Info on surrounding area of Indian Town Gap (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh: fit in, insurance)

[JstmeinVA]

Hubby just accepted a job in Indian Town Gap. PA wondering what the area is like, and what are the nearest towns, will be looking for a house three bedroom 2 bath with den. Any information will be appreciated. Thank you.

[ki0eh]

Fort Indiantown Gap has an Annville address but the nearest town is really Jonestown (they don't laugh at purple Kool-Aid jokes, I've tried ) whose postal address carries into the valley behing FTIG that locals know as Green Point, and the PA 72 I-81 interchange signed "Lebanon" on the highway but really called Lickdale and located in Union Township. (Confused yet? Welcome to PA! )

Going southwest towards shopping, postal addresses are Grantville and Harrisburg (the Harrisburg postal address carries out far in the direction of FTIG). Box store chains are along US 22 east of I-83, although there is a bit of shopping on the west side of the City of Lebanon and a couple of basic chains (Walmart, Lowe's) in Palmyra. Areas with a Palmyra, Hummelstown, and Hershey address north of US 422 are both within earshot of FTIG and relatively easy commute.

Staying a bit north of US 422 should also keep you out of the sinkhole zone. The best way to avoid this hidden hazard is to check the soils maps to make sure your housing site is on shaly soil not limestone soil, unless you're wanting to delve directly into the geologic maps.

Going east from FTIG towards Fredericksburg gets you into an area with more chicken farms in proximity to the poultry processing plant. That area also has less interchange of population with the outside world, rural Lebanon County is known for stories of insularity.

Going northeast towards Pine Grove could offer some possibilities, some folks even commute to Hershey from out this way. Further out in Schuylkill County outsiders are often considerably less welcomed in the tight-knit so-called "coal region." Underground mining in the coal region also carries possible subsidence hazards with it.

Going northwest over the crazy Gold Mine Road gets you to the Williams Valley area where the coal region overlaps into northern Dauphin County. That road at the edge of "St. Anthony's Wilderness" gets pretty treacherous in winter conditions although many do commute over it, typically at speeds utterly remarkable to the casual visitor.

PA school districts vary on a sub-county basis. Hershey (which is really Derry Township) is sometimes considered to rank the highest of any of the 501 school districst outside the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh metros. However a reasonable 3 br house that might be 175k in another school could easily be 225k+ in Derry as a result. Lower Dauphin School District ranks almost as well and carries out much further towards FTIG in East Hanover Twp/Dauphin County (there is also an East Hanover Twp adjacent to this in Lebanon County which is a different place). East Hanover/Dauphin has sewer woes, some homes that seem promising in your range might soon be facing a $10,000 hookup fee with the pipe connection cost on TOP of that.

Anything else you want to know?

[PeeAye Native]

I'll add some to the preceding comments about Schuylkill County and the 'coal regions'.

Some people do commute from NE of FITG and even into Harrisburg from Pine Grove, Ravine, Hegins and even as far as Frackville. Look at I-81 as it goes northeastward from the intersection with I-78 to locate these communities. There are informal (ie., dirt lots) and formal Park-n-Ride lots at many of the interchanges for I-81 along here, lots of people car-pool. It's mostly natives who were born and raised in the area, rather than people who moved into the area, who do this. That is not because outsiders are unwelcome, but because many of the communities are not as thriving, bustling and do not have the retail and school options in areas you considered alternatives (Hershey, Annville, Lebanon, and the eastern 'burbs of metro Harrisburg). Footnote: I believe the Pine Grove area has seem some growth and influx into the area due to this, it's not what you'd call a groundswell or a booming trend, though.

If you want a slow pace of life, more removed from the urban/suburban influences, where things don't change very fast, and the cost of living is very low, then you might fit in to those locales.

Another point to make here is the stretch of I-81 from Ravine to Frackville has a very bad track record for significant accidents due to weather, white outs from snow and zero visibility in heavy rain and fog are the culprits. We're talking multi-car/truck pileups where there's a chain reaction with one vehicle smashing into the vehicle ahead because visibility changed instantly to basically zero. In the last eight years there have been probably one or two of these per year.

As for mine subsidence, yes it exists in the area. But it's very limited in scope, it does not occur across the entire region, there are linear 'zones' where you'd be susceptible, and these are in general known or can be found easily (here for example, or by paying a surveyor or engineering consultant to research it). Federally backed subsidence insurance is always available and last I looked it was $150 +/- per year for $250k coverage. (edit, actual rates here).

[ki0eh]

As far as I can tell a conventional detached home on a 1/2 or 1 acre lot isn't much cheaper in Schuylkill vs. adjacent areas such as Northern Lebanon SD. The less expensive homes seem to be crowded row, or very short lot line, houses in or near "patch" communities. Most folks from outside PA are not used to this housing style, especially in small towns. If you want to be that close to your neighbors then you certainly can get more house for your money in the coal region.

I also agree that mine subsidence is an issue only in narrow bands in the anthracite region (NOT necessarily so in SW PA where the coal layers are more horizontal). Whether they mined under "town" or not varies by each town. Not so many places are as badly off as Gilberton where the Borough building collapsed so the council meets in the blower building at the sewer treatment plant.

I also agree that mine subsidence, like sinkholes, are insurable risks. I mention them because outsiders aren't likely to know about either one to be on the lookout.