Moving to Erie. Is PA better than OH or NY to live?

[trackstar13]

Originally Posted by alleghenyangel

I would look in Erie proper. It's a nice city!

I second this recommendation to live in the City of Erie. My wife and I currently live in the city and could not be happier. The schools are excellent if you take the time to research them. For instance, Harding Elementary School is in the city and one of the top rated in the area. Additionally, if your kids are able to be accepted at Northwest Collegiate Academy, it is by far one of the best public high schools in the state. We have started to make friends in the area and we are amazed how far some people live from the city because of their perception of "city living" and the schools within the city. In fact one of our friends lives in Conneaut Ohio and commutes to Wesleyville PA five days a week for work. He told us that sometimes in the winter the commute can be 3 hours+ and it takes him at least 45 minutes to an hour with nice weather.

[Ohiogirl81]

Well, while the city has its charms, Erie is hardly rural, which is what the OP said s/he wanted.

[ker8]

Yes, I echo the thoughts of others, stick with Erie county. School districts-wise, General McClane, Northeast, Harborcreek, and others are all very good and have some rural living. Especially General McClane, IMHO. Ft. Lebeouf is another option as well. The only two I don't think sound right for you are the city itself and then Millcreek. Normally I would recommend both, but not if you want rural living.

[trackstar13]

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81

Well, while the city has its charms, Erie is hardly rural, which is what the OP said s/he wanted.

Depends on what you mean by rural and there are some lots in the city of Erie that are over an acre. In fact I saw a listing earlier this year on South Shore Drive with a 7 acre lot. Most of Erie is not as dense as Pittsburgh or even Buffalo and I would classify the city as semi-urban. Especially if you look at the Glenwood Hills neighborhood or some of the areas near the border of Millcreek and Frontier Park. The OP was looking for a "rural" area with small school district. The city of Erie does not have a small district, but some parts of the city are rather sparsely populated. I think the OP is probably looking for a place like Albion, Waterford, Lake City, or North East. There is no reason to live outside Erie County unless you need 40+ acres for a very low price, then some parts of rural, Northeastern, OH would be better. I just wanted to point out that avoiding the county or the city for some reason is rather unnecessary unless the OP seriously needs a huge tract of land at a low price.