Relocating to the state, need advice please (Altoona, Harrisburg: crime, law school)

[5150aries]

I'm not sure if I am posting to the right area of Pennsylvania, if not please excuse me. I'm going to be relocating to the area, my Pennsylvania friend says Clearfield city, Altoona, and Gettysburg are the 3 cities we should stick with. My boyfriend is a truck driver out of Carlisle, and I will be seeking work once I get there, no kids but a boxer dog. We're in our late 40's- any comments or advice on this is appreciated.

[Camarodude]

Carlisle, PA is where you’ll want to be. Great little town with plenty of opportunities.

[Sicilee]

Agree with camarodude. Is there a reason you don’t want to be in Carlisle?

[krag96]

I'll agree with the above, the Carlisle area is full of job opportunities, (it's a major trucking hub intersecting I-81, I-76, and US rt-11). Midtown is a nice historic small city full of small shops, a law college, and lots of old buildings. Any commute within 10-15 miles should be fairly easy and housing cost is about average. The area is a shoppers paradise with everything from small shops in town to malls.


I don't have much first hand experience in Altoona, but it also is a rail and trucking hub though possibly not as busy as Carlisle. Clearfield would be a more rural hub situated close to I-80 and I-79. I never thought of Gettysburg as a modern transportation hub, but it is a nice place with one of the most beautiful National Battlefield Parks on earth, (particularly late April-early May when the trees are in blossom). Gettysburg is more a tourist town that gets very busy in the summer particularly during early July.


You will find housing costs lower in Altoona or Clearfield and a more rural setting. Carlisle and Gettysburg costs rise, but so do opportunities with plenty to do and occupy your free time.

[g500]

Altoona is cheap, not as many job opportunities. You might want to consider looking into Carlisle as krag96 made mention. It is a nice town, lots of trucking and warehouse job opportunities, and only 30 minutes from much larger cities (Harrisburg, York). Carlisle is a trucking hub since it is located at the confluence of many major interstates (I-81, I-76, US-15, US-11). Decent cost of living. Dickinson Law School and the US Army War College are located there. There is some crime in Carlisle Borough, but overall it is isolated and usually involving drugs and/or prostitution. Carlisle as a town reminds me a bit of Chambersburg for some reason. There is some old 1800s and likely even 1700s housing stock in Carlisle. The town itself is surrounded mostly by rolling farmland, and it becomes very rural very quickly heading west into the Cumberland valley, or north over the mountain and into Perry County. Cumberland County is also one of the fastest growing counties (percentage-wise) in PA over the last decade, though the growth doesn't seem to be in Carlisle Borough, per se.

I took and passed my driver's test in Clearfield back in 2010, it seemed remote and basically like an old coal town from what I can remember. It is somewhat isolated geographically, except you do have I-80 as well as Dubois, which is another small town nearby. LHU has a nursing program in Clearfield. State College is about 45 minutes to an hour. Gasoline prices are higher up there than south central PA for some reason, not sure why. Good luck in your search!

[North Beach Person]

If he's assigned to Carlisle that's where, at least in the immediate area, you want to be. There are numerous small towns in the immediate area, like Mount Holly Springs, that are more than convenient to the truck depots.

Altoona is a hike to Carlisle and, quite honestly, the weather is worse. Not as bad as Clearfield, which is even further (3 hours +/-) from Carlisle.

Here's a Wiki link to Cumberland County:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumber...,_Pennsylvania

[adkchappy]

I agree with all of the Carlisle suggestions. Another benefit to the Carlisle option (besides the trucking hub factor) is the proximity to the Harrisburg/York area, which will probably offer more job opportunities than the less populated areas around Altoona and Clearfield. But I can confirm that any of the cities you choose will be rich in natural beauty!