Relocating (Harrisburg, York, Carlisle: apartments, renters, house)

[chrisandlisa]

Hello Pennsylvania, We are relocating to the Harrisburg area, I was not sure which sub area to choose since none are very close. I am open to suggestions if one of the sub areas is better than the main post. We have never been to this area and need any help we can get as to where to live. We prefer a rural area with woods etc, We currently live in LaPorte IN population 21,000 We would like to be within 30 minutes of Harrisburg out in the country if possible. We currently rent a 2 bedroom duplex on the edge of town with a deck and yard for $500 per month. We realize something comperable will be more. Can anyone give us a place to start looking or a realty firm to help renters before we come out for a weekend looking?? Any help would be so appreciated. Thank you

[ki0eh]

Do you have any kids, school needs? Does the 30 minutes start from center city, or someplace out in the suburbs with a Harrisburg postal address?

Until then, as a stab in the dark, this complex and its neighbors are typically leafy enough to be OK for folks moving here from small towns, who aren't looking for the hip downtown atmosphere: Treeview Apartments in Harrisburg, PA

[Tight Lines]

Welcome, chrisandlisa. It's not too hard to get into the country if you go thirty minutes outside of Harrisburg. I recommend looking west on I-81 toward Mechanicsburg, Carlisle, and Newville. If you go south on I-83, you could likely find something in the country with woods, but keep in mind that traffic -- for no apparent reason -- is ridiculous for people traveling north into Harrisburg. Northern and eastern Dauphin County may yield some results too, but I'm less familiar with those areas.

[chrisandlisa]

Thank you so much for the quick response!! We have no children except for our 3 cats!! So schools arent an issue. A friend suggested Palmyra area as a possibilty. I do not have the actual address of the facility yet the company I will be working for has a sattelite division set up in a very large company that they wouldnt reveal yet. I just know it is in Harrisburg. I will have to be making trips to Baltimore to the head quarters as well. Thanks again for all the help

[ki0eh]

You might want to look in northern York County (say Lewisberry or Etters addresses). There's still a lot of green hills in that area since development is hit or miss. It's a much prettier region than it seems driving through on I-83 which shows you the ugliest aged commercial sprawl. From, say, Dover or Manchester, it's starting to get tough to go out and around on the back roads to head in the direction of Harrisburg. From Dillsburg area, it gets to be a PITA to head over to I-83 for Baltimore trips.

A bad road design awaiting the mega-million-dollar fix chokes I-83 north to Hbg to one lane, making the morning rush pretty bad coming into the 581 junction (referred to as "the York split" on the traffic reports). The PA Turnpike/I-76 is a good way to avoid that area coming from northern York County, if your work site is far enough east or southeast in Hbg or in Hershey, it won't help to downtown. Get EZpass through MD to pay lower monthly fees, it still works in PA on a daily Turnpike commute to slurp change from your wallet unseen.

From Palmyra the Baltimore angle is less attractive, Palmyra also isn't too good for Harrisburg commuting because you have to get through or around Hershey too. Palmyra usually is where the http://www.hersheys.com/ plant workers live due to being priced out of Hershey itself by doctors and others associated with http://www.pennstatehershey.org/web/guest/home

The good thing about the hop-scotch patchwork local government/land use regulation in PA is that it leaves you with patches of green and trees even fairly close in in spots - it's not the orderly pave-the-earth kind of sprawl that areas with more logical local government and land use regulation display.

[chrisandlisa]

Again thanks for all the help, If I may I have a few more questions..... What about the Inglenook, New Buffalo Matamoras area? I am just looking for a small quiet town to possibly rent a house.

[ki0eh]

New Buffalo is about 50 row homes crowded next to US 11-15 with concrete pavement and rumble strips. The porn corridor of Perry County stretches along the highway near there, as noted on this local gag blog: The Central PA Gazelle: Porn District Created In Perry County

Matamoras (not here to be confused with the Borough of Matamoras in Pike County) is an unincorporated village in Halifax Township. Larger lot sizes and older homes with no sewer but it might be coming. Driving over the mountain from Halifax might be within 30 minutes from north suburban Harrisburg locations.

Inglenook (Reed Township, Dauphin County) is a curve in the twisty PA 147, basically a figment of the map maker's imagination. But you got me to look at the map for that one.

[chrisandlisa]

Ok its seems those areas are a bit to small for us. I guess the best thing to do is give you a population range and area and let you direct me. We are looking for a small town between 6000 and 20.000 around a 1/2 hour from Harrisburg. We would like to rent a house for a yr before we buy, somewhere in the 800 to 1000 dollar a month range. We enjoy fishing, golf, morel mushroom hunting, playing texas holdem. Gardening, flowers. We like the outdoors. Iwas also looking at Marysville?? Let me know what you think. Thanks

[ki0eh]

Boiling Springs near Carlisle is a regional fly fishing favored spot, a very pretty little town on the Appalachian Trail. Boiling Springs, PA 17007 When I lived there it was 35 minutes early morning commute to the vicinity of the PA Farm Show Complex . Kind of a pain to head towards Baltimore from there though.

Middletown Borough - Dauphin County - PA and area has fairly good road connections to head to many parts of the Harrisburg area, to Baltimore going over the Turnpike bridge, and to the great outdoors of PA, as well the Harrisburg International Airport (MDT) and even an Amtrak stop. Sprawl in this immediate area took a breather for a couple of decades after Three Mile Island accident - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - the sight lines for the cooling towers has been sort of an urban growth boundary, although development is starting again in adjacent Londonderry and Conewago townships that are part of the well rated Lower Dauphin school district.

[chrisandlisa]

I can for sure say I need to take a trip there and look around it is so hard to make a decision from long distance. If anyone has anymore tips to locations our resources for more information that would be great. Thanks to everyone for all the help