Relocating to Erie.. (Pittsburgh, Edinboro, North East: middle-class, rentals, amusement park)

[Jess808]

Hi my family and I are relocating to Erie between Aug-oct. It's between that timeframe because we're waiting on hard orders from the military. We're a family of 6, so we're most likely going to buy since I haven't seen much rentals that would fit our needs. I have a questions regarding which areas have the best schools to which places to avoid buying at. Also, I'm from Hawaii so I know it'll be a huge adjustment for my kid's and I. Any info on anything is appreciated. LITERALLY ANYTHING. lol

[jFug]

Hi Jess808, glad to hear your headed to Erie!


For a family of 6, I would highly recommend looking in Millcreek Township for house. Currently, the Erie City School District is undergoing a consolidation and financial problems, so the Millcreek Twp. School District would be a much better option. Millcreek is a nice place to raise a family and it's also very convenient to everything in the Erie area.


Erie has a good amount of things to do throughout the year including Presque Isle State Park (beaches, walking trails, lagoons, etc.), wineries, breweries, art and children's museums, an amusement park, two water parks, shopping, a revitalized downtown and bayfront, etc.


If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask!

[SteelCityRising]

I live in Pittsburgh but visit Greater Erie as often as I can because I love the city.

I'll echo the recommendation of Millcreek Township, which is just west of the city. Off the top of my head I think it has around 50,000 residents (half the city population of Erie) and is largely middle-to-upper-middle-class. There is a Wegman's (great supermarket), and many of the area's attractions, such as Waldameer Park and Presque Isle State Park are actually in Millcreek Township.

Good luck in your impending relocation, and thanks for your service to our country!

[Marie Joseph]

Glad to hear that you are moving to the Erie area

I moved here about 2 years ago and have found that I really enjoy the area.

As the others have mentioned, the Millcreek area is a good option since everything is close by and it is in Erie.

Edinboro is another nice area with good public schools. It isn't a large city but is right off Interstate 79 with easy access to Erie.

Saegertown is in the Penncrest school district which also has excellent schools. Saegertown is also off I-79.

I'm looking at buying since I plan to stay here and am mostly going to consider the Edinboro area.

Good luck with your move!

[Jess808]

Thanks for the replies and I'll definitely be looking at millcreek and edinboro. Would anyone have recommendations on a realtor that they've had personal experience with? I'm most likely going to have to buy sight unseen being that I'm in Hawaii so I'm pretty much depending a lot on recommendations of others and really hoping it doesn't steer me wrong ��. Also, if anyone knows of any good volleyball clubs I could look up I'd super appreciate it. Okay this is probably going to make me sound stupid, but I've never had to drive in snow or on ice roads..but I have to buy another car there as well, do I have to get like a 4x4 or snow tires?? LOL..sorry but I'm already worrying about how I'm going to get around during the winter and the thought of having to drive scares the crap out of me seeing as the most we have here is a downpour 2 or 3xs out of the year. Also, what month does it start to get cold and starts to snow as well as how long does it last? Again, thank you for any and all info. you guys are willing to share. I'm kinda doing this solo because my husband won't be joining us till we've already set up house, so this is seriously a stress reliever getting useful info b4 getting there��

[jFug]

I cannot answer your questions when it comes to realtors or volleyball clubs, as I have almost no knowledge on them. However I can answer your questions regarding snow/snow tires.


I would highly recommend snow tires during Erie winters. Since we are located in the snow belt and get copious amounts of lake-effect snow, it would be your best move. Typically of you live north of I-90 the snow will not be too bad, and Millcreek Twp and the City of Erie are pretty good at keeping roads cleared, however living south of I-90 is a whole 'nother ballgame.


These last few winters, it hasn't gotten cold until November and started snowing until December. January and February are the most heavy-hit months when it comes to snowfall. Snow can last until March or April in Erie, depending on the temps.

[Leigh067]

This is a bit random, as I was just browsing the forum of the city where I currently live, but just out of curiosity, it occurred to me to check this PA forum (where I used to live). I saw your post, and so I felt compelled to register and reply.

I might suggest checking out the Fairview area, as the schools were really strong when I attended high school there (however, that was in the late 1990s, and so I don't have insight into current conditions). The district is much, much smaller than Millcreek (my graduating class was around 96 students, IIRC, and McDowell High School in Millcreek had around a couple of thousand), but Fairview had a great offering of AP courses, extracurricular activities, small class sizes and invested teachers. My brother went to middle school there and had the same good experience. I have lived a few places in PA, and that was my favorite place to live, plus it is easy access to the west side of town and the Millcreek Mall / Peach Street area, which is a hub for a lot of things. Fairview is basically the next township west of Millcreek. The "downtown" area of Fairview might put you off a bit because there is so little to it, but there was a great sense of community when I lived there.

I also attended school in North East, PA (which is, funnily enough, just northeast of Erie)--that is about 25 minutes from downtown Erie. Another small community, pretty solid schools, affordable neighborhoods. Take jFug's advice and avoid Erie public schools, unfortunately, as the budget crisis is critical, from what I have also heard from my old contacts in the area.

As I haven't lived there in awhile, I can't offer many other recommendations, but I just thought I would be a cheerleader for Fairview for two seconds. Good luck with your move.

[mercerme]

One tip for you:

Stay out of City of Erie for living. It's a city like all others and will experience more problems and costs than rational person wants to deal with.

I'll also mention if you are accustom via military moves of prior doing few years in a location and doing something like a 5 year ARM, that probably not best idea in Pennsylvania. You won't see property appreciation like out West.

Upside is property is affordable - so you might have funds in savings to put enough down front side to get a real deal.

You would do good to work with a local realtor who can do property search and work with your parameters so when you do visit, it's rapid view of the selected properties.

[PreservationPioneer]

And people wonder why PA's cities are in population freefall? All the advice to stay out of the cities might be to blame.

[KoNgFooCj]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

I live in Pittsburgh but visit Greater Erie as often as I can because I love the city.

I'll echo the recommendation of Millcreek Township, which is just west of the city. Off the top of my head I think it has around 50,000 residents (half the city population of Erie) and is largely middle-to-upper-middle-class. There is a Wegman's (great supermarket), and many of the area's attractions, such as Waldameer Park and Presque Isle State Park are actually in Millcreek Township.

Good luck in your impending relocation, and thanks for your service to our country!

Millcreek township isn't just west of the city, it completely surrounds it to the south and west.