Hershey move (Lancaster, Harrisburg, Washington: affordable apartment, rentals, crime)

[yoopergurl]

My daughter is going for an interview at the Penn State Medical Center in Hershey. I was looking on line for apartments, but Hershey doesn't come up alot on rent.com, etc. Harrisburg and Lancaster do. Does anyone know of any apartment building rentals right in Hershey? Also, if there are not alot available, what would be the next place for her to look that is still close enough to drive? Also, is Hershey an actual city? I was reading something that said it wasn't actually a town? Any info on Hershey would be helpful. Or is Harrisburg safe? Any info would help. Thanks

[ki0eh]

Link to on campus housing for students: Home - Penn State Housing and this is across the highway: Welcome to Briarcrest Gardens, Hershey, PA and this is on the hill right behind: Alpine Heights at Hershey Harrisburg,PA apartment community details and pictures

The Hershey Medical Center and most of the area with a Hershey postal address is part of http://www.derrytownship.org/ - folks have voted twice not to change the name it's had since 1729 to "Hershey Township" so I suppose some see value in continuing the confusion. A good chunk of Derry Twp has a Hummelstown postal address (the Medical Center actually would too had they not arranged otherwise with the post office) so there are a number of apartment complexes near the Medical Center with this address such as Madison at Hershey Heights and Luxury Apartment Homes (which spill over into areas with a Harrisburg postal address but not within the City of Harrisburg).

The aforementioned areas are relatively peaceful and quiet but somewhat boring, many younger people now seem to favor living in Harrisburg City itself. I'll let other posters chime in on these areas.

[werdna35]

It is definitely a town. And a boring one. Expect nothing to do from october thru may, with most things closing at 9 pm. From may thru october, expect way too much traffic and a ton of tourists.

If she is set on living in hershey, alpine heights (mentioned above) is in the best area and have the nicest places. briarcrest, for instance, is a mix of townhomes with decent families to kind of dumpy (as dumpy as hershey gets) apartments.

I would highly recommend Hummelstown. Closer to harrisburg but still close to hershey, and no derry township taxes, which are higher than surrounding towns!

[yoopergurl]

Thanks for your help. Would you recommend then, for a young adult (she's 23), that she live in Harrisburg? It looks like it's close enough to commute. Also, is it safe there. When looking up the crime on this site, it seems quite high?

[grmi66]

My wife and I lived in Hershey when she attended Penn State. We lived at Briarcrest and thought it was fine except for the taxes. If she is going to be a student there might as well live close because she will not have any free time. When my wife was a student she was on campus 10-16 hours a day almost every day of the week. Briarcrest was nice because she could walk to campus if she wanted fresh air for 10 minutes.

Harrisburg is only 10-15 minutes away if you want something to do, Lancaster is 30 minutes away and for weekend trips Philly, Washington DC, Baltimore are all less than 3 hours away. NYC is about 4 hours away.

[werdna35]

harrisburg is like most other cities. if your smart about it, it's safe. on the other hand, if she is walking him alone, drunk at 3 am in a not so good area than she might get robbed. But that is really only the city part. there are lots of neighborhoods and suburbs that are considered part of harrisburg as well.

[vur102]

I actually work @ the Hershey Medical Center and am in my 20s. I live in downtown Harrisburg. I find the commute to the medical center to be 15-20 mins depending on traffic but its never more than that. Living in downtown or midtown harrisburg are relatively safe places and the only two I would recommend. Midtown harrisburg as they call it is an up and coming residential area where a lot of 20 to 30 something young professionals live. There is more of a community vibe/atmosphere there. You have a small independent movie theater and a performing arts/cultural center as well as a farmer's market, bookstore, and a few cafes. As the posters above said, each place has its positives/negatives. If you want to live in Hershey, it is literally no commute to the medical center, it is extremely safe, and you have all the necessities within a couple minutes drive (fast food, the outlets, 3-4 good restaurants, grocery store) but not much in the way of the nightlife atmosphere you get with living in Harrisburg. Downtown harrisburg also has a couple apartment complexes, PA Place and executive house, where a lot of 20-something young professionals live. Harrisburg also has more restaurants, bars, clubs, theatre/art/culture all within walking distance with a lot of young people frequenting these establishments on the weekends. Hershey is more of a suburb than anything else. Parking in Harrisburg is the tricky part though, if you have a car you will either have to find street parking (which they only ticket from 8-5pm weekdays) or permit parking if they apartment building or place you live in doesn't offer it. Again, depends on what you are looking for.

[yoopergurl]

Thanks vur102 that was very helpful. The PA place looks expensive. She will be an entry-level Rad Tech if she gets the job. Do you know of any more affordable apartment buildings, or would she be better off looking on craigslist or something like that for an apartment in a smaller complex?

[DowntownHarrisburg]

Originally Posted by yoopergurl

Thanks vur102 that was very helpful. The PA place looks expensive. She will be an entry-level Rad Tech if she gets the job. Do you know of any more affordable apartment buildings, or would she be better off looking on craigslist or something like that for an apartment in a smaller complex?

Executive House (Second & Chestnut) and The Grayco (North St between Front & Second) are both very affordable. Both also include all utilities. Search this forum and you'll find a lot of commentary on both.

I personally live in Executive House and I love it here! It's walking distance to all the downtown nightlife. Midtown is a 15-minute walk. Riverfront Park is a block away, the train station is two blocks away, and I-83 is 60 seconds away. Reserved parking in the attached garage is $60 / month. The office & maintenance staff are outstanding. The exterior needs a little (a lot) of cosmetic work, but the apartment interiors are modern and huge.

23 is the perfect age to live downtown. You're in the middle of everything -- the nightlife, the entertainment, the restaurants, the festivals -- and you never have to worry about calling a cab for a ride home. Downtown Harrisburg is as safe as they come, though common sense dictates that you always need to remain aware of your surroundings no matter what city or town you're in.

[yoopergurl]

THANKS! vur102