Young Professional Moving to York, PA (Philadelphia, Harrisburg: low income, apartment complexes, crime rate)

[keh253]

Hello,

I am a young professional female (26 years old) moving to York, PA for a job. I am looking for the best area to live for young professionals, and I would prefer to live close to my work (downtown york). I am not adverse to urban areas (i lived in West Philadelphia for 5 years) or to less urban areas (I currently live in State College). The most important thing to me is proximiaty to other young professionals and maybe night life? (any? even one bar?) I honestly know very few people in the area, so any help would be greatly appreciated.

[PreservationPioneer]

York is a very beautiful and historic small city. The best nightlife and young professional scene in the area is probably in nearby Harrisburg, but York has some of its own. Downtown York is undergoing something of a renaissance, although it can still be pretty sleepy. There are coffee shops, restaurants, art galleries, etc. in downtown York, and there are some young professionals there. York, to me, feels as if it is on the cusp of becoming a trendy urban city, but it isn't there yet. The city does have problems with crime and poverty, but it's a small enough city that a little bit of love could go a long way! I am 28 and have been wanting to move to York, but owning my home in McKees Rocks has been a big incentive for me to stay put.

The positives for York are: very affordable, very urban and historic, very walkable, has city feel and amenities.

The negatives are: high crime rate in certain areas, poverty, it's a sleepy smaller city.

Here is my photo tour of the beautiful buildings in York:


York, Pennsylvania (Photo Tour) - YouTube

[teachbeach]

I'd recommend looking slightly to the east of the city itself. Perhaps the area along Mt. Rose Avenue/Route 83 intersection or the Route 30/North Hills area. There are some great apartment complexes, and you are within 5 miles of the city. Living in York City itself might be a little bit of a gamble until you familiarize yourself with the good vs. bad areas, and determine what your parking situation might entail. The area at Mt. Rose/Route 83 puts you near Knickers (part of the Heritage Hills complex), Arooga's and several other amenities (Planet Fitness, grocery stores, fast food etc.) and a back way into downtown that is easy and off the highways. The area near Route 30/North Hills has more options for apartments. Both areas are very safe, you would most likely find other people in your age range. I know many people that work at the hospital live in these areas and also down near the intersection of Queen Street/Route 83/Springwood Road. Parts of the southern downtown area (South Queen Street) as you head out of the city might be safe, it's an upscale neighborhood, but it does border York College, so you'll want to watch for the student integrated areas that turn into party blocks at times.

York has a tons of great little restaurants of all sizes and prices; White Rose Bar & Grill, Cobblestones, a new Holy Hound Taproom, the Yorktowne Hotel, places in City Market, Maewyn's Irish Pub, First Capital Dispensing, Waterway, Blue Moon and my special occasion favorite~Left Bank. There are also some local ethnic places; sushi, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai etc. that are popular. A couple of art galleries, and the Strand Capitol for classic movies, shows and music groups. Lots of history and community events (parades, celebrations, street fairs and the county fair every September). That being said, you would most likely have to travel to the "suburbs" to grocery shop, get to a mall or retail store, get gas, visit a doctor, join a gym (although there is a YWCA and a YMCA in downtown York).

There's a great rail trail for walking/running and biking, a library, some cute boutique types of shops, and during the daylight hours it is a charming area.

Good Luck, hope you enjoy your new home in York!

[JettaPA]

I know they just converted an old factory building into an apartment building on the west side of town near the fairgrounds. It looks neat from the outside but I'm not sure if its geared toward young professionals such as yourself or if geared more towards low income families. Might want to check that out, its only a quick jaunt to downtown from there.

[adamchicago]

I'm in the same situation, have you figured out any places to live?