New Castle? (Pittsburgh, Hermitage, Grove City: school districts, college, living)

[cynnnabun]

Hey everyone. I'm from South Jersey, right outside of Philly and very unfamiliar with NW PA. I have an interview for a job located in New Castle, PA and I was looking into the area. I have 2 small kids, a 6 year old and a 9 month old. So schools are very important to me. So is safety.

Also, my husband can do all sorts of work but generally works as a machine operator (front end loader) or in warehouse positions.

Is there work for him that way? And what would be a good place for him to start looking for work, and us to start looking to live?

Thanks!

[Uptown kid]

Well I'm not from New Castle & it seems like to truly know New Castle one has to be from New Castle IMO... Although I can tell you that some areas like around the housing projects are rough and gang affiliated. Even while there are apparently some areas that are bad, yet are not affiliated with gangs but filled with dope-dealers & traffickers. It seems to me that the are "good", safe parts and "bad", unsafe one's and the difference is drastically different.

PS-Again I'm not a New Castle resident

[cynnnabun]

Thanks for the info. Are you familiar with that area at all? I dont mind having to drive up to 30/45 minutes to work in New Castle if I found a good town with good schools for my kids. I'm having a hard time figuring out good locations though. Not sure where to search.

[ex-burgher]

I hope someone chimes in with more knowledge. I have not heard great things about New Castle, but that does not mean there aren't nice areas. I have heard good things about Zelienople 35 minutes away, so you may want to consider looking there. It's in the Seneca Valley school district.

[Copanut]

I would choose Zelie over New Castle, to be sure.

[Geeo]

I grew up just outside of New Castle in Neshannock Twp in the 60s and 70s. At the time, it was a vibrant little city with a lot of heavy industry, good jobs, and healthy downtown. The de-industrialization of the 1980s took its toll on the city, and it now has about half the population from 1950. However, the surrounding townships are very nice and all have separate small school districts. Many people, believe it or not, work in Cranberry or the Pittsburgh airport area and there is a commuter bus with many daily runs to downtown Pittsburgh. Try lookinig in Neshannock or Shenago townships or the "North Hill" area of New Castle proper. It's a little down on its luck right now, but there are still very good people there.

[SammyKhalifa]

Haha, maybe people will feel like I'm stabbing them in the back by mentioning this on the PA forum, but you're not far from the Youngstown OH area either.

[LuvPittsburgh]

I would also look into the Hermitage/West Middlesex area of Mercer County. It would be about 15 miles from New Castle down I think what is now I-376 (old 60). Hermitage has good schools from what I can remember and is in a nice sized chuck of cities and towns that form the Shenango Valley - which probably has maybe 45,000 people (don't know the current numbers). I know people who commute from this area all the way to Pittsburgh, so to New Castle it would not be a big deal. I find it very lovely in this area. It is about equal distance to Pittsburgh and Cleveland, so cultural amenities are never too far away. Plus, it is right next to Youngstown, OH, which while has seen much better times, at least allows for decent shopping if you do not feel like driving all the way to one of the bigger cities.

[villageidiot1]

If you look at the Lawrence county schools, these would be your top three school districts:
1. Neshannock
2. Shenango
3. Wilmington

Avoid New Castle school district. Neshannock is just to the north of New Castle and has a straght shot into New Castle on Route 18. Wilmington is north of Neshannock and includes the town of New Wilmington. New Wilmington is a very nice small college town in the middle of Amish country. They drive buggies into the middle of town. Here is a link to a map showing the school districts.

ftp://ftp.dot.state.pa.us/public/pdf/BPR_PDF_FILES/MAPS/Education/Intermediate_Unit_Map_Region04.pdf (broken link)

If you don't mind living further from New Castle, the following school districts would be worth considering:
1. Beaver
2. Seneca Valley
3. Grove City
4. Blackhawk

[PeterRabbit]

New Castle, PA, New Castle, PA* Photos, New Castle, PA pictures, A Front-Porch Pennsylvania Town in Amish Country, A small American Town in Renaissance