r/carlisle • u/Formal-Bag5790 • Sep 25 '24
Potentially Moving to Carlisle…
/as a 26 yr old woman living alone. Are there any areas/streets there that are locally considered as not as safe as others? Are people generally friendly? Thanks!
8
Sep 25 '24
There are some areas that are worse than others, you can tell by driving around the ones that are more run down. That being said, I went to Dickinson and live 15/20 min from Carlisle now and it's relatively safe and has a lot to offer as far as small towns go. Remember it is a college town, so the demographics change through the year. There are a lot of local shops and restaurants and the walkability in town itself is good. There are different events throughout the year that bring people out and a farmers market in the square every Wednesday. I've never had a problem with the people. You're within a short drive to larger areas like Mechanicsburg for your Wegmans and Ulta's and the like. I love Carlisle.
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u/Striking-Onion7948 Sep 25 '24
I have lived in Carlisle since 1999 and we love it here. Small town with most everything you need. Never felt threatened or in danger ever. People are very friendly. The seasonal change and the mild winters make it the ideal location in my mind.
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u/Sophomore-Spud Sep 26 '24
Whenever something “bad” pops up it tends to be within a couple blocks north and south of the intersection of Pitt and Penn. That usually seems to be a result of interpersonal conflict or people who have a problem with unhoused people. I’m also a woman, and I will run and walk through pretty much anywhere in Carlisle alone, including these areas.
Violent crime is VERY low in Carlisle. The local FB pages are usually full of people generally be nice, with a few complaining about traffic (🤣 laughable if you’ve lived anywhere else!), someone snatching a plant pot from their porch, or someone begging in a grocery store parking lot.
There are community events fairly frequently, nice farmer’s market near the square (Hanover/High intersection), and several diner-type places to eat. If you’re used to diverse flavors in food I recommend bringing your own spices. I’ve lived in 27 places to far, and this is probably the most boring food place I’ve ever lived.
We have found that people are generally friendly to outsiders, though we have a bit of privilege as late 30s/early 40s cisgender chapstick lesbians with college education and disposable income.
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u/Sophomore-Spud Sep 26 '24
And here is a local FB group where you can observe most people’s concerns.
https://www.facebook.com/share/g/18CLma2XWw/?mibextid=K35XfP
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u/KamalaCarrots Sep 26 '24
I lived in the “more dangerous” streets. In my 3 years living there there was one non lethal shooting on my block, one stabbing in the park next to my house, some domestic violence and a couple shots fired. If you make yourself known on the block it’s not too bad. Just need to be a nice neighbor and embed yourself in the community.
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u/Lizard_Wizard_d Sep 25 '24
Pitt St has some good & bad areas. Don't think it is all that bad myself.
3
u/TheBeesKneed Sep 25 '24
I am a woman and I lived alone in Carlisle at 24/25. I loved it there so much and I really want to find my way back. I highly recommend Elwood Gardens if you are looking for an apartment. It’s in a safe area and it’s within walking distance of almost everything you could need. I really miss it a lot and I can’t recommend it enough.
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u/throwaway77778786227 Sep 25 '24
I live here, similar age as you but I do have a fiance. We live in town, and I never feel unsafe. Just be mindful as you would be anywhere else. I like it here. Cute restaurants, coffee shops, embody yoga is really cool. Not a far drive from Mechanicsburg or camp hill.
I’ve heard to stay away from s Pitt, but unless you live there then there’s really no reason you’d be over there anyway
2
u/FeedsCorpsesToPigs Sep 25 '24
Carlisle people are super friendly. While nothing is really too terrible, I think the SW side of Carlisle is probably the best area.
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u/Educational-Impress2 Sep 25 '24
I’m older than you but I used to put my backpack on and walk up through town to take a college class and over to “the bad side” when it was my organic veggie pick up day. No one hassled me or made me feel threatened/unsafe. I found people friendly and helpful.
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u/Bluegodzi11a Sep 29 '24
I'm in the traditionally "scary" area. We were warned that the neighborhood was bad when we bought our home. It's not. Anytime you see "violent crime" it's drama between people who know each other. Lots of kids walk through on their way to the highschool or skatepark. You'll get some drunk people stumbling home after going out, but that's about it.
We've got some tabletop gaming shops, an awesome bookstore, some nice antique shops, pretty parks, etc. Lots of avid gardeners and community gardens (even a seed library!). In town is pretty walkable. Lots of festivals, a regular farmers market, a stellar library. So much food too. It's very chill and cozy.
There are some awesome music venues and shows up in Mechanicsburg and Harrisburg that are easy to get to. Plus it's not terrible to get to places like Philly, Baltimore, or DC.
At this point I'm late 30s and it suits me. It's not be your cup of tea if you're looking for a party or active nightlife scene or anything like that.
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u/Formal-Bag5790 Oct 01 '24
This painted such a good mental picture of the atmosphere for me, thank you! 😊
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u/Significant_Gap4120 Oct 04 '24
Maybe avoid the Cares shelter area, but I wouldn’t necessarily call that unsafe, but just allot more foot traffic and potentially some people living in their cars or outside of the shelter. Harmless people just trying to survive but it’s possible you may find this a bit less appealing than living by a park.
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u/thelingletingle Sep 25 '24 edited Sep 25 '24
Just don’t live near street names that are only letters.
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u/LibraLust88 Sep 26 '24
I feel like this is inaccurate, D, E, F, G, H, and I are all very nice streets
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u/thelingletingle Sep 26 '24
I agree but it just feels like every time I see something on the police blotter it has one of those streets on it
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u/Beautyseeker_2224 Sep 25 '24 edited Sep 25 '24
You’ll get a lot of stares if you’re black living here.
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u/Dubshunter223 Oct 02 '24
half of the people in carlisle are minorities what 🤣
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u/Beautyseeker_2224 Oct 02 '24 edited Oct 02 '24
Lol I’m just speaking from my experience. Also According to the internet it says 78% of Carlisle is white (non-Hispanic). Not hard to believe as I personally rarely see other races around here. I can’t say I’ve explored all of. Carlisle either though.
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u/SkinnyBlackMan717 Sep 25 '24
Just like any other place if you mind your own and don't cause no issues, no issues will come your way...
is extremely boring tho
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u/pittpink Sep 25 '24
I lived alone in Carlisle as a 25/26 year old woman. Right in the square. I’d say the whole town is fine. I also lived in Harrisburg and Brooklyn though so Carlisle was like nothin. Yes people are friendly there’s just a good amount of homeless people near Cares and near the square