN possible in todays world? Are there rentals available in York? I would rather rent for a year or so until I know the area before we buy. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[Marodi]

Originally Posted by east_tennessee_family

We are considering relocating to York,PA. My husband has been looking for career advancement and has interest in a position in York, PA. Problem is....I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT PA>>>> We have 1 child still at home (one in college in Maryland) and he's very active in Band. Hes 12 and in the 7 th grade and is doing VERY well where we are now. (A/B student and actually LOVES school..imagine that). I don't want to upset his world so we are looking for good schools, nice very low crime area, NO GANG activity, etc.... Is this EVEN possible in todays world? Are there rentals available in York? I would rather rent for a year or so until I know the area before we buy. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Well, Lancaster Catholic and South Western (Hanover) have amazing marching bands and regularly take top ranks at the competition.

Sounds like you should check out hanover. There is no real ghetto. It's a middle class area with a lot of it being Utz and misc factory workers. There's a good selection of school districts and catholic schools considering the size. It's about a 30 minute drive to york.

[east_tennessee_family]

Thank you SO much for the quick reply. Moving from East Tennessee can be a scary situation. Where we live now our High School band just went to Hawaii and played for the anniversary of Pearl Harbor and a neighboring town played for the Rose Bowl, so needless to say Band is VERY big in this part of the country. I'll check out the town you mentioned.

[teachbeach]

Southwestern has an amazing band program, always wins competition. For your best education experience (along with a great, but small band) is York Suburban. High test scores, small classes and a very academic focus. Check out the test scores at Pa Dept. of Ed website. The band did go to Hawaii a couple of years ago. They've also been to California, Arizona and Florida. Dallastown and Central York also have good programs with academics to match. There are several nice apartment complexes in all of the above school districts, 3 BR/2BA for about $1000 per month. You can also find townhouses or single family homes. I'd recommend renting for a year as well, so that you have the opportunity to decide where you want to be. York is growing quickly, so traffic (to some) is heavy at times, and some areas might be more desirable to your family needs. U of Maryland is only about 1 1/2 hours away, and we send many students down that way, so it's an easy drive or ability to get a ride. Maryland border is about 20 minutes, Baltimore just an hour. Great area to live, raise a family and entertain. Lancaster is 40 minutes, Gettyburg about an hour and York has it's own rich history. Every denomination of worship is available, most every "formula" restaurant, tons of shopping malls/centers. Cost of living is moderate, soft housing market is buyers dream. I've lived here for 19 years, ask any other questions, I'll be glad to help.

[teachbeach]

Forgot to mention...Newspaper is www/ydr.com for housing information and links to other information.

[east_tennessee_family]

Originally Posted by teachbeach

Southwestern has an amazing band program, always wins competition. For your best education experience (along with a great, but small band) is York Suburban. High test scores, small classes and a very academic focus. Check out the test scores at Pa Dept. of Ed website. The band did go to Hawaii a couple of years ago. They've also been to California, Arizona and Florida. Dallastown and Central York also have good programs with academics to match. There are several nice apartment complexes in all of the above school districts, 3 BR/2BA for about $1000 per month. You can also find townhouses or single family homes. I'd recommend renting for a year as well, so that you have the opportunity to decide where you want to be. York is growing quickly, so traffic (to some) is heavy at times, and some areas might be more desirable to your family needs. U of Maryland is only about 1 1/2 hours away, and we send many students down that way, so it's an easy drive or ability to get a ride. Maryland border is about 20 minutes, Baltimore just an hour. Great area to live, raise a family and entertain. Lancaster is 40 minutes, Gettyburg about an hour and York has it's own rich history. Every denomination of worship is available, most every "formula" restaurant, tons of shopping malls/centers. Cost of living is moderate, soft housing market is buyers dream. I've lived here for 19 years, ask any other questions, I'll be glad to help.

This is an amazingly helpful reply!!!!! Thanks so much for your response. I'm going to that website now to see what is available in the housing market. School IS a BIG deal with us and keeping our son focused on school is a major requirement, therefore;I will not move unless I feel confident he will be ok( and my husband knows this ...HAHAHA). He LOVES school now and I want to keep it that way. Also moving to a new area I'm afraid he will simply take whatever friends he can find and that may not be the focused academically crowd. Heaven knows we are trying our best to raise an adult here. Thanks again!!!!!!

[teachbeach]

Most of the school districts will welcome you with an interview and tour, just like shopping for a college. I've known several of our move-ins to come and tour the school, get a feel for the buildings, curriculum and activities before making the move. You can contact any of the school districts through their websites. Just google, since some of them end with the k12.pa.us and others have turned to org. York Suburban (yshs), Dallastown School District, Southwestern School District, Central York School District (CYS), West York Area School District are probably the tops.