Shippensburg Apartment Renter's Guide
Shippensburg Apartment Renter's Guide
Overview
Shippensburg is home to the Beistle Company, which is the largest manufacturing company of party goods and decorations. More recently, it became home to the Construction Equipment division of Volvo, which invested $100 million in plant facilities. Locals, though, know it for both the college in town (Shippensburg State University), as well as the Community Fair held there since 1958.
Shippensburg is named after the college founded here in 1871
Shippensburg is home to the Beistle Company, which is the largest manufacturing company of party goods and decorations. More recently, it became home to the Construction Equipment division of Volvo, which invested $100 million in plant facilities. Locals, though, know it for both the college in town (Shippensburg State University), as well as the Community Fair held there since 1958.
Shippensburg is named after the college founded here in 1871. It's anchored by the State Capital of Harrisburg, which is 41 miles southwest. The town, which has around 5,586 residents, is located slightly north of I-81 and is split in half by State Route 11. Much of the town's housing was built prior to World War Two. However, finding the right rental apartment in Shippensburg should not prove difficult at all.
Moving to Shippensburg
Shippensburg's 2,500 homes and apartments are primarily renter-occupied (59 percent), with vacancies somewhat steady (7 percent). The percentage of owner-occupied homes (41 percent) paints a picture of the typical statistics within a college town. If you are looking for an apartment to rent, the climate is probably open to you to hold out for what you really want in a living space.
A little less than half of the town's housing is single family detached living. For those looking to rent, several options are available. A larger than average percentage (39 percent) of the homes are traditional apartment living, including all bills paid rentals, in some cases. There is a variety of homes with no bedrooms (8 percent), one bedroom (18 percent), two bedrooms (27 percent) and three bedrooms and up (45 percent), providing a variety of ways for renters to get into any kind of arrangement they want.
When there seems to be a buyer's market in a town like Shippensburg, you may find that some of the rules are a little restrictive. This may be due to their experience with the more transitory nature of the city. As a result, when you find something that you feel is restrictive, don't hesitate to ask to have it removed from the rental agreement. Make sure you're comfortable in your place.
Unfortunately, this kind of information will not exist in the average apartment locator online. A simple search will give you preliminary results, but you'll probably need to visit the actual property in order to speak with the owner to determine what is available to you and what isn't.
Shippensburg's housing base is fairly well-distributed among homes built before 2000 (34 percent), homes built before 1970 (32 percent) and homes built before 1940 (33 percent). This means that opportunities abound for patient renters willing to ask followup questions after their online search. Some of the best two bedroom apartments for rent won't show up otherwise.
Shippensburg Neighborhoods
The town covers two square miles and has a decent number of restaurants and nightlife available to residents. Shippensburg still has four distinct areas that you can choose from.
Borough Center: Here you'll find both small and medium-sized homes, along with apartments of all sizes, most of which are renter-occupied. One of the attractions found in this area is The Thought Lot, which is a community-based contemporary arts center.
Newburg: This area has a more rural feel and has small and medium-sized homes, along with mobile homes, most of which are owner-occupied. In this area, you'll find one of PA's remaining 200 covered bridges.
Orrstown: This area is more suburban in its feel and has small to medium-sized homes, along with some mobile homes. Most of the homes in this area are owner-occupied. This neighborhood is where Shippensburg's Community Fair is held.
Shippensburg University: Of course, this is the area built around the campus, so you'll see mostly small and medium-sized homes, along with apartments and mobile homes. Naturally, this area is primarily renter-occupied.
Living in Shippensburg
Shippensburg centers around the college, which provides a stable and enjoyable lifestyle for residents. There are other places that take you outside of the university city life, such as The Cumberland Valley Rail Trail, along with Pague and Fegan, which is the oldest continually operating hardware store in Pennsylvania.
Shippensburg puts you in proximity to fun family activities that are just a short distance away. An hour's drive to the east is the region's largest and most visited amusement park in Hershey, PA (Hersheypark). You are a little over 30 minutes' drive to Historic Gettysburg, a key marker for those interested in the American Civil War. Shippensburg has lots of great options from which to choose, should you choose to make it your home.