"Anyone who names their towns Mount Joy, Intercourse, and Blue Ball can't be all bad. Obviously they have more on their minds than just religion." William Charles Anderson, "Home Sweet Home Has Wheels: or, Please Don't Tailgate the Real Estate"
Mount Joy is a small town of just over 7,400 located in Lancaster County. A traditionally agricultural area, Mount Joy still has a great number of farms on the outskirts, and it has a farming town feel. Convenient to the larger cities of the region while staying independent, it is a charming, close-knit community.
If you're going to move to Mount Joy, you'll need to make sure you've got all of the necessary paperwork on hand such as references, pay stubs and enough cash for a security deposit of up to three months
"Anyone who names their towns Mount Joy, Intercourse, and Blue Ball can't be all bad. Obviously they have more on their minds than just religion." William Charles Anderson, "Home Sweet Home Has Wheels: or, Please Don't Tailgate the Real Estate"
Mount Joy is a small town of just over 7,400 located in Lancaster County. A traditionally agricultural area, Mount Joy still has a great number of farms on the outskirts, and it has a farming town feel. Convenient to the larger cities of the region while staying independent, it is a charming, close-knit community.
If you're going to move to Mount Joy, you'll need to make sure you've got all of the necessary paperwork on hand such as references, pay stubs and enough cash for a security deposit of up to three months. You'll need to get your search started early, as Mount Joy has developed into a popular destination for both renters and buyers in the central Pennsylvania area. Also, it favors owners, and vacancy rates have been fairly low for a while, so you might have to put some leg work in.
Make sure you pack your cool-weather gear if you're coming in from out of state. Central Pennsylvania has some pretty brisk winters, so you'll want a good thick coat, as well as snow shovel. Make sure you've got an umbrella as well, as the region gets a fair bit of rain -- great if you're a farmer, not so much if you hate being wet.
Mount Joy doesn't have any specific neighborhoods, although Downtown Mount Joy is clearly different from the outskirts.
Downtown Mount Joy: The Downtown area is walkable, with plenty of restaurants and retail, as well as commercial and industrial businesses. Many of the rental properties in the Downtown area come in the form of row homes and townhouses for rent, although you can find a handful of apartments.
Outside of downtown: Getting out of the downtown area, you can find some great apartment rentals in Mount Joy. Apartment buildings and complexes such as Florin Hill to the west of downtown and The Crest at Elm Tree to the northeast offer modern properties. These are great places to start if you're looking for a two-bedroom apartment in Mount Joy, but are not necessarily the most pet-friendly apartments. If you want to bring your four-legged friends along, you'll be better off looking at independent renters than these buildings and complexes.
For a small town, Mount Joy has some big flavors on hand. If you like barbecue, Harvey's Main Street BBQ smokes up some of the best 'que in the county -- and don't worry if you're overwhelmed by the menu, they've got you covered with the Decision Maker, that gives you the ultimate Harvey's experience. If you'd rather have a quiet, sit down dinner, the Cameron Estate Inn blends American flavors with continental twists, while making use of locally sourced ingredients. Mount Joy even has its own brewery, Zuckfoltzfus Brewing Company, offering locally brewed beers and bar fare.
If you'd rather cook your own grub, it's easy to find locally raised goods, whether you stop at the Corn Crib Main Street Market on Saturdays, Root's on Tuesdays, or some of the small stands that dot the roads on the outskirts of town. For meat, it's hard to beat Hummer's, that offers a wide variety of local pork, fresh beef, poultry, and more.
Chances are you'll want a car if you live in Mount Joy. The amount of businesses you can walk or bicycle to is limited, and public transportation is not very thorough. Provided by Red Rose Transit, the buses have limited stops and don't run late at night. A vehicle with four-wheel drive would be preferential, given the nasty snows the region can get.
Mount Joy and the surrounding area is a great destination for the outdoorsy. With the Susquehanna River a short drive away, fishing and boating opportunities abound. A little further off and to the north are a pair of State Game Lands, with some great opportunities for hunting or hiking, whichever floats your boat. If all you want to hunt are eagles and birdies, Groff's Farm Golf Course is just south of town.
Mount Joy manages to support quite a bit of local business as well, and is working to develop the Main Street into a destination. Every fourth Friday of the month brings around a themed event, supported by the local businesses that open their doors late. Aside from that, there are a number of boutiques and co-ops -- such as The Shoppes on Main -- that help to grow local business, giving artisans a boost. If you look hard enough, you can find pretty much anything you could want at the myriad of little shops.
