Lancaster - 2024 thoughts on a move (Manheim, Belmont: apartment, violent crime, homes)

[laotzu22]

I'm in the Philly area and have long considered retiring to Lancaster. During this consideration period, Lancaster started showing up in 'best places to retire' articles and during a visit a year ago, I noticed it was much more crowded than in the past. This spring, I'm planning to see an "after 55"-focused apartment building in walking distance to the central market, etc. I like the idea of a community-focused building, as I'm now single, and my adult daughter has her own life in Philly.

I'm pretty much early retired and done with working. My interests are music (playing and listening), theater, tai chi, learning Spanish, and being in the company of low-key, welcoming people who simply want to connect with each other. I'm a little bit concerned about the relentless marketing of Lancaster to early retirees like myself (ha!), because I don't want to trade one over-crowded location for another. However, for personal reasons, I'm looking for a new start.

I'd be interested in hearing about how you feel about the area, with all the new construction, unfortunately, a bit more crime, etc. Overall, do you see the area moving in a positive, neutral, or negative direction?

[kettlepot]

If anyone has opinions about living in the central, more historic areas of Lancaster, I would be interested as well.

[Jessie Mitchell]

Sometimes it's crowded downtown when the weather is great and there are things going on, special events, etc. A lot of the time though it's super un-busy. Sometimes I even wonder, this is a city, not a small town, where are all the people? Maybe it's a subjective thing. The only time I get annoyed by too-many-people is when I venture north of the city to the shopping areas/Manheim Township, and the freeway access points, and then it's too-many-people-in-cars. The traffic can be pretty bad sometimes, but even still not like it is in Philly other large cities and city-sprawls. I doubt you would ever feel "crowded" here, except maybe inside the Central Market on a busy day, but then that's part of the fun. If you want a quieter shopping trip there, go on Tuesdays. The "crime!" thing is way over-hyped. It's a safe city. As to whether it's moving in a positive, neutral, or negative direction depends on who you ask. People who can't find a place to live they can afford feel like it's moving in a negative direction. We've only lived here about 4 years. Not long enough to see long term changes, but to me in these few years it's seemed to be positive changes. I am not reflexively averse to growth though, as long as the historic charm of the city is not razed in the process. I like to see new people moving into the city. I like to see the beautiful renovations of old buildings. I like to see small independent shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues thrive.

[Jessie Mitchell]

Originally Posted by kettlepot

If anyone has opinions about living in the central, more historic areas of Lancaster, I would be interested as well.

If you're in the city proper, it's all pretty historic. The city has a very compact footprint. If you mean down in the very heart of the city center, say around Penn-Square-to-Ewell-Plaza, there are actually more "new" (not historic) buildings there than there will be just a few blocks out in any direction.

[laotzu22]

Originally Posted by Jessie Mitchell

Sometimes it's crowded downtown when the weather is great and there are things going on, special events, etc. A lot of the time though it's super un-busy. Sometimes I even wonder, this is a city, not a small town, where are all the people? Maybe it's a subjective thing. The only time I get annoyed by too-many-people is when I venture north of the city to the shopping areas/Manheim Township, and the freeway access points, and then it's too-many-people-in-cars. The traffic can be pretty bad sometimes, but even still not like it is in Philly other large cities and city-sprawls. I doubt you would ever feel "crowded" here, except maybe inside the Central Market on a busy day, but then that's part of the fun. If you want a quieter shopping trip there, go on Tuesdays. The "crime!" thing is way over-hyped. It's a safe city. As to whether it's moving in a positive, neutral, or negative direction depends on who you ask. People who can't find a place to live they can afford feel like it's moving in a negative direction. We've only lived here about 4 years. Not long enough to see long term changes, but to me in these few years it's seemed to be positive changes. I am not reflexively averse to growth though, as long as the historic charm of the city is not razed in the process. I like to see new people moving into the city. I like to see the beautiful renovations of old buildings. I like to see small independent shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues thrive.

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This is a very helpful response. Thanks, Jessie.

[Jessie Mitchell]

Originally Posted by laotzu22

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This is a very helpful response. Thanks, Jessie.

You're welcome. If you do make the move, send me a message and we'll meet for coffee. We have some overlapping interests.

[laotzu22]

Originally Posted by Jessie Mitchell

You're welcome. If you do make the move, send me a message and we'll meet for coffee. We have some overlapping interests.

Will do! Thanks again.

[james777]

I'm also interested on Lancaster's residents thoughts on their city. Anything said about property, crime, property taxes, etc. would be appreciated.

[Jessie Mitchell]

There are a few people that post here, I think, that live in Lancaster county. Not sure if there's anyone else (besides me, I mean) who actually lives in the city. Happy to answer any questions I can, though.

The Lancaster subreddit has a somewhat younger skew than CityData, and has a mild case of Reddit snark tone, but can be more useful in that you'll get feedback from more people who have experience with living in the city proper. There's also a fair amount of "don't move here, we're full" commentary from people who are resistant to growth and gentrification, but if you can be patient with that and not reactive, you can find out a lot more about living in the city from people who actually do.

https://www.reddit.com/r/lancaster/

[JakeinChina]

I live between two homes, one in downtown Lancaster city between Lemon street and North Christian street, and part of the time in the suburb just north of the city called Manheim Township. I do this for work purposes plus I try and get my kids out of their suburban life and get a little culture and arts into them. There is a lot of construction and new housing being built in the city, but I don't think it will significantly change the landscape of the city. I agree mostly with Jessie's comments and I do hope that more people come to live in the city and further support the local businesses. I personally love Lancaster city. The traffic is nothing compared to larger metro areas and what they have to deal with, except for the shopping around say Belmont shopping center which is in the suburbs of Manheim Township, which Jessie also commented on.

There is crime in every city in the U.S. It's just a fact we can't ignore, but violent crime is low in Lancaster city. I always feel the northern half of Lancaster city is safer with more well to do citizens living in that part of the city. Overall, I feel very safe walking at night in downtown Lancaster with my family and I don't think crime is an issue in Lancaster.

It's a liberal leaning city, but not extremism and with an understanding for supporting local businesses and the local economy. The city officials know how important tourism is to the city. Lots of great markets, restaurants, bars, theatres and so much to do even if it is a small city. Fulton theater is awesome, as are many of the events happening on the weekends.

The only two negatives I can think of is that there aren't many high paying jobs. We do not have many large employers and in fact health care is probably the biggest paying job field. Most wealthy people you meet are likely doctors or out of state retirees it feels like. Secondly, the local Lancaster people are good people, but they aren't the most outgoing people you will ever meet. It takes a lot for them to warm up and many times difficult to form deep relationships with them. You can search on this site "Lancaster people" and a few conversations will pop up on the local culture. The good thing about the city is you have much more diversity than the county, and a lot of out of state people in Lancaster city as well.

Lancaster city is a great place to live, and I wouldn't even think about moving elsewhere. Wish you the best