Would like to hear from Pennsylvanians...

[Gworker]

One of the other things that is more expensive compared to other places we've lived are water and sewer charges. The water is a small private company and the sewer is charged by the township. We pay way more for water and sewer compared to where we lived in Virginia. Plus we have a 1% payroll tax from the township but I don't think you pay that on retirement income.

 

[Amethyst]

Furball, very interesting article. It mentions Tennessee as having a retiree tax exemption, so I'll look into that. Husband objects to Delaware for being "too flat," but he can't very well have that objection to TN.

Amethyst.

 

[FurBall]

One other thing to consider is the price of real estate -- I'm from the Harrisburg/York area and real estate there can be significantly less than in a place like DC. So, you have that much more to add to your next egg.

 

[unclemick]

Nords wrote, I believe that you're required to display black & gold prominently on all homes & vehicles or be subject to excommunication.

Well, that does it The Steelers are impressive and I would have no trouble adopting them as "my" team, but nobody can tell me what to wear or display. I would probably get excommunicated right away When they banish you, where do they make you go?

Amethyst

New Orleans or Detroit - warm in New Orleans but housing may be cheaper in Detroit.

heh heh heh -

 

[Koolau]

Had a j*b interview at PPG 40 years ago this May. (Didn't go with them.) Cab driver warned me to be certain I owned the mineral rights under any purchased property. Don't know if this is still an issue, but thought I'd mention it since I hadn't seen it discussed yet. Remember YMMV

 

[Nords]

Nords wrote, I believe that you're required to display black & gold prominently on all homes & vehicles or be subject to excommunication.
Well, that does it The Steelers are impressive and I would have no trouble adopting them as "my" team, but nobody can tell me what to wear or display. I would probably get excommunicated right away When they banish you, where do they make you go?
Amethyst

If you're excommunicated from Pittsburgh you have to go live in Philadelphia.

But if you're banished then you have to go live in Cleveland...

 

[robls]

Lived in NW PA all my life. 50+ years. Stay away from this area. Job market is terrible. Winters, all 6 months of it, are terrible. This season alone we have 110" of snow. Looks like the record may fall. I believe it was over 140". As soon as I take the plunge and retire, in little over a year, I plan on moving south. Sorry to give a negative view, just my personal observation.
I have a friend who lives in the York area, and he loves it there. He's retired. The weather is far more mild.
Hope this helps.
Rob

 

[utrecht]

When you say PA doesnt tax pension income, you are talking about state tax , correct? I assume you still have to pay federal income tax on it?

Go Steelers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[RE2Boys]

Lived in NW PA all my life. 50+ years. Stay away from this area. Job market is terrible. Winters, all 6 months of it, are terrible. This season alone we have 110" of snow. Looks like the record may fall. I believe it was over 140". As soon as I take the plunge and retire, in little over a year, I plan on moving south. Sorry to give a negative view, just my personal observation.
I have a friend who lives in the York area, and he loves it there. He's retired. The weather is far more mild.
Hope this helps.
Rob

Rob,

Guess you didn't appreciate the 6 inches of snow last night and the 6 more forecasted. You must be in Erie County PA! We're going for the snow records this year!

Regarding PA, Amethyst, it has a lot of diversity. While I now live along the shores of Lake Erie (Pittsburgh seldom gets snow compared to Erie), and we have serious winters, you may find the south central area of PA to your liking such as around Chambersburg, Gettysburg, Waynesboro. Less than 100 miles to DC area, generally mountainous, not quite as humid as DC. I lived in Waynesboro PA around 1980 and enjoyed the area. Appalachian trail goes through the area, some ski slopes in the area. Pretty laid back but with easy access to Baltimore and DC area.

If your looking toward the South, consider Huntsville Alabama. Strong economy, low property taxes, they don't tax pensions, but they do have a high sales tax on everything it seems. Spent 20+ years there and really enjoyed it's extended spring and fall seasons. Summers were pretty hot but I would rather spend a summer in Huntsville than in DC, humidity is generally not as bad as DC. And their two week winter was OK! For family reasons, I ended up returning to Erie County PA with it's real Fall and Winters, get my exercise shoveling the white stuff. When I start SS, I may treat myself to a snowblower!

Lived in the Poconos for a year (NE PA) and also at State College. Liked them all.

RE2Boys

 

[robls]

Rob,

Guess you didn't appreciate the 6 inches of snow last night and the 6 more forecasted. You must be in Erie County PA! We're going for the snow records this year!

Some areas could have up to foot more. I live west of Erie, and yes I live in Erie County.

 

[Amethyst]

Thanks, all. Any more PAers out there? Please write.

Utrecht, I'm afraid the IRS will tax pension income, no matter what state you live in

So far, the most promising things are being said about central and south central PA.

Incidentally, we visited Lancaster County, where we went around for a day with about the nicest Realtor we have ever met (could not seem to do enough for us--even though we told him, up front and in plain English, that we have no intention of buying for several years).

Saw some nice homes, including one with a river view that was to die for, but found the area, overall, rather flat, and the hilly part just a bit too rural.

(Some of this was more husband's impression - while we don't agree on everything, we respect each other's opinions and intuitions).

 

[BunsGettingFirm]

I have lived in the burbs of Philadelphia. I really don't see the appeal. It's neither here nor there. It's not big city, and it's not big sky country where you can do lots of outdoorsy stuff. The skiing sucks, and the cycling isn't great. If I had access to a NetJet, I'd live in Colorado. I'd ride, ski, and raft, and when I'm tired of living like an outdoor monk, I'd jet to somewhere glitzy. On my current career trajectory, that's highly unlikely.

 

[Abreutime]

Thanks, all. Any more PAers out there? Please write.

I've lived primarily around Philadelphia, and I don't think the bustle is what you're looking for. On the bright side, the tax structure of Philadelphia county is good for a retiree. There are relatively low property taxes (mine are around .5% of property value) and high city wage tax (around 4% I think), so it works out well if you don't have a wage. The highways are a mess, however, if you do much commuting in or out of the city (especially on 76).

Philadelphia is a unique city, in my opinion, because the different areas of the city cannot easily be lumped together. You have general regions like the northeast, art museum area, south philly, north philly, west philly, downtown, etc, having different character. But the pockets of neighborhoods each have their own flavor, and it changes even as walk only a handful of blocks.

If you're looking for a bit of land to spread out on, I wouldn't recommend a direct Philly suburb. You wind up with the traffic, high property taxes of the suburbs, etc, without the positive qualities you're looking for. Personally, I'll probably look to get a house somewhere up in the poconos. There are a number of reasonably priced lake communities that I've visited, but I've yet to take the plunge. If you do consider that route, I would recommend renting first, as you want to make sure you don't unintentionally buy in a ghost-town of vacation homes that are vacant 9 months a year.

 

[Kronk]

Not sure about the relative merits based on taxation. Our property taxes are maybe around 1.25% of the value of our house.

I'll echo some of the sentiments. One of the appeals of SE PA (Philly burbs) are jobs. One of the least appealing parts is the resulting traffic. The 202 corridor (Wilmington, DE up through King of Prussia) is brutal, especially anywhere near rush hour. We have given up on dining out on Friday or Saturday nights (except for ethnic restaurants) because restaurants tend to require waiting until a table opens up.

But there are lots of convenient places to shop. There are only usually 4-5 bad driving days during the winter. In the summer, there are plenty of 90 degree days, and in the winter, plenty of <20 degree days.

My MIL lives in the Bethlehem area, and the Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton area seems pretty nice without some of the drawbacks of the Philly burbs.

 

[Purron]

I also lived in the middle of the state when I went to Penn State. Also, another very nice area.

I noticed State College, PA was listed as one of the "best places to live" by CNN Money: 100 best places to live and launch - 65. State College, Pa. (65) - FORTUNE Small Business

I went there for a training class once and loved the area.

 

[Chester_A._Riley]

Pennsylvania living

This is a very interesting thread for me. I am familiar with Western PA. I was born 'n' raised on a farm near Grove City, but attended and graduated from Gateway High School in Monroeville. I left that area to attend college and subsequently joined the service. Never been back. I have been thinking about moving back for some time.

I still have many ties to the area. My older Brother has lived in Monroeville all his life and enjoys it very much. He has owned his home since he retired over ten years ago at the age of 54. Also, much of my Mom's family live in Pitcairn and Export, representing a significant support system. Those folks have always seemed to be quite content in the area; all live in their own homes and none seem to be burdened by property taxes. There seems to be significant municipal property tax breaks for retirees. School tax issues may be another matter.

An interesting point is that there is no tax break for working folks when they contribute to a 401K, however the opposite side of that coin is that there is NO state tax on anything withdrawn during retirement. Also, no state tax on pensions or social security.

Of course, the advantage is that there are a lot of family members in the area and the disadvantage is that there are a lot of family members in the area .

 

[TargaDave]

We just spent 15 years in State College, home of Penn State, Joe Pa and the gang. I would give it a big thumbs up if you like the cultural atmosphere of a university town surrounded by farms and hills. 2 miles out of town and you're in the boonies with much lower housing costs. Not as easy for long distance travel and they get real winters, but all the benefits of a great university town. Football tailgating, Bryce Jordon events, campus plays-speakers, Arts Fest in the summer, all kinds of continuing ed and fun courses, and so on. Very international mix of residents. Certainly a lot different from Phili or Pitt, and it's definitely not for everybody. Also a relatively stable housing market with plenty of retirees (many alumni). My Dad is a retired professor and still lives there.

We moved further south last summer to semi-ER by the ocean, graduate from the snow, and play with boats. You won't find big water and mild winters in central PA

 

[BunsGettingFirm]

Well, I can tell you that it's State College is not for me because of potential lynching concerns. I am required to cheer for another Big Ten school.