O.T. PA bound

F

Faythe

Cathlete
Dear Anyone from PA,
I am wondering if anyone from this forum is from PA. My husband and I are looking to
move in a few months (just before Spring). We have a few places we need to visit first
before we move, but the first place on our list is the Harrisburg, Hersey area. Does anyone
come from that area that could tell me about it? We are in our 30’s and my husband is a
song writer, singer, etc, so he works from the house. I would just get an office job or
something in town/city area. We are looking for a rural area, but NOT in the middle of
nothingville. After doing research, Harrisburg looks good, but we would look outside of
Harrisburg where it’s more rural. We love hiking, mountains, farm areas, space!!! We
want to live somewhere private down some country road, but 1 hour or less away from a
city that has a lot of shopping and some places for the arts, coffee houses and such. I
could go on and on but I wont. Can anyone tell me about the area? thanks in advance.
Faythe
 
Dear Faythe,
Hopefully, someone from that area will be able to tell you more than I. But, I am from western PA, but I have family and friends in Harrisburg and York. It's classic PA Dutch or Amish country, so there's plenty of rural areas without getting too far away from civilization. We especially like Jim Thorpe which isn't too far away. It's quaint and has some really cool biking/mountain biking areas. Also, State College is close to the Mid State Trail and offers a really nice Arts Festival in July. Plus the new Bryce Jordan arena gets some really good concerts.
I really don't think you'll have any problems finding somewhere just to your liking to live. We have a friend who works in Harrisburg, but has a farm big enough to accommodate her horses just outside of town.
I may not have been much help, but I'm hoping that I've at least painted a nice picture of our state!
Good luck!
Amy
 
Hi Faythe!! I just moved to Hburg a few months ago and WE LOVE IT!!! We live in the mountains north of town, in a little rural subdivision. We are just a couple of miles from the Appalachian trail, and right up against some state gamelands. . . We have black bears and deer and all sorts of smaller critters roaming the neighborhood. I've had to put ammonia in my trash bags to ward off doggies before, but never to ward off bears! haha!

There are TONS of trails around here and gorgeous mountain roads to bike on (LOTS of bicyclers around here!). It is a beautiful area, we live in a valley between two mountains and in the fall I thought I would just DIE it was so gorgeous. We drive about 20 minutes over a mountain to get to Hburg, and about the same drive in the other direction to Hershey. Hershey offers a lot in the way of cultural stuff, they have a big amphitheatre kind of thing there that draws some big ticket concerts and such. . . Of course there is Hershey Park, Hershey Gardens, Zoo America, all that fun touristy stuff. Hershey also offers a lot culturally (or so I hear) but I'm not familiar with a lot of that because we've only been here since August ourselves. Baltimore is about 90 minutes away, Philly is a couple of hours away as is DC, so there are LOTS of opportunities for day trips/date nights and such, although there is also plenty to do in Harrisburg/Hershey itself.

I hope that is helpful info. Cost of living is reasonable around here, depending of course on where you're coming from. If you have more specific questions I'll do my best to answer. I usually hang out at VF rather than here (A VFer who knew we'd just moved to PA alerted me to your post!) but I will be back to this thread to check up on you!

(but while I'm here, can I rave a bit about Power Hour? Just did it today. LOVE that tape!! You know what the greatest thing about it is? CATHE herself! Yeah, there are good moves, good music, it's a thorough tape, etc., but it is Cathe's personality that makes it fun!)
 
Hi Faythe,
I am not from PA but New York. We travel to Lancaster County and Hershey PA about 5 times a year. What beautiful countryside.
I think anywhere you move in that area you would be very pleased with. We usually stay in a little Amish community called Intercourse. It is so quite and peaceful if I had to move I probally would pick that area. Just my 2 cents.
Debbie
 
Thank you both for your response. Any others are welcome.
The posts are both very helpful.
I do have questions for Susan P2,
Thanks so much for answering my post. What is VF? Oh no, another forum dear husband said. Susan where did you come from and what made you decide on that area? We are from
Long Island NY and never cared for this crowded area much. We are finally able to move, after almost 13 yrs of marriage! (yeah). I just got laid off in Nov and my husband made a major career change a few years ago and works from the house, so we can choose anywhere. We have no kids to make adjustments in school. We are looking in Harrisburg, Hershey, and also College State and
other areas of Western PA because we can visit family and friends on LI. College State was the furthest we would try because it's 5 hrs away. We were in favor of a college town, (people are
more accepting and there is more to do, usually). I'd love to pick your brain on the area. If you have time to answer my questions, please do so via this forum or my email which is
[email protected]
thanks so much, oh, how's the gym situation in the area? I'd love to get a job in a gym eventually. Oh, and we are looking for a newer home on 5+ acres (depending on the set up) we just want privacy mainly. Are large properties hard to come by? Did you buy a home or rent? How is your family adjusting? Are you from a busy area originally? We may have to rent first, unless we find a place we like quickly. If so, did you use a Realtor or for sale by owner? Oh, one more thing (I promise), my husband does home recording (music) in the house, we like the fact that there is an airport in Harrisburg, but do they fly over the rural area's all day long? (and night)(for noise sake) Thanks so much for responding. Hope to hear from you again Faythe
 
Hi Faythe--
I live in California now, but I used to live in northern Virgina and have a sister that lives in western New York, just north of the Pennsylvania border. I used to drive up to visit her, and the route I took was on Route 15 (?) that went right through Harrisburg. For some reason, I always used to hit Harrisburg at daybreak, and I have many fond memories of driving through and seeing the pretty city and the river (Susquehanna?). It's a beautiful area.
 
I grew up in State College

It's a nice, quiet little college town. I haven't lived there since I graduated from Penn State, and I wasn't particularly interested in cultural stuff at that age, so I can't really help you on that front. But, it is a beautiful area, and I'm sure there is a lot of interesting stuff to do. There must be a website for Penn State University (the university located in State College), which would have information on the town, and possibly links to surrounding areas/activities.
My boyfriend is from the Pittsburgh area, and we were just there for the holidays. It, too is a beautiful area...
My mom still lives in State College, and visits my sisters often--they live in DC and NYC, and the drive is not long for State College.
There are lots of health clubs in State College, or at least there were when I lived there.
Cute, funky shops, but expensive. Way crowded on the weekends during football season (the world revolves around The Nittany Lions!)
I loved being able to drive 5 to 10 minutes away from the center of town and be on a secluded country road. Beautiful, lush, green...oh, I miss it!
Wendy
 
I live about 20 minutes from Harrisburg PA. My husband grew up in Harrisburg and his parents live in Hummelstown which is about two minutes away from Hershey. It is a very nice area. You do have to be careful as to the area you select. Just as any city or town there are some areas I would not walk at night. If you would ask my husband he would say PA is not an ideal living environment due to alergies. Other than that it is close to everything as a previous post stated. I grew up in a small town that has a beautiful lake. At Christmas they float a lighted tree in the middle of the lake. We have some shopping close by (within 5 minutes) and within thirty minutes you have your choice. The stores may not be exactly what you are used to. You will find everything from dense development to very rural homes within the area of Lancaster/Harrisburg. Hershey is a very nice area but might be more expensive than others. There are many things to do if you have the time. We like to hike and travel to Shenandoah National Park VA which the North entrance is only two hours away. PA does have some very nice state lands around Harrisburg. One recommendation is to take a look at the main roads to and from the place you pick. Some of the roads get congested at peak times because they were not built to handle the amount of traffic they have now. Hope this helps.
 
Hi! I live in Harrisburg and have lived in the area for 3 years now. My sister went to medical school in Hershey so I know that area too. I am originally from NE PA (Hazleton), but moved to Carlisle because of a teaching job. I loved that town (old, well taken care of, etc.),but my husband found a job in a district hear Harrisburg, and when we got married, so did I. We fell in love with the Harrisburg area. There is so much to do here. You can live in anyone of the many townships or towns that surround Harrisburg without having to be smack dab in the middle of the city. Linglestown in a small, quiet town that is about 5 miles from center city and about 9 miles from Hershey. Hershey is a great town too. I am glad my husband and I have settled in this beautiful area-it is a great place to live!!!

If you need any advice on any healthclubs in the area, I can help you with that! Just let me know! I hope this has helped you!

p.s. Hershey medical center is close to Harrisburg and offers fantastic health care!!!
 
JayPea,
Thanks for your input!! I am so excited about this move. I've been wanting to move to a rural area for over 10 years. We are finally able to in a few months. After some investigation, we are looking to move on a home with a few acres North of Harrisburg. I heard that is rural and I could get some acres there. The moutains are there, so I hope the planes from the airport go south, not north. My husband works at home and records his music so planes going overhead all day long wont be a good thing. It all depends on the main routes they take. I'm happy to hear about how much you like the area. It seems everyone from the area likes it. That is great! I do have a few questions I would like to pick your brain with, if your up for it, I will put my email address below and if you get a chance you could email me with the answers. Do you know anything about the areas north of Harrisburg, where it is rural? How is the music scenne? How about the downtown area of Harrisburg? We plan to visit in a few months just about when we are ready to pack up things here. Thanks for all your info.
Faythe
[email protected]
 
Hey Faythe, I was going to tell you that there is a home for sale near us that is on 6.4 acres. . . I have NO IDEA what the house looks like, it isn't visible from the road. But now that I read your post I wonder if it's the same house?? --because we're north of HBurg too. . . Wouldn't that be funny? Is the house you're looking at on Piketown Road on the back side of Blue Mountain?

jaypea, how cool to know that there is another Cathe fan in the area! Just another thing to love about Harrisburg! :)
 
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