Macungie or Lewisburg (Philadelphia, Scranton, Bethlehem: middle-class, how much, homes)

[familymom]

Thinking of relocating to PA for hopefully a more stress free life. We are looking at the Macungie area which is beautiful, close to NJ for family, but high taxes. Our second choice is Lewisburg, which we have not seen yet but seems to have a lot of good qualities. Housing prices are not an issue, school and jobs are. Which area would you choose and why? Any help would be appreciated.

[PATRAIN]

I would not move to either unless you teach at the college level or are in the medical field. Jobs are sparce, however, lewisburg is very nice.

[familymom]

Thanks you, finally a reply. My husband is in the heating and air conditioning field. Usually he always can manage to find a job, but how much it pays??? I think that the Lehigh Valley is growing quicker than Lewisburg? Which means more homes and more work, I just really like the idea of Lewisburg, but it may be a little too rural and layed back for me. Both areas I am sure have alot of pros and cons.

[SteelCityRising]

Both communities have their advantages and disadvantages for sure. Macungie is a small town in the Lehigh Valley, which puts you very near to medium-sized city attractions such as minor-league sporting events, concerts, outlet malls, theatre, etc. The areas surrounding Macungie are urban sprawl wastelands where upper-middle-class housing developments are overtaking once pristine farmlands. Wages will be higher in the Lehigh Valley, but the cost-of-living certainly makes up for it, as I believe housing prices here are the most expensive in Pennsylvania outside of the Philadelphia suburbs. Being near I-78 will put you in a strategic location for fun day trips to either Philadelphia or New York City without having to deal with all of the headaches of actually raising a family in either city. The Lehigh Valley's population just eclipsed 800,000 a year or two ago (according to the most recent estimates), and I predict that population will be 1,000,000 by 2020. With growth comes all of the downsides---higher taxes to offset new school construction, more traffic congestion, urban sprawl, higher crime, etc.

[Dawne]

I know nothing about Macungie, but I can tell you that Lewisburg is beautiful and the schools are great. However, unless your husband goes into business for himself or gets in with a hospital or other institution he probably won't make much in heating and AC. My husband did that for a while (granted at entry level) but he only made $8.00 an hour, not nearly enough for us to live on.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by Dawne

I know nothing about Macungie, but I can tell you that Lewisburg is beautiful and the schools are great. However, unless your husband goes into business for himself or gets in with a hospital or other institution he probably won't make much in heating and AC. My husband did that for a while (granted at entry level) but he only made $8.00 an hour, not nearly enough for us to live on.

Oh dear. That's actually rather disturbing. I'm working at a big-box store while going to school, and I'm actually earning much more than that. Since most HVAC contractors I know here in the SWB area live QUITE comfortably, I'm guessing your husband may have been taken advantage of. I'll have to do some research into average wages for that industry in Central Pennsylvania, but my hunch told me that your husband's company was raking him over the coals.

To get back on-topic, Lewisburg is indeed one of my favorite small towns in Pennsylvania, perhaps only rivaled by Wellsboro (it even beats out Scranton, which for me is an AMAZING feat to take note of! LOL!) Everyone in town was so friendly during my photo tour of Lewisburg. People would slow to permit you to cross the street at crosswalks instead of deliberately attempting to mow you down, strangers returned my "Good morning" greetings (which you don't experience in my area), and people looked like they generally cared about the outward appearance of their community. I normally don't like to "label" people, but I feel quite comfortable labeling much of my hometown of Pittston as being "white trash" who do NOT care about the unkempt appearance of their properties or the hostile and negative image that presents to outsiders; I actually have seen homes here with rusted toilets on their front lawns, yet nobody seems to care! Lewisburg is like a hybrid between Bedford Falls and Mayberry. Its only downfall is that it is such a LONG drive to Harrisburg, Williamsport, State College, or even Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to enjoy some "city" conveniences.

[KristyLiz]

I don't know Lewisburg, but we just moved to Lower Macungie this fall and we really like it!

[Dawne]

Originally Posted by SWB

Oh dear. That's actually rather disturbing. I'm working at a big-box store while going to school, and I'm actually earning much more than that. Since most HVAC contractors I know here in the SWB area live QUITE comfortably, I'm guessing your husband may have been taken advantage of. I'll have to do some research into average wages for that industry in Central Pennsylvania, but my hunch told me that your husband's company was raking him over the coals.

Paul, thanks for your concern. My husband worked for a small company, one man/owner and two other employess, plus my husband (the trainee). I would think the bigger companies, such as Montour Oil and Snyder Fuels (and others I can't think of now) would pay better. We had a friend who was in the business for himself, got tired of the headaches of owning his own business, went to work for one of the bigger companies and now, a couple years later, is back in business for himself again.

I totally agree with your assessment of Lewisburg. It's quaint, beautiful, friendly, safe, and a great place to live and raise a family.

[familymom]

Thanks for the feed back. I really don't understand why people want a rusted toilet in their front yard and that really drives me nuts. I would like to avoid them for neighbors. Does Lewisburg have toilet decorations? I know a lot older folks maybe can't keep up with the outside work but for young families, I don't get it= have some pride. It sounds like Lewisburg may be the winner on this thread, but I have to say the Leigh has some beautiful country side scenery. Just haven't found any nice towns, beside maybe Bethlehem and Easton. I shouldn't say just nice I mean walkable and having a purpose of going there ( like ice cream stores or little cafes)

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by familymom

Thanks for the feed back. I really don't understand why people want a rusted toilet in their front yard and that really drives me nuts. I would like to avoid them for neighbors. Does Lewisburg have toilet decorations? I know a lot older folks maybe can't keep up with the outside work but for young families, I don't get it= have some pride. It sounds like Lewisburg may be the winner on this thread, but I have to say the Leigh has some beautiful country side scenery. Just haven't found any nice towns, beside maybe Bethlehem and Easton. I shouldn't say just nice I mean walkable and having a purpose of going there ( like ice cream stores or little cafes)

Sorry to confuse you, but my "toilet" reference was a jab at my own hometown, which is over an hour from either Macungie or Lewisburg. The two towns you're seeking seem to have MUCH more civic pride, and people actually care about how the appearance of their properties affects the overall perception of their communities.

I'd recommend that if possible you visit both communities and arrive at your own conclusion. I forgot to mention that Lewisburg is a college town, so the population is a lot younger than the population of Macungie, which brings good elements (theatrical productions, guest lecturers, tolerance, etc.) and bad elements (off-campus partying).