Where to move in PA with my criteria? (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh: fit in, transplants)

[cdcampo]

Hello everyone I am possibly looking into moving to PA. I am currently living on long island in NY but we would like a change. I know absolutely nothing about it except that Hershey Park is there... This is the criteria I hope will help everyone help me.

I am married

My wife and I have a newborn

We are looking to buy in the 300k-315k range. I forgot to add we would like a decent yard! from a half acre up. More if possible!

We want a nice safe place for our family. I dont want to have to go to work and worry about my two girls all day or night or worry about them walking around.

We like quiet but also like to go out to dinner to nice restaurants and my wife loves window shopping and antique stores and such things as this. We dont want to be 45 min away from something if we need groceries either.

Good school district for when the baby is older

My wife is currently a Teacher's assistant working on her CDA credential and I am a building manager/super working on my bachelor's degree. When I am done I would like to be a property manager or administrator of some kind. So we would both need jobs in these fields within a reasonable distance.

I hope I have been as thorough as I can. I would really appreciate any help or suggestions of where to look. Thank you all in advance

[danwxman]

Originally Posted by cdcampo

Hello everyone I am possibly looking into moving to PA. I am currently living on long island in NY but we would like a change. I know absolutely nothing about it except that Hershey Park is there... This is the criteria I hope will help everyone help me.

I am married

My wife and I have a newborn

We are looking to buy in the 300k-315k range

We want a nice safe place for our family. I dont want to have to go to work and worry about my two girls all day or night or worry about them walking around.

We like quiet but also like to go out to dinner to nice restaurants and my wife loves window shopping and antique stores and such things as this. We dont want to be 45 min away from something if we need groceries either.

Good school district for when the baby is older

My wife is currently a Teacher's assistant working on her CDA credential and I am a building manager/super working on my bachelor's degree. When I am done I would like to be a property manager or administrator of some kind. So we would both need jobs in these fields within a reasonable distance.

I hope I have been as thorough as I can. I would really appreciate any help or suggestions of where to look. Thank you all in advance

Sounds like the Hershey area is actually pretty good for you. I would look into Derry township or Hummelstown. Also, Camp Hill and Mechanicsburg borough, Hampden and Silver Spring township. These are all areas around Harrisburg which has fairly good economy compared to other areas in the state. You'll find good schools and plenty of housing within that price range in the suburbs.

[Pureblood]

Sounds like you would like Hollidaysburg, PA

[mattjd]

Originally Posted by cdcampo

Hello everyone I am possibly looking into moving to PA. I am currently living on long island in NY but we would like a change. I know absolutely nothing about it except that Hershey Park is there... This is the criteria I hope will help everyone help me.

I am married

My wife and I have a newborn

We are looking to buy in the 300k-315k range. I forgot to add we would like a decent yard! from a half acre up. More if possible!

We want a nice safe place for our family. I dont want to have to go to work and worry about my two girls all day or night or worry about them walking around.

We like quiet but also like to go out to dinner to nice restaurants and my wife loves window shopping and antique stores and such things as this. We dont want to be 45 min away from something if we need groceries either.

Good school district for when the baby is older

My wife is currently a Teacher's assistant working on her CDA credential and I am a building manager/super working on my bachelor's degree. When I am done I would like to be a property manager or administrator of some kind. So we would both need jobs in these fields within a reasonable distance.

I hope I have been as thorough as I can. I would really appreciate any help or suggestions of where to look. Thank you all in advance

Could you give some more details? Does location matter? Will you be visiting Long Island frequently? If so, there are tons of small towns, like Hershey, that are between the Lehigh Valley and Harrisburg, and they are very close to 78, which would be great for going back to New York. Also, how far are you into your BA? Have you thought about transferring to Penn State and living near State College? I don't mean to pry into your personal life, but your criteria is very vague. Outside of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is very rural and you could throw a baseball and hit a small town with a good school district and homes available for $300k. They're everywhere. Do you want to live near farms? A small town at the edge of the mountains? Along a river or close to a big lake? Do you want to get Steelers games on your tv? Any extra info will help to give a specific part of the state for you to look into.

[Lion11]

It sounds to me that State College, Pa would be great for you. In your price range, you will be able to buy a nice house in town or in the country depending on what you like. SC is great for families, because there are many parks, activities, and great schools. Some neighborhoods even have their own public pools. State College is also full of great restaurants and shopping, especially downtown. Nearby Bellefonte has great antique shopping.

State College Area School District
State College - HappyValley.com - Penn State and Happy Valley are Online at HappyValley.com

[cdcampo]

Originally Posted by mattjd

Could you give some more details? Does location matter? Will you be visiting Long Island frequently? If so, there are tons of small towns, like Hershey, that are between the Lehigh Valley and Harrisburg, and they are very close to 78, which would be great for going back to New York. Also, how far are you into your BA? Have you thought about transferring to Penn State and living near State College? I don't mean to pry into your personal life, but your criteria is very vague. Outside of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is very rural and you could throw a baseball and hit a small town with a good school district and homes available for $300k. They're everywhere. Do you want to live near farms? A small town at the edge of the mountains? Along a river or close to a big lake? Do you want to get Steelers games on your tv? Any extra info will help to give a specific part of the state for you to look into.

well mattjd I would like the location to fit into what my needs are with work and schools for my daughter. As for my college degree my move will not be affecting that because I am doing it online. We would not be driving back to Long Island like every weekend but I am sure we would go from time to time since we both have family there. We don't care if we see a lake, mountain, or a farm so long as there is work, ability to run to a store if we forget something at night and not have to drive 45 min., if it is safe. I mean we don't want to be in total west PA if that helps.

[mattjd]

Originally Posted by cdcampo

I mean we don't want to be in total west PA if that helps.

So Pittsburgh is out then, huh? That's too bad. Well, your budget still allows you to pretty much have your pick of the state, outside of philadelphia. Here are few examples of some homes you might like in the Lehigh Valley. Outside of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, the Lehigh Valley is probably the 3rd most expensive area since it's right on 78 and so close to NJ, so keep that in mind.

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The house in Upper Macugnie Twp is in Parkland school district. Very highly rated, one of the best in the state. The houses in Lower Macugnie and Alburtis are both in East Penn sd, Emmaus hs. This school district is also very good. Crime is not an issue here, your family is going to be safe, and there are some shopping areas around on Millcreek Rd with the Super Wal-mart and some other places recently opened. The Lehigh Valley has a pretty big population, it's the 3rd largest area in the state, so I don't think you'd have a problem finding a job, plus it isn't far to work in jersey either.

Another option for you would be Harrisburg.

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I'm not as familiar with Harrisburg, so it's difficult for me to give an honest assessment of the school districts in the area, but overall I hear it's a nice town with a lot going on. Lots of jobs around there too. So, you've got a lot of options in PA, good luck to you.

[toobusytoday]

If you are planning to teach in PA, you will need PA certification. This is not a slam dunk for out of state people and usually takes awhile. We have many more teachers then we have jobs and the competition in the towns outside of the city is very competitive. However, if you are interested/willing to work in a city school, that would get your foot in the door. Teaching in PA: Interstate Certification Agreements

With that caveat, the Lehigh Valley would meet your criteria. It's beautiful here, safe and sort of reasonably priced.

[ScranBarre]

I'd recommend either the Lehigh Valley, Harrisburg, or Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to you, probably in that same order in term of ease of locating employment. All three areas offer ample big-box stores, nightlife, restaurants, outdoor recreation, etc. to cater to every need and offer you the opportunity to live in an outlying suburban setting with a large lot size and great public school district in close proximity to major employment centers. I also listed them in descending order of median home sales prices, so if you are working on a limited budget you may be inclined to give Scranton/Wilkes-Barre a look first due to its "more bang for your buck" element. However, the Lehigh Valley is also the closest region for you to commute back to Long Island if you decide you want to do so on a monthly basis (add about an additional hour or a little bit more each way if you're coming from Harrisburg or Scranton/Wilkes-Barre).

If you are to check out the Northeastern Pennsylvania forum (where Scranton/Wilkes-Barre is) you'll soon discover that there are more NY/NJ transplants on there than there are homegrown "natives." I believe I read somewhere that now fully 2/3 of the residents of Monroe and Pike Counties in Northeastern Pennsylvania are originally from somewhere else, which has turned this area into a revolving door. I can't drive more than a few minutes on local roadways without coming across other vehicles with NY or NJ license plates as more and more people from those two areas move here. The Lehigh Valley is also very transplant-oriented, and due to its proximity to the NJ border housing prices have mushroomed since the 1990s. Harrisburg is the least NY/NJ-oriented out of the three areas I listed, but South Central PA (including Harrisburg) is now seeing more of an influence from Baltimore/Washington.

$300,000 will get you some absolutely gorgeous homes in all three areas (perhaps getting the least value for your money though in the Lehigh Valley, where I think housing prices truly ARE over-inflated in relation to the other two areas that are only a little over an hour away in different directions). You may want to look into some of the following school districts, which tend to be quite popular with transplants:

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (NEPA)
Abington Heights (Clarks Summit/Waverly, Lackawanna County)
Crestwood (Mountain Top, Luzerne County)
Dallas (Back Mountain, Luzerne County)
North Pocono (Moscow/Mt. Cobb/Daleville, Lackawanna County)

Lehigh Valley
Saucon Valley

If you want a great way to network with other recent Long Island transplants I might suggest you either post your own reply to one of these threads and/or send a private message to one of the Long Island transplants in one of the threads:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/north...y-regrets.html

http://www.city-data.com/forum/north...w-yorkers.html


I really have no clue still on how to narrow down your search further for you, but I think these three areas would be your best bet. The employment outlook is abysmal in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but housing prices are affordable and you get all of the perks of a major city (Philharmonic, international airport, casinos, minor-league sports, outlet stores, etc.) for a fraction of what you'd pay in the Lehigh Valley, which probably has the BEST employment outlook right now for your fields out of these three areas but comes with a corresponding higher price tag. Harrisburg is a nice little city trying to undergo a rebirth while battling some crime issues, and some of the nearby areas like Hershey or Camp Hill are very popular with young families.

You may just have to look at homes online in all three areas, look for job openings online in all three areas, etc. and then decide from there. It also wouldn't hurt to take a week off to spend a couple of days in each of these three areas. (I didn't include Greater Philadelphia because I HIGHLY doubt you'll be able to find anything nice in the suburbs for $300,000 in a good school district).

Best of luck, and welcome in advance to PA!

[cdcampo]

Thank you so far everyone. I have seen people say the Lehigh Valley a few times. Are there any specific towns to specifically look in?