Please help me, i am an older woman who is relocating (Pittsburgh: for sale, real estate)

[Mntville]

Where in Pennsylvania can a single, older(54) woman live safely? I need to be near a hospital/nursing homes as I am an LPN, PLUS I need a good area to be able to walk my dog without being run down by car, bus, etc. Where I live now I have a small yard for her but cannot walk her down the road because of traffic and I am in the suburbs! Thanks for any help.

FYI I live in Lancaster County at this time and would like to move up North or Central somewhere. I was offered a job at Geisinger Hospital but could not accept it as my Real Estate Agent nor I could find a HOUSE/TOWNHOUSE/APT for me to rent that would accept my Border Collie and two old indoor cats age 11 and 14. Love Lewisburg! Any info on Townhouse complexes in that area that allow pets over 25 pounds would be greatly appreciated. TW

[WonderingWanderer]

You're on a good track looking in Lewisburg. The only hitch is finding someplace that allows the animals. You might look in Mifflinburg also. You may also be able to find a rural rental home in the surrounding area. Check the www.dailyitem.com and Homepage - Milton, PA - The Standard-Journal - for local classifieds.

[NoMoss]

First of all, you are "older"? I am about to turn 45, and 54 is looking practically juvenile--LOL!
I would think that PA is one of the states where you can live almost anywhere safely. I was born there and lived in several towns and have lots of family there. I don't know anything about Lewisburg--what about it do you like? There are hospitals in Indiana (where I was born), in Latrobe (where my daughter was born) and of course in Pittsburgh. Indiana, PA is quiet, has sidewalks to walk on, nice neighborhoods (stay away from the fraternity-row area) and surely must still have places to rent. I haven't rented there for many years, but I walked there with my daughter everywhere (we didn't have a car for a long time) and could walk from one end of town to the other.
I am now looking at Johnstown or Altoona (both hospital towns, I believe) to move to, and there are homes there for sale for $10,000--$30,000. I am not one who needs granite countertops, though (although I must say, the concept of "staging" a house must be completely foreign there!). I will also be looking for a place to rent (or rent-to-own) that will allow 3 dogs (and 5 cats, but I might keep a couple of those secret...), and in my daily perusal of the Craigslist ads, I have seen many places that accept pets. I moved to TN from KY, and the first place I called was "flexible" on pets, and I packed a truck and moved down here, and when the landlord met me and my dogs she rented to me with no problem. I think you will also have an easy time once it is actually time to move and you meet people face to face--that is how I have always had the best luck. If I were you, I would choose towns to investigate from this site, then read the local newspapers online to "get a feel" for the place, and then make a visit or just show up--I have never had trouble moving to any area except to Toledo, OH--where I just could not find a decent (read "un-insect-infested") place and I had to abandon my plan to move there--which was a blessing. Sorry to have gone on for so long--good luck with your move! (I have moved more than 30 times; if you'd like any advice on searching, please let me know.)

[Honest Bob]

The answer is Du Bois or Clearfield Pa.

You can walk the streets, walk in the park, get just about anywhere on a bus. There is more nursing homes then you can shake a stick at and a hospital in both towns that is always hiring.

Border Collies are a pain in the butt. I know because my neighbors have one and all it does is barks!

Good Luck