Got a Job in Camp Hill. Where to live? Suggestions please =) (Harrisburg: rentals, new house)

[itsjappo]

I'm coming from Orlando, FL. I'm 32 Asian male with a young family. Looking for suggestions on what area to look at that is safe for my family. We like to shop, eat out, go to parks to hang out, etc. Looking for areas where up and coming young professionals starting out a family would be. Somewhere not boring but at the same time, not crowded, too loud and busy and crazy. Any suggestions and help is greatly appreciated. I have to be there in 10 days!!!!

[bigben1234]

Originally Posted by itsjappo

Looking for areas where up and coming young professionals starting out a family would be.

I don't know of any areas in Central PA where young professionals congregate. Most professionals here are in their late 40s, 50s or 60s.

[Swizzles]

Originally Posted by itsjappo

I'm coming from Orlando, FL. I'm 32 Asian male with a young family. Looking for suggestions on what area to look at that is safe for my family. We like to shop, eat out, go to parks to hang out, etc. Looking for areas where up and coming young professionals starting out a family would be. Somewhere not boring but at the same time, not crowded, too loud and busy and crazy. Any suggestions and help is greatly appreciated. I have to be there in 10 days!!!!

Well, it sounds like you'd want to look at schools:
Susquehanna Township schools (Harrisburg address, but very suburban) - not much on rentals here, but very diverse and high standards in education

AVOID Susquenita School district if you want quality education.

Cumberland Valley and Mechanicsburg are rated well.

My kids attend West Shore School district (HS level) and I thought these were well rated but just recently found out they are not actually that great.

The areas to avoid for safety would be I'd say just like the ghetto parts of Harrisburg. Anything that has Harrisburg City schools definitely avoid. Not good stuff lately on that.

Check schooldigger.com for more info. I don't know all the schools.

Neighborhoods/towns that I would consider completely safe or non-threatening at least include Susq Twp, Hershey, Middletown, Mechanicsburg, Wormleysburg, Enola, Summerdale, New Cumberland, Lemoyne, Camp Hill, Silver Springs. It really all depends on your price point. Lemoyne and Middletown are starting to have the city mentality creep in a little. Anything in Perry county will bring you a "country" type experience, everything from pretty and nice to trashy. Harrisburg itself as an address covers a broad scope of areas, from the ghetto to many very nice areas.

If you post places you're considering, I'll try to let you know what I can about the area. Harrisburg isn't nearly as big as Orlando... but you may be used to seeing things more "new" than what the area has to offer. It doesn't take long to get around the area except a few rush hour things. You don't want to have to cross the river on I-83 during 330pm-6pm if possible. I-81 is usually fine for crossing the river except when there's an accident of course.

[CHIP72]

Camp Hill itself would be a good choice IMO.

[ki0eh]

Camp Hill Borough (town limits, i.e. less area than the Camp Hill postal address) has its own schools. The district is small enough they don't run buses. There is some churn of population and houses in the borough as this aspect is more attractive to families with school aged children vs. empty nesters, although some certainly do age in place.

The Camp Hill "Bypass" especially the portion also known as 32nd St and carrying US Routes 11 and 15 jams up in AM and PM. Although there are crossing guards, the few blocks of the Borough west of 32nd St are less desirable as a result. That doesn't make them scary bad or anything like that, just a bit more down scale.

The remaining residential streets in the Borough are quiet, generally tree lined and well kept. The Borough parks are fairly nice and since there are no school buses the community places uncommon value in making sure the sidewalks actually connect to each other and remain in reasonable repair. The library seems nice and there are a few local restaurants along Market St.

West of the borough limits Market St becomes Carlisle Pike which is the main strip mall and box store area of the Harrisburg metro in Hampden and Silver Spring townships. These townships are part of the highly rated but large Cumberland Valley school district. Walkability is low even in the neighborhood of small postwar ranchers with a Camp Hill address bordering but outside the borough limits.

[AlexisT]

Cumberland Valley SD has a lot of younger families and good schools. Buying in Camp Hill itself is tricky as the borough is so small. We did not look there as I didn't really like the idea of my kids going to school with the same 90 kids for the next 13 years. CV has the opposite problem--7 elementaries all feeding into one huge high school. CV, especially Hampden Twp, is more diverse than Camp Hill. I would say that Camp Hill skews a bit older, actually, as there are no new houses in the district, while CV has many new developments. Depending on your budget and taste you should be able to find something you like, though the vast majority of the district is very suburban feeling. Camp Hill has older homes on smaller lots. I can confirm, though, that the Fredricksen Library, which Hampden Twp residents also use, is very good! Both Hampden and CH have public pools open in the summer, Silver Spring Twp does not.

We're in our 30s with 2 kids and know many other families around our age. Some of the older developments are turning over as people retire and move and new families move in, and the newer developments all seem to be attracting families.

I would not choose Susquehanna Twp schools given the turmoil in the district and the board's attempt to blame newcomers for all the problems.

[itsjappo]

Yeah since we are coming for Orlando, we are used to suburban life. Very laid back with new development homes and quiet communities. We like new and modern up and coming areas. Close to shopping, dining and recreational hang out for our young family. Cumberland Valley is worth looking at then. Any other areas that fit our preferences?

[CHIP72]

Lower Paxton Township (especially north of Locust Lane) or possibly West Hanover Township (immediately east of LP Twp) in Dauphin County could also fit the bill. Both townships are part of the Central Dauphin School District; you'll want to locate in an area that feeds into Central Dauphin HS rather than Central Dauphin East HS (which contrary to the names are more north/south of each other; CD is north and CD East is south.) Lower Paxton and West Hanove are essentially the equivalents of Hampden Township/Silver Spring Township on the east side of the Susquehanna River, possibly not quite as upscale as Hampden/Silver Spring but probably a bit more diverse and not quite as conservative. The Harrisburg area in general (excluding the city and older, inner suburbs) is a pretty conservative area in general, but the West Shore (i.e. Cumberland County) tends to be a little more conservative than the East Shore (Dauphin County).

If you willing to go out a bit further, the Carlisle area could also work for you. You could also go south into York County to near Valley Green, which is roughly halfway between Harrisburg and York.

[AlexisT]

The areas of CD that feed into CDHS are not really more diverse than CV (the exact makeup is different). GreatSchools is out of date (you'd have to google for the PDE stats, I have them somewhere--I've compared the two) but CD is very segregated between the two high schools. To be honest, the segregation and gaps in performance made me uneasy when we looked at that area. In addition, our property taxes are about half of what they would be on a comparable house in Lower Paxton Twp.

Commutes here aren't really much to complain about, but the West Shore would be a bit more convenient. I wouldn't go as far to the other side as Hershey, which would put you going through the few real traffic tie-ups we have.

[Brice85]

Hi we are in a similar position mixed couple indian/ white looking for safe suburban family friendly area. I've been looking at mechanicburg seems to have good schools and a good town feel. We are going next weekend to look and try and get a feel for towns will def have a better idea then good luck!!