Cleona offers suburban charm just outside Lebanon
The borough of Cleona is a small suburban community nestled in the heart of the Lebanon Valley Region. In 2020, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that the borough had a population of approximately 2,000 residents. Cleona is situated directly east of the city of Lebanon along U.S. Route 422, also known as the Benjamin Franklin Highway. “Route 422 is a main highway in the area that runs east-west and can take you directly to popular towns like Hershey,” says Jean Taylor, a local Realtor with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Homesale Realty. Located only 10 miles from Cleona, Hershey is home to the iconic Hersheypark, a chocolate-themed amusement park. Though the borough is primarily residential, Cleona does have a handful of local businesses and is home to the Cleona Square shopping center. The borough has an overall CAP Index Crime Score of 3 out of 10, slightly lower than the national average of 4.
Single-family homes and townhouses sell fast
Homes sell relatively fast in Cleona, spending an average of 16 days listed on the market, whereas the national average is more than 50 days. Approximately 77% of residents here are homeowners, and the rest rent. Homes here were mostly built between the mid- to late 20th century, but some houses date back to the late 19th century. The borough offers a mix of housing options, with more common styles including American Foursquares, ranch-style homes, and an assortment of bungalows and Cape Cods. Cleona’s housing stock comprises mainly single-family properties and a handful of townhouses. Turnkey single-family homes range from approximately $190,000 to $370,000, while townhouses usually cost between $170,000 and $220,000. With an average home value of $260,000, Cleona’s homes are relatively affordable compared to the greater Lebanon Metro Area, which has an average home value of roughly $350,000.
Zoning for the Annville-Cleona School District
Cleona students are zoned for the Annville-Cleona School District, which receives an overall B rating from Niche. Cleona Elementary School is a B-plus-rated institution that serves kindergarten through second grade. Grades three through six can attend the B-rated Annville Elementary, while Annville-Cleona Secondary School, also rated B, serves students in seventh through 12th grade. There are also several private school options in the area, including Milton Hershey School, a boarding school that accommodates prekindergarten through 12th grade and has a B-plus rating. Lebanon Valley College is a small, private university located in Annville Township, 2 miles west of Cleona.
Cleona Playground Park is the hub of outdoor activity
Adjacent to Cleona Elementary is the Cleona Playground Park, an ample, open green space for outdoor recreation. The park features a covered picnic pavilion, playground, several athletic fields and sporting courts, a 9-hole miniature golf course and an amphitheater for live music and community activities like movie night. Quittapahilla Creek is a popular fishing spot along the park’s southern boundary. Just outside Cleona is the 25th Street access point for the paved Lebanon Rail-Trail: “For the Rails-to-Trails network, they took old railroad tracks and converted them into a series of biking and pedestrian trails. You can find the trails all around Lebanon County,” Taylor says. Two miles east of Cleona is the 36-acre Quittie Creek Nature Park in Annville, and two neighboring golf courses—one at Lebanon Country Club and the other at Royal Oak Golf Club—are a quick 10-minute drive south of the borough.
Lebanon Valley events and Hersheypark thrills
In addition to local events hosted at Cleona Playground Park, borough residents can find larger festivities and attractions throughout the surrounding valley. Just south of Lebanon is the Lebanon Valley Exposition Center and Fairgrounds, an event venue that hosts popular annual celebrations. “In the summer, we have the annual Lebanon Area Fair happening there; it’s a huge event that goes on for over a week,” Taylor says. Ten miles west of Cleona, Hersheypark is the largest theme park in Pennsylvania and welcomes more than 3 million visitors annually. Thrill rides, waterpark attractions and an on-site zoo make up the amusement park.
Dining at Schwalm’s Cleona Restaurant and shopping at Cleona Square
For everyday shopping, residents can head to Cleona Square, a strip mall with a Giant supermarket and other national chains, including Big Lots, Rite Aid and fast-food joints like Subway and McDonald’s. The only local non-fast-food dining option in the borough is Schwalm’s Cleona Restaurant, a family-owned diner and one of the county’s oldest establishments. Originally a service station with a small dining area, people throughout the Lebanon Valley and beyond have been coming to Schwalm’s to enjoy comfort food favorites for nearly a century.
Additional retailers and big-box stores are located in Lebanon Valley Mall, less than a 5-minute drive from the center of Cleona. At this indoor shopping center, people can shop the aisles of Hobby Lobby, Shoe Dept., and Boscov’s, a regional department store chain. The mall also has a Price Rite Marketplace and various dining locations.
Access to U.S. Route 422 and Lebanon Transit bus services
U.S. Route 422, or Benjamin Franklin Highway, is a Lebanon Valley artery running through the middle of Cleona. The highway runs east into Lebanon and travels west through Annville, Palmyra and Hershey, then merges with U.S. Route 322 and continues on to the state capital of Harrisburg, 30 miles from Cleona. Lebanon Transit operates a network of fixed bus routes throughout the county, three of which—Route 8, Route 16 and Route 88—have stops in Cleona. The nearest airport, Harrisburg International Airport, is 29 miles from Cleona, a trip that takes approximately 40 minutes by car. WellSpan Good Samaritan Hospital has a 24-hour emergency department in Lebanon, less than 4 miles away.
