Lorane - Reading, PA Area Guide

Berks County was first settled in 1701. In 1741, Exeter Township was formed. It is believed the Boone family named the town after their family home in England. Squire Boone, James Boone, John Boone, and Benjamin Boone were all petitioners for the new township. Daniel Boone was born not far from here -- after finding your Lorane apartment, be sure to travel the five miles outside of the neighborhood and visit the Daniel Boone Homestead. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the home dates back to 1735. The basement in the house is original to the log cabin. Squire Boone, Daniel Boone's father, built the original house.

Other important historic landmarks near Lorane include the John Bishop House, built in 1770; Levan Farm, built in 1837; Snyder Mill, built in 1780; and the Mordecai Lincoln House. This house, built around 1733, was built by President Abraham Lincoln's uncle. The house is located on Lincoln Road in Lorane.

About three miles from Lorane, Frank & Diannah's Arbor Inn is famous for its wiener schnitzel. Delite Restaurant and Pizzeria is another local hotspot. Dan's at Green Hills is probably one of the more upscale area restaurants, serving French cuisine like foie gras. Try the toasted brioche and the filet mignon, as well. Enjoy the beautiful scenery by dining on the patio.

Stoppers holds the title of closest bar to Lorane, offering a nice, inexpensive, and casual space complete with TVs playing the latest game and a moderate selection of appetizers to munch on or beers and mixed drinks to sip. he most popular dishes are the seafood items, such as the boiled haddock or coconut shrimp, and almost every item on the menu costs less than twenty dollars. Movie lovers can choose an array of blockbusters at the nearby Fox East Theater.

Virtually everyone in Lorane drives. While walking and bicycling serve well for leisure activities in Lorane, getting to work without a car is difficult and uncommon. Though most streets seem safe for bicyclists, there are no bike lanes and most locations are fairly spread out. The nearby town of Reading, however, offers BARTA bus services, which can be of use to those in Lorane who work in the neighboring area. For further travel between larger cities in Pennsylvania and other East Coast areas, travelers can use one of two Amtrak stations within a half-hour's drive from Lorane.

Lorane has one park, the Lorane Hollow Park, a pleasant, well-groomed space created in 1991. Complete with a shelter available for rent between May and September, a baseball diamond where little league teams meet to practice on weekends, a soccer field, horseshoe pits, tennis courts, and basketball courts, the park serves as a gathering place for many Lorane residents. Children are often spotted playing on the small, colorful playground in one corner of the land. Meanwhile, the park also contains wide, well-kept sidewalks good for strolls, dog-walking, or even a brief jog.

The cost of living in Lorane tapers off just slightly over the Pennsylvania average (about four percent higher), which is on par with cost of living in Philadelphia. The average monthly rent for a one-bedroom home is a moderate $1,044. Similarly, local leisure options are fairly inexpensive, all in the range of a meal out at the average local restaurant coming in at less than $15 and a beer at a nearby pub costing no more than $5 or $6. As driving forms the most important and oft-used means of transportation for residents of Lorane, one should note that the average price of gasoline in town rests at just 3 percent above the national average.

Options for shopping within Lorane proper are quite limited, simply because the area is primarily rural. Even grocery stores are only to be found by exiting the technical borders of Lorane, seeking out the local Giant or Redner's Warehouse Markets next door in Reading. Despite a lack of farmers' markets in the immediate vicinity of Lorane, about nine miles away in Morgantown, Weaver's Fruit Orchard offers not only a farmer's market, but also option for picking fruit ranging from apples to peaches to raspberries.

As for clothing and other household needs, necessities can be found at the Dollar Tree or Walmart Supercenter, also just minutes away in Reading proper. Most residents drive a short distance outside of Lorane to meet their shopping needs. Within a few minutes drive over in Reading provides several options, including the Fairgrounds Square Shopping Mall, Antietam Valley Shopping Center, and various smaller stores. For boutiques and higher-end items, West Reading's Penn Avenue is the place to go, with Mixx Boutique, Chico's, and Bella Jules (to name a few) offering premium fashions.