Everyone knows Hershey for the park and the chocolate. Buyers who move here know it for two quieter anchors: Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, which draws physicians and staff from well outside the region, and the Derry Township School District, which keeps demand steady no matter what the wider market is doing. Get past Chocolate Avenue and Hershey is really a collection of named neighborhoods orbiting those two things — and, for the first time in a generation, a major new one being built from scratch.
The established neighborhoods
Most Hershey house hunts start on the south and southwest sides. Deer Run, off Bullfrog Valley Road, is the classic 1980s–90s single-family pocket — walkable to Gelder Park and only minutes to the Medical Center, which makes it a perennial favorite with hospital families; Deer Run Commons adds low-maintenance townhomes next door for downsizers who want the location without the yard. Southpoint, along the Middletown Road corridor, is the tree-lined colonial staple, with newer Commons (townhomes and carriage homes) and Meadows (newer singles) phases that let buyers step into Derry Township schools at different price points.
For newer construction, Stone Creek is one of the most popular recent single-family addresses, while custom-home buyers gravitate to Rockledge. On the Medical Center side, Walton Spring Hills and Waltoncroft cover the Waltonville Road corridor. It's a compact township, so 'close to work, close to the schools' isn't a stretch here the way it is in bigger markets — most of these neighborhoods are a short drive from both.
What's coming — and who Hershey fits
The big story is the Hershey West End: a roughly 245-acre mixed-use project between Waltonville Road and Bullfrog Valley Road, planned for around 250 single-family homes and townhomes alongside parks and retail. Backed by the Milton Hershey School trust and building from 2026, it's the largest new-home pipeline the township has seen in decades — and it's already reshaping how buyers think about inventory in a place where established homes rarely sit long.
Hershey fits the buyer who wants top-rated schools, genuine walk-to-a-park living, and a short commute to one of the region's largest employers — without the price tag those things carry in a big metro. Whether you're chasing a Deer Run rancher, weighing a West End new build, or wondering what your Southpoint colonial would bring today, we work this township every week and can talk streets, not just listings.
Hershey FAQs
- Is Hershey, PA a good place to live?
- Yes — Hershey (Derry Township) pairs a well-regarded school district with Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, one of the region's largest employers, plus walkable parks and the attractions the town is famous for. Demand stays steady because those anchors draw buyers from well beyond the immediate area.
- What neighborhoods are in Hershey, PA?
- Established Derry Township neighborhoods include Deer Run and Deer Run Commons near Bullfrog Valley Road, Southpoint (with Commons and Meadows phases) off Middletown Road, the newer Stone Creek, custom-home Rockledge, and Walton Spring Hills near the Medical Center. The new 245-acre Hershey West End is adding single-family homes and townhomes from 2026.
- What is the Hershey West End development?
- Hershey West End is a roughly 245-acre mixed-use community between Waltonville Road and Bullfrog Valley Road, planned for about 250 single-family homes and townhomes plus parks and retail. Backed by the Milton Hershey School trust and building from 2026, it's the biggest new-home project Derry Township has seen in a generation.
Have a question about Hershey? Talk to an agent who sold there this month — call (717) 790-1847 or use the form below.