Considering moving to Pennsylvania?! (Pittsburgh, Allentown: big house, construction, schools)

[AutumnxBreeze]

My family and I are currently living in Long Island. Although it is beautiful and will always be a special place to us; living here my whole life, it's time to move. The cost of living is skyrocketing and the amount of people is crazy. We LOVE visiting Pennsylvania and have vacationed numerous times. It's just SO much different than LI and we love that. We have been to the Allentown/Bethelem area, and although it was nice, not the place for us. We love areas surrounding Hershey. Everytime we came to PA, we HAD to go to Lancaster, it's wonderful there. We are deciding between PA and NC but would like to explore what PA has to offer. For one, it is closer to LI.

Anyways, what area would you recommend to us? I will have a daughter enrolled in highschool at the time, so schools are a factor. I would like a somewhat big house with some land. We would like a somewhat quiet area, nothing like the hustle bustle of LI & especially NYC. However, we don't want to be hours away from a mall and attractions. We would like an area where the cost of living is affordable for middle class citizens. My husband works in construction; mostly as a concrete mason & concrete.

Thanks for any help you can offer me.

[Rtom45]

Look into Elizabethtown which is about halfway between Lancaster and Harrisburg. You should come up with some decent information on this site if you use the search function.

[WoodturnerMike]

Check out the Carlisle area which is just a bit SW of Harrisburg.

We're originally from Pittsburgh, moved to Cape May NJ in late '02 and in the process of selling here (we hope) and moving there.

Mike

[pman]

Originally Posted by Rtom45

Look into Elizabethtown which is about halfway between Lancaster and Harrisburg. You should come up with some decent information on this site if you use the search function.

Elizabethtown is a stop on the Keystone Corridor trains from NYC, if that makes it eaier to get down here for a day.

[sharris]

Carlise is a really great area. York and or Adams county are both very close to MD. Job opportunitys can be found in MD with better pay then what PA offers. I also can pass along some local companys names and numbers that may interest your husband .
Also SchoolMatters - Home to look into schools.
Plenty of piece and quite here. however only 45 min to Harrisburg and or Baltimore.
Lots of malls and restaurants within 15 min.
Need any local information please let me know....

[AutumnxBreeze]

Thank you very much for this wonderful information!