What are good places to live in Erie PA? (Pittsburgh: insurance, crime)

[Tobie_and_Zarah]

Hello
My family and I, are moving from Pittsburgh PA, to Erie PA in a couple of months. Does anyone have any suggestions of good places to live in Erie? What places should we avoid? Also how do the winters compare in Erie to the winters in Pittsburgh?
Thank You

[Ohiogirl81]

Depends on what you're looking for, how much you can spend, whether you have school-age kids, what your priorities are. Can you elaborate?

Don't worry about the winter.

[Tobie_and_Zarah]

Thanks for the reply. We would like the house to be fairly close to Penn State Erie College and the VA Medical Center on E 38th st. We are looking for a place that is more rural and where the houses are not as close to together.
Thanks

[trackstar13]

Well you probably want to look at Harborcreek, North East, eastern Summit Township and maybe Wattsburg if you don't mind a little bit of a commute. It all depends on your budget and what you are comfortable with, but those are the main areas with more land close to where you want to be.

[Tobie_and_Zarah]

Thanks for the reply. How are the winters?

[trackstar13]

Originally Posted by Tobie_and_Zarah

Thanks for the reply. How are the winters?

Well I am from Pittsburgh and I have also lived in Minnesota in addition to Erie so I will give you my perspective. The winters are worse than Pittsburgh in terms of snow, but not much colder. When compared to Minnesota the winters in Erie are warmer, but Erie gets more snow than most parts of Minnesota. You don't have to be terrified of the snow in Erie though because it is very flat, especially if you live north of Interstate 90. Pittsburgh can be downright treacherous when it snows and you have to drive up/down some of the major hills in traffic. I currently have family in Dormont, Lebo, and Brookline and there are no areas even remotely as hilly as those areas in Erie. If you want to minimize the effects of the snow, the key is to live as close to the lake as possible and try not to live south of Interstate 90, because that is where the snow really gets bad. Areas closer to the lake seriously get about 75% or less of the snow that people south of 90 get. It is even noticeable if you go from the lakeshore south to Peach st. near Splash Lagoon.

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by Tobie_and_Zarah

Thanks for the reply. We would like the house to be fairly close to Penn State Erie College and the VA Medical Center on E 38th st. We are looking for a place that is more rural and where the houses are not as close to together.
Thanks

That helps. Between the two are Harborcreek and Millcreek townships. Both have a large range of housing as far as size, price, density, etc.

Originally Posted by trackstar13

Areas closer to the lake seriously get about 75% or less of the snow that people south of 90 get. It is even noticeable if you go from the lakeshore south to Peach st. near Splash Lagoon.

Ha. Last winter a friend who lives out in Greenfield Township near I-86 kept telling me about all this monumental snow at her place, and when I asked my mom about it -- Mom lives about a half-mile from the lake as the crow flies -- she said "What snow?"

Even in the summer the difference is often noticeable. If I am my mom's house wearing shorts and a T-shirt, but am going out to my friend's house after dark, I take a jacket.

[Tobie_and_Zarah]

Thanks for all of the excellent replies. I really appreciate it. Yes, I agree that Pittsburgh is a very dangerous place to drive in the winter time, due to all of the hills. What are housing prices like in the Harborcreek area, and how is the public transit system in Erie compare to Pittsburgh?
Thanks

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by Tobie_and_Zarah

What are housing prices like in the Harborcreek area

Again, the answer is all over the place. You'll find everything in Harborcreek from 19th century farmhouses to teeny 1950s tract homes to bigger 1950s tract homes to 1970s tract homes to McMansions -- and all of those can be found in every price range. Same with Millcreek.

and how is the public transit system in Erie

Yeesh, I haven't been on the bus in Erie since I was in college. If you're out in the semi-rural areas of the townships, there isn't much public transit at all. Some routes do go out to Behrend. If you're going to be dependent upon public transportation, you'll need to watch carefully where you live.

Here's a link to the transit authority:

Home

[badguykc]

It's obviously everyone's free choice as to their right of abode, but I DETEST when locals from here automatically suggest places like North East, Harborcreek, etc. to newcomers to Metro Erie. Why not live in the City? MANY areas of the City of Erie are NOT as bad as 90% of you make it out to be...compared to places like Youngstown, Flint, Camden (all smaller or comparable size to Erie)...it's not even CLOSE!

There are plenty of great areas WITHIN the City of Erie that are a stone's throw from Behrend. Try the area above East 38th Street between Davison and McClelland. For groceries and amenities, Tops Market, Dollar General, plus many other stores are all in that area (Tops is at 38th and Stanton), Wal-Mart, McDonald's, and Burger King are all on Broad Street about a mile or so away, and the VA is a 5-10 minute drive (MAYBE 15 in the winter, compare THAT to the one-hour-plus commute from places like North East staring you in the face during a blizzard) Not to mention that crime is low in far southeast Erie. Last but not least, if you drive, the Bayfront Connector takes you right to the downtown area, where you can enjoy Otters/Seawolves games, shows at Erie Insurance Arena/Warner Theatre, 8 Great Tuesdays on the Bayfront, Block Parties downtown, Italian fest in Little Italy in August...I could go on and on about the wonderful things the City of Erie has to offer you.

If you live out in the county, good luck with public transportation. Wattsburg, most of Harborcreek, and all of Summit outside of Upper Peach Street aren't even served by EMTA if I recall correctly. North East has I believe AT MOST 2-3 buses a day going to and from downtown Erie, compared to hourly buses and multiple routes from the Mall/Airport areas in Millcreek.

It's your choice, but all I ask of you is that you at least look at Erie with an open mind, rather than listen to everyone else's bad opinions and run to the County without at least driving around the City and forming YOUR own opinion beforehand.

Good luck, and welcome to the Flagship City Erie, Pennsylvania!