Having trouble with cost of lviing in NJ -seeking advice (Harrisburg: to rent, house)

[Spongedaddy]

Hi,

We just moved from FL to NJ for my wife's family and a promotion. I originally was supposed to work in Basking Ridge, but it turns out I work virtual 99% of the time. Living here is proving to be very expensive and a major pain in the rear. We were trying to think of different places to go, but our options are limited. The two places we had narrowed it down to were VA and PA. VA may be a bit too southern for the Mrs. and I know very little about PA. I would like to find a nice area with good schools (we have two kids 5 and 8) and about two and a half three horus away from NY. We need to rent right now, but owuld like to buy a house in two years. I also realize that anything can happen in today's economic climate so I probably want to be within an hour of either NJ or some kind of job market.

Can someone give me some advice? I would really appreciate it.

Thanks

[MollyMe]

PA is a commute to NYC. My husband commutes from Pa to NYC everyday via the Martztrailways.com bus. They make stops in PantherValley, NJ and Hackettstown NJ to NYC. Not much $$$ to make in PA. And the cost of living is the same. But you do get more land and a bigger home than you would in NJ or NY.

[bldginpa]

Why not take a look at Pike County. Much less congested than Monroe County and the taxes are lower. Plenty of land available to build on. Plenty of resales also. You should really take a ride one weekend to check it out. Wallenpaupack School District is very well rated. It's about 2-1/2 hours from NYC, maybe a little less. It takes me 2-1/2 hours from the south shore of Long Island. I have inquired about cable/internet service and there is high speed internet and digital cable available. I feel that with the lower taxes, newer homes, larger property, PA is definitely worth a look.

[toobusytoday]

Here's what I've written about my area of PA:
I love our adopted town of Coopersburg in Lehigh County - Southern Lehigh School district. We have lived in four states and have been in Pennsylvania for the last 20 years. We've lived in several counties in the Southeastern part of the state and even in Harrisburg for a summer. This is the place to raise a family. The only thing it is lacking is racial diversity. Our schools are about 95% white. I'm glad to say that is changing.

When we moved into our current house almost 10 years ago we had a half dozen neighbors come to greet us with their entire family and many brought food! I play bunco with a neighborhood group of women monthly and think nothing of borrowing (or having something borrowed) a cooking or yard item from one of them. In fact we share a snow blower with one neighbor and 4 other neighbors share two more.

In the fall there is a community day where the non-profits, crafty people and small businesses get together with the local HS and neighborhood bands. There's also a day of giving when one of the churches sponsors a big fundraiser for one or two community members - often not a member of that church. There are many more churches then bars.

There's a Halloween parade in October, caroling in the street one night in December, football (we stink, band is great) is popular in the fall for Friday nights. Our soccer team has gone to the states for the last couple of years. Schools have a great repuation and are all middle states certified. Schools are generally small and starting to become crowded. This should be relieved when our new 4th-6th grade building is done in 2009.

One University, DeSales, is within our school district and five more four year colleges are within 45 minutes. We have a new wonderful libary built almost three years ago. A new upscale (sort of) outdoor living center opened in the fall. http://www.thepromenadeshopsatsauconvalley.com/ Downside is that housing costs are high and are open space is being eaten by McMansion development. But, this is not the sprawl that we experienced first hand in Chester and Delaware counties. Slower and more controlled. The western part of Southern Lehigh school district is still lacking a sewer system which helps. Oh, and it's really pretty to boot. I love driving down the road and seeing a view of hills and pastures. My suggestion, if someone wants to move here, is to buy an existing house and not contribute any more McMansions to the area. Just say no to sprawl.

We're less then two hours to Manhatten barring road blocking accidents and construction on route 78.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by toobusytoday

My suggestion, if someone wants to move here, is to buy an existing house and not contribute any more McMansions to the area. Just say no to sprawl.

Can I marry you!?! I've never met another person from PA with an "anti-sprawl/preserve our open space" type of mindset! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

[toobusytoday]

hmmm, well my husband might object but I've got a daughter about to graduate from college and she feels the same way...

[Spongedaddy]

Thanks for the input. We are beginning to think about going back to FL. We liked it there and the cost of living is much lower. I will look at the areas you mentioned.