Hanover: Home to '60s teen girl band The Pixies Three, as well as world-famous snack company Snyder's of Hanover.
Hanover is a small town in southern-central Pennsylvania
Hanover: Home to '60s teen girl band The Pixies Three, as well as world-famous snack company Snyder's of Hanover.
Hanover is a small town in southern-central Pennsylvania. Grown around industry, many of the residents are proud of having generations of manufacturing and agricultural work behind them. It's a rural town and has no aspirations toward being anything more than that. Hanover blends national and local, modern and historic into a pleasant place to live.
You don't need a massive head start when you decide it's time to move to Hanover -- the town is fairly evenly divided between renter-occupied and owner-occupied properties, and there are a fair number of vacancies. You won't find much in the way of luxury apartments or furnished apartments in town. What you will find are basic, value-minded apartments that might not be fresh and modern, but will be comfortable and durable.
You also might find that you can get around without a vehicle in Hanover. Walking or biking is certainly a possibility throughout much of the town, and the public transportation options are surprisingly good, with Rabbit Transit providing a number of routes around town as well as out of town to York. If you're not a fan of public transportation, Hanover has a good roadway setup, with plenty of major routes making it easy to get out of town on a moment's notice.
There are three main neighborhoods in the town of Hanover -- New Baltimore, Borough Center, and Carlisle Street. Though this town is small, these neighborhoods offer an interesting assortment of options to explore.
New Baltimore: Even though this neighborhood is mostly owner-occupied, you can still find an apartment if you take your time, or more likely, a full house to rent. This neighborhood will cost a bit more than the others, but for good reason; room to spread out and a litany of restaurants within the neighborhood (including George Martin's Grillfire) make it one of the most desirable locations in town.
Borough Center: The center of Hanover has the most renters and is the cheapest -- as far as rent goes. However, that's due to having few apartment complexes, and many of the buildings are a bit out of date. Still, being in the center of everything and within walking or biking distance of business and industry might be worth it for some folks -- check out McAllister Apartments or York Village Apartments to start.
Carlisle Street: Not a bad neighborhood to start looking for an apartment to rent in Hanover, thanks to top rental communities in the city within the neighborhood, including the Hanover Apartments, Yorktowne Townhouses and Clearview Terraces Apartments. It is a residential neighborhood, with some heavy retail along the eastern part of the neighborhood, mainly chain stores, and restaurants. It's mid-range as far as pricing goes, but offers good value.
Hanover is big on outdoor activities, so if you enjoy the fresh air, you'll be a fan of this place. Nearby Codorus State Park provides year-round activities, ranging from hunting and fishing to hiking, boating, biking, snowmobiling, and camping. It's a massive park that is one of the most popular in Pennsylvania for recreational activities, and is a great way to spend weekends.
When Friday night comes around, Hanover residents can be found at one of two places: The first is at a local football game, as Hanover is feverish about high school football. The second is enjoying the spray of mud and the smell of alcohol and fuel burning at nearby Trail-way Speedway or Lincoln Speedway, which host stock and sprint cars every weekend.
If you'd rather go for some retail therapy, the "Golden Mile" along Eisenhower Drive and the Hanover Gateway complex, along with the North Hanover Mall, are all home to national chain stores, with a handful of locally-owned stores and artisans. If you'd rather buy local, the Hanover Amish Markets and Hanover Farmers Market showcase locally produced goods, as well as locally raised produce and meats.
Hanover is developing its arts scene as well. It's had a long-standing love affair with music -- if you're an instrumentalist, check out the Lancers Drum and Bugle Corp, the Hanover Symphony Orchestra, or the Lyrics Band of Hanover, all of which are constantly looking for new members. If you lean more toward performance art and film, check in with the Eichelberger Performing Arts Center or the Hanover Area Arts Guild.
Hanover residents are huge fans of festivals as well. The Hanover Chili Cook Off is a huge draw, and aside from great chili, it provides entertainment for all ages. Summer brings the Hanover Dutch Festival -- in its fourth decade of bringing German food and entertainment to the public -- and fall brings Wine Tasting on the Hill for all the oenophiles to enjoy, featuring wines from the local area as well as crafts and entertainment.
