Walkable, usable, fun downtowns

[sharris]

Gettysburg PA. Lots of history. Tons of little shops, outlet centers , Movies , plenty of places to eat, Ghost walks, parks, low taxes.Good schools..

[tremontpa]

New Cumberland PA is nice. Pottsville PA, although aged and worn, also has a historic downtown with many old beautiful buildings. There are quite a few stores on Centre Street and many grand cathedrals. Check it out. Its in Schuylkill County (NEPA). Also look into Jim Thorpe. JT is located ini Carbon County and is nestled in the tall mountains. It has a booming victorian downtown.

[jsmo2283]

Originally Posted by psulions2007

It's actually a great place to raise a family and has one of the best public school systems in the state. There are plenty of family things to do in SC, including spring creek, hiking mt nittany, skiing/other activities at tussey, the creamery at PSU, meyer dairy, baseball games at Medlar, football games at Beaver Stadium (There can be rowdy fans, but it is generally okay outside of the student section for kids)...there are multiple great libraries downtown and on campus, the state theatre has excellent shows,....throughout the year, there are plenty of events that happen downtown, including artsfest in the summer (during the day is great for kids)...and the winter lights tour that CATA does is also good. Nearby, whipple dam is a great place to take the kids for a swim, Delgrosso's Amusement Park in Tipton is a great place period for kids.

Also Downtown Events gives a great idea of what events happen in the State College region.

State College...last I checked...was either the 2nd or 4th safest metro area in the United States. The only times you probably don't want to take the kids out is after a major football game, especially the night ones (i.e., Ohio State and Michigan). The homecoming parade is a great sight for kids, too.

Most families don't live downtown either (its mostly students)...the best areas for families are some of the many nice subdivisions that outline the area, such as Toftrees, Park Forest Village, Boalsburg Village, and Lemont Village. Though, several families, particularly with older kids, do live south of downtown in the borough, and along westerly parkway. There is a really nice subdivision in the borough called Orchard Park that you may be interested in.

State College is also very walkable, scenic, and is very friendly to bike riders with many many miles of bike paths. The area is also booming with jobs in high-tech industries, and the university continually attracts employers.


I hope this eases the idea that a college town isn't a great place to raise kids...because honestly, State College has to be one of the best.

You seem to know your stuff! Could you comment on Bellefonte?

[cheesehead1]

State College is an excellent place to raise kids. We lived there for over 3 years and just loved it. There were tons of things downtown to do with them, lots of kids, and great schools. The accessibility of downtown and the little festivals are some of the things I miss most about it. Lewisburg is nice, too; I just am not as familiar with it.

[pman]

Originally Posted by familymom

Can anyone tell us about other great towns besides Doylestown or Bethleham. We want a town that is walkable and has interesting, useable stores for a family. Would like an area that has good schools and lots of parades, festivals and just an all-year round good family character. Also an area that is not economically depressed. I have a few favorites, but just want to see if anyone can come up with new areas. Thanks

Chestnut Hill. while it's in the PSD, if you put your kid in a good charter school you'll be fine. West Chester. Phoenixville. Wayne.

[rachaelb]

State College seemed to have lots of fun places for families and had a really cute downtown! Bellefonte seems really quaint as well - Victorian houses up and down the streets and built on a steep hill - soo cute!!

What do you think about the other areas farther from State College, such as Huntingdon and Pleasant Gap? Are the schools equally as good as the State College area, and are they becoming a popular place to live and commute to SC?

[lititzman2003]

I also thought of Annville. Small, quiet with a nice shopping district.

[Pilot1]

West Chester has a nice little downtown. Lots of restaurants and shops.

[Lion11]

I 100% agree with the State College suggestion. The university brings so much to the town, it's amazing. The Arts Fest in July has it's very own kids day, which is a blast. First Night on New Year's is also a full filled family event, so is the 4th fest. You can also see a show at the Pennsylvania Centre Stage, which has "Chicago" and "Hairspray" coming this fall. Penn's Cave out past Centre Hall is a favorite of mine. Of course, there is also Penn State sports, plus State College's own baseball team. Your kids would enjoy top schools, as well as many area parks and playgrounds, plus state parks for fishing and hiking. Shaver's Creek is a great place to see birds, snakes, and turtles of all kinds. Delgrosso's amusment part is not far away, and it has all kid freindly rides, plus a very clean waterpark.
Downtown has some great shops and restuarants, including a great toy store(The Growing Tree). The Corner room is a great place to take kids for lunch or dinner, plus The Waffle Shop for breakfast. State College also has a GREAT public transportation system, with all of their buses running on Natural Gas, the first system to do so on the east coast.
In the borough you will fing three neighborhoods of older, well preseved homes. These include College Heights, to the north of campus, and Holmes-Foster and the Highlands to the south. You will find The Highlands to have a lot of students, but Holmes-Foster and College Heights are nice. Other neighborhoods in the many townships include Park Forest, Toftrees, Dalevue, and Gray's Woods, just to name a few. Lemont and Boalsburg are also two lovely towns in the State College School District. You can access Mt. Nittany from Lemont, which is a great place to hike, and because it is so well marked, a child as young as 10 could probably do it. I know for a fact Park Forest is on the bus route, so downtown is just moments away, without the hassle of parking. There really is no "bad" or "run down" area of town.
On rainy days, there are movie theaters in town, plus the Nittany Mall. The mall is not all the big or fancy, but it has what you need, like Macy's, Sear's, JC Penney, The Gap, and Gymboree.
Bellefonte is also another great town 15 minutes from State College. It is a great small town, with only 6,000 residents. Downtown is great, the the buildings are amazing. Pleasant Gap is closer to State College than Bellefonte, but still in the Bellefonte school district. Bellefonte schools offer that "small school" feel, with good test scores, and a newly renovated High School. Hudington is south of State College. I really don't know much about it, yet Raystown Lake is there.
I hope this helps you. State College is as good as the "college towns" come!

[jsmo2283]

Originally Posted by Lion11

Bellefonte is also another great town 15 minutes from State College. It is a great small town, with only 6,000 residents. Downtown is great, the the buildings are amazing. Pleasant Gap is closer to State College than Bellefonte, but still in the Bellefonte school district. Bellefonte schools offer that "small school" feel, with good test scores, and a newly renovated High School. Hudington is south of State College. I really don't know much about it, yet Raystown Lake is there.
I hope this helps you. State College is as good as the "college towns" come!

When we visited, some parts of Bellefonte looked a little run down. Does that say anything about the town in general or no? Most of the town looked beautiful!