wanting info on Lancaster PA (Philadelphia, York: sales, insurance, condos)

[nickanheather]

was thinking of moving to lancaster. what is the weather like there? good neighborhoods? housing prices? entertainment? Thanks

[lititzman2003]

Originally Posted by nickanheather

was thinking of moving to lancaster. what is the weather like there? good neighborhoods? housing prices? entertainment? Thanks

Are thinking of moving to the city of Lancaster or the suburbs?

[nickanheather]

well, how is the traffic from the suburbs into town? We want to live in a quiet not overly populated area. We want to be close to the stores and such without a long drive. We have heard lancaster is a pretty nice place to live and that the weather doesn't get too cold. Any advice you can give us would be greatly appreciated. we are rookies to this relocating to another state

[teachbeach]

Have you been here to visit? Drive around? What do you plan to do for a living? Lancaster City itself is limited for shopping; it's mainly restaurants and businesses, with the exception of market. Most of the shopping centers, strip malls and large stores are in the suburbs (if they aren't on or near Route 30) There are many excellent well established neighborhoods, all kinds of pricing for homes, townhomes and condos. There are also some good sized municipalities within Lancaster County that have all that you've specified (theatres, parks, entertainment, shopping). Lancaster is a big area, you'll be amazed at how diverse it can be~farmland next to new developments, old central village type downtowns to new townhouses, all blended in with the old order Amish, who don't use electricity or drive cars.

Do you need school systems? You really have to spend a few days here and see what it has to offer.

[nickanheather]

no, we haven't had a chance to come and visit yet. We like everything that we have researched on the net, though. We hope to come before the years up to come and look at the sights. We do have children in school and are curious to what the academic programs are like here. so, may i ask what the average climate is there? i hope to transfer from the store i work at here to one in the store chain there in lancaster. my husband is looking into aviation schools there. thanks again for your help

[lititzman2003]

Originally Posted by nickanheather

was thinking of moving to lancaster. what is the weather like there? good neighborhoods? housing prices? entertainment? Thanks

The warmest month is July with an average maximum temperature of 85 degrees. January is the coldest with the average low being 21 degrees. Average precipitation is 44 inches. Not sure about the snow but we seem to have more days dealing with ice then snow.

Look at this page for alot of info on Lancaster County:
www.city-data.com/city/Lancaster-Pennsylvania

[nickanheather]

thanks!

[teachbeach]

Lots of good school systems, but proportionate to good schools is usually more expensive housing. Primary portion of 2x annual tax bill goes to schools, based on value of home. Snow isn't usually a problem for more than a day, and the malls even close early or open late if we get a good amount. It's hot and humid during the summer, AC is usually desirable for July/August. Pretty much everything else is below the national average; housing, food, insurance, entertainment (lots of free or inexpensive things to do). Services rendered by townships or municipalities (garbage & trash, libraries, parks & recreation, road repairs, street cleaning etc) are generally pretty reliable and good.

[91004]

I'm a native of Lancaster County and to tell you the truth I am looking at moving out!!!!! Lancaster County is just another "Suburban" Area of Philadelphia now. I hate the Route 30 traffic and the "Tourist Trap" section of Route 30. A two minute drive should not take 1/2 hour!!! Yes and before anyone says anything I used to drive the Schuylkill Expressway on a daily commute so I know there is much worse out there, but a four lane road with New York and New Jersey Tourist doesn't make me a happy camper..

Oh yeah.... If you are a outside and move into the area because of the quaint farmland and beautiful scenery please don't read past this!!! If you live in Lancaster County expect the following and remember the natives were here long before you!!

#1: We have both pig and cow manure in our fields. Pig crap smells the worse. Please don't move into the area next to a farm and then go to the municipality and ask if the farm can be shut down or that the smell bothers you or your family.... Deal with it!

#2: Farm Shows are just that... We show off our pride holsteins, calfs, steer, pigs, piglets, chickens, hatchlings, and other animals. These animals tend to do their business right in front of you. They don't have diapers so don't be offended!

#3: There is more to life than fast food restaurants, Shady Maple, Miller's Smorgasboard, and some of the other big name places to eat around here. For instance in Lititz there is a quaint little place called the Family Cupboard which I highly recommend. If you are on Route 30 I recommend the greasy spoon truck stop "Jennie's Diner"... Honestly they have very good food at a great price!

#4: Roots Market located in Manheim is open on Tuesday's only, unless Tuesday falls on Christmas or New Years. The Green Dragon Market located in Eprata is open every Friday.

#5: The Manheim Auto Auction is for dealers or licensed represenatives only. It is not open to the public.

#6: I'll repeat... "Route 30 is a tourist trap"

#7: When you come to Lancaster County you will learn that we don't always use complete "Queen's English" sentences.... For instance "Wanna come with" is a complete sentence in Lancaster County!

#8: A "Slice" is a piece of pizza. A "Dollop" is more than a scoop here in Lancaster County.

#9: Turkey Hill Iced Tea is the only beverage.

#10: Support your local volunteer fire company means more than just sending a donation... Please join your local fire department and help the community! We have over 83 Fire departments in the County and all but 1 (Lancaster City) are 100% volunteer!!!

#11: Ocean City MD is the beach of preference for many in Lancaster County. "Sunfest" is where all the "tillies" from Lancaster County go to check out the crafts at the big tents in Ocean City. PS... Ocean City is about 3 1/2 hours away... Same goes for New York City. Philadelphia is about an 1 1/2 hour drive and believe it or not taking the turnpike isn't always the fastest way into Philadelphia!

#12: Buggy drivers have as much right to use the roads as what you do! Please don't beep at the buggies as it can spook the horses and could possibly cause the animal to jump out in front of you! Please use courtesy.

#13: If you ask a question to a Plain sect individual and they start speaking in a PA Dutch German dialect... They are probably making fun of you.

#14: Believe it or not the Plain sect that lives around here, while being nice to tourists, don't like people just coming into their driveway and asking for a tour. Please be considerate as their properties are their homes and not a tourist attraction like is on Lincoln Highway East! How would you like it if someone came to your house and asked for a tour? Respect the privacy!

#15: The plain sect, while not operators of vehicles do own vehicles! They honestly do use modern means of transportation when necessary.

#16: Lancaster County government is made up of "Home Rule" Municipalities. Each municipality may have different rules & regulations, variances, etc. Nothing is necessarily uniform in Lancaster County.

#17: There are three Walmarts in Lancaster County... I recommend the one in Ephrata right off of Route 222.

#18: Believe it or not hunting, like in other parts of the state is considered by many to be a holiday the first Monday after Thanksgiving. This is when deer season opens up.

#19: Chicken BBQ's, Ox Roasts, and other events that support community organizations are priced reasonable and are a great way to get out and meet the community.

#20: Yard Sales occur every week of the year, not just on weekends.

#21: We love our guns in Lancaster County!!

[pman]

Originally Posted by 91004

#1: We have both pig and cow manure in our fields. Pig crap smells the worse. Please don't move into the area next to a farm and then go to the municipality and ask if the farm can be shut down or that the smell bothers you or your family.... Deal with it!

this is a big issue. I'm a Philadelphian but where do you think my "local" produce comes from? Lancaster County. It really irritates me to see all these former farms being converted to more worthless developments. I was hoping the credit crisis woudl put an end to this madness. I don't know what the solution is but paving over every acre of farmland for traffic riddled development doesn't sound like a good one. I'll second that route 30 is a tourist trap dump. my parents live out there and really haven't found that part of "county living" to their liking. (they do like roots market)Worse, because people out there seem to think that all the "brown people" in the city are dangerous criminals, there seems to be relatively little development there such as highrises or reasonably new apt complexes. They've also taken a liking to using Amtrak to get to Philadelphia.