State College Area (Reading, Altoona, Greenville: real estate, houses, buy)

[BenNY]

Hello everyone, I was wondering if anyone can give any general information
on the State College area ( sense of community, good to raise children, cost of living, real estate taxes, etc.) Thank you.

[airicah]

Hi,
I went to Penn State and after graduating, lived in the area for 2 years. I actually lived outside the town in a place called Pine Grove Mills. It's a very small town, but the houses are a lot less then areas closer to state college. My commute was only 10 minutes, as Pine Grive is very close.

I don't have kids, but I would say State is a great place to raise a family. I think it really depends on what you like to go for fun, as well as your age. I was younger twenties and ready to get out of a college like town. There are students everywhere and I feel like state is not the best place to live for someone b/t the ages of 25-35. I would consider it a great place to retire, but would never live there again b/c of students. It's too young/old of a town.

On the flipside, again, it is a beautiful place. The surroundings are nice and there is lots of rec activities. If you don't mind students taking over the downtown area, then go for it. =)

[turboredcart]

SC is a modern and rich city. Ild love to live there.

[Ex-Ithacan]

I too went to Penn State (graduated quite a while ago). I think it's a typical college town with plenty of activities associated with the university. It is somewhat isolated in the middle of the state, but new freeways are being built to help speed the trip to some interstates. School system is good, but tend to go on spending sprees with the tax payer money.
If you don't want to put up with tons of college kids crowding your life for most of the year, you should look into a small city a short distance from SC - Bellfonte. Charming victorian type town, check it out.

[NittanyLion]

State College is a great town, enough said. Friendly people, great schools, quite contryside, very little crime, it's the ideal American town.

[vetegnc]

We just moved here from NC, for better quality of life and better place to raise a family....and are THRILLED. People are very friendly. Lots of active people. Property taxes here are higher than eastern NC, but now I don't need private schools! (I'm seeing between 3 and 4 K a year for a 250K house...in general...)
We chose SC because:
Great schools
Small town, with all the benefits of a university
LOTS of outdoor activities (I hike in between work and picking up the kids!)
Great things for kids...there's a park around every corner! And well taken care of!
Within 3-4 hours of MAJOR cities...for fun weekend trips!

The only down thing I'm told is poor shopping options...but I'm not a shopper, so I don't care!

[momix5]

What are the poor shopping options, is there a target or walmart close by? If so I am good to go! How come you used Private schools in NC? I am curious because I am torn between PA and NC. We have 5 children just want a nice place to raise a family with good schools!!!!!

[vetegnc]

Oh, definately a Target, two walmarts, new best buy going in. They say the mall is too small (it is for a college town), but like I said, I am not a shopper, so it is by far adequate enough for me! I am overwhelmed at how perfect this area is for us (you can PM for more info on that, if you wish), and wish I found it years ago!
We were an hour east of Raleigh. I guess the schools in Raleigh are good, but then the cost of living goes up quite a bit (they tax EVERYTHING in NC). The reasons I didn't like where we were:
***HOT HOT HOT summers. Like someone said, you can layer up as much as you want in the winter, but there's only so many you can take off in the summer! (and, I think kids should have snow when they're little!!)
***low to average schools...in eastern NC. I think a lot of it has to do with....
***high level of poverty, low average income. This influences the economy in the area, and....the children. The people that fit this category have no ambition, no desires, and are content to sit on their front porch and wait for their check. They pass this attitude on to their children, and the vicious cycle continues. We wanted an area that would be a better influence for our children. And we found it.
***where we were, the closest state park was 45 minutes....each way. A true bummer with two small children.

I look at the NC threads to (because we're still trying to sell our house!), do I remember you looking near Greenville? If not, where at? where are you at now? what do you want in a new location?

[Icy Tea]

State College is always a top city when it comes to safety and lack of crime. It also made a top list of cities for future millionaires, their formula being based on college graduates, university students, acasdemic opportunities, or something. People wondered about that assessment since it was no silicon valley. Even Reading Pa. made a top list to get rich due to low real estate costs and lower costs of living in an otherwise expensive region so you have to wonder about alot of these studies, even the Brookings Institute and Morgan Quitno ratings get criticized for being skewed.

[NittanyLion]

State College's mall is the Nittany Mall. It is pretty small, but State College is also pretty small too, so I guess it's even. Mostly everything you need is at this mall. It has a Bon-Ton, a Macy's, JC Penny's, Sears, The Gap and Kid's Gap, A Hollister, Aeropostale, American Eagle, and a Gymboree. So you're pretty much covered. Downtown also has a lot of Penn State shops, a toy store, and an Abercrombie and Fitch. There are two Walmarts(one on each side of town), a target, a Wegmans, a Giant, a Weis Market, and an Ollie's. They also just built a new Lowe's where the old K-Mart was. Back in the day, you had to drive to Altoona to go shopping, but now SC has a lot more.

Here's a link to Nittany Mall's website: Nittany Mall
Here is a link to a website about State College downtown shopping: Downtown State College Pennsylvania