Family safe area in Harrisburg? (Chester, West Chester: apartment, rent, low crime)

[sarahinfl77]

When are you moving? Between Nov 1st and Dec 1st
Where are you coming from?Central FL
Why are you moving?My husband has a job offer
Where will you be working?Downtown Harrisburg
Have you been here yet?No

Will you buy or rent?Rent
If renting, are you looking for an apartment, a townhouse or loft? How much can you spend?Townhouse would be nice, or even a house. $1000 is about the most we want to spend as I'll no longer be working.
Do you prefer hi-rise or walk up?Walk-up

Are you married or single? Do you have children?Married with 3 girls
Do you prefer public or private schools?Decent public schools are very important to me
Do you have pets?No
Do you want or need a yard?It would be nice
Are you keeping a car?Yes
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet?Either

What do you want to be closest to?Being close to his work would be nice, but I don't want to live in the ghetto. I'd rather he have a commute of 20-30 minutes if it means a nicer area.

Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood?Yes, an area with a lot of middle aged families would be nice as well.

I'm not familiar with the area at all; my husband is from West Chester but isn't familiar with the area either. The most important criteria is good schools. That and low crime.
Thanks for any and all help! I was raised in Northern VA right outside of DC but my kids have been raised 20 minutes from the beach. They can't wait to see snow.

[Lucario]

Hershey - Derry Township, is a good area with great schools. But I don't know what you'll find there or any of the more affluent burbs for $1,000 rent.

[JettaPA]

Check out the west shore area: Camp Hill, Mechanicsburg, New Cumberland..etc. They fit most of the criteria, but like lucario said, not sure how much $1000 rent will get you. New Cumberland might fit your budget the best.

[sarahinfl77]

Thanks so much! That will help us narrow down our search for sure

[ki0eh]

Probably the west shore areas (not just the West Shore school district, but Camp Hill Borough, Cumberland Valley, and parts of East Pennsboro schools) are best for relatively close and safe downtown commuting (take the bus). Some parts of Enola (East Pennsboro) can get trashy but no neighborhoods of Wormleysburg, Lemoyne, Camp Hill, New Cumberland have areawide issues. As you might surmise anywhere immediate neighbors can always be bad news with bad luck.