Palmyra, Pa and Surrounding Areas (Lancaster, Harrisburg: high crime, house, employment)

[Ltrain400]

Just recieved a job in Palmyra. I am interested in hearing yall's opinion on the area. Including Schools and recommended areas to live and not to live. Thank you to anyone that can help!

[lunetunelover]

I'm new to this area, but Palmyra isn't too far from where we are.

Depending on what you are used to, the area is quite rural. Hershey is close, Hummelstown/Middletown is just a bit farther. Annville is close too.

Housing is pretty reasonable (again, depending on where you are coming from) and I don't know of too many "bad" areas over there.

Not sure about schools because we don't have children.

[bolillo_loco]

Originally Posted by lunetunelover

I'm new to this area, but Palmyra isn't too far from where we are.

Depending on what you are used to, the area is quite rural. Hershey is close, Hummelstown/Middletown is just a bit farther. Annville is close too.

Housing is pretty reasonable (again, depending on where you are coming from) and I don't know of too many "bad" areas over there.

Not sure about schools because we don't have children.

I guess it depends on where you're coming from. If I have neighbors within a mile of me, I don't find it rural. To me, rural means, 1 hour drive to get to any shopping, people, and the like.

Palmyra:

Schools:

I haven't a clue what the school's like, and your question is vague. Its demographics are probably 98% white. Does this school produce Rhodes scholars? I haven't a clue. It's most likely to be akin to any white suburban school district.

Living arrangements:

I'd steer clear of Palmyra proper. It's got one heavily traveled thoroughfare, and it sees rather heavy congestion due to people commuting from Harrisburg/Hershey to points east in the afternoon and west in the morning. Other than that, it's a quite town, and there's plenty of local shopping that's not far way unless you need fancy high dollar shops. 422 seems to be Lebanon County's dividing line. To the south are where the faux wealthy, 10 cent millionaires, and hippy artsy fartsy types live in their over priced homes. North of 422 are where all the inbred hillbillies live. The real difference will be price of homes and taxes. To the north, you can pretty much live as you please. Whereas to the south, it's more expensive, a lot of rules to be followed about keeping your property well kempt, and the like.

Other than moving into a city, I can't think of any bad areas that you'd not want to live in. I live in the tippy top of the county because I'm a hillbilly. My sister lives in the southern part because she wants to be rich and effect that faux wealthy keep up with and or out do the neighbors type attitudes. Her property's almost ten fold smaller, her home's half the size, less modern, not built as well, has neighbors within spitting distance, but worth nearly twice as much, and her taxes are twice as high as mine. If I call the police, we don't have any because we're a rural northern township, so the Pennsylvania State Police are at the door in short order. If she calls the police, her local law enforcement agency takes its good old time because they're busy investigating a litter strewn in the yard, a barking dog, or somebody's feeding stray cats.

Palmyra's not a bad area. It's a bit pricey in my opinion, but it's not too bad. It most likely has that any small town America feel to it.

[ki0eh]

Palmyra is in a belt of sinkhole prone limestone that runs parallel to US 422. Once you get about 1 to 2 miles north of US 422 the bedrock changes to shale. South of US 422 the belt is less predictable but essentially runs to when you start climbing up wooded hills.

Mount Gretna is a quirky community east-southeast of Palmyra with a woodsy/artsy feel.

Hershey is directly west of Palmyra. Depending on which ratings you believe the Derry Township school district (Hershey does not exist as a corporate entity, most places with a Hershey address are in Derry Twp) is the highest ranked in PA outside Pitt/Philly metros or maybe the 4th best in the Harrisburg metro area but housing has a premium anyway. The Penn State medical college and hospital complex is in Hershey so that is a major employer, seemingly more so than the Hershey [Chocolate] Co. HQ and 2 remaining factories. Many folks commute from the relatively less expensive Palmyra area into the Hershey employment centers so if you work day shift going from Hershey to Palmyra would be reverse commuting.

US 422 is a pain in the neck and alternative roads are much longer. Unless you want a more urban, or a really rural shoot-anything-off-your-porch, lifestyle there is no real need to go further than Palmyra itself or any immediately surrounding town.

The City of Lebanon is not attractive to many relocatees, with worn-out housing and high crime not counterbalanced by hipsters or other urban virtues. Lancaster is much more attractive for fans of city living, more arty with a less clouded fiscal future than Harrisburg.

[DandelionGrace]

Hi there. My family lives in Palmyra - we have 3 small boys. Overall, it's a pretty nice town. We've been happy with the schools - certainly not as fantastic as Derry Township, but good teachers and solid academics so far. They just opened a brand new elementary last year, which is a really nice school. Parks & Rec here has a decent number of affordable sports programs for the kids. I like it because it's quiet, but within driving distance to all the larger areas (Hershey/Harrisburg/Lancaster/York) for concerts, good restaurants, etc, but has a smaller-town feel. Easy driving to several good grocery stores (Giant/Weis/Redners), drug stores, etc., but almost a desert when it comes to decent restaurants or cool places to just go "hang out." The best park within driving distance (if you have kids) is up the road at Hershey's Cocoa Castle. We have a nice public pool (again, Hershey's is better, but the taxes are higher too). People are about as nice as they are in any other part of the midstate - not the friendliest people in the world, but usually not rude either. After living in a couple other states, I think central PA people are influenced by the whole PA Dutch/German sort of mentality, and tend to be sort of "boring" and straightlaced, and I think that goes for Palmyra.

I work at Lebanon Valley College in Annville up the road, which is similar to Palmyra with a little more influence from the college - there's the Allen Theatre, which is a cool old theater with a nice coffee shop attached, and some little shops on the main street (though they're mostly uppity and overpriced, so I don't bother).

As far as where to live, it depends on whether you want to have space around your house or you'd rather live in a neighborhood. If you want a neighborhood, you'd be fine anywhere but on the main streets - I would never want to live on 322, 422, or any of the other major roads around here. They're always crowded, always caving in from the sinkhole (which then means construction), and crazy noisy during the day. A few blocks away and you're fine. If you want somewhere quiet and more "country," try out around Campbelltown. We live out here (but still in Palmyra school district) on a couple acres, and it's great - really quiet, lots of birds and deer - you'd never know there was a town 2 minutes down the road.

I'm happy to answer more questions if I can. Good luck!!

[DandelionGrace]

Oh, one other thing I'd say. If you have elementary-age kids, I'd recommend trying to move to an area served by Lingle Avenue Elementary - that's the new one. The other schools are pretty old, and no where near as nice, IMO.