Neighborhood choices in State College? (Boalsburg, Homestead: rentals, houses, neighborhoods)

[hopefulpamom]

Our family would like to relocate to State College. My husband and I have children and would like a neighborhood that is very safe, very walkable (sidewalks, paths for walking, paths for biking, etc.), nearby parks and playgrounds, and very friendly. We have visited several times and tried to get a feel for the different neighborhoods that State College offers. We are looking for something nice and "average", i.e., not a small starter home, but not a grand castle, either. We absolutely do not have to be close to the campus, although the ability to be within a reasonable walking distance (maybe 10 - 15 minutes) of a bus stop would be great. We are open to homes young or old, resale or new; doesn't matter. We would like a neighborhood that has a fair mix of population, i.e., families, couples, older retirees, etc. We are hoping to settle in and stay in this home and not move around, so a neighborhood that would work for all of life's stages would be good. Based upon these things, we thought that the neighborhoods of Park Forest and Park Hills would be good choices. In particular, we like the part of Park Forest that is closest to the park, Homestead Park I believe it's called. These would be streets such as Devonshire, Berkshire, Old Farm, Wiltshire, etc. These streets would have the shortest walks for our children to reach the park. Anyway, I was told by a realtor to watch out for buying in older neighborhoods as they can be a poor investment choice. They might not hold their value well, become seedy, etc. We don't want to have to move again, but if heaven forbid we did, I wouldn't want to buy a home in a neighborhood that I was stuck with and couldn't resell later. What is the general opinion of these neighborhoods? Are they considered less desirable than others? Not as safe? A poor investment choice? Are the people friendly? Would you buy something in these neighborhoods? If not, which neighborhoods would you recommend? I REALLY appreciate any comments that folks have! Thanks!

[Lion11]

As someone who has been to State College many times and used to live in the area, I believe that Park Forest and Park Hills are two great neighborhoods in State College. I know someone who used to live on Wiltshire, and I thought it was really nice, plus the neighbors are friendly. I am a fan of mature neighborhoods, so I really like the forest feel. Park Hills is also a lot like Park Forest, but it also has a newer section as well. The houses in these neighborhoods mostly go for anywhere from $250,000 to $400,000. Both of these neighborhoods are very desirable in State College, so I don't think you would have to worry at all about people not wanting to live there when you go to sell. Another plus is that Park Forest is on the bus route, which makes it easy to get to campus and downtown. State College in general is very safe and is considered to be on of the safest towns that has a college of the size of Penn State. Therefore, these neighborhoods are also really safe. Other neighborhoods that you may want to focus on are Daleview, Clover Highlands, Nittany Highlands, Nittany Orchard, Centre Hills and Centre Hills Village, Harris Acres(College Township) Haymarket, Greenbriar, Chestnut Ridge, Foxpointe and Lexington Place(Ferguson Township) Toftrees,(Patton) Greentree, College Heights, Holmes-Foster, and the Highlands(Borough of SC; College Heights, Holmes-Foster and The Highlands are all within walking distance of campus and in the National Register of Historic Places.) I really hope that this helps and and good luck on the move!

[julie10]

Hi. I live in the Foxpointe neighborhood and have enjoyed it- cookie cutter homes but a nice family neighborhood. I haven't been to a place in State College where I haven't felt safe. The only neighborhoods I would be wary of are the ones that have a high proportion of student rentals or next to a fraternity- more trouble than the location would be worth.

[psulions2007]

Originally Posted by hopefulpamom

Our family would like to relocate to State College. My husband and I have children and would like a neighborhood that is very safe, very walkable (sidewalks, paths for walking, paths for biking, etc.), nearby parks and playgrounds, and very friendly. We have visited several times and tried to get a feel for the different neighborhoods that State College offers. We are looking for something nice and "average", i.e., not a small starter home, but not a grand castle, either. We absolutely do not have to be close to the campus, although the ability to be within a reasonable walking distance (maybe 10 - 15 minutes) of a bus stop would be great. We are open to homes young or old, resale or new; doesn't matter. We would like a neighborhood that has a fair mix of population, i.e., families, couples, older retirees, etc. We are hoping to settle in and stay in this home and not move around, so a neighborhood that would work for all of life's stages would be good. Based upon these things, we thought that the neighborhoods of Park Forest and Park Hills would be good choices. In particular, we like the part of Park Forest that is closest to the park, Homestead Park I believe it's called. These would be streets such as Devonshire, Berkshire, Old Farm, Wiltshire, etc. These streets would have the shortest walks for our children to reach the park. Anyway, I was told by a realtor to watch out for buying in older neighborhoods as they can be a poor investment choice. They might not hold their value well, become seedy, etc. We don't want to have to move again, but if heaven forbid we did, I wouldn't want to buy a home in a neighborhood that I was stuck with and couldn't resell later. What is the general opinion of these neighborhoods? Are they considered less desirable than others? Not as safe? A poor investment choice? Are the people friendly? Would you buy something in these neighborhoods? If not, which neighborhoods would you recommend? I REALLY appreciate any comments that folks have! Thanks!

Park Forest is great and would be perfect for you. Also check out the area around Boalsburg (east of SC) and Lemont (northeast of SC).

[vetegnc]

Are there any bad neighborhoods in state college??!! They're all great. We're closing on a home in 2 weeks (we've lived here 2 years). It's a great time to buy...prices have gone down slightly...they were worse 2 years ago (never mind the interest rates are awesome!).

There's a couple neighborhoods that aren't as "desirable", but they're not considered "bad". Probably worse for resale than anything else.

If you need help, just PM me!

PS - I LOVE it here, and it is Awesome for a family!!

[PA2UK]

I lived in Park Forest but that was over 10 years ago. At that time, a lot of the houses were like new, no problems, etc. Great area. I can't imagine they have fallen apart THAT much in the last 13 years - particularly if the owners have kept up with it.

[ctl05001]

Clover Highlands is also a nice neighborhood and right next to a park.

[newuser222]

ive lived in state college for over 20 years and most of the great places have already been mentioned but i will say theres an older and a newer part of park forest. the older home are much smaller and probably (im assuming here) aren't kept up as well as some of the newer homes but again thats an assumtion.

Lion 11 said it best:
Daleview, Clover Highlands, Nittany Highlands, Nittany Orchard, Centre Hills and Centre Hills Village, Harris Acres(College Township) Haymarket, Greenbriar, Chestnut Ridge, Foxpointe and Lexington Place(Ferguson Township) Toftrees,(Patton) Greentree, College Heights, Holmes-Foster, and the Highlands(Borough of SC; College Heights, Holmes-Foster and The Highlands are all within walking distance of campus and in the National Register of Historic Places.)

all great places