Hershey: Better to live Lebanon or Dauphin County? (Pittsburgh, Lancaster: real estate, apartments)

[selhars]

Scenario: May work in Hershey and drive to Phila every two months or so (hometown w/ family); short daily work commute a semi-priority (less than 1/2 door to door). If it's a reverse commute even better, but would rather not live on the Harrisburg side to do that if don't have to. Shopping and night life not a big priority other than I DO like organic and natural food options like co-ops, Trader Joes and Whole Foods and your better grocery stores. Also looove take out options like sushi, thai etc. Want suburbs, but not the boonies, peace and quiet, but amenities no more then 20 mins away.

Willing to rent for a year to get to know the area, before buying. Looking for luxury apt with lots amenities in building. If I buy would be willing to give the amenities up for building equity. But wihle renting I want the best. (font desk, indoor assigned parking, shops on first floor, pool. hot tub, sauna, fitness room, etc)

1) Lebanon or Dauphin County?
2) Any of these areas an optiont: Alpine Heights, Laurel Woods Palmyre, Mt. Gretna, Campbelltown, Clifton Annville Lebanon Hockersville Cornwall Quentin Hummelstown Timber Hills Lebanon, Deodate. I just looked at nearby names on a map.
3) Rent price range 1,500 a month. Home purchase 300,000.

Live in DC area now -- and I'd better be able to get more for my money near Hershey

Also just as an aside: I'm SINK black female how are these areas for safety and 'welcoming of diversity.' Just asking about the old saying of PA being Phila and Pittsburgh, with Alabama in the middle....and I'm from Phila No need to live where there could be problems or I wouldn't be wanted.

[ki0eh]

The attraction of western Lebanon County for Hershey Co. and Penn State Hershey Medical Center employees is lower taxes and, to put it bluntly, lily-whiteness. Also US 322 is bumper-to-bumper for driving into Hershey or out of it during normal rush hours.

Hershey (Derry Twp) itself has a bit more ethnic diversity, not really class diversity. Crime is minimal, the police budget is $5.4 million for 22,000 residents to keep it that way. In town is mostly doctors and corporate types it seems, the LPN's and the line workers usually drive fairly far to get in to work. The southwest corner of Derry Twp with a Hummelstown postal address has newer townhomes and a few singles within your price range, a little closer to box-store shopping which clusters around the I-83 exits from I-283 north to US 22. From this corner it's 10 minutes to the Middletown Amtrak station with frequent trains to Philly. A rental community in this corner with about as close to your list of amenities as you will find is Madison Apartments 2009 (http://www.madisonhersheyheights.com/index.asp?go=index - broken link)

Some small locally-owned shops in Hummelstown Borough (i.e. in the old town). We don't have Trader Joe's or Whole Foods in the Harrisburg area at all. There is a Wegmans but that is on the far west end of the metro and not convenient from Hershey (45 minutes to an hour). The Karns (local chain) location at US 322 at Cherry Drive just east of the medical complex has some depth to its organic section, as does the Giant (not quite the same as the DC-area Giant although now commonly owned) on PA 39 north of Hershey (S Hanover Twp, Hummelstown address).

[selhars]

Thanks so much. I am very much used to being the only minority wherever I go, and am used to upper income surroundings. My only concern is whether those with a prejudice would have a problem with me. I don't need the hassle of ignorance from people who judge by looking.

Seems like an 'interesting' area. I'm used to so much that big cities have to offer. I don't want to say that it doesn't seem to have that much to offer, but..... Now who's the one with the prejudice.(smile) Before I bought my house I LOOVED my high-end highrise with underground parking and retail shops on the ground floor. Nothing like that available, ay? I DO NOT like outside parking. I'm an attached garage girl all the way.

[ki0eh]

The only high-rise rental in Hershey is a senior citizens complex. I would think it possible to work through real estate agents to find a townhome w/garage rental in the area or search on craigslist. Or maybe this place in Harrisburg: Harrisburg Apartment Rentals- Pennsylvania Place- Downtown Harrisburg Apartments, PA but even that won't have the level of retail you're likely looking for.

[PAblackbear]

We are not prejudice in Lebanon county. And we aren't "lily-white" either. I have a black neighbor and an Asian family lives right across the street. They don't have any problems. Lebanon City is mostly hispanic.

[danwxman]

Originally Posted by selhars

Thanks so much. I am very much used to being the only minority wherever I go, and am used to upper income surroundings. My only concern is whether those with a prejudice would have a problem with me. I don't need the hassle of ignorance from people who judge by looking.

Seems like an 'interesting' area. I'm used to so much that big cities have to offer. I don't want to say that it doesn't seem to have that much to offer, but..... Now who's the one with the prejudice.(smile) Before I bought my house I LOOVED my high-end highrise with underground parking and retail shops on the ground floor. Nothing like that available, ay? I DO NOT like outside parking. I'm an attached garage girl all the way.

Pretty much the only place you are going to find that is in downtown Harrisburg. It's gentrified, has night life, restaurants and plenty of amenities (besides a grocery store) but it might be too close to the "undesirables" for you.

[selhars]

I'd rent a townhouse in/near Hershey before I live in downtown Harrisburg. I'm really quite a suburbanite. It's just that the larger cities I've lived and worked in have always had close-in suburbs that had the kind of amenities I mentioned.

I'd rather live in/near Hershey and go into or toward Harrisburg for my shopping if I need to. Daily commute and peace-and-quiet are the first considerations and trump all others.

If I need to go to Harrisburg every couple of weeks to get organic food or for better shopping, so be it. But I certainly wouldn't commute from Harrisburg to Hershey five days a week.

I'm by no means a donald Trump or anything -- but in my big city snobbery I have to admit I sometimes find myself asking, "Why would anyone live in these places -- like Hershey or State College, Altoona, etc -- no fine arts, co cultural institutions, no higher end shopping? Geez. If you can get peace and quite in a bigger city suburb, (PLUS all that the bigger places offer that the boonies don't) what the heck is the draw?

[Lucario]

Originally Posted by PAblackbear

We are not prejudice in Lebanon county. And we aren't "lily-white" either. I have a black neighbor and an Asian family lives right across the street. They don't have any problems. Lebanon City is mostly hispanic.

Yes, lots of Latinos in Lebanon/Lancaster/York. There are also African American communities/enclaves all over that area as well.