Hoping to move to Sinking Spring area. (Allentown, Reading: real estate, sex offenders)

[Stephanie P]

Hi everyone. This is my first time to use this. I am trying to talk my husband into moving to the Sinking Spring, PA area; we currently live outside of Houston, TX and I hate it! Nine months of summer is just too much. We want to be somewhere with a good school district, I hear Wilson schools are good.
Can anyone give me info on the area. Looking online, the housing is a lot more expensive, but it would be worth it for the climate change!
Any photos of the area would also be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!

[merrlane]

Hi,
Sorry to not have anything of value to add to your post. I just wanted to comiserate. lol I live in CA. and it is hotter than HE!! 5 months out of the yr. Come summer it's well into the 113+ degrees. I can't even take my kids swimming until 6 pm when the intense sun is no longer a MAJOR issue, its still HOT but the sun isn't as intense. theres only so much sunscreen can do!
I have been ON my husband for the last 10 YRS to move to PA. It looks like FINALLY we will be moving out this summer to the Bucks County area. I have seen a few homes in Sinking Springs & they were SPECTACULAR! But I really do not know anything about the area so I am no help.
Anyway............ I can sort of relate..... to me 5 months of HELL is unbearable... I can NOT imagine 9 months of it! I am SO looking forward to a little SNOW and seasons.... WHAT a concept!!!
Good Luck. I hope you can talk your husband into the move & taht it doesn't take 10 yrs like it did with me! lol

[Stephanie P]

Thanks for the reply merrlane. It's comforting to know that I am not the only one who wants to escape!
The company my husband works for has an office around the Reading area, so I am hopeful for a transfer someday. I only hope it does not take 10 years as well! lol
I would love a description of the area after you get settled in, if you don't mind. I am been looking at websites that have photos of the area, and with the mountains and the beautiful foliage, not to mention the wonderful temperatures, it makes me want to move today!
I wish you the best of luck in your move and I hope you love it there!
Stephanie

[merrlane]

Funny........... my husband & I have often talked about how we wish we could move to Texas. We have heard nothing but GREAT things about Texans/Texas. But if we can't take the CA. heat............. there is NO way we could live through Texas heat. 5 months is bad......... 9 months is intolerable. I don't know how people do it. But I guess some people love it.

My husbands job would be based out of King of Prusia but he only goes into work 1 day a week & the rest of the time is driving around a territory so we can live elsewhere. I have really liked looking around Bucks County. About 12 yrs ago I actually came out to PA with my mom who grew up in northern NJ & went to college in PA. She showed me all around & thats when I fell in love with PA. I have been playing around on realtor.com for years and I am SO ready to actually LOOK at these houses in person. we're THINKING we're going to buy a home in Doylestown (Bucks County) PA but its kinda hard to really know when you only have the internet to get your info. from. we'll have to get there & get a feel for it but thats where we THINK we're focused on. From what I gather it's good schools, low crime, nice family town and houses on an acre+ . we have 3 boys, a baby girl & two german shepherds. the more room for me to toss them out back the better we would like to have a green house & maybe have some egg laying chickens....... so an acre+ is what we are looking for but who knows............. we may end up with a home on a typical lot.....half acre or less.......... who knows. Big yard is on the wish list & Doylestown seems to have good sized yards & everything else we are hoping for. Yardley is another town we have considered but its unusual to get a lot over half an acre in the price range we are looking at.

Is there any chance you guys may move this sumemr?? Or is this the begining stages of looking to relocate?

[donnaluv]

Hi! We are currently in FL & also cannot stand the heat, bugs, humidity, hurricanes, etc, etc... We will be taking a trip to PA at the end of June & Sinking Springs is one of the areas we will be looking into. We have 2 daughters, so schools are important. I am going to get as much info as possible. I know how it feels to not be happy where you live, so if I can help, I will. I can send you some pics if you send me your email.

[Stephanie P]

So far, we are in the "discussing the move" stage. My husband is hesitant because all his family is here in the Houston area, plus the cost of living is much cheaper. But, with any luck, I can convince him soon. His mom is actually from PA, so I am employing her help as well.
There are parts of Texas that are not as hot...North Texas usually gets 1-2 snowfalls a year, but still, the summer is hot!!! West Texas is really nice, no humidity and lots of mountains.
Yes, please keep us informed on your PA search this June, and I would love photos!
My email is stephanielprine@yahoo.com
Thanks to you both for your replys. I don't feel so lonely in my search now.

[saveronshadow]

The area is wonderful, as there many farms and wide open spaces in the areas between Reading (to the west) and Allentown (to the east). Also, situated a few miles east of Sinking Springs is Kutztown, with a somewhat large university there, Kutztown University, I think between 12k-15k student population, mainly teachers and art students.

If you are into the charm of the Pennsylvania area, you will probably see Amish around the backroads, not too far from the Poconos for winter sking, and generally the weather is pretty excellent, as there are no extreme weather events apart from the occasional winter storm or thunderstorms in the spring/summer. Humidity is a factor sometimes, but with the lack of urban development in a lot of the area, it is not too bad.

One thing to note however is the nickname of Sinking Springs is Stinking Springs, mainly because of all of the mushroom farms in the area. If that is not a huge factor, then you should enjoy it.

[Stephanie P]

The name "Stinking Springs" does not sound too inviting. Do you know anything about West Lawn? Looking at Remax, the housing and property taxes seem lower than the Sinking Spring/Wyomissing area.
Coming from Texas where housing is cheap (we paid 120k for our 4 bdrm, 2 bath home), it is hard to make the pricing adjustment; which is unfortuntely another obstacle with convincing my husband to move.
Thanks again!

[Stephanie P]

If you don't mind, I would like to ask a few specific questions about the Sinking Spring area.

(1) We have a lot of insects here in Houston, especially mosquitoes. Is that a problem there as well?

(2) Do you get much snowfall in the winter? I did get to live in Michigan for a year and loved it! I miss the snow; no winter in Houston.

(3) What are your average temperatures there, throughout the seasons?
(It is only 10:30am and already 84 degress, with a high of 93 today.)

(4) I've seen pictures of beautiful foliage in PA, do you get it in that area as well? (Again, no foliage in Houston.)

Sorry for so many questions, but I've never been to PA. Thanks again for all the help!!!

[Movin2Maine]

Originally Posted by Stephanie P

If you don't mind, I would like to ask a few specific questions about the Sinking Spring area.

(1) We have a lot of insects here in Houston, especially mosquitoes. Is that a problem there as well?

(2) Do you get much snowfall in the winter? I did get to live in Michigan for a year and loved it! I miss the snow; no winter in Houston.

(3) What are your average temperatures there, throughout the seasons?
(It is only 10:30am and already 84 degress, with a high of 93 today.)

(4) I've seen pictures of beautiful foliage in PA, do you get it in that area as well? (Again, no foliage in Houston.)

Sorry for so many questions, but I've never been to PA. Thanks again for all the help!!!

First off, the best way to really get a feel for an area is to stay a week or so in that area, talk to the locals and check out the neighborhood. You will get some people from the area that don't mind commuting over an hour one way to work and others that have a fit if a starbucks is not within walking distance from there house.

Sinking Spring is not smelly and doesn't have any mushroom farms, the mushroom farms are out in Temple, I would avoid the Temple area for several reasons. Sinking Spring, West lawn and Wyomissing are all very nice areas to live and work in. Taxes are also the lowest in these areas.

1. This really depends on where you live, if you live near water than you will have more bugs, or if you are near any farms than that could be an issue too. PA is very humid most of the time, I have sinus and allergy problems and certain times its difficult stay outdoors for any extended period of time. This is something else to consider if you are sensitive to bad air.

2. Last winter was a mess of ice storms, I will take 2 feet any day over ice. The winters are always hit or miss, in the past few years there hasn't been much in the way of big snowfall.

3. Another hit or miss is the temps, some years we skip seasons and go right into the next, it doesn't get hot as texas.

Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania (PA) Detailed Profile - relocation, real estate, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, news, sex offenders

4. Yes and no, really depends on what you consider beautiful. Certain parts of the state are great if you camp or hike, most of the area in berks is farmland. I am in the process of moving but, currently live in an area that is out in "hicksville". We have weeds and other foilage that looks like it came from a science fiction movie growing everywhere around and onto the road. I call this "PA garbage weed".

Something else to consider, my wife and I have a friend that moved here from Houston and she ended up moving back to Houston within 2 years. Just something else I figured I would mention.