East York

Situated just a few miles southeast of Downtown York, Valley View is a quiet suburb with an impressive variety of home styles, most residences within a few minutes of highways and suburban attractions. “It’s got a lot of starter and middle class homes. People who live there love that it’s close to Interstate 85, U.S. Route 30 and a lot of great parks and shopping centers,” says Sam Stein, broker of record at Inch & Co. Real Estate and lifelong resident of York. “Homes retain their value and are great for resale. I tell people, if you buy a home in the York Suburban School District, that’s money in the bank.” And the neighborhood’s conveniences attract more than just families looking for quality schools. “A lot of people are moving to the area for work, especially in the medical and manufacturing sectors,” says Jason Phillips, Realtor with Re/Max who has been selling homes for 8 years. “And York was recently voted one of the top 10 places to retire, so we’re seeing a lot of retirees moving into the area, too. It’s a great mix of people.” Valley View’s streets follow a grid plan, though the pattern shifts direction slightly in the hilly south and east. The northern side of the neighborhood is alleyed, with many residents opting to park in garages and lots behind their properties. The neighborhood’s housing stock is varied and includes Cape Cods, Tudor Revival cottages and ranch-style builds. American Four Squares are clustered on the neighborhood’s north end. “Most homes in Valley View were built in the 1950s and ‘60s, but we have a lot of new constructions, too,” says Stein, who has been representing transactions in the York area for 34 years. “Homes are well taken care of and built right, with a lot of brick and a lot of hardwood flooring.” Prices typically run from $160,000 to $350,000, with a median price of about $245,000. “Valley View and other neighborhoods in the York Suburban School District are in a landlocked area in that there’s nowhere to build anymore,” Stein says. “This keeps prices where they are.” Townhouses and semi-detached homes can be found on the north side of the neighborhood close to Mt. Rose Avenue, running from $120,000 to $220,000. Many semi-detached homes are in fact American Four Squares converted into duplexes, though sold as separate units. Students in Valley View attend the York Suburban School District, which earns an overall A-minus from Niche. “It’s one of the most respected districts in the state of Pennsylvania and has been ranked highly by sites like U.S. News,” Stein says. Valley View Elementary serves kindergarten through second grade students and gets a B, while Indian Rock Elementary serves third through fifth grade students and receives an A-minus. York Suburban Middle and York Suburban High School both score A-minuses. York Suburban High students can participate in more than 20 clubs and organizations including Science Olympiad and Novel-Tea, where students and faculty meet monthly to discuss books over refreshments. York College of Pennsylvania is less than a 2-mile drive west of Valley View. For the most part, residents prefer getting around by car. Interstate 83 is less than two miles away from all homes. This highway forms a partial beltway around York, running 50 miles south to Baltimore, Maryland and 27 miles north to Harrisburg. WellSpan York Hospital sits less than a mile west of the neighborhood. Rabbit Transit bus route 5E runs along Mt. Rose Avenue, heading east to Stonybrook-Wilshire and west to downtown York. Route 10S also heads downtown, making stops along Queen Street and Edgar Street. The York Memorial Park Complex is within walking distance of many homes on the west side of the neighborhood. The facility offers a mini golf course, six tennis courts, four sand volleyball courts and seven baseball and softball diamonds. The park’s Reid Menzer Memorial Skatepark features pyramids, quarter pipes, a full pipe, an A-frame and more. The complex is also home to the York Ice Arena, which offers public skating lessons for those looking to learn to ice skate or play hockey. The Roll ‘R’ Way Family Skating Center is next door, an urban-themed roller rink with family glow skating nights each Friday. Just across the neighborhood’s southern border, residents can bowl at Suburban Bowlerama or recline in heated leather seats and watch the latest blockbuster at R/C Queensgate Movies. About a 2-mile drive south of Valley View, York Township Park features four soccer fields, two basketball courts, three baseball and softball diamonds and more. The park also has the Kids Kingdom Playground, a fenced-in modern playground with soft flooring, a sprawling play structure, swings and more. The shops at Queensgate Towne Center just south of the neighborhood keep locals stocked with groceries. Stores include Weis, a supermarket, and CommunityAid, a thrift store. Shoppers on the north side might visit Save-A-Lot at Mt. Rose Plaza. A two-story mall, York Galleria, is 4 miles north of Valley View. Retailers include Boscov’s, Bath & Body Works and Marshalls. Residents can try their luck at the mall’s Hollywood Casino York, which offers slot machines, game tables and more. Several local eateries sit along or within a few blocks of Mt. Rose Avenue on the north side of the neighborhood. Operating out of a former church, Victor’s Italian Restaurant has been serving upscale Italian fare for 40 years and features a live jazz band each Friday night. The Steak Out serves chicken sandwiches, wings and hamburgers but is probably best known for their namesake Philly cheesesteaks. Hungry diners can attempt the “18 in 8 challenge,” where they’re given eight minutes to finish an 18-inch hoagie. Winners take home a T-shirt and $50 gift card. Downtown Hanover offers additional restaurants such as Hamir’s Indian Fusion and Rockfish Public House, popular for their seafood straight from the Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico. Downtown York becomes a giant seafood restaurant during the York County Oyster Festival in late October. Streets are closed to make way for vendors, games and a ton of seafood offerings. The York State Fair held at the York Exposition Center is one of the town’s largest events, running 10 days straight in July. Inaugurated in 1765, the fair is one of the oldest in the country and brings out amusement park rides, agricultural exhibits, live music and more. Performers of the 2020s have included Alabama, Foreigner, Nelly and REO Speedwagon.