easiest commute into Harrisburg? (Lebanon, Johnstown: real estate, 2013, apartment)

[CandaceA]

Hi Everyone,

Husband may possibly have a transfer to Harrisburg. We know nothing about the area. Any info on the following would be greatly appreciated.

Easiest commute to Crooked Hill is from which direction?

Empty nesters with 4 dogs and a cat. So, a good sized yard is a must.

We're in a 3400 square foot house now, but want to downsize somewhat. Price range 200,000-250,000
Semi rural (even Full rural) would be perfect, but getting harder and harder to find.

Oh yes, husband plans to resume avid fly fishing. Other than that, pretty much homebodies. Don't need busy, exciting place to live. LOL


And we absolutely HATE townhouses, condos, etc...our dogs are loud.

[ki0eh]

Crooked Hill Rd in Susquehanna Township runs north from the Harrisburg Main post office. I'll assume for this post that's where you mean. I'll also start out by answering a couple of questions you didn't ask before moving on to your actual question.

Lot sizes in SE PA are smaller than one may find in the South and Midwest, and sticker shock is not uncommon here when you do find them. It seems that many places with even a couple of acres on up (not just farmable farms) in this area are auctioned instead of listed with regular realtors.

Each individual township in PA (sub-zip code variation, and not necessarily aligning with zip code boundaries) is independent and zoning rules are NOT consistent. You cannot directly compare what you can do in a given zone in Susquehanna Township with what you can do in what seems like the same name of a zone in Lower Paxton Township or the same name of a zone in West Hanover Township even if both have a Harrisburg postal address. You can't even compare East Hanover Township (Dauphin County) with adjacent East Hanover Township (Lebanon County) because they are different independent entities as well. With big dogs it would behoove you to check the actual zoning rules for the property you make an offer on. A zoning hearing is a legal proceeding in PA, and even if the rules say you can request a "special exception," that's a lawyer-up deal where you also have to pay the local costs even if it's granted.

With that said the easiest commute to Crooked Hill Rd would likely be from any road intersecting Linglestown Rd/PA 39 with a Harrisburg address. As the area was once rural, then once exurban, within PA's inconsistent development pattern it is possible to find houses on rump lots that were either too small to subdivide, or were the old farmers' house when the farm was subdivided. There are places like this within even a block or two of Colonial Park Mall, although obviously further out in Lower Paxton Twp north and east of "downtown" Linglestown (now easier to pick out for the non-local, that's where the roundabouts are on PA 39), and in West Hanover Twp north of I-81, would be expected to be more big-dog friendly (but don't assume, read the rules).

The next area to look in would be along Fishing Creek Valley Rd/PA 443. This area has been deliberately kept more exurban than suburban by not extending sewer lines. (This brings up another point, septic system rules in PA are probably much stricter than wherever you come from, if there is a just right bargain property house built in the 60's or 70's, septic problems may be why. Septic problems can run into the tens of thousands of dollars to fix, if it's even possible.) There are a couple of roads that cross Blue Mountain between PA 443 and PA 39.

Probably the next area to look in is across the Susquehanna River. The I-81 Wade Bridge is less likely to back up than the "river routes" of US 22/322 expressway and US 11/15 surface road. East Pennsboro Twp extends from Enola up into Blue Mountain and there remain some hidden cut off larger-lot houses. The same goes for the entire area north of I-81 from there to Carlisle, however Hampden and Silver Spring Twps (in Cumberland Valley school district) carry a "good school" cost premium it doesn't sound like you're interested in. Middlesex Twp might offer possibilities (even very close to the much cursed "Miracle Mile" US 11 surface road connection from I-81 to PA Turnpike/I-76) if you haven't found anything closer.

Maybe a next priority area would be to look in Perry County areas with a Marysville 17053 or Duncannon 17020 address. Rye Twp west of Marysville is deliberately kept exurban similar to Fishing Creek Valley facing it across the river. Penn Twp (for the most part) and Wheatfield Twp are similar.

If you still haven't hit your sweet spot try Newport 17074 or Halifax 17032 areas. Some of the townships in these zips don't even have zoning. They still have septic rules (those are statewide although administered locally).

[cwa1984]

Originally Posted by CandaceA

Hi Everyone,

Husband may possibly have a transfer to Harrisburg. We know nothing about the area. Any info on the following would be greatly appreciated.

Easiest commute to Crooked Hill is from which direction?

Empty nesters with 4 dogs and a cat. So, a good sized yard is a must.

We're in a 3400 square foot house now, but want to downsize somewhat. Price range 200,000-250,000
Semi rural (even Full rural) would be perfect, but getting harder and harder to find.

Oh yes, husband plans to resume avid fly fishing. Other than that, pretty much homebodies. Don't need busy, exciting place to live. LOL


And we absolutely HATE townhouses, condos, etc...our dogs are loud.

Honestly for your price range and if you honestly don't care about or prefer living in a rural area I would recommend Perry County along US 322 or US 11/15. Since you don't care about school districts Newport in Perry County you would get the isolation you are looking for with 4 dogs and get some country living while being close to an expressway into Harrisburg. The other area to consider is north of Duncannon on US15 your further away from Harrisburg but you can get there under an hour and it's cheap living there. If you live in Duncannon it's a roughly 25 minute commute to downtown Harrisburg but the closer you live the more your going to have to pay for a home and the less amount of land you will have...although outside of Duncannon and Marysville you can find some decent size homes with a good bit of acreage that aren't very expensive.

Perry County would be where to look in your price range since it's much more cheaper to live in Perry County then Dauphin County or Cumberland County for that matter. For example I live in 973 square ft two bedroom deluxe apartment in Duncannon PA rent is $680 a month. A similar apartment in Upper Dauphin would cost me $800 a month even though I live closer to Harrisburg being in Duncannon then I would if I lived in Upper Dauphin but due to the price differences between the counties it's more expensive there. So I would stick to looking at Perry County around US322 and US11/15.

[ki0eh]

I would agree that Millerstown is closer in than Millersburg timewise. Grantville and Jonestown could offer potential, there are more alternatives to I-81 than there are to the "river routes."

[cwa1984]

It's hard to beat Perry County for the price range of Homes she is looking for while still being somewhat close to Harrisburg and having a yard that is at least an acre if not several acres. Your right you have options along I-81 but considering her Husband loves fishing living along or at least pretty close to the Susquehanna would be ideal for him as well.

[CandaceA]

Thank you both so very much for all the info. WOW, pretty overwhelming! Perry being my maiden name, sounds like a good place to start. All kidding aside, it does sound like Perry county is more apt to have what we want. I will start looking at the real estate available in that area. It may be anywhere from 6 months to a year out before we actually relocate. And the Post Office is exactly where he'll be working. Husband does a 30 minute drive into Nashville for work now,so that's not a problem. I have never heard of sewer laws or dog zoning. Is that a Northern thing? or strictly Pennsylvania thing? My husband is from Johnstown and he didn't tell me about these possible problems. Thank you so much for letting me know. I would have never thought to inquire about those things.

[ki0eh]

PA is just weirdly inconsistent law wise. Septic system rules might be the most draconian in the country while private water wells are the least regulated. Liquor is socialized and vehicle registration is privatized.

[ki0eh]

Perry County is the nearest to Harrisburg included within the Federally defined Appalachian Region. Although the individual municipality (borough, township) there as elsewhere is the true functional unit of local government, there is something of a stereotype in the region. Perry County 'scumbag' remark inspires entrepreneurial spirit | PennLive.com

[cwa1984]

Yeah during the summer time in Duncannon PA you always see a bunch of hikers walking thorough town since we're along the Appalachian trail. As far as looney Linda Thompson goes here is what she said that started the whole thing.



Linda Thompson was not a respected mayor in Harrisburg PA and everyone was glad to see her leave to be blunt. She just sucked at the job. The new Mayor of Harrisburg is not a complete idiot like Linda Thompson was.

[JettaPA]

I like Perry County, but just be warned, it is "rural" rural, not "cute" rural. It can be trashy, and the refigerators on porches jokes do have some truth to them. But I always liked it there. We used to have a bungalow along the juniata river near Newport, and I liked visiting there. Just be warned, not saying its bad or whatnot, but it has a reputation in the area as the redneck cousin of counties, and the stereotype fits. If you don't care about that, I'm sure you'll find what you are looking for there.