tell me about PA (Harrisburg, York: apartment, to rent, car insurance)

[suzanne7575]

I am a nurse in Scotland Uk and are currently planning a move over to the states. I have been looking at PA as my agency have assignements available in York Hospital.

I'd like to know any info you are willing to send my way, in particular:

areas to live?? I don't mind commuting to work so is it possible to work in York and live closer to Harrisburg, as I'm thinking job opportunities fir hubby might be better if he has access to more cities, and i believe there is a train from Harrisburg into Philly? As I am a nurse I am likely to be working 7am to 7pm or vice versa so hopefully I would miss any major rush hour traffic. We will be looking to rent for the first year or two and would prefer a townhouse/row house as opposed to an apartment if possible.

Schools around the area. I will have 2 elementary age kids.

The lowdown on costs of living ie. taxes, car insurance costs etc. my other option for assignement is Florida and the cost of living there is horrendous and the wages are low, is it better in PA and would we be able to manage on just my wage as an RN for the time being so my husband can have a good look around for work rather than taking the first job he is offered.

Fishing? my husband likes to fish for Carp, and although i know it is not a popular fish to fish for in the USA I was wondering if anyone has any knowledge of good places to fish where Carp might be available.

Finally the weather? Coming from Scotland (I live at the edge of the highlands) I know what cold is, the problem we have here is we get hardly any summer. We are usually lucky to get 2 weeks per year of clear sunny hot days, the rest of the summer months it is mild with cloud and rain and not very condusive to getting outdoors. I could cope with a cold long winter (i actually quite like the snow) if I have a decent summer, an I likely to get this in central PA?

Many thanks

[rockky]

suzanne, I think you would really like York County. Much of the extreme southern end of the county was settled by the Scot/Irish in the early 1700s. Supposedly, 'it looked like home to them'. This part of the county would be a difficult commute to York Hospital and Harrisburg though.

Rt.83 gives direct access to Harrisburg. Whether you travel south to the Hospital or your husband drives north to work, the Rt.83 corridor makes it easy.

The weather is moderate with defined seasons. Average temps are from 30 to 75 degrees F. Of course it gets colder than that in the winter and hotter in the summer. Yep. It snows! It's rare that snow lays on the ground for the entire winter season though.

Taxes vary a bit according to the location of your home. The taxes in the city of York are quite high. York Suburban and Dallastown are both excellent school districts and are closest to the hospital. Central District is just north of the city limits and would provide easy access to Rt.83. In all, there are 8 school districts in the county.

I'm sure there must be carp fishing around York County somewhere. The Susquehanna River runs along the eastern border of the county. Lake Marburg is a nice fishing area. How about trout? There are many beautiful trout streams in York County for fly fishing.

If I can help you find more info, please let me know.

Actually, I'm traveling to Scotland for a couple of days this summer. I'm so excited!!

Oh....the local newspapers are The York Dispatch and The York Daily Record....both York News Service. You may want to check out their web sites.

[suzanne7575]

Many thanks fr your help.

I think I would be more inclined to live closer to Harrisburg and for myself to do the commuting, mainly due to me doing the 12 hour days so hopefully miss the peak of the traffic, plus I will only work 3 days per week. I will also be on a contract for 12-18 months and once that is finished I can move to a hospital closer to Harrisburg, so for the short term it seem better this way, as I'm sure my husband will have more work opportunities in Harisburg and also has the option of getting the train to Phily should he need to.

What about the towns of mechanicsburg and Carlisle, would they be commutable to York hospital also? Are there any towns inbetween. I am not concerned with actually living in a city as i have always lived in the country or in small towns so am comfortable with that.

Thanks for the fishing advice, unfortunatly my husband does not enjoy fly fishing but he is open to other forms of course fishing if need be.

From what i have researched of the are so far Central PA certainly seems to have mainly similarities to scotland but I'm sure there are equally many more things that are completely different.

Whereabouts in Scotland are you visiting. I hope you have a great time and that the weather behaves itself for you, if you need any help or info with anything let me know