Lancaster issues

[Positiveone]

Great post Teachbeach! And i agree 100% on how you said we should act when moving into a new area. Thats basically how i am in life anyway, so i wont have to change. I treat all equally, not looking to bring chaos to a town. Just want the best for everybody! I'm the type of neighbor that will truly watch out for ya at all times.

Originally Posted by teachbeach

Totally buyers market. If you can laugh at your accent, and tell them that you'll teach them "city English" you'll make a friend for life. Most people will start out the conversation with "you're not from around here" generally wanting to find out how you arrived here and then how you like it. If you ask them where they get their hair cut, they'll give you a whole story and a slew of options for where to get a haircut. We are friendly, open and hospitable for the most part. We don't like pushy people, aggressiveness is looked upon as ignorant and rude, and you don't speed through developments or parking lots. Slow down and enjoy the pace...don't try to spook the horses, tailgate the geriatrics, or push your way to the front of the line.

[IThinkNot]

I'm a Lancaster native and can give a little insight. First off, the main place you will see Amish are either out in the country where there are farms or in towns like Intercourse in southeastern Lancaster County. It's really not that difficult to drive around buggies, and I only see them about once a month.

School district-wise, most of the comments have been accurate. Avoid schools like Columbia and Mccaskey. I would likely say to avoid Manheim Township just for the rich factor, the kids from there tend to be "trendy" in the bad sense. There are plenty of decent and fine schools all around the county though, I can speak from personal experience that Warwick in Lititz is certainly adequate.

Lancaster County in general is very Republican/Conservative, and is also not very diverse outside of Lancaster City. Certainly there are many exceptions, but that seems to be the trend in my experience.

In terms of things to do, there are several decent movie theaters around the country; just this year a new independent theater opened in Lititz. The main place to see live music is the Chameleon Club in Lancaster City, generally attracts a good variety of talent for a city of its size. There are plenty of places to eat, nicer ones in the Northern parts of the county are places like the Log Cabin, the General Sutter, or Reflections. Park City is the local mall and King of Prussia is realistically only an hour or so away near Philly and it's just huge there.

Overall, nice place, not very cosmopolitan or anything, but nice.

[BlueStreaks]

As a recent graduate of Manheim Township High School, I think I can speak on this subject better than anyone else here. It is a fine school with great academics. The kids here are not overtly materialistic, and the ones who are don't try to push it on everyone they see. If you are moving to the Lancaster area, I would definitely suggest Township as it is a great, safe place to live with great schools. Don't listen to the haters, take it from someone who actually goes there.

[bronners]

L-S Schools in Lancaster, PA are Great! (From a family of Out-of-Towners)

We are from Milwaukee and Japan, so way out of town and live in Lampeter Strasburg (L-S) school district. It is a WONDERFUL school district and after talking to many parents there, I have not heard even one overall negative comment about the schools and heard tons of positive comments. Many have said that though Manheim and Hempfield get press, the size of the school body and excellence of the teachers make L-S schools a well-kept secret. And as for the buggies, in the 2.5 years we've been here, I've rarely been slowed by a buggy here. Plus, our Amish neighbors adjacent to our subdivision are super nice and bring by fresh vegetables to sell in fall. The atmosphere here could hardly be better in that we are in a 20 year old development (Subdivision) so we have people from out of town as well as Lancasterites. I do agree that people from this area take longer to get to know and can seem unfriendly at first. Politeness norms differ everywhere, though, and as one learns the less outgoing norms here that require a bit more persistence, the barriers can slowly fall. Best wishes.

[MasonTK]

Donegal is the fastest growing school district in the county (Mount Joy, Marietta, Maytown) by a large margin. They are growing at 10% a year with the next closest being just over 3%. The building development in the past few years has been amazing, and most of the people in the area are the type that never leave, not because they are uneducated, but because the sense of community rivals any other area in the county. The school taxes are out of control right now, because of the overpopulated schools and the plans to build all new, but getting in now will mean your kids will have a great education in a first class facility. Outside of Hempfield, most of the best educations in the county also include beat up old schools (like Penn Manor). If Amish is your concern, stay West of the City. I have lived in west Lancaster County my whole life and have never seen a buggy unless I crossed city lines to the East.