Moving from Chicago to Harrisburg / York / Lebanon , need ideas on where to live (Reading: transplants)

[adamchicago]

Need help on a place to live. I am opening a business in Harrisburg, York, Lebanon and the surrounding areas. I am having trouble on where to live. I understand these places are not going to be anything like Chicago and I am o.k with it for now. I would to like live someplace that has at least some lively atmosphere to it and I'm willing to travel up to an hour out of the area. I am single, not white and in my lower 30's. I'm not afraid of crime as I understand every city in the world has it.

I thought about Lancaster but the reviews are saying to stay away if I'm not white.
I am leaning towards West Reading, but there looks to be a bit of commute which I'm o.k with.

If anyone has any suggestions I would love to hear them. Thanks!

[teachbeach]

Why not Harrisburg or Lebanon? Lot's of options in and around the city~also New Cumberland and Camp Hill would be somewhat central location to all of those areas. Harrisburg has tons of night life and lots of areas that are somewhat urban~

Center city of Lancaster would be too long of a commute (people do it but they hate it) to get to York, Harrisburg and Lebanon.

[mville1]

Some other places to consider might be Hershey, Elizabethtown, and Mechanicsburg. All three of these towns will give you a pretty central location with easy access to highways and main roads that will get you to York, Lebanon, and Harrisburg.

Hershey is located between Lebanon and Harrisburg and host major musical acts, a minor league hockey team, and a top notch hospital, which brings a lot of transplants to the area. So you should be welcomed and as a plus if you're a rollercoaster junkie Hershey Park should satisfy your carvings. The Hershey area overall is very safe and has good schools. The access to outdoor activities like walking/biking/hiking trails is also pretty good.

Elizabethtown is located along route 283 in northwestern Lancaster county, a short drive from Harrisburg and its' various highways. It is also home to an Amtrak station, which gives you access to Harrisburg, Lancaster, and more importantly Philly and NYC. The town is also home to a small college and a chocolate factory so depending on the wind direction you might be able to catch a whiff of chocolate from your front porch. Naturally you'll be able to smell chocolate in Hershey as well.

Mechanicsburg is located on the West Shore in Cumberland County. It is not far from the Capital Beltway so you'll have easy access to Harrisburg and York. Mechanicsburg is famous for hosting the largest single day street fair on the east coast (Jubilee Day) and other events throughout the year. Overall the area is very safe and has many of the amenities one would expect to find in a small town and if you can't find something you're not far from larger cities like Baltimore or Philly.

Good Luck on your search and welcome to the area!

[mancat100]

You say you're willing to travel an hour. That will put you in the suburbs of either Philly or Baltimore. Just saying.

Downtown Harrisburg has quite a bit of activity - at least by Central PA standards.

[CHIP72]

AdamChicago - I'd consider midtown Harrisburg (between Forster and Maclay, and west of 3rd or maybe 4th) if I were you. I wouldn't say that area is super-lively, but you'd be close to downtown Harrisburg (i.e. 2nd Street, the "nightlife" part of Harrisburg) and there are some interesting amenities, like the Broad Street Market, nearby.

If you really want to live close to the nightlife activity, try between Market and Forster and 3rd and Front. This area is immediately west of the Pennsylvania Capitol Complex.