Considering Lancaster, PA from FL (Philadelphia, Allentown: for sale, real estate, crime)

[kandj]

We are considering moving to Lancaster, PA from FL to move closer to husbands family in N. Philly. What is the job market like? Husband has Class B license to drive and I have a degree in public admin. with 8 yrs. public budgeting experience. Are there lots of jobs in these lines of work? Are houses affordable w/ lots of yard for kids to play? Is crime high? any racial tensions between white/blacks/hispanics? What areas to stay away from? Is the school system in good standing? Is area drug-infested? Are there lots of parks and recreation for the kids? Please write back. This is a big decision.

[donsabi]

I haven't been in Lancaster for many years so I don't have up to date info but I will give you what I know. Plenty of industry and jobs, pay not as good as the Phila area though, housing reasonable. Locals resist strangers for a while however once they know you you will have the best neighbors.
Food is the best and people come from all over the world just to try it. Lots to do close by and then you have the NJ shore 150 miles away. Great location. It was a great place to raise kids and I hope it still is. Better to find a house just outside Lancaster. Four season climate and they do get snow, so just buy a snow thower. I think you will love it.
Don

[kandj]

thanks don. I appreciate your response. we are looking for somewhere nice to raise the kids. i'm having a few withdrawals now. it will be hard to leave the sunshine for snowy days. May God Bless you!

k

[donsabi]

k,
Yes you will have some snow, and your kids will love it. Snow removal is an art in the NE so the roads get back to normal quickly. You can contract for driveway snow removal or invest in a snow thrower. I would gladly trade the H&H of FL for snow. Autumn in PA is nothing short of spectacular.
You can always reserve vacation time in the winter to visit FL.

[lititzman2003]

Plenty of blue-collar jobs; few professional positions. Housing is cheap and you get alot of bang for the buck. Little crime in the suburbs; some problems in certain cities. I haven't seen or heard of any racial problems here; not to say it doesn't exist. I have heard of drug problems in the cities of Lancaster and Columbia. Plenty of wide-open spaces for your children to enjoy themselves and feel safe. Find out what your taxes are before you buy property. Some areas are much higher then others.

I came here from Philly three years ago and I feel, despite some minor issues, that it was a good move for us. No more vandalism, no more worry about crime. I can sleep in peace. The people here are laid back, sometimes to a fault. You may want to investigate some areas west and south of Lancaster, and maybe avoid the large cities due to congestion and age of the houses. You may want to contact some realtors in this area that seem to specialize in helping folks like yourselves who want to relocate in Lancaster County from out of state. Let me know if you want a name. I hope this helps. Best of luck.

PS: Don't worry about the snow; sometimes we get less then Philly and they remove it around here very quickly. Conditions of the roads are generally very good as well.

[Soonami]

There aren't too many public administration jobs afaik, but I'm sure you can find something if you don't mind driving a bit.

As for the schools, the public schools in LanCo are pretty good, as most rural public schools tend to be.

In LanCo, there is a lot of availible recreation, many youth and adult sport leagues, parks, school sports.

Land is very cheap too because much of it used to be farm land and with recent development, there are many homes being built and is actually ahead of demand at this point, so there are a lot of options. Yards are easy to come by and can even be overwhelming to the uninitiated.

Also, there is Hershey Park, which can be a lot of fun as well as a lot of themed restaurant and dinner theatre type entertainment. Pretty much every national chain store/restaurant will be relatively close to most of the comforts you will be used to.

Just remember, Lancester City is probably not where you want to be, there are issues of drugs crime and is quickly urbanizing. Suburbs south of the city is probably the way to go. If you live in South Lancester County (Solanco), you are close to rt. 1 and I-95 which is about an hour from Philadelphia, and within driving distance to pretty much everything you need.

Your best bet is to contact a local real estate agent and talk to them about your wants and needs. Also, take a look into Cecil County Maryland, and New Castle County Delaware around Newark and Wilmington. These areas are all within an hour of Philadelphia, but are further a way from the Amish and the super-conservative communities in rural Lancester

[loose cannon]

Lancaster is a couple hrs from Philly and I would not reccomend moving there. The people are not friendly and the area is ultra socially conservative. Plus, watch out for the Klan! they are all over the area. Berks County is not much better but it's closer to Philly. The Lehigh Valley excluding Allentown is a good choice. Actually communities west or south of Allentown like Emmaus or Trexlertown are good bets.

[bamboosmom]

Loose,
what is wrong with Allentown? We are also moving up to Pa. We are looking in Wayne County up north but I am going to look on the MLS for other areas as well. I don't want to feel out of place. We are originally from NY and Jersey. We are in Florida right now and the house is for sale.

[winnie]

Allentown is expensive, congested and overall I would not like to live there. My cousin and aunts live down there and I would say stay away from that area if you can live up in Pike or Wayne county, Bamboosmom. Better schools, more rural yet with access to larger towns, less congested, cheaper cost of housing, lower taxes! Just my .02..

[bamboosmom]

Hey Winnie,
I agree. I love the Wayne/Pike area. The mountains are to die for.
We have friends living in Allentown and we also flew into that airport.
It looked like alot of new homes being built all over the place from the plane.
I don't want congestion anymore.