Just relocated to Harrisburg...(without visiting first) (Lebanon, Carlisle: employment, colleges)

[MangoeBunny]

I accepted a job in the area, the only info I was able to attain about HBG was what i found here on City-Data and I am happy I did not follow the advice that was given (most of it was negative). First off let me give u some background of myself, I am a young Veteran recently out of the Navy, born and raised in NYC, traveled all over the world, 1 child.

*I'm going to keep this short*

The picture painted about this city is not accurate, I've read many post that described HBG as a " DUMP " (not true)

HBG is actually a nice little city. Many things to do, very diverse and everyone seems to get along well.

As with every city there are some less desirable areas, in my opinion that seems to be the S Allison hill area ( which is close to downtown ) I drive thru that area often and see individuals just hangin around on the corner, sitting on the stoops and such, BUT they dont bother me because I'm just passing through, I don't see a reason I would ever walk or hang around the area.

Being from NYC may be a reason why the "crime" doesnt bother me but I if your from a really small or rural town It might bother u.

* Thats just my take on HBG I've been here about 2 months and so far I'm pleased*

[DowntownHarrisburg]

Welcome to the area!

I couldn't agree with you more regarding the overall description of the city. Perspective can play a key point -- someone who was born and raised in Mechanicsburg without ever living anywhere else will find Harrisburg to be very large and scary. On the other hand, someone relocating from NY, Philly, or any other major metro will find Harrisburg to be relatively harmless.

And I completely agree on having things to do around here. It seems a lot of people want to benchmark the city's quality of life against completely unrealistic comparisons like NYC or LA. As a third-class city surrounded by rural countryside in all directions, Harrisburg's metro area offers a surprisingly high degree of cultural / educational / employment / lifestyle opportunities. And it doesn't hurt that Philly & Baltimore are only 90 minutes away, and a weekend getaway to NYC only requires a three-hour train ride.

Sure, we have room for improvement, but looking at the big picture, I really like this area.

[CHIP72]

The Harrisburg area, and more broadly south central PA, really gives you a lot of bang for the buck compared to most areas in the U.S. IMO.

Harrisburg itself, like many cities, has good and bad attributes. There are definitely areas in Harrisburg, like parts of midtown closer to the river and close to the Capitol west of 3rd Street, where I'd like living. Probably the biggest negative about Harrisburg (IMO) is the lack of a 4 year college somewhere in or just outside the city.

[ki0eh]

Originally Posted by CHIP72

Probably the biggest negative about Harrisburg (IMO) is the lack of a 4 year college somewhere in or just outside the city.

Here's 3 in the metro area:

Penn State Harrisburg: About Us

Messiah College - A Nationally-Ranked Christian College

Dickinson College

[CHIP72]

Originally Posted by ki0eh

Here's 3 in the metro area:

Penn State Harrisburg: About Us

Messiah College - A Nationally-Ranked Christian College

Dickinson College

All three of those colleges are at least 10 miles outside of Harrisburg. When I say "just outside the city", I mean within 1-2 miles of city's borders, such that the college has a cultural impact on the city or at least a portion of the city. None of those colleges mentioned have any sort of cultural impact on Harrisburg. Penn State-Middletown is primarily a commuter college, and both Messiah and Dickinson (and for that matter Lebanon Valley and Elizabethtown) are too far away relative to their size to impact Harrisburg culture. (Having said that, Dickinson DOES impact Carlisle culture, positively IMO. Messiah has an isolated campus not located in a town, so it doesn't really impact the culture in Grantham, Dillsburg, or anywhere else except on Messiah's campus.)

[fisheye]

MangoeBunny,

First thank you for honorably serving our Country!

Then I did want to point out that there are probably PX services close to you. There is the Naval Support Activity in Mechanicsburg. Possibly they could inform you of the closest PX? There are several large bases not too far away.

I lived in Carlisle for five years and came away with a very favorable impression of the area.

[MangoeBunny]

Thanks for the input guys