Sunbury Pennsylvania has deep connections to famed American inventor Thomas Edison. The city's Edison Hotel, formerly named the City Hotel, was the first building to have electricity using the inventors system which was installed in 1883! You can imagine his delight when it really worked!
The city backs up to the Susquehanna river, and as of 2010 there were 9,905 people living in this small but welcoming community
Sunbury Pennsylvania has deep connections to famed American inventor Thomas Edison. The city's Edison Hotel, formerly named the City Hotel, was the first building to have electricity using the inventors system which was installed in 1883! You can imagine his delight when it really worked!
The city backs up to the Susquehanna river, and as of 2010 there were 9,905 people living in this small but welcoming community. The city grew to prosperity at the end of the 19th century, and today many of its streets offer up a great view of the changes made at the turn of the last century in architecture. The city has a riverside promenade which offers beautiful views of the surrounding river valley and is enclosed by a flood wall which has kept the city safe over the last century. It has received countless thank you cards and citizens love it. The city is home to a national confectionery chain, Weis supermarkets, the Sunbury Textile Mills, and a company which produces pretzels, meats, and more. It was also featured briefly in an episode of Mad Men.
Housing prices are fairly even across the city's neighborhoods and buyers can find many quality properties below the national average. There has been some market speculation within recent years and a strangely large number or properties have changed hands. Buyers should be aware that the price of any given property may drop or rise sharply several times a year. Best to keep your eyes and ears open on which direction the market is headed and stick to the old maxim "buy low, sell high". Some of the newer houses on the market have also been purchased and repaired with the singular intention of selling them to out of town real estate speculators. Get a full ownership history for each house you are interested in and ask the tough questions, like if it has changed hands often.
Whether you're buying or renting, it's important to take a look at the structural elements of the older homes which make up a bulk of this city's housing stock, especially if they are made of wood. Never judge a book by its cover because a fresh coat of paint can turn a broken down looking place with sound insides into a beautiful looking home. Broken foundations, rotted support beams, rotten walls, or evidence of significant water damage on the first floor or basement should be cause for some caution if you're buying a home.
Renters are able to find apartments with electric, basic heating, and water bills included in the price of your rent although some landlords will bill you separately. Most apartments are actually old mansions which have been divided into separate apartments on different floors or wings of the house. Rent is below the national average, but it is common for landlords to ask for two months of rent as a deposit. Off-street parking spaces may not be available for all tenants in this converted mansion-style apartment scheme.
Because Sunbury sits at the meeting point of the two major branches of the Susquehanna, there is always a chance of a flood during bad weather when waters have risen as high as 35 feet. Even with the city's beloved seawall your basement might fill with water and send your belongings swimming. Owners and renters are strongly advised to keep some form of flood insurance policy, and if possible avoid keeping valuables on the floor in their basements. Ensure that your home or apartment building has a sump pump which is working properly, and that everything is stored off the floor in watertight containers. A little extra energy will save you countless hours of trying to use a hairdryer to clean up all that old junk you put down there.
The city does not have distinctly divided neighborhoods due to its small size, although it is divided into a northern and southern half by Market street which serves as the main commercial strip through town. Most of the city's businesses can be found here or else at the northern portions of the city limits. Parts of the street, especially those around Cameron Park, still house old 19th century homes built in the city's most prosperous times. This area around the small but majestic park is currently called Old Towne Sunbury and is home to the seat of the county government and many of the city's historically significant and designated buildings.
The city also has two other areas, although if you have not lived in the town your whole life there are actually very few differences between the two. Sunbury Hill Neighborhood, which is located on the city's east side, has a community group which organizes local events and tries to promote pride and beautification the their part of the city. They run a Facebook group which draws a reasonable number of participants out even in the dead of winter. The farthest edge of the Hill includes Shamokin Creek, one of the major green spaces.
The city also has Cake Town, which sits at the northernmost bounds of the city's streets along side the city cemetery. Unsurprisingly many of the city's baking families and businesses are set up here, and it's not hard to guess what dessert food features prominently in community pride activities. Memorial park with its numerous baseball diamonds is also in this part of town.
The city is currently planning a park system along the city's river front which has been met with some critical responses from the local residents. There is no time frame for when the project will be complete but work has begun in the town's southern district. In the meantime, residents can head to the Adam T. Bower Memorial Dam and its adjoining Augusta Lake where the city is doing a much more visible job of developing a marina, walking trails, gardens, an amphitheater and a fishing pier. In the downtown core residents can enjoy the usual baseball fields, tennis courts, a pool, playgrounds, and some flower filled parks. For those looking to try local produce there is the Sunbury Market House which was built on Market Street over a century ago. Noteworthy restaurants include Billy Bob's Hillbilly BBQ which unsurprisingly serves backwoods style BBQ, the more upscale Edison Restaurant, Marlin's sub shop, and the Irish pub McGuigan's Public House.
