Peaceful living in a Ryan Township community
Located between the forks of Pine Creek, Grier City is a small residential area in Schuylkill County. The enclave is comprised of single-family homes with spacious lots and is close to many popular outdoor places, including the Tuscarora State Park. Folks here usually go to Tamaqua for dining and shopping, and students are zoned for the Mahanoy Area School District. “Homes in Grier City are smaller and less elaborate than the houses in Park Crest,” says Joan Goodman, local Realtor at Joan Goodman Real Estate with 16 years of experience. “Park Crest has more traffic and is closer to Barnesville, and Grier City is closer to the farming areas.”
Quiet homes on spacious lots in Grier City
Gently winding hills and roads make up Grier City’s landscape, and houses are spread apart alongside the narrow streets. Common housing styles include Craftsman bungalows, Foursquares and Colonial-inspired homes, and the median build year is 1930. Yard sizes are from quarter-acre to 1-acre lots, with private driveways and detached garages. Single-family properties generally list between $90,000 to $200,000. The CAP Index crime score for Grier City is 1 out of 10, which falls well below the national average of 4.
Enjoying open space at Grier City Park and Ryan Township Grove
Grier City has several pocket parks with fields, including Grier City Park and Ryan Township Grove. Located slightly south of the area, Lakewood Park Campground offers boat and kayak rentals and catch-and-release fishing. About 5 miles east, Tuscarora State Park is quite popular for its guided tours and nature programs, and folks can hike, swim, picnic or enjoy activities on the lake.
Education through Mahanoy Area School District
Students in Grier City can attend the Mahanoy Area School District, which has a student-to-teacher ratio of 14-to-1. Kids in kindergarten through sixth grade can go to Mahanoy Elementary School, which has a C rating from Niche. Scoring a C-plus, Mahanoy Junior/Senior High School has many sports programs such as golf and swimming. The high school also opened The Senator James J. Rhoades Memorial STEM Lab in 2023 to encourage interest in science and technology. The lab has manufacturing machines, software for graphic design and programming, laptops with virtual reality capabilities and a 3D printer.
Comfort food at the Beacon Diner and shopping at Boyer's
For grocery trips and dining out, Tamaqua is less than 10 miles away and is home to stores and restaurants. The Beacon Diner offers classic comfort food, and Basile Italian Delight Restaurant has specialty pasta and patio seating. Tamaqua also has Boyer's Food Market and a Walmart. The family operated Hometown Farmers Market opens on Wednesdays year-round for people to get locally grown produce.
Tamaqua festivals and Schuylkill County events
Festivals in Tamaqua include the Tamaqua Railfest, the Tamaqua Heritage Festival and the Tamaqua Summerfest. These events celebrate local history and culture with food, crafts, live music and children’s activities, such as train rides. Schuylkill County has celebrations such as the Schuylkill Winterfest and the Greater Pottsville Winter Carnival. The Schuylkill Council for the Arts also offers summer concerts and art workshops.
Navigating into Pottsville and Allentown
Several places of worship are located around Grier City, and hospitals such as St. Luke's Hospital — Miners Campus and St. Luke's Tamaqua Medical Center are less than 10 miles away. The community is very car-dependent, and Interstate 81 passes along the area’s western border. While Tamaqua is about 7 miles away, Pottsville is 17 miles south of the neighborhood. Bigger cities such as Allentown and Philadelphia are 45 and 94 miles away, respectively. The Wilkes-Barre Scranton International Airport is about 45 miles to the south.
Area has a history of mining
The county still has some active traditional and strip mine sites. Potential health and environmental risks may include harmful air pollution from coal mine dust and groundwater contamination from abandoned mine drainage. Agencies such as the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement have been giving out grants and funds for environmental rehabilitation and water-treatment projects.
