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I'm looking for some relocation advice. I want to buy a house where I can take care of my aging parents. It's important that my Mom can walk to grocery stores and some restaurants. Preferably in a smallish city within an hour or so of a larger metro. It's important to me to have affordable real estate, low-ish taxes and COL. We prefer older, historic homes with wood trim, built ins, original wood floors but we would need at least one bedroom on the first floor which some older homes won't have. My father doesn't get around that well so we may wind up in something newer. My folks currently live in the Poconos in PA and need to drive at least 25 minutes to any sort of commerce. My Mom grew up in Brooklyn and doesn't like to drive. She lived most of her life within walking distance to stores and really misses that freedom.
In a nutshell: A walk-able area in a smaller city with affordable homes, low COL and low taxes with a preference for older homes.
City size: Smaller is better but there's some flexibility. No large metro.
COL:Lower is better
Jobs: Not important
Location: Prefer east of the Mississippi within an hour of a larger metro/amenities
Property budget: 225K There's some flexibility here.
Property taxes: Lower is better
Property type:3/4 bedroom, minimum 2 baths
Schools: Not important
Walk-ability: Very important
Weather: Not a big deal
Architecture: Older Victorian and Craftsman.
Many upstate NY cities and towns can work for you. Plenty of ex-NYCers who are living out their later years living up here too. Johnstown, NY could work for you. Very safe, quiet, and walkable. Only thing that sucks is you won't really be able to walk to the larger grocery stores. Well, you could, but I wouldn't want my mom walking there simply because the traffic is heavier in those areas. There are sidewalks everywhere though which is great and lots of people get around on foot or bicycle. If she doesn't need a lot of specific items, she could walk to the neighborhood Stewart's which is a smaller local convenience store chain that has certain grocery items. Property taxes in Johnstown are way cheaper than anywhere else in the Albany metro. Well anywhere you'd actually want to live, that is.
If you don't mind paying $6K-$8K a year for property taxes, many neighborhoods within the city of Albany are walkable, safe, and quiet. New Scotland, Whitehall, and Helderberg neighborhoods all have a good mix of residents, including many aging seniors. Very active community and very safe. With your budget you *might* be able to find what you're looking for.
Many upstate NY cities and towns can work for you. Plenty of ex-NYCers who are living out their later years living up here too. Johnstown, NY could work for you. Very safe, quiet, and walkable. Only thing that sucks is you won't really be able to walk to the larger grocery stores. Well, you could, but I wouldn't want my mom walking there simply because the traffic is heavier in those areas. There are sidewalks everywhere though which is great and lots of people get around on foot or bicycle. If she doesn't need a lot of specific items, she could walk to the neighborhood Stewart's which is a smaller local convenience store chain that has certain grocery items. Property taxes in Johnstown are way cheaper than anywhere else in the Albany metro. Well anywhere you'd actually want to live, that is.
If you don't mind paying $6K-$8K a year for property taxes, many neighborhoods within the city of Albany are walkable, safe, and quiet. New Scotland, Whitehall, and Helderberg neighborhoods all have a good mix of residents, including many aging seniors. Very active community and very safe. With your budget you *might* be able to find what you're looking for.
A place that came to mind that would be a good fit in this regard is Auburn(a "city" of about 30,000 about 30 minutes west of Syracuse). I say that because of this Downtown Wegmans: https://www.google.com/maps/@42.9321...7i13312!8i6656
A place that came to mind that would be a good fit in this regard is Auburn(a "city" of about 30,000 about 30 minutes west of Syracuse). I say that because of this Downtown Wegmans: https://www.google.com/maps/@42.9321...7i13312!8i6656
Sounds like Lancaster or Bethlehem in Pennsylvania were tailor-made for you.
Very historic, walkable, access to restaurants/stores, public transit, reasonable housing costs, and both close to the NYC and Philadelphia areas. Lancaster in particular has a fantastic permanent farmers' market right in its downtown: https://centralmarketlancaster.com/
I'm looking for some relocation advice. I want to buy a house where I can take care of my aging parents. It's important that my Mom can walk to grocery stores and some restaurants. Preferably in a smallish city within an hour or so of a larger metro. It's important to me to have affordable real estate, low-ish taxes and COL. We prefer older, historic homes with wood trim, built ins, original wood floors but we would need at least one bedroom on the first floor which some older homes won't have. My father doesn't get around that well so we may wind up in something newer. My folks currently live in the Poconos in PA and need to drive at least 25 minutes to any sort of commerce. My Mom grew up in Brooklyn and doesn't like to drive. She lived most of her life within walking distance to stores and really misses that freedom.
In a nutshell: A walk-able area in a smaller city with affordable homes, low COL and low taxes with a preference for older homes.
City size: Smaller is better but there's some flexibility. No large metro.
COL:Lower is better
Jobs: Not important
Location: Prefer east of the Mississippi within an hour of a larger metro/amenities
Property budget: 225K There's some flexibility here.
Property taxes: Lower is better
Property type:3/4 bedroom, minimum 2 baths
Schools: Not important
Walk-ability: Very important
Weather: Not a big deal
Architecture: Older Victorian and Craftsman.
Thanks in advance for any guidance.
Check out Cookeville, Tennessee. My 86 year old mother moved last year to downtown Cookeville and loves it. She walks to do most of her errands: a downtown grocery store, two farmers markets, the main library, the performing arts center (indoor and outdoor; last week she saw the symphony perform outdoors, and this weekend is free Shakespeare performances outdoors), 30+ restaurants, her bank, both her doctors, lots of shopping, and multiple museums and galleries. The regional hospital is adjacent to downtown. Taxes are low, the cost of living is inexpensive, the countryside is gorgeous, and it's only an hour east of Nashville. Cookeville is a college town that has become quite popular with retirees.
To give you an example of what downtown housing is like in Cookeville, here are some homes downtown that have sold recently for less than $225k:
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its - possession
it's - contraction of it is
your - possession
you're - contraction of you are
their - possession
they're - contraction of they are
there - referring to a place
loose - opposite of tight
lose - opposite of win
who's - contraction of who is
whose - possession
alot - NOT A WORD
There are some small towns within an hour of Raleigh, NC that may work. They are small enough that if you live near the Main Street they can be fairly walkable. Louisburg, NC comes to mind as one that I’ve been to.
Many upstate NY cities and towns can work for you. Plenty of ex-NYCers who are living out their later years living up here too. Johnstown, NY could work for you. Very safe, quiet, and walkable. Only thing that sucks is you won't really be able to walk to the larger grocery stores. Well, you could, but I wouldn't want my mom walking there simply because the traffic is heavier in those areas. There are sidewalks everywhere though which is great and lots of people get around on foot or bicycle. If she doesn't need a lot of specific items, she could walk to the neighborhood Stewart's which is a smaller local convenience store chain that has certain grocery items. Property taxes in Johnstown are way cheaper than anywhere else in the Albany metro. Well anywhere you'd actually want to live, that is.
If you don't mind paying $6K-$8K a year for property taxes, many neighborhoods within the city of Albany are walkable, safe, and quiet. New Scotland, Whitehall, and Helderberg neighborhoods all have a good mix of residents, including many aging seniors. Very active community and very safe. With your budget you *might* be able to find what you're looking for.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 09-25-2018 at 10:39 AM..
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