Lancaster Community? (Scranton, York, Lebanon: section 8, mover, homes)

[nymover]

Where does the Upper Middle Class and above live in Lancater County?

What is considered the best overall community in Lancaster County
Income/Schools/Quality of life.

Tks,
Traveler

[AliasSpiff]

Tks?

Well, I know Manheim, Hempfield, and LS school districts are good... Lampeter-Strasburg seems to be upper-middle, as does Lititz area etc... it is all a bit country though...

Good luck!
Amanda

[covenant77]

The upper class, or those who pretend to be such, are widely dispersed throughout the county in their McMansions, patronizing their strip malls that were once farm land, but they are concentrated roughly in the middle. Columbia would not be good enough for them, and their stomachs are not strong enough for the manure wafting gently from the from cardinal directions, whence are concentrated what few farms remain.

[amsm196]

Hello NY mover,

Ignore the negative and uneducated responses you might read on these chat forums.

Where in NY are you moving from?

From many nice people in Pa , i have heard that Manheim & Lititz are your best bets.

And many New Yorkers live in Lancaster County with many more on the way. Long Island & NYC is way to pricey, the talk in NY is that Lancaster is the next boom place for many New Yorkers. My brothers " Italian Pasta " business that is currently based on Long Island is now doing heavy business in Lancaster County and the reading area. In the very soon future he might open a second business right in Lancaster.

Good Luck with your move

Remember this is a free country, move where you want.

Stay well --T

Originally Posted by covenant77

The upper class, or those who pretend to be such, are widely dispersed throughout the county in their McMansions, patronizing their strip malls that were once farm land, but they are concentrated roughly in the middle. Columbia would not be good enough for them, and their stomachs are not strong enough for the manure wafting gently from the from cardinal directions, whence are concentrated what few farms remain.

[covenant77]

The "uneducated" responses are the ones that tout their own point of view while ignoring or not respecting somw who prefer to keep the outside out.
So, amsm196, would you go to Columbia?? Would you? Probably not good enough for the hoi polloi New Yorkers blessing Lancaster County with their pocket-books. No, let's infiltrate the small towns and farmlands--change them with our urban stamp and "improve" them , thereby congesting the area, building endlessly--hope you all love your ugly homes that will be Section 8 in fifty years, as old suburbs are today; and creating demand for effete urban "needs" such as upscale restaurants, upscale stores, and hey, why not some upscale tea and coffee/expresso/latte/grande cup of ***** whatever you want.
So, by all means, gawk all you want at the Anabaptists' whose virtues you sorry cosmopolitans could NEVER follow, and spend your money--and help us forget what little heritage we have left with your glorious city ways!

[Duderino]

I would look into Elizabethtown, Lititz, and Millersville. E-town and M-ville, in particular, are both home to colleges, so I imagine you'd find more of a regard for education there. Otherwise, like others posters have said, you're going to find upper-middle class communities dispersed throughout the county.

In addition, I would like to make a general response to posters who constantly criticize outsiders for moving to the area, namely from New York or New Jersey. As a young, native Pennsylvanian who has definitely seen much of Southeastern PA change from largely rural to largely suburban, I think the positives outweigh the negatives BY FAR. You can go on about how the heritage of our area is being "diluted" and how urbanizing will be the downfall of the "quaint" atmosphere, but I honestly think that people aiming to move to here are giving our state a huge, much-needed economic boost. I'm not saying there aren't environmental and infrastructural issues that need to be dealt with, but I think those can be easily handled with some careful planning and consideration. However, think of all the businesses that will be attracted here, as those coming from out-of-state are often more educated. This will create more jobs and a higher standard of living. This also helps to fight the ongoing trend of population loss, especially due to high school and college graduates who leave the state because they fail to see enough economic opportunity. Moreover, we could use some more outsiders' perspectives to challenge the overwhelmingly conservative and border-line puritanical mindset that is all too prevalent in Pennsylvania Dutchland. I believe the heritage will always be present here, but if more isn't done to assimilate economically, the situation will only get more dire. I, along with many other natives, give a warm welcome to these newcomers. Whether you want to agree with it or not, they are integral to our future survival as a state.

[covenant77]

Duderino,
Nice reply, and good points that you raised. Penna. certainly does suffer from a lack of decent jobs that are not held by some sort of perverse network of cronyism, relations, or bribery.
What is so "puritanical" about the Germans, though? It was their industriousness that made southern and central Pennsylvania what they are: neat, tidy communities. To stay with one's beliefs for a long time, especially if beneficial to the state--unlike, let's say the debauchery and downright slovenliness of the mining areas in the state--excepting Scranton of course (not to mention rampant laziness of miners' descendants)--at least shows a consistency that has been lost in our "constsantly changing" society,whatever that means.
Can you cite anything more specific? I'd be curious to know--not say that certain redneck Germans can't give the rest of the Penna. Dutch a bad name.

[Duderino]

Originally Posted by covenant77

Duderino,
Nice reply, and good points that you raised. Penna. certainly does suffer from a lack of decent jobs that are not held by some sort of perverse network of cronyism, relations, or bribery.
What is so "puritanical" about the Germans, though? It was their industriousness that made southern and central Pennsylvania what they are: neat, tidy communities. To stay with one's beliefs for a long time, especially if beneficial to the state--unlike, let's say the debauchery and downright slovenliness of the mining areas in the state--excepting Scranton of course (not to mention rampant laziness of miners' descendants)--at least shows a consistency that has been lost in our "constsantly changing" society,whatever that means.
Can you cite anything more specific? I'd be curious to know--not say that certain redneck Germans can't give the rest of the Penna. Dutch a bad name.

Well, I'll admit I was being a little harsh with the word "puritanical." Don't get me wrong, I appreciate a lot of what has come from Deutsch culture (unique food, tidiness, efficient work ethic, etc.), but I think my main point was, and this has a lot to do with the close relation to the Amish, that many PA Germans -- although much more common among the older generations -- tend to have a very stubborn and stingy attitude when it comes to progress and change. I hate to say it, but I believe this mentality has fostered a lot of racism, for one. From personal experience, I grew up in an unique situation where the old-school PA Dutch began to clash with the more cosmopolitan presence of Philly suburban sprawl. The way many treated and reacted to newcomers who were not "one of them" (that is, white, German, and of protestant faith) was very tragic. I have nothing against those who are religious, but when I saw it used as a persecuting tool by many fundamentalist locals, I began to resent it as something I always sort of associated with the PA Dutch -- strict religiosity. I loved growing up where I did, but I am definitely glad the demographics are shifting.

[bluemonday]

The majority of NY and NJ people only move here because they are too poor to afford a place in or near the city. Maybe you should get a better job, get more educated, or marry better next time instead of blaming NYC for not meeting your needs. Maybe you are one of those "keeping up with the jones" type of people, therefore you are so in debt you can not afford a place in NYC.

Sorry you can't live in NYC, but to push the NYC attitudes, trends, congestion, and lower quality of life here in Lancaster is just absurd! Posts like "where are the upperclass located" really goes to show you want to be something you are not, and is not what Lancaster is about. So why not work to improve what you have instead of running away from the "NYC is so expensive" situation??

I am assuming for the most part, those who desire to keep up with the Joneses, but can't are typically the breed moving into the supposed "upper class" areas of Lancaster. They want the McMansion, the SUV, the two dogs, etc. to go along with the image. Heaven forbid there is no Starbucks in town, what is wrong with these Lancaster County people! Remember to flash that Coach purse and Armani sunglasses to some poor sap as you step out into the antique district of Lititz...image is everything!!!

These NYers are so FUBAR it is not even funny! They wrecked the areas along the Hudson, all of NJ, the Pocono's, Lehigh Valley, and now south central PA. What's next, going to commute from West Virginia and try to change their infastructure?? No wait...DC has you beat on that one!

[jeb412]

What about Lebanon county, just north of Lancaster county? Does anyone have any opinions about the towns of Cornwall, South Lebanon? I know Lebanon city may not be great, but what about the surrounding communities?