Best Small Towns in PA (Pittsburgh, Reading: elementary school, college, income)

[chassis]

Some neat towns in Berks and Lancaster.

Berks: Morgantown, Mohnton, Wyomissing, Kutztown

Lancaster: Ephrata, Blue Ball, New Holland

[Seaharbour]

It seems now to be a trend just bout everywhere I been that the small towns that have no real employment are attracting alot of senior citizens, from what i had seen and experienced myself these days.

[mystree]

You may want to check out the Franklin/Oil City area.If you type in Oil City in the search box above you will find numerous post and also a photo tour that a cd member took.

[pinetar10]

indiana, pa may be a good fit for you

[mjkk2001]

I live in Warren, PA. We have a mix of all age groups. We just got a lot of new stores and places to eat. We just got a super Wal-mart, an Applebee's, Bob Evan's, etc. They are trying to make this town appeal to more people.

[PhillyPhan]

Lititz and Ephrata are two really nice towns

[vwscottie]

Originally Posted by mjkk2001

I live in Warren, PA. We have a mix of all age groups. We just got a lot of new stores and places to eat. We just got a super Wal-mart, an Applebee's, Bob Evan's, etc. They are trying to make this town appeal to more people.

I think it appeals to alot of people in the first place, the problem is, there aren't going to be alot of families moving to the area to work at those establishments. Those kind of jobs don't support an economy.

[vwscottie]

Originally Posted by ScrantonWilkesBarre

The problem with Wellsboro (which I did a photo tour of) is that there is very little economic opportunity to be had there. The nearest major employment centers are 45 minutes away in either Williamsport, PA or Elmira, NY, neither of which would be a fun commute in wintry weather. When I was in town there were all sorts of upper-middle-class senior citizens strolling around (including a full busload that had been dropped off). It appears to be more of a retirement destination than a place you'd move to in order to raise a family, unless you're VERY lucky to find good employment options there.

Yes we know you did your little photo tour........the original poster said this...."Young family looking for a small town in PA with lots of charm and a peaceful atmosphere. Slower pace of life, but not entirely geriatric. A population of around 10,000 is ideal. Good schools. Reasonable house prices. Open to new people." That's exactly what Wellsboro is in MY opinion. Poor economy is the story over and over in small town PA, no matter where you go.

[Rick O'Shea]

in Berks County

[Friendly_Guy]

I live in and like Marietta. To me, the best feature is that it's equally close to Harrisburg, Lancaster, and York. The taxes are low in East Donegal Township, the schools are reasonable, there are some nice restaurants in the area.

Marietta also seems to attract artisans. The area is being developed, but there are regulations to protect farms from being sold to developers, so it will not become urban.
The "down" side is that you must travel between five and 10 miles to go to larger markets and so forth.