A little bit hilly, great food, safe, under $300,000 (new house, construction)

[Duderino]

Originally Posted by Max and Catriona

OK now I'm getting really intrigued by Lancaster. Not sure if I should ask more in depth about it in the Harrisburg area subforum or if I can just stick with this thread for all of my questions.

Can anyone compare Lancaster vs Gettysburg for me? I just looked up population #s and was actually shocked Gettysburg is only ~7400. I thought it would be more like 15,000. I like the population size of Lancaster. Oh my gosh now my brain is going non-stop with questions about Lancaster. Do I ask here or in the Harrisburg area forum?

Yeah, Pennsylvania's small towns often look much more populous than they are these days (in many cases, they were, but deindustrialization took root; I digress).

But yes, I'd recommend the Harrisburg forum for more specific advice and perspectives. My recollection is that there are at least a few Lancastrians posting regularly on the PA forum or that subforum.

[Max and Catriona]

In terms of safety and crime how would you compare Easton vs Lancaster? What are the notable differences between the two cities (other than population numbers)? Do they have a similar feel or quite different? I do like that Easton is closer to the Poconos. What are some really clean lakes in the Poconos that are great for swimming and paddle boarding?

Will make a separate post with more Lancaster questions but I'm very much still interested in the other locations suggested in this thread.

[Icy Tea]

Sounds like Berks County/ Lancaster County/ Lebanon where they border each other. Lancaster has those grocery stores you mentioned along with the next tier above them like Stauffer's of Kissel Hill and Shady Maple. And they also have Giant and Redners and Wal Mart to round out the spectrum. Berks is hilly to mountainous in the north and the south. Check out Adamstown, Wernersville, Womelsdorf, Bowmansville. There's a landfill near Honeybroook, just east of there called Lanchester so I guess its straddles the border between the two. And Morgantown has a landfill.
Pa has clean lakes for swimming but those are pretty far away up in the central PA mountains. Not the Poconos, not in Berks or Lancaster or Lehigh. Price wise, you pay to live in Lancaster. That's whyI suggest the edges of it bordering or into Berks. 300s is doable there.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by Icy Tea

Sounds like Berks County/ Lancaster County/ Lebanon where they border each other. Lancaster has those grocery stores you mentioned along with the next tier above them like Stauffer's of Kissel Hill and Shady Maple. And they also have Giant and Redners and Wal Mart to round out the spectrum. Berks is hilly to mountainous in the north and the south. Check out Adamstown, Wernersville, Womelsdorf, Bowmansville. There's a landfill near Honeybroook, just east of there called Lanchester so I guess its straddles the border between the two. And Morgantown has a landfill.
Pa has clean lakes for swimming but those are pretty far away up in the central PA mountains. Not the Poconos, not in Berks or Lancaster or Lehigh. Price wise, you pay to live in Lancaster. That's whyI suggest the edges of it bordering or into Berks. 300s is doable there.

The Shady Maple Farm Market in East Earl is like no other supermarket I've visited in Eastern Pennsylvania.

For one thing, they smoke their own meats and have an unusually wide variety of smoked meats and sausages. They also have an equally wide selection at their deli counter.

For another, they make their own hot sauces, condiment sauces, jams and jellies.

Then they sell oodles of dip, dressing, soup and seasoning powders. If you like to sprinkle cheddar cheese on your popcorn (I do), you won't find powdered cheese for less anywhere else.

They also have lots of candies and a huge produce section. There are probably some other things I've left out because I usually don't visit those sections (the bakery, for instance).

I don't shop there often because when I do, I usually drop mad coin. I'd totally blow my grocery budget shopping there regularly, there's so much temptation inside.

Next door to the supermarket is a huge smorgasbord that's a tourist magnet. It's a celebration of quantity over quality, but the food is good enough and you can eat as much of it as you want for one price. There's a huge gift shop below it featuring not only the usual gift-shop tchotchkes but also Amish-built furniture (though I hear there's even more and better in this category at Good's Store in the same shopping center).

My bf grew up in Adamstown, which lies just inside Lancaster County off Route 222. It's one of those "linear towns" one finds here and there in this part of the state. It's also close to the antique lover's Valhalla called Lititz.

The road leading from Lancaster City to East Earl is also basically one long linear town. It's New Holland Avenue from the city to that town and I forget what beyond it. As you pass between the towns, you should be able to spot farms just beyond the backyards of the houses lining the road. (A friend of mine who used to live in Philadelphia owns and runs a tavern on this highway (it's also State Route 23) in Leola, about 3/4 of the way from Lancaster to East Earl. Should you decide you want to travel out that way, DM me and I'll send you the 411 on it.)

I also believe that the community of Blue Ball is located in East Earl Township. This is one of three Lancaster County communities that produce snickers and nudge-nudge, wink-wink reactions from many who hear their names. The second is Bird-in-Hand, and the biggest and best-known of them is Intercourse, another haven for antique lovers. The community's website even acknowledges the reaction many have on hearing the name in the section explaining how the village, originally called Cross Keys, got its name.

[SteelCityRising]

Lancaster has a Costco, Whole Foods Market, Wegman's, Giant, Weis, and Stauffers for all of your grocery needs. It also has things like an Apple Store, Shake Shack, Starbucks, Target, and all of those other "big city" chains.

$300,000 is doable in Lancaster County, but you may be looking for a townhome or something that is detached but dated and in need of cosmetics at that price point. Lancaster County is growing very quickly; it is in a very convenient location to Philadelphia, Baltimore, Harrisburg, York, and Reading.

[gg]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Lancaster has a Costco, Whole Foods Market, Wegman's, Giant, Weis, and Stauffers for all of your grocery needs. It also has things like an Apple Store, Shake Shack, Starbucks, Target, and all of those other "big city" chains.

$300,000 is doable in Lancaster County, but you may be looking for a townhome or something that is detached but dated and in need of cosmetics at that price point. Lancaster County is growing very quickly; it is in a very convenient location to Philadelphia, Baltimore, Harrisburg, York, and Reading.

Sounds like a wonderful place. Shady Maple Farm Market sounds great as well. Never been over there, might have to check it out.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by gg

Sounds like a wonderful place. Shady Maple Farm Market sounds great as well. Never been over there, might have to check it out.

My ex is from Lancaster County. He lived right by a place called Pine View Dairy. Wonderful place. Despite all the growth occurring there people are generally still friendly, and the pace of life doesn't feel stressful.

[bluecarebear]

Williamsport. There is even a Wegmans.

[pman]

Originally Posted by Icy Tea

Sounds like Berks County/ Lancaster County/ Lebanon where they border each other. Lancaster has those grocery stores you mentioned along with the next tier above them like Stauffer's of Kissel Hill and Shady Maple. And they also have Giant and Redners and Wal Mart to round out the spectrum. Berks is hilly to mountainous in the north and the south. Check out Adamstown, Wernersville, Womelsdorf, Bowmansville. There's a landfill near Honeybroook, just east of there called Lanchester so I guess its straddles the border between the two. And Morgantown has a landfill.
Pa has clean lakes for swimming but those are pretty far away up in the central PA mountains. Not the Poconos, not in Berks or Lancaster or Lehigh. Price wise, you pay to live in Lancaster. That's whyI suggest the edges of it bordering or into Berks. 300s is doable there.

one nice thing about lancaster is an abundance of good small markets like weavers and especially farmer's markets which, in season, sell much higher quality produce than wegmans or giant

[Max and Catriona]

Originally Posted by bluecarebear

Williamsport. There is even a Wegmans.

Williamsport ended up in our top 3 along with Easton and Lancaster. We just spent a month visiting the places recommended in this thread. Liked them all actually! Also liked a couple other random little downtown areas we decided to check out. What we are going to do now is line up a rental to spend time living in the state and hopefully at some point during that rental period we will find a home to buy. Just wanted to pop back in to this thread and thank you all for the excellent suggestions. Looking forward to our move to beautiful PA!