info on gettysburg area (York, Chambersburg: crime, homes, school district)

[idowhatilove]

Can anyone give me info on gettysburg area? We would be commuting to Ft Deitrick MD. Would like info on crime, family life, restaurants, shopping, traffic, schools, etc.

[jfeagin]

Commute isn't that bad, about 30-40 minutes. Remember, G'burg is a small town and there are some good restaurants but Adams county in general is in the sticks... Shopping... well there is the Super Walmart in Rouzervville and the outlets... If you like the CW, there are plenty of shops for reenactors.

Crime... not that much. Wish I could get a IT job in Ft Dietrick, I currently drive down to Sterling, VA. Oh.. watch out for the deer, darned near tagged one this morning...

John

[cemell2000]

Gettysburg is a nice area. Somewhat congested though in months of april thru september espcecially with the tourists. i live about 30 mins. west of gettsburg but am very familiar with the area. went to college in york, pa. for working in ft. detrick though, there are nice areas south and southwest of gettysburg, in the waynesbor area that puts you easily accessable to the fort. cost of living may be a tad bit less in waynesboro area as well. crime about the same, relatively minimal. yet, you are just minutes from Washington DC. email me with any further questions.

[idowhatilove]

Thanks for the info. I saw some amazing looking homes in Waynesboro area. There is such a wide area to look in it is going to be tough to fit it all in on our short scouting trip. I think Waynesboro will make it to our list. Again, Thanks for the input.

[mkellam]

I've lived in Franklin County for 30+ years, so please let me know if I can help you with any answers about the area. Waynesboro to Frederick is about a 45 minute commute depending on the way you go, there are several. Are schools a issue for you? If so, the Greencastle school district is considered the best in the county. Also, prices tend to be higher the closer to the Maryland line you are. If you come a little farther north toward Chambersburg home prices are better. Just some thoughts.

[ajacksb]

I lived in Gettysburg for a year and a half right out of grad school in 2006. I moved there for a job - the job was OK and I got some good experience, but the town and the hinterlands bored me to hell. The restaurants in Gettysburg were poor and overpriced, almost all the shops in town are tourist-oriented, and the nearest decent mall is 45 minutes away. Maybe my expectations were too high moving into a rural area, but I felt too far away from civilization.

Frederick, MD is a much more livable area if you can afford it.

[kenokween]

I have lived outside Gettysburg most of my life. Im not gonna lie, I Hate it here!
Summer you cant get through town,Winter everything is dead, jobs suck, Taxes are outragious and getting worse! You'll find you will be heading either South to Frederick or into York to do any shopping. There is no nightlife except the occasional red neck kareoke scene (I work in a bar in Gettysburg, I know)The Restaurants cater to tourists and are very high priced, theres nothing really for the kids to do here unless you wanna go to one of the local rec parks and dodge 9mm bullets! and Im not too keen on the school systems here either.
WOW I read back over my post and realized just how bad I really hate it here! LOL Honestly...I wouldnt move here

[Marodi]

Originally Posted by kenokween

I have lived outside Gettysburg most of my life. Im not gonna lie, I Hate it here!
Summer you cant get through town,Winter everything is dead, jobs suck, Taxes are outragious and getting worse! You'll find you will be heading either South to Frederick or into York to do any shopping. There is no nightlife except the occasional red neck kareoke scene (I work in a bar in Gettysburg, I know)The Restaurants cater to tourists and are very high priced, theres nothing really for the kids to do here unless you wanna go to one of the local rec parks and dodge 9mm bullets! and Im not too keen on the school systems here either.
WOW I read back over my post and realized just how bad I really hate it here! LOL Honestly...I wouldnt move here

I've lived here for 20 now, and it might not be the most 'hopping' place around, or have a night life, but you surely haven't spent much time here.

1) During tourist season OF COURSE there's gonna be more traffic, that's why you need to learn the alleys and back roads to get through town. Winter it isn't dead except in the tourist related industries, aka gift shops. Everything is still up and running. And there is less traffic during off-season.
2) Taxes are fine as long as you don't live IN the borough. THe borough is strapped for cash due to the high percent (I think it's around 50%) of land that is non-taxable.
3) There isn't much shopping. Most of it can be done in hanover, but if you need something else there's a good selection in camp hill and generally in the harrisburg area just 45 min away.
4) Restaraunts don't particularly cater to tourists. They don't go out of their way to get them. However when you have 1.5 million tourists a year, of course there is going to be a large number of tourists going to the restaraunts. The prices aren't any diffrent than any other location in the US.
5) There is only one rec park.
6) Granted, there isn't much in the way of jobs in this area. That part IS true. Anything here is generally a lower class job, making 30k or less. However, the cost of living isn't as high as in other places in the country, especially compared to just over the border into MD.
7) There is hardly and gun crime in gettysburg. I wouldn't have any issue walking down breckinridge (the 'ghetto' of gettysburg, which compared to any city is laughable) at night alone.
8) The school system is average. Not excellent, but definately not the worst.

[kenokween]

You are crazy! But then I really think Im crazy for staying here...I work at a local bar and 10 minutes after I left last Wednesday..a homeless guy broke out a window and robbed the place. I have to close up by myself! That really scared me!

Also my uncle has been a town cop in G-Burg for 20 years and theres more goes on in that town than whats told to the public...because it being a tourist town! OK I guess if you are daring enough go ahead and walk down those ghetto streets but remember to stay off the square thats where all the murder victims get dumped!

Oh and a friend of mine was just mugged 2 weeks ago in the Lincoln Diner parking lot!

I guess times are tough and really its getting bad anywhere you go, but damn this is Gettysburg! The war is over right???

Another traffic headache is BikeWeek UGH!

[danwxman]

Originally Posted by kenokween

You are crazy! But then I really think Im crazy for staying here...I work at a local bar and 10 minutes after I left last Wednesday..a homeless guy broke out a window and robbed the place. I have to close up by myself! That really scared me!

Also my uncle has been a town cop in G-Burg for 20 years and theres more goes on in that town than whats told to the public...because it being a tourist town! OK I guess if you are daring enough go ahead and walk down those ghetto streets but remember to stay off the square thats where all the murder victims get dumped!

Oh and a friend of mine was just mugged 2 weeks ago in the Lincoln Diner parking lot!

I guess times are tough and really its getting bad anywhere you go, but damn this is Gettysburg! The war is over right???

Another traffic headache is BikeWeek UGH!

lol....crime in small towns is always exaggerated. "Murder victims"??? Priceless. There hasn't been a murder since at least 2001. Even the stats on this site back that up!