Can you help me decide (Allentown, Bethlehem: real estate market, hotels, homes)

[familymom]

I am driving myself nuts. We are a family from NJ looking to move to Pa. We are thinking Lewisburg, Allentown area, Mechanicsville, Elizabethtown or Greencastle. Talk about all over the place! All look nice on paper. We want good schools, economy that is normal to good. A nice downtown with lots of family planned events (parades, fairs). Our budget is $400K for a newer 4 bedroom home on at least .5 acres. I am also looking for an area that will hold its resale value down the road, so a desirable area is very important. Any help would be appreciated.

[danwxman]

Originally Posted by familymom

I am driving myself nuts. We are a family from NJ looking to move to Pa. We are thinking Lewisburg, Allentown area, Mechanicsville, Elizabethtown or Greencastle. Talk about all over the place! All look nice on paper. We want good schools, economy that is normal to good. A nice downtown with lots of family planned events (parades, fairs). Our budget is $400K for a newer 4 bedroom home on at least .5 acres. I am also looking for an area that will hold its resale value down the road, so a desirable area is very important. Any help would be appreciated.

I'm not sure where Mechanicsville is, but if you meant Mechanicsburg then I would definitely recommend it. Lots of street parades in the summer and a very walkable downtown with shops. Same is true for Elizabethtown. They are also more affordable then anything close to Philly or the Lehigh Valley.

[familymom]

Yes Mechnicsburg is the town. Thanks.

[Rtom45]

Elizabethtown is great. Small town located close to everything. My wife grew up there, and her parents lived there until they passed.
Allentown (the Lehigh Valley) is also great. We lived and worked there for 25 years until work took us away. The Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton areas are much busier than the the Harrisburg to Lancaster area.

[mleo]

Central PA is a great area to live and raise a family. Some areas to consider in Central PA: Camp Hill, New Cumberland, Hershey, Elizabethtown, and Mechanicsburg (Hampden Township).

We have great public schools in the area as well. Feel free to check out this website: SchoolMatters - Home

The real estate market is extremely stable. In 2007, while other markets were depreciating, our homes appreciated by 2%. Thankfully, we are not affected by the large swings like Florida, Nevada, California, and Arizona.

Here are some other sites that may help narrow down your selection:
Harrisburg-Hershey-Central PA Welcome Center
Central Pennsylvania CVB : Hotels, Attractions & Tours For State College PA

Best of luck!!

[momix5]

In elizabethtown what are the property taxes say on a 170,000 home say half acre?

[mleo]

The property taxes on a home listed at $170,000 on a half acre is approximately $1900 per year.

[Dawne]

My personal preference out of the places you mentioned would be Lewisburg. It has everything you mentioned, but it is a bit of a drive from the city life if you want to take in a show at a larger venue, such as the Giant Stadium in Hershey or the Wachovia Arena in Wilkes-Barre.

[suburbanite1]

You can get a really nice 4 bedroom home in the Mechanicsburg / Camp Hill (Hampden Township) for $400k. The neighborhoods are nice, the schools are great and the homes are still appreciating even in this market. For events etc. there are some nice ones along the river in Harrisburg through the summer, about 10 minutes away.