Relocating to Harrisburg in 6 weeks!! (Hershey, Mechanicsburg: real estate, apartment, rental homes)

[Nati'_Girl_Forever]

Hello everyone! I am in search of a few things. As the title states our family is relocating to Harrisburg from Cincinnati in 6 weeks. My husband has only been to the area once and myself...never! A little background on us: We have 3 children ages 11, 8, 6.

This is what I need help with:

1. Housing- We would like to find a house to rent as opposed to a apartment/townhome. We have a small dog (under 15 pounds). Can anyone refer me to a good rental agencies that deal with rental homes? I've checked out craigslist and want to search other areas too.

2. Schools: Since all of our children are in school this is VERY important to us. We are moving from an excellent school district in our area. I know it may be hard to come by, but we would still like to have a school with decent ratings.

Thanks is advance for your help we are excited, but very anxious about moving to the area not knowing anything! I've researched as much as I can, but I need to know from the people there...what do you think about your area!

[ki0eh]

The standard recommendations for those interested specifically in the schools are Cumberland Valley SD Cumberland Valley School District and Camp Hill Borough SD Camp Hill School District in the West Shore (west of the Susquehanna River); or Derry Township SD Derry Township School District or Lower Dauphin SD Lower Dauphin School District in the East Shore.

The school district boundaries in PA follow municipal lines which ARE NOT THE SAME AS POSTAL ADDRESSES - if you are working with a real estate professional, they will know the school districts, but if you're not, you need a map that shows municipal lines.

Google Earth (the downloadable application) will also show school district boundaries, but you need to turn them on. After you download Google Earth, in the lower left expand the "More" tab, then the "US Government" tab, then click the check box for "US School Districts".

[judd2401]

Good luck with your move. I would check out the "Patriot News" classifieds out of Harrisburg for rental homes rather than a realtor [you'll pay more with a realtor], especially the Sunday paper, it's on-line, just google it with "Harrisburg, PA" and you're there and I think the classifieds are free but not sure at this point. It depends where you want to live and on which side of the city, Camp Hill schools are good and the area is a little upper crusty but lots of people who have been unable to sell their homes in the entire region are turning to renting so you may luck out. Mechanicsburg isn't bad either but more crime is moving into the area, a rental would be easier to find there. New Cumberland isn't bad and competes for the top of the list. Hershey School District is often touted as very good but having had 2 children go through that district, I know first hand it's very clicky because of Hershey Food Execs kids, and there's a huge drug problem there because the kids are rich and can afford to buy higher end drugs, many times in the form of parents meds from their own homes. Forget Harrisburg School District. I'm sure you'll get other opinions but in order of preference would be Camp Hill and New Cumberland, then Mechanicsburg, then Hershey. The most expensive real estate will be in the Hershey area. Perry County is the last area yet to develop, lots of farm land and cheap rentals on large plots, the jury is not in on the Perry Co schools, have gotten bad raps in the past, but I hear Susquenita School District has really come up which is just south of Duncannon on Rt 11/15 heading up the river a bit. Good luck!

[BevoInPA]

I went to school in Camp Hill and it was a great experience. Camp Hill is a tiny borough with its own district, no school busses. Most of my peers went to very well regarded universities and inspite of what people think everyone mixes very well. I moved back here after 12 years and it is still a nice town where people take pride in their homes, have block parties, neighborhood garage sales, and a Halloween Parade!

As someone else mentioned I have noticed some houses are for rent that have been on the market for awhile. You might need to just drive around because they look mostly like homemade signs.

Camp Hill has a graduating class of less than 100, it was 67 when I graduated. CV is HUGE (I think close to 1,000 per graduating class) so you need to decide where your kids are more comfortable.

[danwxman]

All very good suggestions in this thread. I went to Cumberland Valley, my graduating class had almost 600, but the opportunities there are just not matched by any school district in this area in my opinion. Props to Camp Hill though, it is my favorite place outside of Harrisburg and if you want a walkable, town feeling that is where you need to be. Cumberland Valley SD is all subdivisions, strips malls and rural areas. I couldn't wait to get out of there and now live in Harrisburg city. But it's a good area to raise a family and a great school district, no doubt.