NEED HELP - Thinking of Moving to PA -Wyomissing, Sinking Spring or surrounding area (Philadelphia: sales, real estate)

[dan92870]

Hi my wife and I currently live in southern CA, have been thinking of moving across the country to PA. I've been reading a lot pots and as much info on the state and so on.

There are a few questions that I have. We have thinking of moving to Wyomissing, Sinking Spring or somewhere near there.

So here are some of my questions:

1. How are the areas, as far as crime and quality of life around Wyomissing, Sinking Spring Areas?

2. Whats the weather like around the year?

3. Is there work out there? I think Reading might be the nearest Big Town, if I am not mistaken.

4. Any other areas that might be nice? Any one ever been to Southern CA? Comparrisons?

Any info or insight you guys can give me is greatly appreciated....thanks

[DJBowlin]

Originally Posted by dan92870

Hi my wife and I currently live in southern CA, have been thinking of moving across the country to PA. I've been reading a lot pots and as much info on the state and so on.

There are a few questions that I have. We have thinking of moving to Wyomissing, Sinking Spring or somewhere near there.

So here are some of my questions:

1. How are the areas, as far as crime and quality of life around Wyomissing, Sinking Spring Areas?

2. Whats the weather like around the year?

3. Is there work out there? I think Reading might be the nearest Big Town, if I am not mistaken.

4. Any other areas that might be nice? Any one ever been to Southern CA? Comparrisons?

Any info or insight you guys can give me is greatly appreciated....thanks

1. Wyomissing & Sinking Spring are both very nice, crime rate isn't too high but bear in mind that both are within 10-15 miles of Reading and THAT crime rate you don't want to discuss. Wyomissing used to be "old money" if you get my meaning but that's changed, with more & more younger professionals moving. Sinking Spring used to be a little sleepy but has really grown - lots of new construction in both areas and both areas have good schools.

2. Year round, weather is your average East Coast weather. Nothing too extreme, mind you, but it's not Cali weather (at least not what I'd think of when I think Cali). Right now, in Wyomissing it's about 40 degrees, rainy & messy. Snow is called for over the next few days. In the summer, it's hot, of course, but nothing you couldn't handle. Averages around 80-85. I think winter would be your biggest concern since you may not be used to it.

3. Work depends on your field. Reading is the next biggest city but it may not be the place for you, depending on what you do. I'm in insurance/banking & have been with the same employer for 7 years. I won't make a mint but it's not far from home, bennies are great & I like what I do. Many of my clients work in Philadelphia & live in Berks County. My guess is that the price of gas is worth it. I'd also check Allentown & the Lehigh Valley area, as well as the York & Harrisburg areas.

4. I've never been to Cali, unfortunately, and can only compare things to what I've seen/read about the state. I moved here from NYC 17 years ago and things were definitely a change for me. Culture shock doesn't begin to cover it. That being said, though, I wouldn't change a thing. Things may be slow sometimes and they eat things like scrapple and ring bologna but overall, it's a really nice place to live - the people are really great.

PS You may want to check out the local paper : Daily News on 12/11/2007 - Reading Eagle Newspaper They cover Reading & the surrounding areas, including Wyomissing & Sinking Spring.

[dan92870]

Thanks for the info DJBowlin. Yeah the winters and slow pace of life will probably be the hardest things to adapt to, but thats what we are looking for.

I havent heard to many good things about Reading, so probably stay away from there.

My wife is a Jr. Title Officer - the company sells title insurance for Homes in CA and I work in a marketing/advertising for a real estate company.

How far is Philiadelphia from these Areas?

What the average gas price around there?

[Duderino]

Originally Posted by dan92870

Thanks for the info DJBowlin. Yeah the winters and slow pace of life will probably be the hardest things to adapt to, but thats what we are looking for.

I havent heard to many good things about Reading, so probably stay away from there.

My wife is a Jr. Title Officer - the company sells title insurance for Homes in CA and I work in a marketing/advertising for a real estate company.

How far is Philiadelphia from these Areas?

What the average gas price around there?

Hello,

Things are different here from the West Coast, to say the least. Things are not that slow paced, at least not once you go more towards Philly. I haven't really been to California (other than LAX), but I've been to other Western states, so I think I have a little basis for comparison. The people here are a little more abrasive in character. Lots of blue-collar/salt-of-the-Earth people, but overall a mixture. That said, most are good-hearted and genuine. You're going to see snow and there will also be humidity -- two things to which you're probably not accustomed in terms of weather. The job market for marketing/advertising I'm sure is stable -- you'd probably want to look into jobs closer to Philadelphia (i.e., King of Prussia, Conshohocken, Exton, and Media to name a few) as the market in those areas are better for virtually every field in terms of availability and wages.

The actual City of Philadelphia is approximately 60 miles from the City of Reading via 422/East to the 476/PA-Turnpike. Gas prices currently hover around the $3.00/gal. mark, so nothing that different from SoCal, I imagine. Sinking Spring and Wyomissing are two very pleasant middle/upper-middle class suburban communities right outside of Reading -- both have great public school systems, too, if that's a concern. Crime is hardly an issue once you're out of the city proper. Also, Berks County, where Wyomissing and Sinking Spring reside, is definitely better for housing costs than either neighboring Montgomery or Chester Counties. Good luck, and feel free to ask any more specific questions!

[Icy Tea]

Reading has some very bad crime, but the Morgan Quitno crime ranking system has come under heavy criticism by many cities for being skewed and not being accurate. For one thing, they rank car theft as being as bad as homicides or robbery. If Reading( or other cities) had twice as many murders and half as many car thefts, they'd suddenly be among the safest cities.
Likewise, crime drops dramatically at the city limits. Go 5 or 10 miles and you're in another world. Exeter township, Mount Penn aren't even that far and are considered low crime zones. Some nearby areas have more crime depending on demographics. But not bad.
Wyomissing, West reading are very nice and range from nice rowhouses, some not so nice but cheap, to million dollar mansions. Shopping is excellent.
Mount Penn/Carsonia ave. has an unusual housing feature. Built back in the 20s or 30s, many big homes have a spanish/mexican flair. As kids we'd always joke that now we're in Hollywood when we drove through it. You might like that architectural style. No palm trees though, but wait for global warming and maybe....

[dan92870]

Thanks for the info ICY TEA

Crime is diffitinely something that anyone, especially us, will consider. Its funny how I hear reading described, I kinda sounds like parts of Los Angeles, crime is really bad out here.

Thats good that there is shopping, were planning to go out there in a couple of months, trying to make sure we are able to get a lot covered.

I have a couple more questions.

1. Duderino mentioned it was about 60 miles to Philiadelphia, so with traffic on a typical monday through friday, 8-5 work schedule, whats the commute like? Is there a lot of traffic?

2. How is the housing market right now? I know out here in southern CA, its not too good, a lot of forclosures, not many people are able to survive with the high mortgage payments.

[Icy Tea]

Commuting can be rough especially at rush hours. You're looking at a minimum of 45 minutes to King of Prussia, the center of the Montgomery County business district. That is probably optimistic. More than likely you're looking at an hour in traffic, 20 minutes more to Philly. Find Oaks and Limerick on the map and that's where it gets bad and worse the farther east you go on 422. The Schuylkill Expressway is even worse.
The housing market in Berks is still strong, prices haven't dropped although sales have dropped about 10%. New homes aren't being built as much but there are plenty of upscale homes still being built. Anti development/land preservation pressure is still strong and any new plans get a court fight and township planners get read the riot act if they roll over and allow unwanted building.
We're also the banking capital of Pa, with as many banks on every corner as mini marts. I can count 15 bank branches in a 2 mile radius. All wanting to lend money for mortgages. The county has been spared a mortgage crunch by not having alot of predatory lenders. One local mortgage company has defrauded many people and was a big local story recently.

[dan92870]

Thank for the info, very informative. We plan to purchase, looking into the mid 200k and below, looking for something nice with a big yard....i guess anything is bigger than what we have in souther CA.

[mrh5103]

Wyomissing, Sinking Spring, West Lawn, and parts of West Reading are wondeful places to live. There is a lot of shopping and it is very convenient to live there. The actual city of Reading is not a desirable place to live; but, as far as the crime rate they are doing a lot to improve the city. There are relatively inexpensive places to live there, as well. It's a rapidly growing area.

[Marodi]

Originally Posted by Icy Tea

Commuting can be rough especially at rush hours. You're looking at a minimum of 45 minutes to King of Prussia, the center of the Montgomery County business district. That is probably optimistic. More than likely you're looking at an hour in traffic, 20 minutes more to Philly. Find Oaks and Limerick on the map and that's where it gets bad and worse the farther east you go on 422. The Schuylkill Expressway is even worse.
The housing market in Berks is still strong, prices haven't dropped although sales have dropped about 10%. New homes aren't being built as much but there are plenty of upscale homes still being built. Anti development/land preservation pressure is still strong and any new plans get a court fight and township planners get read the riot act if they roll over and allow unwanted building.
We're also the banking capital of Pa, with as many banks on every corner as mini marts. I can count 15 bank branches in a 2 mile radius. All wanting to lend money for mortgages. The county has been spared a mortgage crunch by not having alot of predatory lenders. One local mortgage company has defrauded many people and was a big local story recently.

Banking capital of PA isn't accurate statement. It would most likely be Pittsburgh which has the headquarters of PNC and Mellon, both of which are fortune 500 companies.