Lancaster, Lititz, or Main Line Pa? (Philadelphia, York: fit in, for sale, apartment complexes)

[LauraB62]

I have asked a couple of questions on this forum, but realized I needed to fill out the "sticky". I read that I may get more responses this way. I am still struggling with whether to live in Philadelphia (we are more accustomed to large cities) or living in or around Lancaster. (Husband would commute by train if we chose the suburbs of Philly.) School is our most important consideration. My kids are in High School.

When are you moving? Within the next year or 1.5 years (Might let my oldest finish high school in Atlanta.)
Where are you coming from? Atlanta
Why are you moving? Job
Where will you be working? Husband's job would be in Lancaster
Have you been here yet? Yes

Will you buy or rent? Buy
If buying, are you looking for a house or a condo? How much can you spend? House, about $900,000
If renting, are you looking for an apartment, a townhouse or loft? How much can you spend?
Do you prefer hi-rise or walk up?

Are you married or single? Do you have children? Married with Children
Do you prefer public or private schools? Private (prefer non-religious college prep schools), but would consider public
Do you have pets? yes, a cat
Do you want or need a yard? yes
Are you keeping a car? yes
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? We prefer bustling activity.

What do you want to be closest to? My kid's school and a town or village with shops/restaurants
Work: not that important as long as it is within 20-40 minutes
Shopping: yes, but do not like malls
Basic services (supermarket, drugstore, etc.): yes
Nightlife: ehhh. Prefer good restaurants
Train or subway stations: yes

Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood? Prefer diversity, but do not always get it in our price range.

Phillies, Pirates or Mets? Go Braves!

I hope this was what I was supposed to do! I look forwrd to any advice.
Thanks!
Laura
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[pman]

you could probably buy 6 houses in lancaster city or even build your own house near the train station and send your kid tp lancaster country day school for $900k. lititz is a great small town but it's a small town. lancaster is a small city, quiet compared to philly but bustling compared to lititz. if you're used to city life you might want to try lancaster city, specifically the west end or downtown. trains from lancaster to philly run 8-14 times a day and take 63-73 minutes, most continue on to ny. you could also pick somewhere in between like downingtown (west of the main line). is your husband's job near the lancaster train station?

[LauraB62]

pman: Thank you! Yes, my husband would work somewhat close to the train station. We have looked online at the School Lane Hills area. Is that area around there safe? It appears to be a nice, old established neighborhood. We also saw, online, a really cool old brownstone type property in downtown Lancaster on E King Street. Would that area be safe as well? And, you mention Lancaster Country Day School. How does it compare with the Philly main line public and private schools? (The only reviews I can find online for LCDS are somewhat mixed.) Thank you so much for taking the time to give me some information!

[flyonpa]

I would limit your search to the area around lancaster. I could not see subjecting your DH to 3-4hr a day of a commute. He will miss most of your kids activities.

Think of it this way. You live in PTC, and he works in Alpharetta, Does day every day 5 days a week week after week, year after year. Is that fair to him? (Where in Atlanta area are you? County).

What activities do the kids do? There are good High Schools around, Also a few private HS.

[LauraB62]

flyonpa: I am slowly coming to the conclusion that living in or around Lancaster is going to be he best for our family. Although, he has had commutes in other cities of 30-40 minutes, my husband's commute here in Atlanta is 10 minutes! We live in Midown and he works downtown. As far as the kids activities are concerned, my son's main focus is jazz, as he is a jazz drummer in a jazz combo. My daughter is a a dancer. Neither one are interested in competitive sports. Both do very well academically. They are very worldly kids...before moving to New York, then Atlanta, they lived in 3 different countries.

[pman]

Originally Posted by LauraB62

pman: Thank you! Yes, my husband would work somewhat close to the train station. We have looked online at the School Lane Hills area. Is that area around there safe? It appears to be a nice, old established neighborhood. We also saw, online, a really cool old brownstone type property in downtown Lancaster on E King Street. Would that area be safe as well? And, you mention Lancaster Country Day School. How does it compare with the Philly main line public and private schools? (The only reviews I can find online for LCDS are somewhat mixed.) Thank you so much for taking the time to give me some information!

generally speaking the south side is where a lot of the problems occur. downtown is fairly safe, in my experience, many of the haters are former lancastrians but the city has been improving.

I've heard good things about lcds from parents. online reviews are difficult because people like to vent but most don't go out of their way to praise. there aer beautiful homes around franklin and marshall college as well as on east orange st.
since your husband works near the station living something in between like downingtown would be feasible. downingtown is a nice, large suburb in chester county.

[LauraB62]

pman: Thanks again! Yes, I know reviews can be skewed. (LCDS) That's why I have asked on this board about it. I was hoping to get some knowledge from folks that live in the area. I looked at Downingtown online. Although it looks like a sweet little community, it seems rather small. I am not sure I can handle a suburb out in the country! :-) I think we will focus on Lancaster, but still have a look at the Philly mainline towns. I have walked around downtown Lancaster and it seems to be a great little downtown with lots of options for eating, shopping, and walking around. I am also an artist, so the art scene of Lancaster and the art school downtown really interest me. Can you walk from the area around F&M College to downtown Lancaster? Or, is it just a bit too far? Oh, and if we rent a place for a year while searching for a home, where are the best apartment complexes? In addition, are the crime issues in Lancaster basically "smash and grabs" from cars or what? I live in Atlanta, so we have become a bit inured to "smash and grabs" or phone snatchings!

[pman]

depends on how much of a walker you are. I don't find it to be too bad (though west of the college is pretty far, the east side of the college isn't bad). there's a great little italian market, the name escapes me at the moment, on lemon street near the college. there are parts of town that have worse problems than that but I doubt you'll be looking in them.
downingtown is about the same size as lititz. other than paoli, which is an amtrak stop, commuting from the main line to lancaster city would be brutal. you'd either have a terrible drive or take a train to paoli and then catch another train to lancaster.

[Jeanie Beanie]

Lancaster City is a lot more liberal than Lancaster County and you'll see a lot more funky shops, indie restaurants, music & art than the suburbs which IMHO are lovely but very proper. You really should get a realtor to show you around to see if he/she can find what you want.

There are some FABULOUS homes in Lancaster City that are Full of charm, but with kids in high school- hmmm. Lancaster Country Day School would work, though. I think the kids might fit in better at LCDS, because I have a feeling there's a lot of turnover with kids moving in and out with their parent's moves. Students come from Berks County and all over Lancaster County, so there aren't "neighborhood" kids, thus you don't have the life-long friendships that can be hard to break into.

With a house budget of $900K the houses for sale are estates kinda in the suburbs. If you're looking for a more urban experience, as was mentioned, it is much less than that.

My son, for years, had an apartment in the city between F&M and Lancaster General Hospital and it was a great quality of life, for sure. He could walk to First Fridays on Queen Street, the YMCA, a Lancaster Barnstormers game at Clipper Stadium, weekly trips to Central Market, plays & concerts at Fulton Opera House, the main library, and the train station.

Now my son has moved to a suburban area as he's married now and plannng for a family but he does miss the stuff to do downtown. There is something enticing about living in the hubbub. Many times we'd all walk out to eat, then to a symphony, then maybe for drinks then walk home. He'd watch free movies outdoors in Binns Park in the summer. Then there's nearby Long's Park for their terrific free summer Sunday concerts.

I don't really know of any luxury apartments for you to live in in the city, until you're decided if this is what you're looking for, but maybe a realtor could help you with a rental, too. If you're outside the city limits, it is still very handy to things, it's just not really walkable. There are some wonderful large homes near President Buchanan's home that'll knock your socks off. But if you're looking for density, that's not it.

Good Luck with your search!

[LauraB62]

Jeanie Beanie: Thank you so much for all the wonderful information about the City of Lancaster. It was very helpful. There is a lot going on in Lancaster for a small city! It seems like living close in would fit us best. I don't have to be right in the city. But, I don't want to be secluded on a big piece of property and I prefer old historic homes. If you know Atlanta, two of my favorite neighborhods are Inman Park and Ansley Park. (These are two old, historic neighborhoods right in the middle of the city of Atlanta.) So, the area around F&M looks like our cup of tea. I will definitely arrange a look-see for homes and schools as soon as we can. Do you have any knowledge of the reputation of The Pennsylvannia College of Art and Design?
Again, thanks so much!