Info on Hershey, PA and Surrounding Areas (Lancaster, Harrisburg: low crime, hotels)

[fllover]

Didn't know what the job market is for this area (we are in Human Resources & IT). Also, what's the crime like?

[just_me]

Hershey is beautiful, low crime rate, the police there will not stand for it! They're pretty tough!

[Delmar]

Yeah, O'Rourke will threaten you if you get out of line. There's nothing worse than a bored, small-town hick cop.

[fllover]

That's pretty funny....be thankful you have a bored-small town hick cop that takes care of business....can't say the same about Las Vegas Metro Police Dept. thank you guys for the info!

BTW, how is the job market?

[SlurmsMcKenzie]

My father lives in Hershey, I like it enough though I am usually not thrilled with it during the peak of tourist season. Depending on where you are looking to live/work, I'd suggest a few other towns as well. Hummelstown is a smaller town just a few minutes west and has a lot of character. Linglestown is further north but is also a very nice area. My favorite is Annville, though it is about 7 miles east of Hershey. It is home to Lebanon Valley College and has a very cool little downtown.

[bnepler]

I agree with trlstreet, not only because I was born and raised in Hummelstown and lived in Linglestown for 30 years, all the towns and the area is good to raise a family. Most of the job market is in Harrisburg, the capital. Look for a State (PA) position.

[openless]

there is limited crim in hershey, there is tons of crim in harrisburg city and lebanon city. there are drugs in the area and that about it. hershey is a local company and there is also a walmart in nearby palmyra. there are lots of hotels and restaurants in hershey, banks and such. it has pretty broad treelined streets and even a trolley. outside of town there are dozens of housing developments being put up on 322 and 39. many people live in hershey and work in harrisburg. my friend has a job at the liquor store in hershey and she loves it. they have a huge hospital where there are many out of state and non-native people working. try turkey hill and your place rest. there are lots of IT based companies in harrisburg or surrounding areas.

[desmo888]

The Hershey area is great. The local paper has headlines like "Dairy Queen Named!". It is a small town (actually Hershey is not a true town at all and is policed by the township) and is very quaint compared to LA.
Now, the bad - taxes! Hershey thinks a lot of itself. The built a new Library even though the citizens voted against spending the millions of $ required. They think they have to have the best of everything in the schools too. I realize that is not always a bad thing but they go the extra step for the "bling".
I suggest living in Palmyra or Hummelstown which are both right next to Hershey. They have good school systems and reasonable taxes. Both are small towns, Hummelstown has more character though.
I grew up in Palmyra on the opposite end from Hershey and I could smell chocolate some mornings on my way to school! blah blah blah - okay back to the facts that matter...
Elizabethtown is also close by and is a great small town. I live there now and love it. 10 minutes from Hershey and central located between York, Lancaster and Harrisburg. This allows you to live here and find a job in three (albeit small) job markets.
Good luck!
DK

[Harwood_b]

H e r s h e y
is a great place to vacation BUT THATS IT!
i currently live in hershey,pa and it is the worst town i have ever lived in.the high school is a nice place if you are white ,very rich,and know how to manuplaite people.But if you are Black spanish or anyother race but white you will not get a fair chance at anything.

[BARFLEM]

Originally Posted by Vegas Grl

Didn't know what the job market is for this area (we are in Human Resources & IT). Also, what's the crime like?

Hershey and the few smaller towns surrounding it, Hummelstown, Palmyra, are wonderful places to live. Hershey taxes may be a bit high. Penn State Hershey Medical Center is expanding....a good place to look for employment. Also, there is a new entrepreneurial research center located on the Medical Center's campus. That might interest you. The Medical Center is dynamic always seeking the most advanced methods of medical care. The town of Hershey wants to stay small, but offers many cultural activities that draw people from all over. There is a large diversity of people due to the Medical Center attracting medical students and residents from all over the world. Hershey is very close knit, but the surrounding towns support the people as if the town was their own. After all, it is the home of Milton Hershey and Hershey Foods. The people in Hershey are not snobby, as mentioned in a previous message by others. It is a very clean place to live.

As described, this area is no more conservative than many others in the country. I lived in Harrisburg suburbs, Houston, California, New York, and New Jersey. Even California can be conservative. It depends on where you live in California and with whom you associate. I spent time in almost all the major cities. People are basically the same everywhere.

Harrisburg had always been somewhat backwards to me and less progressive than other cities, especially for being the capital of a state. It has changed, but I still wouldn't want to live in downtown Harrisburg. The suburbs are OK, let's say 10 miles away from downtown. The West Shore is basically a suburb of Harrisburg and it's OK. It has been called snobby, but it's not. There are some of those everywhere where materialistic gains seem to be the most important thing in their lives.

Actually, to those of you from the South thinking about moving north, I found the people in Texas to be less than receptive to those from the North. I was astounded after hearing about southern hospitality all those years. In fact, finding a job was extremely difficult because I was from the North. When I moved back to Pennsylvania, everyone was extremely friendly and helpful to me, not knowing I was born here. They thought I was an out of stater. It was the same when I moved to New York.

California is receptive to everyone, but the people are not as friendly as those in the northeast. They pretty much stick to themselves even though they most likely moved to California from other states. They do accept you as you are, though, and give you a chance, unlike Houston.

One final thing about this area of Pennsyvania. It is beautiful with rolling hills, farmland, mountains and many trees. It is also clean. Pennsylvania is one of the prettiest states I have seen.