Looking for safe, luxury apartment somewhere around Hershey (Lancaster, Harrisburg: apartment complex, renting)

[sometimesitsnows01]

When are you moving? Not till July
Where are you coming from? Chicago via Iowa
Why are you moving? Fantastic new job
Where will you be working? Hershey, PA
Have you been here yet? Yep twice but not for too long.

Will you buy or rent? RENT. Definitely.
If renting, are you looking for an apartment, a townhouse or loft? How much can you spend? Up to $2000, but preferably around $1500
Do you prefer hi-rise or walk up? open

Are you married or single? Do you have children? Single, no babies.
Do you prefer public or private schools? See above
Do you have pets? I want to get a dog
Do you want or need a yard? Nope
Are you keeping a car? Yes
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? I'd like to be able to walk to a bar or restaurant but its not a deal breaker. That's really my only request.

What do you want to be closest to?
Basic services (supermarket, drugstore, etc.)
Nightlife


Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood? I'd like it to be young professionals, preferably not too much "family"

Phillies, Pirates or Orioles? None. The Chicago Blackhawks, and in a pinch Da Bears.


Suggestions would be appreciated!

[ZER0]

Hershey is a small and very old town. There's not much development in it. I don't think you'll find any new construction for housing. Tourism makes it jam packed during the summer especially considering Hersheypark and the Venues attatched. Hershey Medical Center is also big and active and causes a lot of traffic. If you don't mind driving I would suggest Elizabethtown in Lancaster county. It's only 10 miles south of Hershey on Route 743. Palmyra in Lebanon County is also very nice. I lived in Lebanon county for over 10 years and worked EMS with Hershey and Lebanon. I still visit and run EMS there so I have a good knowledge of the area still even though I now live in VA.

[lunetunelover]

Look into Madison at Hershey Heights. We've been there over a year now and while I wouldn't consider it "luxury" it's a nice place.

There are a couple of other developments around, but I'm not sure they all allow pets. Madison does (we have two dogs).

[JRittle123]

I'm pretty sure Hershey has only 1 apartment complex in the entire town. Briarcrest Gardens sandwiched between 422 and 322. Though it's not really luxury, they have some fairly nice apartments. And it's walking distance to pretty much everything. Hershey is expensive and the taxes are absurd. Expect to pay $500 a year just for the privilege of living there.

Most of the central Pennsylvania is very very family oriented. Hershey is the only place I noticed where there seems to be more young single professionals that are just "passing by" for school or work.

[bridge12]

Might I suggest something in downtown Harrisburg, like the Executive House?

If you're a young professional, you're going to be really bored in Hershey. Harrisburg (downtown and midtown) is where most of the young, single people live in Central PA.

[ZER0]

Originally Posted by bridge12

Might I suggest something in downtown Harrisburg, like the Executive House?

If you're a young professional, you're going to be really bored in Hershey. Harrisburg (downtown and midtown) is where most of the young, single people live in Central PA.

Being 25 and from that area...I wouldn't go near Harrisburg with a ten foot pole unless I had to. If traffic and crime are your thing....go for it

[bridge12]

Originally Posted by ZER0

Being 25 and from that area...I wouldn't go near Harrisburg with a ten foot pole unless I had to. If traffic and crime are your thing....go for it

Traffic? Seriously? Traffic is much worse in most major metropolitan areas.

It's a shame you never gave Harrisburg a shot, there's some cool stuff going on in downtown and midtown. Again, any 20-something who has a life goes to Harrisburg to have fun. They don't hang out in the suburbs.

[ZER0]

Originally Posted by bridge12

Traffic? Seriously? Traffic is much worse in most major metropolitan areas.

It's a shame you never gave Harrisburg a shot, there's some cool stuff going on in downtown and midtown. Again, any 20-something who has a life goes to Harrisburg to have fun. They don't hang out in the suburbs.

Harrisburg is a major metropolitan area and there's no denying the crime and traffic. I still have to drive through that mess when I visit. Most kids in central PA hook up with volunteer EMS and Fire. That's pretty much the only thing to do in the entire area. Harrisburg has less to offer than Lancaster has...that's for sure. glad I moved away from that boring ass area.

[JRittle123]

Harrisburg is anything but "major." It's a small city. It has some traffic but it's NOTHING compared to most other major cities. I will agree that Central PA is a pretty bland, boring area if you are not into a mainly family-oriented, small town environment but for what it is, it's a nice little city with a fair amount of things to do for the younger crowd.

[ki0eh]

There are a number of apartment complexes around Hershey, in addition to the Madison at Hershey Heights and Briarcrest mentioned, another area is north of "town" at The Reserve and Gardens at Hershey Meadows | Apartments in Hummelstown, PA - Alpine Heights is another complex that says it's adjacent to the Hershey Medical Center - it is next to a tangled poison-ivy covered undeveloped hillside that is Medical Center property, and states "no pets" to boot - "luxury" might have been applied to that place in the mid-1960s. The Hummelstown 17036 zip code nearly surrounds the Hershey 17033 zip, and includes many areas within Derry Township ("Hershey" does not exist as a municipal entity - Hershey Meadows is in South Hanover Twp, Madison at Hershey Heights is in a valley in SW Derry Twp).

Another thing to note, PA landlord tenant law is probably somewhat more medieval than what you may be used to in IL and IA.

Walking to a bar or restaurant isn't a very meaningful option from any of these places. Even from Briarcrest (which might have been "luxury" in the 1970s), while you could walk over to the Medical Center complex or the Hershey Co. Technical Center, you have a choice within that walking distance of a pizza shop (that does at least have some six packs), and Friendly's (a location dating from when Hershey Foods Corp. owned that chain).

After reviewing the local choices, many younger professionals at the Hershey organizations wind up living in Harrisburg or Lancaster City, then drift away to other opportunities. I think some of the local mandarins have finally figured out that many younger talented folks don't want to live in mid 1980's era auto dependent suburbia. This development in Hummelstown Borough has just started construction, so may be premature to meet the OP's needs: Verde Living