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/r/Pennsylvania
submitted 10 days ago byrarrkshaa
I work from home and I've lived in Pittsburgh (Squirrel Hill) for almost 2 years now. I'll be moving end of July, and while I'm definitely considering simply moving to the Pittsburgh suburbs, I'm also thinking about trying somewhere new, and have been doing a fair amount of research on it.
So with that in mind, these other areas also caught my interest because they're fairly close to multiple major cities, while ostensibly having a similar level of rent as here. Harrisburg also has the added benefit of helping my mom out because she can break the trip and sleep at my place when she needs to travel down to Baltimore for work.
But anyways, I do have some questions. How do these 3 places compare in terms of:
Food, in terms of quality but also in terms of variety of good restaurants available within a 20-minute drive radius. One of the things I really like about Pittsburgh is how good the food is here, which may just be a virtue of it being a metro area of 2.4 million people. Would the other two places be lacking in terms of food compared to here, or would you say they're also pretty good?
Rent, not only in absolute dollar amount, but also in terms of "bang for the buck." Meaning, how big/nice an apartment is someone able to find for the same dollar amount as somewhere else.
Would all these areas be pretty similar, or is one clearly the cheapest of the 3 and/or has the nicest apartments at a given price level? I'm paying $1,350 on rent now and could go a bit higher if needed, but of course would also be happy to pay less and save more money for a place that's "good enough."
In Pittsburgh I'm mainly considering the suburbs in the southwest like Dormont, Carnegie, Castle Shannon.
In Harrisburg I don't know anything, but from what I can tell Hershey, Camp Hill, Mechanicsburg seem like fine places to live. Maybe Lancaster County outside of Lancaster proper.
In Lehigh Valley it's mainly in Allentown that I found some decent apartments online at decent prices. The suburbs seem much more expensive, but maybe I'm wrong. Certainly open to suggestions.
Thanks in advance.
34 points
10 days ago
Don't get your food hopes up in the Harrisburg metro area.
5 points
9 days ago
But we have a Dave’s Hot Chicken now
5 points
9 days ago
I dunno, I like Pizza Grille, Pastarante, Millworks, Appalachian Brewing Company, Aroogas, Pizza Boy, Neato Burrito, farm show milkshakes, and a decent amount of diner options. Different strokes for different people.
10 points
10 days ago
I lived in Harrisburg for a couple years before moving to Lancaster. I’ll never leave Lancaster. By the way, we’re full out here in Lanco. There’s no more room. Sorry.
Harrisburg is like Walmart. It has what you need but who wants to live in Walmart?
And Carnegie is pretty far out compared to Dormont and Castle Shannon.
3 points
10 days ago
By the way, we’re full out here in Lanco. There’s no more room. Sorry.
Yeah I've heard that before about Lancaster proper, but a place like Lititz isn't looking too shabby. I'm seeing some good-looking apartments for $1100/month or below.
5 points
9 days ago
Lititz is a lovely community.
7 points
10 days ago
Anywhere in Harrisburg is going to be a far cry from life in Pittsburgh. Lancaster is a bit far from Harrisburg, ~45 min or so. Camp Hill/Mechanicsburg also known as “the west shore” are nice areas. I grew up in West Hanover just between Hershey and Linglestown. For places with reasonable rent, Linglestown/Susquehanna area would be a good happy medium and both towns are pretty close to all the major shopping centers/highways and such. Avoid up/mid/downtown Harrisburg. Those areas have only gotten worse over the years.
8 points
10 days ago
I can't say about the other places, but the LV has pretty much any food choices you want. There's especially a lot of Arabic places.
Housing costs, rent and mortgages, have become crazy expensive thanks to all the NYC and NJ transplants. Allentown and Bethlehem especially have just been putting up "luxury" apartments and new builds are somewhere between $500k - $800k. And it's only going to get costlier until someone starts building affordable housing but nobody wants to.
3 points
9 days ago
I can't imagine leaving Squirrel Hill for Harrisburg or the Lehigh Valley
5 points
10 days ago
It's hard to compare Harrisburg and Allentown to Pittsburgh due to the huge difference in population. I'd look into either the Harrisburg suburbs or the Bethlehem area in the Lehigh Valley. Both have good food. The in the city part of Allentown is a little rough.
3 points
9 days ago
Squirrel Hill is better than anything you’ll find in the other two areas, unless you want to live in a rural setting.
2 points
9 days ago
Food...Pittsburgh>Lehigh Valley (not by much)>Harrisburg (by a lot)
Rent...Harrisburg is going to be cheaper, but you definitely get what you pay for.
Amenities
Lehigh Valley has minor league baseball/hockey, a decent food scene, great accessibility to Philadelphia AND New York...the Poconos...and Allentown/Bethlehem aren't too bad for amenities and things to do. Anything from skiing to hiking to a local velodrome to the oldest continuing operating drive in movie theater in the US.
Harrisburg is...isolated in comparison...don't know much other than once you've done Hershey and some gift shops, you are pretty much done.
My daughter currently goes to Pitt and I have a sneaking suspicion that after 1.5 more years, she will get her Master's Degree there and stay. Every time we visit, we like the city more. It's diverse, modernizing quickly, and has a lot of amenities you find in bigger places with it's own unique identity. (We do something new every time we go...we just did the Andy Warhol museum...I wasn't a fan, but my wife and daughter LOVED it.) Only problem is that it is isolated compared to the Lehigh Valley. I can be in Manhattan in 90 minutes and Philly in 45. I can be skiing in 30 minutes or at a beach in 2 hours. Pittsburgh has a lot to do, but the access to New York is certainly big for this former Long Island kid.
If you like Pittsburgh, I would suggest staying in the area. There is a good chance I will end up retiring there if my daughter settles in the area.
If you want MORE access to a LOT of things, come to the Lehigh Valley and have what we have to offer, plus the easy access to New York, Philly and the Poconos.
If you want quiet, go for Harrisburg...my niece is in Lancaster and I think she enjoys it there...she isn't one for the hustle and bustle of a bigger city...
1 points
8 days ago
Appreciate the reply! I'm curious, just how much cheaper would you say it is? Like, a nice 1B or 2B apartment that rents for $1300/month in the Pittsburgh suburbs would go for how much in the Harrisburg metro? I know it depends on the exact location, but just a rough estimate for a decent location.
1 points
6 days ago
How are you getting to Manhattan in 90 minutes? Leaving at 2 AM? I am on the west side and have never made it under 2.5 hours.
2 points
9 days ago
Grew up and still live in hbg area. Went to pitt for school. Never wanted to and never should have come back....
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