Elmira? Yay or Nay?! (New York, Horseheads: apartment complexes, rentals, house)

[Totally Bowlicious]

My husband is being transferred to Mansfield, PA but we were thinking of the Elmira area. We have 3 small kids so schools are a BIG issue for us. Where would the best area to live be? Also, we probably will have to rent first because our house in GA needs to sell. Any info on rentals?

Thanks!!! I want to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly!!

[jblake78728]

Though its not going to matter if you are renting property taxes in Elmira are likely going to be a lot higher than Mansfield but you should be able to find a much better deal on a house in Elmira. I guess if you get a good enough deal on the house then the taxes wont matter as much but its definitely something you need to be aware of. Commuting from Elmira to Mansfield isn't going to be a lot of fun in the winter as a lot of the trip is going to be on a small 2 lane road through a very rural area that may not be well maintained in the winter (though I suppose you could take 86 to 15 which would likely be in better condition but its also a longer drive). Per greatschools.org (a very good source for school info) Mansfield's schools as a whole are actually rated higher than Elmira's (6/10 vs 4/10).

Mansfield Schools - Mansfield Pennsylvania School Ratings - Public and Private

Elmira Schools - Elmira New York School Ratings - Public and Private


Can't really help much with rentals or rates but I do believe the RealtyUSA.com website handles some rentals in the Elmira area.

[ki0eh]

The mall and big chain stores tend to be located in the Horseheads/Big Flats area on the highway between Corning and Elmira. I'm trying to guess at the motivation for thinking about living in Elmira when Mansfield is the employment destination. Corning although smaller has a vibrant downtown Corning's Gaffer District - Corning, New York - Shopping - Entertainment - Museums - Food and it would have been a while since Elmira would have been so accused.

Rentals have spiked up in the Mansfield area due to the gas drilling activity, and even before this started it has seemed difficult to rent a house around there. Corning has excellent schools and an easier highway drive to Mansfield than Elmira does. The Gang Mills area (Painted Post postal address) still has Corning schools and also a number of apartment complexes whose rentals might not be as much affected by the gas drilling as yet, but close to the highway for a quick drive south.

Mansfield itself has pretty good schools although it seems the Southern Tioga SD (that Mansfield is part of) is having some organizational issues. Mansfield has a 24 hour Walmart and some other stores (even a Lowe's now). For a college town it's strangely lacking in cute locally owned stores but it turns out those are actually in nearby Wellsboro Welcome (http://www.wellsborostores.com/Wellsboro_Stores/Welcome.html - broken link) .

Wellsboro Area schools are often well regarded but they had a building binge that local taxpayers are now paying for. On top of that Wellsboro seems to have a bit of a price premium compared to surrounding communities. Some areas with a Mansfield address (Charleston Twp, around Hills Creek Lake) are in Wellsboro schools.

[ckhthankgod]

I was thinking that if the OP goes with the Elmira area look into Horseheads. Corning and that immediate area would be fine too. Wellsboro and Mansfield might be fine as well.