More questions about Lehigh Valley (Allentown, Harrisburg: transplants, sales, how much)

[cathyjz]

I posted a note a few weeks ago about areas to consider if moving to Lehigh Valley. We visited the area the first time this week, and liked a lot of the things we saw. One thing that concerned me a little is that two people mentioned independently that it is a hard place to move initially in that people are nice but not exactly welcoming of newcomers. We would move to the area from the Midwest not knowing anyone. I was wondering if others who have moved to Lehigh Valley have run into this?Are there certain areas in which we would be more likely to find a nice, family friendly neighborhood?

At this point we are looking at Southern Lehigh, East Penn and possibly Parkland School Districts. Is anyone able to comment on differences between these areas? If you have specific neighborhoods to recommend, we are looking for a 4 br, approx 3k sq ft house, ideally on about half an acre if we can find that. From our visit it looks like this will cost $400k to $500k which we can cover.

Thanks for any input you have. If we decide to move I would be working part time from home so would welcome the chance to meet people, but my main concern is that my daughter who will be going into 4th grade is able to make friends quickly. We are reasonably outgoing people, and will be getting the kids involved in activites, so I am sure it all works out in the end, but if there are ways to make the transition easier I would like to do what I can.

[julian17033]

Hi Cathy,

I was raised until age twelve in Alton, IL then moved to a farming community on the eastern plains of Colorado.
Many years were spent in that state then, I was transferred to Helena Montana.

My point in telling you this is that I fully understand what pace of life you would be coming from compared to the pace that exists here in the Lehigh Valley.


I will tell you this; If you didn't notice on your trip here initially you will when you move concerning just how much faster everything moves here.

Traffic, attitudes, people speaking, etc.

From where my house is in Southern Allentown it's 90 miles to Battery Park NYC.
Easton which is the eastern terminus for the Lehigh Valley in PA is immediately across the Delaware River from Phillipsburg NJ.

Life is faster here and as a result some adjustment will have to be made to adapt to it.

Last year I flew back to Denver, Co to visit some friends and immediately noticed the pace of everything from driving to people speaking being slower and more deliberate.
In fact I was told by one of my friends I was visiting that I spoke a mile a minute and I seemed frustrated at how slow everything was. LOL!!

People are generally more standoffish here and do not make alot of eye contact with you unless it's their job to do so like a server at a restaurant or a sales person.
Many from the mid west and western part of the country equate this as being rude which I still believe to be true in some cases.

This is a different culture than where your currently living and adjustment will be needed in order to accurately read people and their actions and motives.

Good luck with your adventure in moving Cathy!!

[MatildaLoo]

Actually, Julian's experience has not been my experience here at all. Granted, I am an East Coast girl born and bred, and I can appreciate that life goes at a much faster pace here. However, I feel as though people are much more welcoming in this area than in my native Northeast Pa. area, which is just to the north of the Lehigh Valley region. Don't get me wrong: people are nice in my hometown, but there is more of a sense of survivalism and standoffishness like Julian mentioned. I haven't noticed standoffishness as much in the Lehigh Valley. People will say hi to you on the street, at the grocery store, etc. even if they don't know you.

As far as people not liking newcomers, I don't find that to be true either. In fact, with so many people moving here from other regions, they are used to it by now.

I think you will have some adjusting, as Julian said, but I don't think it will be as bad as you think. Especially if you are involved in your children's schools, if you work outside the home or volunteer, and if you make an effort to join clubs, etc, I think you'll make friends quickly.

[blazerj]

Maybe I can help. I'm from NJ, but spent ~7.5 years in the Midwest.

I moved to the LV from Philly, and so didn't know anyone here. I think your assumption is correct. People are very nice, but it does seem more difficult to make friends. Unfortunately, I work in NJ and so don't have any co-workers to hang out with after work in the area. If I did, it would be easier. My wife has made some friends (she works locally), but people seem to be busy with their own lives with work, kids, home ownership... (as we are!).

People are all certainly very nice (say hi, make small talk, smile, ask about a baby or dog, helpful...) and much more so than in NJ, but I do find it difficult to make new friends.

I hope that helps.

[toobusytoday]

We moved here knowing no one but found it to be the friendliest place we've ever lived and we've lived in 5 different states! It helps if you have kids and get involved in the schools. When we moved in we had neighbors coming over with food and introducing us to their families. I play bunco monthly with a group of mostly neighbors and we often hang out at one another's houses. In the summer one family often has a few of us couples over for a swim and cook-out. When our kids were young, they joined us.

One thing I found from moving to different places, was that it was helpful to move to a newer development if you have young kids. Newer neighborhoods tend to have younger kids. A couple of developments in Center Valley that have lots of kids are Curly Horse and Valley Green. They might have less then an acre of land - think McMansion, but well made houses and good families. Valley Green is between Camp Meeting Road and route 378 - very close to the Promenade shops and the three schools that all kids attend - The Intermediate School, the middle school and the high school. There another smaller development also off of Camp Meeting, closer to Saucon Valley Road, but I don't know it's name.

[julian17033]

I wish to clarify my previous post.

In my opinion there is a notable difference between cultural norms of the eastern U.S. and those in the mid west and those in the western part of the country.

If I were to magically pluck an average person from a mid sized mid western city such as Springfield MO and place them in the Lehigh Valley in my opinion that person would notice a notably faster, more hurried lifestyle existing here than in what they experience on a day to day basis in Springfield, MO.

This is not to say a more hurried lifestyle is inherently bad and not preferred over a slower paced way of living it's just different.

Perhaps it's my education and training in sociology that allows me to dissect and study an area concerning behaviors a little easier than others.

I personally love the area and am extremely pleased that I live here, however with me noticing a variance in peoples interactions with others I sometimes need to clarify what exactly I'm talking about.

[toobusytoday]

I won't disagree with you julian, but I also think that to someone born and bred in NYC, we Lehigh Valley people will seem friendly and slower moving. It's all in your perspective. My daughter went to school in the mid-west and loved the people there.

[julian17033]

Originally Posted by toobusytoday

I won't disagree with you julian, but I also think that to someone born and bred in NYC, we Lehigh Valley people will seem friendly and slower moving. It's all in your perspective. My daughter went to school in the mid-west and loved the people there.

Indeed!

In fact after spending a couple of days in NYC and then coming back here I noticed a pronounced difference in the way people interacted with one another.

[karen_s]

There are some great observations on this thread, and they were done so thoughtfully and respectfully

I am one of those dreaded "backward" PA Dutch natives. Actually, I am outgoing and love people so you could probably send me in a rocket ship to Jupiter and I'd make friends LOL If you are nice, I'm nice and friendly back, it really is that simple.

When I volunteered on the ambulance though and the "transplants" to the area were complaining about how long I took to get there because we didn't have the paid staffing like in NJ/NY....well let's just say that kind of attitude did not go over well. If you see the area for what it is and don't expect it to change to wherever you have come from, you will be fine. The school districts you are looking at have such a large percentage of folks in the same boat as you are, so I can't imagine that it would be too difficult to make friends and feel right at home.

[MatildaLoo]

Originally Posted by julian17033

I wish to clarify my previous post.

In my opinion there is a notable difference between cultural norms of the eastern U.S. and those in the mid west and those in the western part of the country.

If I were to magically pluck an average person from a mid sized mid western city such as Springfield MO and place them in the Lehigh Valley in my opinion that person would notice a notably faster, more hurried lifestyle existing here than in what they experience on a day to day basis in Springfield, MO.

This is not to say a more hurried lifestyle is inherently bad and not preferred over a slower paced way of living it's just different.

Perhaps it's my education and training in sociology that allows me to dissect and study an area concerning behaviors a little easier than others.

I personally love the area and am extremely pleased that I live here, however with me noticing a variance in peoples interactions with others I sometimes need to clarify what exactly I'm talking about.

Well, you know, I have education and training in communications, which involves a lot of sociological theory

The East Coast has always been notably different than the West Coast. I still stand by my statement that people in the Lehigh Valley are very friendly compared to most of the regions I've lived on the East Coast, including the NYC metro area, NEPA, southeast PA, and the Harrisburg area. There's a much better sense of collaboration, people are much more community-minded, and there are a lot more opportunities to get involved in various activities without having to know someone first.

It may be fast paced compared to the Midwest, but I wouldn't advise someone from the Midwest to be cautious because it's hard to make friends. I've had many more issues trying to make friends and find common ground with people here in Carbon County than I have with my friends in the Lehigh Valley immediate area.