Relocating near Jonestown (Harrisburg, Hanover, Hershey: renting, townhome, school district)

[Sunshine812]

My boyfriend is relocating his work to Jonestown and we are trying to find an area within 30 minutes of there to live. Does anyone know anything about The Reserve at Hershey Meadows? Any suggestions? Moving from Long Island. Thanks!

[ki0eh]

That's a newer development (site work started in 2002 and 800+ units built since then) along Route 39 - if working day shift would be bucking traffic on the commute since many more would commute from Jonestown way into Hershey area than vice versa. Development is right next to a small strip mall with Giant grocery store and a few other sprawl commercial services. A couple of banks and a TurkeyHill convenience store round out the corner. Route 39 has more and more traffic, some work going on now at the I-81 interchange but much-needed improvements at the US 22 intersection seem to have been deferred. You'll be glad to be bucking traffic. The developer DeSouza-Brown seems maybe on the good side of average, not so many kudos or horrible complaints. My wife formerly lived in one of their other communities (Heatherfield, a bit older and closer to Harrisburg) and what issues there were were managed adequately.

School district is Lower Dauphin and municipality is South Hanover Township. LD is a fairly well regarded school district. The realtors seem to like Derry Township/Hershey school district better. LD will be facing a good bit of sprawl issues since there's much more developable land there than in Derry.

Brynfield (only a tiny bit older, just built out) might be an alternative. Has a Harrisburg mailing address in West Hanover Twp., Central Dauphin schools, but right off 39 a little closer to 81.

From the Route 39 area, the box chain stores are 15 minutes or so away, on US 22 between I-83 and Paxtonia, centering on the Devonshire Rd/Jonestown Rd intersection, and some are filtering out 22 almost as far out as 39 now. There are a few locally owned stores/boutiques in Hummelstown Borough ("Borough" is to PA what an incorporated "village" is in NY state). Other than the small outlet mall there's basically no shopping in Hershey itself. I'll actually head out to the Giant grocery right by the Meadows since it's bigger/newer/more selection than the one on Cocoa Ave.

Anything in particular you're looking for? Usually things get cheaper closer to Jonestown and more expensive closer to Hershey. The Palmyra area has plenty of newer developments as well if that's what you're looking for. Palmyra also has more chains than Hershey, like Wal-Mart and Lowe's.

[openless]

Ki0eh hit the nail right on the head. The reserves are nice not far from hershey or harrisburg, but are far more expensive than renting or owning in the jonestown area itself. There is some shopping and grocery stores in that area along route 39, as well as doctors, dentists and banks. pavones is an OK restaurant that's closeby. Theres a nice nature trail and tennis courts too. Parking in the reserves and many of the newer townhome communities in that area can be tight. And traffic justs keeps getting worse, but a commute to jonestown (via 22 or old jonestown road) might take a half hour.