Potential move to York-Harrisburg area (Lancaster, Chester: apartment, renting, condo)

[L-Sofia]

Hello. We are thinking of eventually relocating to York-Harrisburg area for a job opportunity.
We are family of 3 and currently live in Las Vegas. Visited Mechanicsburg, Camp Hill and Hershey last month for few days and we liked the area. We could not visit Lancaster unfortunately.
But doing my research for the house market etc., i found out the whole area is in the red high risk for radon. I know people install some systems in their houses but isnt this an issue in schools, offices etc?
We only have lived in Vegas (where we have not really experienced it)while in US so i dont really understand the matter. Thank you.

[Jessie Mitchell]

My feeling is that this is no reason to avoid moving here if you like the area and it suits your job prospects. It is not difficult to get a home tested for radon. If you need to install a mitigation system it will cost, but it's not a prohibitive enormous cost (I guess, it goes without saying that for some people the cost would be prohibitive, but I'm thinking if you're moving for a good job prospect that it's an expense you could swing.) Some houses already have them. A lot of houses don't need one. If a house does have a radon problem, it will be worse in the basement, it will be worse in houses with poor ventilation systems. One family I know had their house tested and it was okay in all the living spaces but the basement was a bit high. It wasn't until they wanted to remodel the basement into expanded living space that they installed a mitigation system because they wouid be spending more time down there. Anyway, the testing is easy to get done and then you'll be able to make improvements as needed.

(Sorry, I realize I didn't address your questions with regard to schools, offices, etc. I don't know the answer to that unfortunately.)

Out of curiosity I looked up lung cancer rates in the area and Lancaster county has substantially lower than average rates, Dauphin country (Harrisburg) somewhat higher, but still relatively low rates. York county has higher rates. Of course smoking is far and away the number one cause of lung cancer and coincides with lower socio-economic populations, but radon is the second leading cause and I would think that you might expect higher rates overall in areas with a higher number of radon afflicted homes, offices, schools. I'm not seeing that though. Interesting.

[L-Sofia]

Thank you so much for your response, really appreciate your thoughts on this. I also tried to look for some data in regards of schools and offices but could not find. I think testing is recommended but not mandatory.
Thanks again

[bridge12]

I grew up in the area and lived in several houses during that time. While the radon issue sounds alarming, it was never a problem in any of the houses we lived in. You can get radon test kits for the house to make sure it's not prevalent.

In general, south-central PA is very family-friendly. You can't go wrong with the Mechanicsburg/Camp Hill area. If you are working in York County, I'd probably stay on the "west shore" (Mechanicsburg/Camp Hill) and not bother with commuting all the way from Hershey.

[rowhomecity]

Not knowing specifically where you have to commute to makes it hard to recommend suburbs...

But Camp Hill and Mechanicsburg are quite nice, as is Hershey and Hummelstown. Parts of West Hanover and Lower Paxton are nice too.

Lancaster is also beautiful. But I am not sure where in the area you are working so if that is a feasible commute.

[L-Sofia]

Thank you very much for your input!
We will definitely have a system in the house if we move, i was just concern for schools and businesses. Not sure they do any testings there
Thank you again

[L-Sofia]

Thank you rowhomecity for your input. Actually my job would be closer to York (the northern part) but we were in the area for 2days and visited only Mechanicsburg, Camp Hill, Hampden and Hershey as these have been recommended.
I should have started with answering the opening questions first but radon question got me off track, sorry.

When are you moving? potentially in August
Where are you coming from? Las Vegas
Why are you moving? Job opportunity
Where will you be working? Closer to York, northern part
Have you been here yet? Yes, for two days

Will you buy or rent? Considering both
If buying, are you looking for a house or a condo? How much can you spend? Housing is really booming now but hopefully we can find something around $400k
If renting, are you looking for an apartment, a townhouse or loft? How much can you spend? $1,500, townhouse
Do you prefer hi-rise or walk up? walk up

Are you married or single? Do you have children? Married with 1 child
Do you prefer public or private schools? Whichever is better, education is very important for us
Do you have pets? Dog
Do you want or need a yard? Prefer a yard
Are you keeping a car? Yes, 2
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? Combination of both, would prefer to be closer to amenities but more important is to be closer to good schools. My daughter is going to be last year in Elementary, so looking into good Middle and especially High schools

What do you want to be closest to?
Work - Prefer shorter commute but for last 15 years, my commute has been 30-40 min one way
Shopping- Nice to have shopping around but can drive for better ones
Basic services (supermarket, drugstore, etc.) - Good supermarket, i am not familiar with the ones there. We have Whole Foods, Sprouts and Trader Joe's here.
Nightlife- not really very active
Train or subway stations- not necessary

Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood? Diverse

Phillies, Pirates or Orioles? Cant answer this question

[rowhomecity]

Are you commuting to Northern York County??

Or within York City itself?

I would say if you want to stay in the Harrisburg area, specifically the Camp Hill and New Cumberland areas would be your best bet. Mechanicsburg is a bit too far west to make the commute efficient.

But I will be honest, that stretch of 83, coming from Harrisburg to York is often filled with accidents. I just do not recommend it. I am not sure if you have to go into the office everyday... if you only have to go in say 3 days a week then it is definitely palatable.


If you are commuting to York City, then I would give Lancaster a solid shot. It is a beautiful area, and offers some really nice big city amenities, while also having lots of character and charm. The commute is not filled with as much truck traffic, so tends to have less accidents overall.


I would say Hershey (while being a wonderful community) would be out of the question. Your commute would be at least an hour minimum.


400k will get you something about 10/15 years old... probably not updated since then. Or will get you an older home, that is fully updated.

Good luck!

[Jessie Mitchell]

L-Sophia, my husband and I moved here, specifically to Lancaster city, from southern Oregon last year. I can't be of great help with regard to potential locations for you to settle because I'm not yet familiar enough with York or Harrisburg or other likely areas for you. Just generally I will say that we have found this part of the world to be a very pleasant place to live. I am a deep-down-to-the-marrow westerner (California and Oregon), and always will be, but we moved for reasons related to family and to a lesser degree work. There are things I profoundly miss about the west and I have some lingering notion that eventually I'll end up back there again at some point before I die, but until then I can imagine being happily parked here for the foreseeable future. Good luck with your deliberations and in the event you do move, I hope you find the perfect spot.

[rowhomecity]

Originally Posted by Jessie Mitchell

L-Sophia, my husband and I moved here, specifically to Lancaster city, from southern Oregon last year. I can't be of great help with regard to potential locations for you to settle because I'm not yet familiar enough with York or Harrisburg or other likely areas for you. Just generally I will say that we have found this part of the world to be a very pleasant place to live. I am a deep-down-to-the-marrow westerner (California and Oregon), and always will be, but we moved for reasons related to family and to a lesser degree work. There are things I profoundly miss about the west and I have some lingering notion that eventually I'll end up back there again at some point before I die, but until then I can imagine being happily parked here for the foreseeable future. Good luck with your deliberations and in the event you do move, I hope you find the perfect spot.

Lancaster is so nice Jessie! I think honestly it is the best kept secret in the Mid Atlantic...


For some fun trips just to your East. Check out Longwood Gardens, West Chester and just a tad further places like Strathmere, NJ might remind you a bit of the California coast.

Ocean City, NJ is also very nice