moving to Gettysburg from NYC? (Hanover: school district, taxis, living)

[monkeypat]

I'm considering a move from NYC to Gettysburg.

Are there any enviornmental concerns to worry about?

I hear the schools are good. Is that true? I have 2 kids ages 4 and 2 1/2.

What is it like to live in Gettysburg? Is it a good place for young families? Any insider information would be appreciated.

[Marodi]

Originally Posted by monkeypat

I'm considering a move from NYC to Gettysburg.

Are there any enviornmental concerns to worry about?

I hear the schools are good. Is that true? I have 2 kids ages 4 and 2 1/2.

What is it like to live in Gettysburg? Is it a good place for young families? Any insider information would be appreciated.

The nearest shopping is about 30 min away in hanover and there is no nightlife. A very large majority of the people moving to the area are those that are moving out of maryland and commuting to Frederick or DC. There isn't any 'environmental concerns' really, other than the fact that this area has one of the largest lyme's disease rates in the US, but other than that not really.

And I don't really know anything about gettysburg school district, but they just built a new high school about... 5-6 years ago, and they seem to be a good enough school, never heard any complaints atleast.

Summer sucks due to being over run with tourists, with it taking anywhere up to 30 minutes to get across town, I would definately recommend learning some of the back roads to get around town before tourist season.

[Marodi]

Oh, and you have to have a car. There is absolutely no mass transit unless you are either handicapped or elderly.

[eastcoastlady]

This is a little late, but I grew up in G-town and you will not like it after NYC. There is nothing to do.

[From Philly]

No, the nearest shopping isn't 30 minutes away. There are several supermarkets, a CVS, Walmart, Payless and several other stores about 5 minutes up the road from Gettysburg square. And, there is an outlet mall about 10 minutes from the center of town as well. http://www.gettysburgvillage.com/

Of course if you choose to go 30 minutes out of town into Hanover, for example, you will find more restaurants, big stores like Petco, Lowes, Dunkin Donuts, etc.

As far as we know, yes, the schools are great. The class sizes are very small and they schools don't seem to tolerate any nonsense/bad behavior, etc, which is good. Of course they have their problems like everyone else, but it's not out of control like a lot of the bigger city public schools.

But, as the one person said above, unless you are looking to get away from all the hustle and bustle of the big city, you may be in for a shock. You will find that many of the things you are used to in the city aren't an option out here. Like certain foods (I haven't found a REAL cheesesteak yet....lol), certain stores, etc. You also don't have the convenience of ordering out late at night (lots of little things like that). There are only a few pizza joints that deliver and almost every one of them close early. Which is another thing you may not like. The fact that the entire town seems to close at 5pm. LOL Far different than big city living.

But, if you don't mind giving up a few things like that for a nicer, cleaner, safer area to live in, then you'll be fine. Also, while it may be busy in town during tourist season, it does NOT take 30 minutes to get around or out of town during that time. Not at all. I've also read recently that they will be adding public transportation in town too (may take a few years but they are planning it). But for now there are no buses. Not even taxis. So you have to drive or walk.