Tell me about Lancaster, PA (Scranton, Lebanon: home, Mennonites, living)

[Luisay]

Originally Posted by PhillyPhan

Lancaster County is like new shoes, you have to brake them in or else you'll be uncomfortable. As long as you aren't very wacky you should be able to find friends pretty fast. The eastern part of Lancaster County is very conservative, the west side is more new age. As for scenery, Lancaster County is very beautiful and the county is very healthy, unlike Houston which ranks 2nd in the country as the most unhealthiest city in America. Lancaster should be a good fit for you.

What beauty? Cornfarms?
The so called "new age" westside is not even 0.1 % of the Lancaster population.
If it wasn't for my son (my wife is from Lititz) i wouldn't spend another night in this town of bart Simpsons.
Ignorance runs rampant in Lancaster. Jesus this Jesus that.

[408Amber]

How much do paramedics make in lancaster?

[donnaluv]

Originally Posted by luv80s

Hello from Houston!
Could you please give me some information about Lancaster. My husband has an interview there today and depending on if they make him an offer and he likes the job, we will move there. He already has an offer in Vermont and more than likely we will be moving there. Still, we are going to weigh the pros and cons of both places before moving. I've never been to Lancaster (or anywhere in PA for that matter) so a couple of things I want to know about it are:

1. Cost of living/quality of life
2. Good & bad neighborhoods
3. Good school districts (we have a toddler and another one on the way)
4. Good hospitals/doctors
5. Pollution/Allergies (my husband suffers from really bad allergies and we want to live somewhere that will minimize them)
6. Entertainment/Culture
7. Traffic (traffic here is horrendous!!!)
8. Scenery and outdoor activities
9. If you live here, why do you love it or hate it?

I know its alot of stuff but anything you can tell me about Lancaster would be great. Thank you!!!

We are originally from NY living in FL & moving to Lancaster the 1st weekend in August. We are a married couple w/2 daughters, so safety & schools are extremely important. The cost of living in PA is only 1% higher than it is in New Port Richey, FL. Needless to say, FL is not what it was. My parents who have friends in Lancaster & they raised their 3 children there. Hempfield & Manheim are one of the top school districts. My oldest will be going to Lampeter/Strasburg. There is plenty to do in Lancaster & its surrounding areas & it is absolutely beautiful. From where we will be living, the hospital is about 5 min away, stores are within 10 minutes. They are places to pick apples, pumpkins, or whatever is in season. There are hayrides, museums, Crayola factory, Hershey Park, Dutch Wonderland, & Sesame Place. We have friends who live about 2hrs away & visit Lancaster frequently. If we can be of any more help, just let me know. Good luck! Oh, by the way our youngest is going to be 3 in Sept & our oldest just turned 13. Schools here are horrible & so it the traffic. We also suffer severely from allergies as well.

[doxluvr]

Just be prepared for the people. They will not readily accept you. Personally, it was'nt a good fit because of this.

[august82]

I live in Lititz now since Jan. of 08.... I love it here it is very welcoming the people are great ....Our church makes us feel included in everything and the schools here are great....My kids love it as for 501 it is pretty busy but if you would hit 222 you'll get to Lancaster City within 15 minutes....As for Lancaster City I lived there pretty much all my life and there are some good areas Like Liberty st,North Lime,Queen,Prince....As far as allergies I have bad allergies but nothing Claritin can't handle....As far as the hospitals Lancaster General is great....and the Heart of Lancaster in Lititz is not under staffed as I seen in somones posting they do get you back there fast I've had many trips to the ER because of my hear condition and they are great....I also seen where someone was mugged downtown I'm not sure how long ago that was but Lancaster City really changed for the better....

[schultzykins]

I've lived in Lancaster County for 10 years now after growing up in Western PA for most of my life. Something always would nag me whenever I would go back to my hometown (Erie) or Pittsburgh after living here for a few years. I noticed how neighbors out in the Western part of the state would always converse with each other and share barbeques, etc. together and generally show a warm/friendly attitude. I've found that it's like pulling teeth here to get any sense of community as an outsider. As a single guy, the dating scene here is abysmal. I've met so many potential dating prospects on weekends where I'm in other cities (which would not work obviously b/c of the distance)...seems like the women here will not even look at you if they didn't grow up with you. I have some downright nasty neighbors who will ***** about the most trivial things to no end (much more than I have ever seen).

On the surface, it seems like a nice place to live...pastoral landscapes, slower pace, access to bigger cities/close to the shore...but I place a lot of stock in people and their disposition. Example: I can work at a job that is quite demanding and stressful as long as I have some great and positive people around to work with...if the team becomes divided and broken, even a relatively easy job becomes hardly bearable. Maybe it's the stoic German heritage coming through (I'm of German descent but am hardly stoic!) coupled with the religious fear of outsiders coming in and corrupting their insulated and "perfect" community? Whatever the reasons, if you are a person or family who enjoys a warm and neighboring sense of community and openness...I suggest you reconsider moving here (coming from a people person who enjoys saying hello to people on the street or in my neighborhood). Of course, not EVERYONE is this way but the vast majority sets the tone.

[Shizzles]

[quote=lititzman2003;8225956]

Originally Posted by soulsurv

The same old people doing the same old things, and don't you dare question anything we do here! That's the general mentality of this town, anyway. Our church will close in the next few years if they only allow parishoners who have been members for decades to participate in the various associations. Sometimes, like now, I get disgusted but most times I'm just amused. I know others in our development who have come from other states and they have the same problem. Elected officials are born and raised here; "outsiders" have no prayer of being elected to any office. I've attended town meetings and joined different organizations and I was ignored when I presented ideas of how to make my town more livable and tourist friendly. These people think, since it worked in the '70's, it should still work now! My family and I have volunteered our services to this town over and over but finally gave up after constantly being blown off.

Somehow the natives here can detect an "outsider" a mile away and the guard automatically goes up. SOME, not all, may have no clue about something but it doesn't stop them from passing judgement. Most people west of Chester County think that Philadelphia is Dodge City and we're all thugs. And, God forbid, you're over 35; that's another strike against you.

Walk downtown in Lititz during the busiest time and you can count on one hand the number of people who will acknownledge your presence. They don't look up at you, hold the door for you as you enter a shop, say "excuse me" when they want to pass you on the sidewalk, nothing. Sunday, my wife was working in the garden and spotted some neighbors talking. When she approached them to say hi they scattered. Some people will say hello when they're by themselves but when they're with their buddies they ignore you. It's alot tougher for the women. You better be pretty, slim, young and have no more then two kids or you're the ongoing victim of the nasty conversations.

The kids? Send them to public schools and get them involved in sports, especially field hockey. My children go to Catholic school and are still considered by our neighbors to be "geeks". Oh, if you have "special needs" children be prepared to isolated, you AND your child. It's even worse for minorities here as well.

Sorry to aggravate the natives; this doesn't apply to everyone. However, before you write back putting me down for my comments maybe take a moment and imagine what it's like in my shoes and feel what we feel.

Hmmm, sounds like Bucks Co too. I should know, I've been here since 99.

PA is a old, white, conservative (in the bigoted sense) state. People only want to be around people they know and things they understand and god help you if you are different in any way shape or form

[schultzykins]

Shizzles,

I think your experience has more to do with East Coast yuppie elitism than anything.

[cocaco]

I think new people moving to rural areas from the city have no reference to determine what to expect. Therefore, they move to a rural area and sure enough it smells like cow manure and animals and crops. They are not used to it so they aren't prepared to handle that. I am the opposite I moved from the country (cow poop and all) and had a real difficult time getting used to the smell of exaust fumes. Drove me crazy. I even went to the doctor worried that I had some disease because I had this awful smell in my nose all the time. Turns out it is the smell of pollution - who knew! I saw in CO the same thing - people moved there from CA to experience the lifestyle then wanted to alter the lifestyle so it was more like they were used to. I think if you move anywhere - PA or Germany or wherever you need to assimilate the culture in to your life. If that is the smell of cow poop so be it. Just my opinion - but I have found that acceptance and appreciation of the local customs and culture create acceptance in your heart and that makes the locals accept you into their heart as well. I think the Amish culture is amazing - I don't want to join up but I respect their culture. In general they keep to themselves which I find normal - but the few times I have interacted I have found them to be reserved but polite. Same with locals - I admire their roots and the generations they have behind them - that is something to be proud of and they are. I do not have that kind of history here, but I can really respect it. How cool is it to know that your family has lived here for generations growing with America. I am from the west and our history is so raw and new that we don't have that at all - everyone is a transplant from somewhere - even from PA! I admire the history and the sense of history in the area. I appreciate that they share with us and that we can experience it by living here. I even find the dutch patois fascinating. I am learning to decipher it. Like learning Italian if you move to Italy. I admire those who speak it and keep it alive - it is part of the history of the area and links us to the past and should be preserved for the future. Rather than find it 'ignorant' I think it is great that they are fluent in two languages and can communicate in both. To the person from Louisiana - don't you find the creole french the same? Fascinating and historic?

[ki0eh]

Lancaster is a half million metro area bordering the Northeast Corridor. It's only rural if you spent your whole life in NYC or inner NJ and come out for the weekend to spend money in the outlets. Folks in real rural PA laugh at the thought of "rural" Lancaster.

The numerous folks who moved in from other areas, then complain on here, are talking about attitudes of long time residents in the suburban areas, not in the vanishing farmland.