Moving back to PA from FL... (Philadelphia, Allentown: apartment, renting, how much)

[musicnotes]

My questions; What are some good small cities or larger towns near Philadelphia that are no more than an hour away? **Does not have to be in the sate of PA, can be DE, NJ...you get the idea. ;]

What I'm looking for; I'm just looking for a place to live till I can afford to move to NYC permanently or at least Philly. I'd be renting or rooming with someone. (Oh and FYI: I'm 18, single. Not going to go to college so I don't care whether there's colleges around.)

I was wondering about this, say I was planning on moving into an apartment, how can I be totally sure that they have no bug problems (ie, fleas, bedbugs, roaches, etc.)? Can I have a person come to check out the place before I move in? I personally have not had any problems with bugs, even though I've only lived in houses, I would think it would be similar?

Where do I go to compare taxes in states? I want to know what's what so I can get a rough guess on how much I would need to be earning to live on.

If I missed anything let me know and I'll answer asap.

Oh and I'm totally open for any suggestions!

Thanks!

[Honest Bob]

I don't want to be rude or crude here, but unless you have some kin folk in the neighborhood, at your age, you aren't going to last long around Philly.

I don't really want to sound like your mom or your dad, but you need to have a pile of money saved up before you move and you need to have a really good job lined up before you move.

If my situation was better, I would hire you to work construction for me, but as it is, it is hard to even get good jobs right now due to the new Uniform Building Codes which is pretty much killing the construction industry right now.

My best advice to you is for you to join the military and get a couple of years of military experience under your belt.

Believe me, once you serve your country for a couple of years, you will be eligible for the GI Bill and the service will open up doors for you which would never normally be open to someone your age with no education.

A good field to get into is military police, which you could become a state trooper when you get out - if you do not have a criminal background.
Or you could get into vehicle repair - where you could go to school after you get out of the military and be a mechanic or a machinist or anything that you want to be.

The worst thing to be in this world right now is someone without that little piece of paper that says that you have some type of post secondary education and at least 3 years of experience.

The difference between what you will make with no education and some education and military experience will be 50 to 75% higher then someone that is just trying to make it at a entry level job right now.

Florida might be a breeze compared to Pennsylvania or New York.

The reason why I say this is because in Florida, it never really gets cold outside. In Pennsylvania - if you become homeless or you do not pay your bills and the heat gets shut off - you will freeze to death.

It's a whole different world up here.

For the most part - it is a world where if you work you eat, and if you don't work, you could starve to death and even the best workers in the world can find themselves without a job with little or no notice.

[musicnotes]

Do not assume that i have no idea what I am talking about. Of course I know I need money, why else would I be doing research? It's pretty common sense to have money saved before you do anything major like that.

For what I want to do with my life career wise, it does not require any kind of higher ed.

I did not say that i was moving INTO Philly I said areas about an HOUR AWAY FROM there. BECAUSE for the career I want, I would get more business closer to a big city and since I cannot afford NYC right now, I've decided there.

[Honest Bob]

Unless you are going to be a dope dealer, there is no way that I could with a clear conscience tell you not to try to better your situation now.

If I would have listened to my dad when I was 18 and had joined the military, I would be retired right now and living on easy street.

As it is, I am one of the millions of unemployed people who cannot find a job.

You either get into the experience part or the education part.

There is very few jobs, with the exception of burger king and McDonald's where you do not need some type of education to advance your position.

[musicnotes]

....I didn't say anything about moving now I'm talking in a year or more if I have to. I'm not stupid. Of course I'm going to have work before I move someplace.

Maybe I don't want to be on easy street. Maybe I want to work for what ever it is in life that I want.

The military is great yes, but it's not for me.

[musicnotes]

*bumping this.

Can anyone post something helpful please? :\

[Craziaskowboi]

Allentown might be a good idea. It's equidistant from both Philadelphia and New York.

[Gil3]

Originally Posted by Gnutella

Allentown might be a good idea. It's equidistant from both Philadelphia and New York.

My thoughts exactly. You may also want to consider Reading as well.

[Davros]

Originally Posted by musicnotes

Where do I go to compare taxes in states? I want to know what's what so I can get a rough guess on how much I would need to be earning to live on.

Do an internet search on "state taxes florida" and another internet search on "state taxes pennsylvania." Be warned --- much of the material you are going to find is going to be very dry, and you aren't going to feel like reading it carefully. Don't make that mistake. Read it carefully, and ask smart older friends and relatives of yours to help you with your questions about what you find. Pennsylvania has an income tax (3.07%). Also, one thing that may surpise you --- PA taxes your entire income, not your federal taxable income (which is lower). However, if you are poor enough, you may qualify for not having to pay the tax. Read up on it for sure. In addition, many municipalities also have an income tax. For example, Reading has an income tax rate of 3.2%, even higher than the state income tax. So that's 6.2% of your income spent on state and local taxes if you were to live in Reading. I think you may find that you will be paying a lot more tax in PA than what you'd pay in Florida. I could be wrong, but I think Florida doesn't have an income tax.

You are very young and have much to learn. Think very carefully about a couple of things. Why do you want to live in New York ? And why do you think going to Pennsylvania first is going to help you with the goal of making it to New York ?

[Davros]

Here's information about qualifying for not having to pay the full PA income tax.

Tax Forgiveness