Considering a move to Pennsylvania - suggestions?

Nishka09
Nishka09 Posts: 33
edited September 30 in Chit-Chat
Hi All, anyone know of any desirable neighborhoods/suburbs/communities anywhere in PA, suburban enough to raise a family but also close to a big city or town? Any suggestions or thoughts about PA would be much appreciated... Thanks :)
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Replies

  • YMTaylor
    YMTaylor Posts: 230 Member
    My husband and I moved to southern Allegheny county 3 years ago and we love it. We're 30-45 minutes from downtown Pittsburgh but we live in a pretty rural area. Our neighbor even has a working farm. There's also lots of nice neighborhoods that are more urban without being right in the city or you can live in the city and be close to everything. There are lots of choices in the Pittsburgh area. :)
  • sammys1girly
    sammys1girly Posts: 1,045 Member
    While I wouldn't suggest living IN Harrisburg, there are nice suburbs in Carlisle area, about 1/2 hr from Harrisburg. Lots of exits to 81 to take you to Harrisburg, about 1/2 hrs away. Lots of small rural towns and country areas as well.
  • Punkedpoetess
    Punkedpoetess Posts: 633 Member
    I suggest Montgomery County or Bucks County if you want to live near Philadelphia. Montgomery county is especially nice as long as you avoid Norristown. Some very nice places to raise a family in those suburbs.
  • scd78
    scd78 Posts: 77 Member
    We live right outside of Indiana, PA. It is a beautiful rural area but only an hour from bigger cities (Pittsburgh, Greensburg, Altoona). I grew up here and now we are raising our children here...I think it's perfect...but I may be partial :)
  • dittiepe
    dittiepe Posts: 557 Member
    The greater Pittsburgh area is a pretty nice place. Was born and raised here, and it's improved greatly over the years since the steel mills have gone.
  • ennaejay
    ennaejay Posts: 575
    check out harrisburg/hershey area and suburbs. beautiful country down toward lancaster, tons of properties and land.


    Keep your eyes peeled on Zillow.com for ideas on townships and counties.
  • beachbumdoug
    beachbumdoug Posts: 171 Member
    I moved from PA about 7 years ago, I was born and raised in central pa.. I moved south for some better job opportunities, but pittsburgh is where i'd go if i ever move back. Love it there, tons to do and lots of rural towns just outside the city limits.
  • Nishka09
    Nishka09 Posts: 33
    My husband and I moved to southern Allegheny county 3 years ago and we love it. We're 30-45 minutes from downtown Pittsburgh but we live in a pretty rural area. Our neighbor even has a working farm. There's also lots of nice neighborhoods that are more urban without being right in the city or you can live in the city and be close to everything. There are lots of choices in the Pittsburgh area. :)

    Thanks! Do you know the names of a little more urban areas (but still out of the city) that you know are decent? I'd like to search realtor.com but don't even know where to start.
  • Nishka09
    Nishka09 Posts: 33
    Thanks all for the suggestions!! It sounds like Pittsburg is winning over Philly...
  • dittiepe
    dittiepe Posts: 557 Member
    You could try places like Carnegie, Squirrel Hill, Washington, McKees Rocks, just to name a few :)
  • joshiesdad
    joshiesdad Posts: 80
    Berks County and Montgomery County are good area. Lancaster County is nice as well. Area's Like Sinking Spring or West Lawn are great in the Berks Counry Area. Also The Perkiomen Valley in Montgomery county is nice. A little slower pace but about an hour from PHL and 2 Hours or so to NYC and not far from the NJ,DE and MD beaches.
  • lisey116
    lisey116 Posts: 13 Member
    I was born and still live in the South Hills which is about 20-30 minutes from downtown Pittsburgh. I love the suburban feel of where I live but I love having the city so close too. Our public transportation is pretty handy too. A lot of times my fiance and I will take the 't' (subway) downtown for sports games and what not and its pretty convenient. I have no desire to live anywhere but here and my fiance just recently purchased a local business so we will be here for awhile! I feel that Pittsburgh has a lot of everything. We have great sports teams, great museums and educational hot spots, restaurants and parks. There is North Park and South Park (one is north of the city and other is south of the city) I live very close to South Park and it is a beautiful place where you can do so many activities. The school districts around the city are pretty good also. Colleges around here are pretty top notch and there's many so you have a selection and being so close people have the luxury of choosing if they'd like commute or not. I went to Robert Morris University and I commuted. We also have Kennywood, which is a pretty awesome place with a great history. Another bonus to where I live is I'm close to Pittsburgh, but I'm also close to things not necessarily in Pgh, my family has a house down at a lake in WV so its close to get there and my brother goes to Edinboro which is up near Erie, Pa and they have a nice 'beach' and tourist area. The only place I would consider moving to would be Washington County which is south of where I live now, Allegheny County. Washington county is not very much farther out and has lower taxes, more rural and a lot of things cost less. But I know that my fiance is pretty adamant about staying close to where we are now (he actually wants to buy his parents home one day). Good luck!
  • jsb4
    jsb4 Posts: 4
    Hi All, anyone know of any desirable neighborhoods/suburbs/communities anywhere in PA, suburban enough to raise a family but also close to a big city or town? Any suggestions or thoughts about PA would be much appreciated... Thanks :)

    ______________________________________________________________________

    Pittsburgh, all the way. No McKees Rocks as was mentioned above. Sorry if that's personally offensive. But trust me.

    Good places around Pittsburgh to raise a family: (South) Mt. Lebanon, Bethel Park, Jefferson Hills, Upper St. Clair, (North) Sewickley, Allison Park, Fox Chapel, Hampton, (East) Murrysville. All of these are in Allegheny County except Murrysville, which is just over the line into Westmoreland. All within a 1/2 hour of Pittsburgh, which beat out Honolulu for the most livable city this year.

    http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11053/1127102-53.stm

    LOL. I'm like a commercial for the City of Pittsburgh. But I'm good with that! :)

    Good luck!
  • MissionABS
    MissionABS Posts: 80
    What type of job are you looking for? If you think you will seek work in downtown Pittsburgh, look for a home in Allegheny County. Otherwise your commute would be hell. I agree with the South Hills area like Lisey mentioned. If you don't need to visit the city daily, Washington County is definitely the way to go.
  • MissionABS
    MissionABS Posts: 80
    Hi All, anyone know of any desirable neighborhoods/suburbs/communities anywhere in PA, suburban enough to raise a family but also close to a big city or town? Any suggestions or thoughts about PA would be much appreciated... Thanks :)

    ______________________________________________________________________

    Pittsburgh, all the way. No McKees Rocks as was mentioned above. Sorry if that's personally offensive. But trust me.

    Unless you are a stripper, then you can work in the neighborhood you live. :laugh:
  • keb80
    keb80 Posts: 394
    While I wouldn't suggest living IN Harrisburg, there are nice suburbs in Carlisle area, about 1/2 hr from Harrisburg. Lots of exits to 81 to take you to Harrisburg, about 1/2 hrs away. Lots of small rural towns and country areas as well.

    I agree. I'm close to Harrisburg and there are lots of nice towns around here but we're still close to the city as well (about 30 mins away). With the exception of the weather, I love Pa.
  • YMTaylor
    YMTaylor Posts: 230 Member
    Hi All, anyone know of any desirable neighborhoods/suburbs/communities anywhere in PA, suburban enough to raise a family but also close to a big city or town? Any suggestions or thoughts about PA would be much appreciated... Thanks :)

    ______________________________________________________________________

    Pittsburgh, all the way. No McKees Rocks as was mentioned above. Sorry if that's personally offensive. But trust me.

    Good places around Pittsburgh to raise a family: (South) Mt. Lebanon, Bethel Park, Jefferson Hills, Upper St. Clair, (North) Sewickley, Allison Park, Fox Chapel, Hampton, (East) Murrysville. All of these are in Allegheny County except Murrysville, which is just over the line into Westmoreland. All within a 1/2 hour of Pittsburgh, which beat out Honolulu for the most livable city this year.

    http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11053/1127102-53.stm

    LOL. I'm like a commercial for the City of Pittsburgh. But I'm good with that! :)

    Good luck!

    What she said! :)
  • Thriceshy
    Thriceshy Posts: 708 Member
    Hi All, anyone know of any desirable neighborhoods/suburbs/communities anywhere in PA, suburban enough to raise a family but also close to a big city or town? Any suggestions or thoughts about PA would be much appreciated... Thanks :)

    Bucks County. Perkasie is lovely, Doylestown is nice, too.

    Kris
  • ket_the_jet
    ket_the_jet Posts: 1,257 Member
    State College. They call it Happy Valley for a reason.
    -wtk
  • Thriceshy
    Thriceshy Posts: 708 Member
    We live right outside of Indiana, PA. It is a beautiful rural area but only an hour from bigger cities (Pittsburgh, Greensburg, Altoona). I grew up here and now we are raising our children here...I think it's perfect...but I may be partial :)

    Off-topic, but my husband's ancestors settled Indiana, way back when :-)

    Kris
  • thunt1990
    thunt1990 Posts: 157 Member
    I have family in york/lancaster/harrisburg areas. It's so beautiful there! Great suburbs in each town
  • jersey0725
    jersey0725 Posts: 62 Member
    Hershey! I used to live there. It's 10 minutes away from Harrisburg. And it's very safe too! Plus, the school district is great! I live in Hummelstown now, it's also very close to Harrisburg. And a lot of nice houses, shares the same schools as Hershey.
  • dittiepe
    dittiepe Posts: 557 Member
    Hi All, anyone know of any desirable neighborhoods/suburbs/communities anywhere in PA, suburban enough to raise a family but also close to a big city or town? Any suggestions or thoughts about PA would be much appreciated... Thanks :)

    ______________________________________________________________________

    Pittsburgh, all the way. No McKees Rocks as was mentioned above. Sorry if that's personally offensive. But trust me.

    Not offensive to me! I live in McKeesport! LOL I was trying to think of places and it popped into my head. Funny, I've lived here most of my life and drew a blank!
  • bethdris
    bethdris Posts: 1,090 Member
    Im not near a HUGH city, but I do like where we live in Central PA....cost of living is reasonable. Some of it also depends on what you do for a living.
  • Riebop
    Riebop Posts: 275
    I moved from Jersey to Chester County, PA. I live in the West Chester area, which has a great school district. Valley Forge Park is close by and has a great loop for walking or biking. There's a ton of great shopping and great restaurants around. So, you don't have to go into the city if you don't want to. The King of Prussia Mall is huge!! Philly is about 45 minutes to an hour drive... or you can take the train to avoid getting stuck in traffic. It has a great mix of farm land and suburb. A few towns in the area to avoid are Chester and Coatesville.

    Wilmington, DE is also 30-45 minutes away. I commute there for work and take advantage of tax free shopping.

    And it's already been mentioned, but should be repeated. NYC isn't too far and it's close to MD, DE, and NJ beaches. Also, Baltimore isn't too long of a drive away either. You could definitely do some nice weekend trips.
  • springtrio
    springtrio Posts: 429 Member
    Another Pittsburgh'er here. I live near the airport and love it here. Although, there are a few things I don't like (no downtown night life but I'm kinda beyond that age since I'm married and have 3 sons). I will say though we have great neighborhoods, and the activities are endless if you have kids - childrens museum, walking trails, great "free" activities (libraries, etc.), a great zoo, amusement park, and Presque Isle State Park is about a 2 hour drive from where I live. We take our kids to the "beach" a couple times in the summer. They don't know the difference between the Atlantic and Lake Erie and they love it. It's affordable to live here, too. A house you'd get here for 300K you'd easily pay near 750K to a million in CA. I don't think we'll ever leave. Lots of people do, but we won't.
  • springtrio
    springtrio Posts: 429 Member
    Got to agree about Mckees Rocks. We lived in Stowe (part of MCR) the first 2.5 years we were married and while it was decent and the neighbors were nice, a lot of questionable folks moved in by the time we bought our house in a nicer suburb. I used to take walks with my sons past the high school and one time a kid said to me "Who the baby daddy". Yeah, not the kind of neighborhood I want my kids growing up in. Very tasteless people, and many lowlives overpopulate the area.
    Hi All, anyone know of any desirable neighborhoods/suburbs/communities anywhere in PA, suburban enough to raise a family but also close to a big city or town? Any suggestions or thoughts about PA would be much appreciated... Thanks :)

    ______________________________________________________________________

    Pittsburgh, all the way. No McKees Rocks as was mentioned above. Sorry if that's personally offensive. But trust me.

    Good places around Pittsburgh to raise a family: (South) Mt. Lebanon, Bethel Park, Jefferson Hills, Upper St. Clair, (North) Sewickley, Allison Park, Fox Chapel, Hampton, (East) Murrysville. All of these are in Allegheny County except Murrysville, which is just over the line into Westmoreland. All within a 1/2 hour of Pittsburgh, which beat out Honolulu for the most livable city this year.

    http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11053/1127102-53.stm

    LOL. I'm like a commercial for the City of Pittsburgh. But I'm good with that! :)

    Good luck!
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Stay away from Wilkes Barre / Scranton. The job situation is abysmal, the politicians even MORE crooked than average, and the roads are horrendous.

    The Poconos are lovely, if you can work in NYC or NJ.

    I do love the Lancaster area. :heart:
  • CharlieBarleyMom
    CharlieBarleyMom Posts: 727 Member
    It truly depends on what you're looking for in the "close" confines... I'm in York and though I'm not IN the city, I'm close enough to Harrisburg, Baltimore and Washington DC for day trips any time.

    I'm 20 minutes from Lancaster, 25 minutes from Harrisburg, 40 minutes from Hershey Park, 60 minutes from Baltimore and 90 minutes from Washington and about 2 hours from Philly -- all while living in a quiet, rural area. (again, not IN the city).

    I'm sure Pittsburgh area is beautiful too, I've just never been there.

    I was born and raised in NJ so eastern PA (actually this is called South Central PA) was more familiar for me.
  • vdavis_89
    vdavis_89 Posts: 334
    My fiance and I are plannin on moving to Ohio withn the next 2 years :) Time to escape the Az desert!
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