Chambersburg Info needed (Waynesboro, Shippensburg, Greencastle: for sale, lease, townhouse)

[jimiam]

Hi.My wife and daughter along with myself will be moving to the area In the next several months.Her family Is located In Hagarstown,Md and Green Castle,Pa. I work at a Target Distribution Center In Virginia and will be transfering to the one In Chambersburg.My wife will be going to one of the Applebees In the area.So I'd like to get as much Info as possible about the city and surrounding areas.We are gonna rent a house or townhouse for the first 1-2 years and then try to buy.What Is the typical rent for a 2-3 bedroom In the area?What are the schools like? Considering where we have to work,would there be a more affordable area to live other than Chambersburg that wouldn't be to far of a drive? I currently live In Virginia so finding out this kinda Info Is hard( we don't wanna Inform her family yet of our move) so any kinda Information you can provide will be GREATLY appreciated!!

Jim

[CaptainObvious]

For starters, Chambersburg is a near-ideal community in my opinion. It is a very small town with a very small town feel. You say "one of the Applebees"...try the ONLY Applebees. Chambersburg only has about 8 liquor licenses in total, so Applebees is one of the only "real" restaurants in town because no other restaurants will move into town as they cannot sell alcholic beverages. There aren't many places to rent in Chambersburg at all, so "typical" rent is hard to say....most average homes of about 1,800 sq. ft. or so are going for about $250,000. If you can find rent for a 2 or 3 bedroom, I'd expect to pay somewhere around $1,000 a month depending on location. There are probably more affordable areas...Waynesboro, Greencastle, Marion, Shippensburg but those are even smaller towns than Chambersburg, and if you want to feel like you are even remotely close to civilization, I'd stick with Chambersburg. Check out the area inbetween Wayne Avenue and Rt. 30..."Coldbrook" is a nice community with some townhomes for rent. Schools are great. There is only one high school, and it is at least above average. There are no less than 17 Elementary Schools in Chambersburg- most of which are wonderful. Coldbrook, Falling Spring, Buchannon, Sharpe, and Guilford Hills get high marks year after year. The only elementary schools to avoid are King Street and Steven's. It is hard to talk about Chambersburg as a whole since it is really a collection of suburban neighborhoods. I am very very familiar with the area so if you have more specific questions about more specific areas within Chambersburg, feel free to ask.

Cap

[Marodi]

I would assume if you can't find a place to rent in chambersburg there would be places in shippensburg (not TOO far of a drive) since it's a college town.

[military spouse]

Hi,
We moved to Chambersburg about 2 years ago and have really enjoyed living here. We live as far south as one can live and still be in the borough. Our daughter attended Marion Elementary and we were very pleased with it. CaptainObvious was correct in mentioning the area by Coldbrook which has numerous townhome areas, many of which don't have garages. That are would also be close to the YMCA. There are some new townhomes for sale in the $130,000s-$150,000 (Mill Rd. area), but I peeked through the windows of one and it was quite small. We spent $231,000 on our house and it is about 1950 sq. ft. I would say that is a fairly typical price for Chambersburg, unless you want to live in the downtown area. Utilities in the borough are quite reasonable, but the local income tax, state tax, and property taxes are high in my opinion.

[firefightermom]

Hi, I am also looking into moving to the Chambersburg area in the next few months. I like the look of it b/c it has shopping, restaurants, etc, but seems like I can get a house where everyone going to these great places doesn't drive directly past me, like where I am now. I have a 2 and 4 year old--is it true it's a very family friendly place, and are some areas more so than others? Thanks!

[WOLgirl]

Do people live in town or is it all subdivisions? And if they do live in town, what is the quality of life re stores and employment...and crime?

Originally Posted by CaptainObvious

For starters, Chambersburg is a near-ideal community in my opinion. It is a very small town with a very small town feel. You say "one of the Applebees"...try the ONLY Applebees. Chambersburg only has about 8 liquor licenses in total, so Applebees is one of the only "real" restaurants in town because no other restaurants will move into town as they cannot sell alcholic beverages. There aren't many places to rent in Chambersburg at all, so "typical" rent is hard to say....most average homes of about 1,800 sq. ft. or so are going for about $250,000. If you can find rent for a 2 or 3 bedroom, I'd expect to pay somewhere around $1,000 a month depending on location. There are probably more affordable areas...Waynesboro, Greencastle, Marion, Shippensburg but those are even smaller towns than Chambersburg, and if you want to feel like you are even remotely close to civilization, I'd stick with Chambersburg. Check out the area inbetween Wayne Avenue and Rt. 30..."Coldbrook" is a nice community with some townhomes for rent. Schools are great. There is only one high school, and it is at least above average. There are no less than 17 Elementary Schools in Chambersburg- most of which are wonderful. Coldbrook, Falling Spring, Buchannon, Sharpe, and Guilford Hills get high marks year after year. The only elementary schools to avoid are King Street and Steven's. It is hard to talk about Chambersburg as a whole since it is really a collection of suburban neighborhoods. I am very very familiar with the area so if you have more specific questions about more specific areas within Chambersburg, feel free to ask.

Cap

[insanemomof3]

I have lived in chambersburg now for 5 months, the school systems here are really old fashioned and do not keep up with the educational needs that a child now a days need to attend a decent college. The community as a whole is not receptive to strangers. The "stores" are very small and selection almost nonexistant. The mexican population is much larger then the american, which might not be a problem if I spoke some spanish, however not being able to communicate with half or more of the town is a problem especially for the children..hence the lower scores in most of the elementary schools, because the teachers have to go so much slower to communicate with the kids..If I had to it over again, and will as soon as our lease is up, we will move to green castle, or closer to hagerstown, state line...this is not where you want to raise your kids. Their education will suffer..

[woodbutcher]

I wonder why there are so mnay Hispanics in a town such as Chambersburg? I went through the area many times as a child and young adult years ago, and it didn't seem to be like that in those days. So far from the Mexican border, what;s the draw for these folks to be in C-Burg?

[pinetar10]

Originally Posted by woodbutcher

I wonder why there are so mnay Hispanics in a town such as Chambersburg? I went through the area many times as a child and young adult years ago, and it didn't seem to be like that in those days. So far from the Mexican border, what;s the draw for these folks to be in C-Burg?

lots of agriculture jobs in the area and peach farms

[military spouse]

I think the Hispanic population is very small. It is noticeable in the downtown area, but really nowhere else. Doesn't compare at all to any city out West or even to places in GA or NC.