east prospect.. wrightsville (Lancaster, York, Columbia: crime, home, school districts)

[ctrlaltdelete]

im from new york | jersey
found a home with a Wrightsville address but really is in the northern part of east prospect..
some questions as ive yet to spend a day around gauging the area..
single father of three kids.. telecommute for work


concerned about diversity in the area.. im a pacific islander.. kids are half white
the home is assigned to east York school district.. rated average but I firmly believe its the kid too..
what areas are available around for shopping.. entertainment.. service etc
or do most folks travel to central York to do their thing...
and what do you know about the crime in the area..
thanks ahead

[teachbeach]

Read through some earlier posts about York. Eastern York school district is just average, not really one of the top ones in the district. Wrightsville is rural, so diversity will be very limited. If you can afford to move a little bit further west; Central, Dallastown and York Suburban are the better school districts, with Red Lion & Southwestern having some excellent programs as well. Central, York Suburban and Dallastown districts are all extremely diverse, most likely because of the hospitals and colleges. Your children will be bused to all of their schools and their friends could be up to 20 minutes away (Eastern York school district is a large geographic area).

Most of what you'll need in terms of grocery stores, big box stores etc. can be found at the Mt. Zion/Route 30 exit. Target & Kohls, along with Galleria Mall and York Commons. Sam's Club, WalMart etc. are on East Market Street. Eastern York market (Fridays only) is in the same area, along with ALDI, and 2 other large grocery stores and many chain restaurants. You'd find everything you need in that 2 mile square area.

For kids activities, Springettsbury Township or York Township or Windsor Township would be the places to look for recreation facilities, soccer clubs etc. There are lots of parks, a rail trail, several museums in downtown York, the York Fair in September as well as other festivals, parades and events throughout the year. York is a great place to raise a family, but I recommend you stay away from the city schools. They've had a multitude of problems with financing, staff turnover, parents putting their kids in charter schools, and students who bring a good bit of baggage into the classroom. Staff cuts and reassignments have been ongoing, leaving little stability in many of the schools.

[JettaPA]

JMO, but the school district rankings around here largely depend on the demographics of the district. The suburban schools rank higher than the more rural districts because the families care more about schooling, not having anything to do with the actual education your child receives in and of itself. I have heard nothing that makes Eastern any worse from an actual education or teacher POV that degrades the education received there compared to the more "swanky" districts.

It is a rural district though, so there isn't much in the way of diversity. Whether that means problems for you and your kids, I can't say. All it takes is 1 idiot to make people think a whole area is a certain way. Like teachbeach said, York is the entertainment hub of the county, so most of the shopping and stuff is located in and around York. Its only about 15 mins into York anyway, which anything 20 mins and under is considered "close" around here. Wrightsville has its own grocery stores though, and being on the eastern side of the county its not far to Lancaster. Columbia (right across the river) has a couple good restaurants in its own right. You also aren't far from Jim Macks Ice Cream which would be a big hit with the kids.