Reading / Lancaster Area (Philadelphia, King of Prussia, Pottsville: rentals, to buy, schools)

[lorandsean]

My husband has accepted a job in Reading and he starts March 08. We need to relocate from central NJ and neither one of us has any idea where we want to rent (first) and then possibly buy after a year or so, if we like it. We are:

early 40s
childless by choice
very active (running, hiking, etc.)
politically liberal

We'd like to find an area that demographically approximates us, although we've lived in the city of Chicago and rural Indiana (and now suburban NJ) so we're pretty cool with most people - friends are everywhere if you look - we just have found that being childless makes us outsiders in a lot of places. On the other hand, since schools aren't a consideration (until we go to buy), it might open up more rental areas.

All thoughts are appreciated. Happy New Year!

[hc7612]

HI,
I noticed there was no response, so I thought I would chime in. It is funny, I saw you posting on the NJ forum. We are actually moving from the Reading area (Exeter Township) to Central NJ. I think you and your husband will be just fine here. I myself am politcally conservative, however the area seems a real mix of the two. There are nice areas around to Hike (Nolde Forest) comes to mind. If you are renting first, you might try to find options around Wyomissing and Sinking Springs. You will find that most of the shopping is on that end of town. However, here on the east side of Reading(Exeter) and new shopping center is in the works. I think you will make friends here easily. We moved here from the Midwest, and we have met some of the nicest, most genuine people. Good luck and DM me if there are any other questions. I will try my best.

[Icy Tea]

East of Reading there are a few nice areas to walk and bike on. They are along the Schuylkill River and Canal paths. Both are near Gibraltar and go quite a distance. It's part of a new river trailpath they're building which will go from Pottsville all the way down to Philadelphia, or so. In Birdsboro a washed out road has been turned into a great community walking path but needs to have footbridges built over the creeks in spots. The Horsehoe trail is an easy trail that is mostly wooded but spans quite a few counties east to west. The Appalachian Trail is also in northern Berks and the county is well thought of by thru hikers. Monocacy Hill in Amity Twp. is a nice climb with a good view. Hawk Mountain has great trails and a new one opened north of Hamburg near route 61.
Gring's Mill is a nice quiet scenic walker's park, complete with covered bridge and historic mill. Blue Marsh Lake has miles of trails, as does Hopewell lake park and surrounding area. Mount Penn and Neversink Mountain have hiking trails.
Politically, the area is a middle ground. Blue collar conservative democrats and moderate republicans coexist and often vote for the same candidates. People tend to vote issues and for candidates rather than parties. We had a republican DA lose his office and a democrat county commissioner also lose his position this past election. People tend to become less liberal and conservative and more main stream. If nothing else, you have an issue oriented and civic minded bunch of voters. The area is spearheading the attempt to abolish property taxes, hopefully other counties will get with the program and start demanding it as well.

[lorandsean]

Originally Posted by hc7612

HI,
I noticed there was no response, so I thought I would chime in. It is funny, I saw you posting on the NJ forum. We are actually moving from the Reading area (Exeter Township) to Central NJ. I think you and your husband will be just fine here. I myself am politcally conservative, however the area seems a real mix of the two. There are nice areas around to Hike (Nolde Forest) comes to mind. If you are renting first, you might try to find options around Wyomissing and Sinking Springs. You will find that most of the shopping is on that end of town. However, here on the east side of Reading(Exeter) and new shopping center is in the works. I think you will make friends here easily. We moved here from the Midwest, and we have met some of the nicest, most genuine people. Good luck and DM me if there are any other questions. I will try my best.

Thanks so much for all this information. My husband is going out to Reading today to start looking, so this all very helpful. Good luck in central NJ - I love it here, I do not want to move but my husband is from Nebraska and it's too crowded for him! PA is our compromise. I will DM you if I think of anything else. Good luck!

[lorandsean]

Originally Posted by Icy Tea

East of Reading there are a few nice areas to walk and bike on. They are along the Schuylkill River and Canal paths. Both are near Gibraltar and go quite a distance. It's part of a new river trailpath they're building which will go from Pottsville all the way down to Philadelphia, or so. In Birdsboro a washed out road has been turned into a great community walking path but needs to have footbridges built over the creeks in spots. The Horsehoe trail is an easy trail that is mostly wooded but spans quite a few counties east to west. The Appalachian Trail is also in northern Berks and the county is well thought of by thru hikers. Monocacy Hill in Amity Twp. is a nice climb with a good view. Hawk Mountain has great trails and a new one opened north of Hamburg near route 61.
Gring's Mill is a nice quiet scenic walker's park, complete with covered bridge and historic mill. Blue Marsh Lake has miles of trails, as does Hopewell lake park and surrounding area. Mount Penn and Neversink Mountain have hiking trails.
Politically, the area is a middle ground. Blue collar conservative democrats and moderate republicans coexist and often vote for the same candidates. People tend to vote issues and for candidates rather than parties. We had a republican DA lose his office and a democrat county commissioner also lose his position this past election. People tend to become less liberal and conservative and more main stream. If nothing else, you have an issue oriented and civic minded bunch of voters. The area is spearheading the attempt to abolish property taxes, hopefully other counties will get with the program and start demanding it as well.

This is all great information. Thanks so much for taking the time to reply with all this, it's very helpful. It's nice to hear people are issue-oriented and civic-minded - whatever side of issues one is on, that's the most important thing for a successful society! Thanks again.

[hc7612]

Originally Posted by lorandsean

Thanks so much for all this information. My husband is going out to Reading today to start looking, so this all very helpful. Good luck in central NJ - I love it here, I do not want to move but my husband is from Nebraska and it's too crowded for him! PA is our compromise. I will DM you if I think of anything else. Good luck!

After your husband's trip please let me know if he or you have any questions. I will try and answer any questions you might have. I understand your husband's desire for wide open space. I am originally from Missouri and do not like to feel "cramped." It must be a Midwestern thing. LOL. Good luck on your search.

[ChrisatDuke]

My family moved from Central Jersey (Somerset) to Reading, PA (Exeter Twp) when I was younger, and it was a complete culture shock for my parents, since they had grown up in the NYC metro area. They thought Reading was the country. My mother refused to believe that Reading was an actual city! But I think it's a lot better these days, in terms of quality of life and the amount of entertainment/things to do. There's a lot of commercial and residential development in Berks County. I would suggest Exeter Township or Wyomissing. Exeter is better if you want to commute to King of Prussia or Philadelphia, since it is a few miles east and south of Reading. Wyomissing is better if you want an older, upscale community with less of the "cookie-cutter" development housing.

[Friendly_Guy]

Originally Posted by lorandsean

early 40s
childless by choice
very active (running, hiking, etc.)
politically liberal

Avoid Lancaster County! It's a den of conservatism and, *gasp*, incredibly Republican!!!

Aside from that, it is a nice place to live!

[lorandsean]

Originally Posted by ChrisatDuke

My family moved from Central Jersey (Somerset) to Reading, PA (Exeter Twp) when I was younger, and it was a complete culture shock for my parents, since they had grown up in the NYC metro area. They thought Reading was the country. My mother refused to believe that Reading was an actual city! But I think it's a lot better these days, in terms of quality of life and the amount of entertainment/things to do. There's a lot of commercial and residential development in Berks County. I would suggest Exeter Township or Wyomissing. Exeter is better if you want to commute to King of Prussia or Philadelphia, since it is a few miles east and south of Reading. Wyomissing is better if you want an older, upscale community with less of the "cookie-cutter" development housing.

I can imagine! My parents lived their whole lives in northern NJ and I believe felt the world stopped at the Delaware River - anything west of that was wilds that were best not explored.

Thanks for the info! We've been hearing a lot of recommendations for Exeter and Wyommissing. Yesterday we heard from the realtor at the hospital where my husband will be working, and she sent us listings for Douglassville and Wernersville (note, we are looking to rent a house). Any thoughts from the helpful people here?

[hc7612]

Depending on which hospital he is going to be working at. If it is Wernersville, then I would try to stay to the west side of Reading. If it is St. Joes or Reading Hospital, I think Douglassville would possibly be an option. I am guessing that would be approx. a 25 minute commute. Just a guess. I know nothing about Rentals, so hopefully someone else has ideas.