Retiring to central or southern PA? (Allentown, Scranton: real estate, crime, house)

[Cougargm]

We live in NE PA, north of the Poconos region and 1/2 hr east of Scranton, near the small towns of Honesdale and Waymart. It's a gorgeous area, mainly forests, farms, lakes and streams. THere's plenty of deer, turkey and other small game as well as the occasional bear sighting. Honesdale offers a hospital, YMCA, Home-Depot, Walmart and K-Mart, movie theater, bowling alley,etc-the basics. For bigger shopping, entertainment, etc Scranton is a half hr drive and Wilkes-Barre about 45 minutes away. Real estate and taxes are reasonable compared to the Lehigh Valley and Philly suburb areas.
However, winters here are too long and too cold. We often get snow, and heavy ones at that, when Scranton and WB are getting lower accumulations, and even sometimes just rain. I know NE PA often gets snow when southern PA isn't getting much. Spring arrives sooner south of here,too. Allentown and below have flowers and leaves weeks before we even get buds up here.
We enjoy four seasons and love PA but would like to find an area similar to the NE but with a milder and shorter winter. We're wondering if there are any areas in southern or central PA that fit the bill. We're not interested in relocating to Florida or the deep south. Some parts of Tennessee match what we're looking for, but we'd like to stay in PA if we can find someplace similar to NE PA....an affordable, rural area close to a small town and within a reasonable drive of a small city. Retirement is a ways down the road but we're looking for land to eventually build on, so jobs and schools aren't factors.
Any and all suggestions would be appreciated

[danwxman]

I would recommend Cumberland county because of the sheer amount of retirement communities that are popping up all over the place. For example, in Silver Spring Township ground was broken not too long ago on a 1,000+ home development geared towards retirees. Cumberland county falls into the Harrisburg metro, which is consistently rated one of the best places to retire.

[Wanna Leave Penciltucky]

Lots of couples in my neighborhood are retired. They go to lancaster to amishland for day trips. They go to the bay to have lunch and the beach in MD. Baltimore for the day. Philly is also in 50 miles. They buy here because it is quiet and cozy. I have great neighbors in SE PA. Nicest people around.

[NittanyLion]

Bellefonte would be a nice place to retire. It's only about 15 minutes away from State College.

[Cougargm]

leads to more questions..LOL
Nittany, are winters in Bellefonte a little less severe than the northern tier counties? We seem to be on the edge of a lot of the Canadian coldfronts.
Penciltucky, what county and town are you in?
Dan, can you recommend specific towns in Cumberland county? We don't really want to be in a subdivision; we have a few acres on a country road but are only 5 miles to town, and 1/2 hr to the city, so we have the best of both worlds and would like to keep that, but with a milder winter than we get in NE PA. Up here, towns like Honesdale, Jim Thorpe and Tunkhannock are great: cute, historical, small but with the basics: hospital, movie theater, Walmart and a great pizzeria or two

[danwxman]

Originally Posted by Cougargm

leads to more questions..LOL
Nittany, are winters in Bellefonte a little less severe than the northern tier counties? We seem to be on the edge of a lot of the Canadian coldfronts.
Penciltucky, what county and town are you in?
Dan, can you recommend specific towns in Cumberland county? We don't really want to be in a subdivision; we have a few acres on a country road but are only 5 miles to town, and 1/2 hr to the city, so we have the best of both worlds and would like to keep that, but with a milder winter than we get in NE PA. Up here, towns like Honesdale, Jim Thorpe and Tunkhannock are great: cute, historical, small but with the basics: hospital, movie theater, Walmart and a great pizzeria or two

I'm actually glad you don't want to live in a subdivision I only pointed that out to show that this is a popular area for retirees. If you want small towns, we've got plenty. Mechanicsburg (lots of shopping nearby), Carlisle (more of a bigger, college town but very historical with all the shopping you want on the outskirts), Newville, Boiling Springs (very nice little town with a popular lake and "springs"), and Mount Holly Springs are some towns you could look into. You could also look at some of the rural townships like Silver Spring, Monroe, North Middleton, South Middleton, West Pennsboro and Dickinson.

[NittanyLion]

Originally Posted by Cougargm

leads to more questions..LOL
Nittany, are winters in Bellefonte a little less severe than the northern tier counties? We seem to be on the edge of a lot of the Canadian coldfronts.
Penciltucky, what county and town are you in?
Dan, can you recommend specific towns in Cumberland county? We don't really want to be in a subdivision; we have a few acres on a country road but are only 5 miles to town, and 1/2 hr to the city, so we have the best of both worlds and would like to keep that, but with a milder winter than we get in NE PA. Up here, towns like Honesdale, Jim Thorpe and Tunkhannock are great: cute, historical, small but with the basics: hospital, movie theater, Walmart and a great pizzeria or two

In Bellefonte, the average amount of snow they get in a year is about 45 inches. Were you live now you get about 55-75 inches yearly(correct?). So then yes, the winters in Bellefonte aren't as bad as in NEPA. Bellefonte is a beautiful victorian town. It has a population of about 6,000. It's one of those towns were everyone knows each other and everyone is really friendly. They have really no crime at all.
The greater Bellefonte area is made up by the boro and 4 townships. The townships are Benner township which is right close to State College and about 10 minutes from PSU campus, Spring township, Marion Township, and Walker Township. The townships are very rural, but their are some new develoments being built.
You said you wanted a "cute, historic, small but with all the basics" town. That's what Bellefonte is. It has all your basics, like a grocery store, a movie theater, a Dairy Queen, lots of small shops, a beautiful park, great resturants( Bonfatto's, The Hofbrau, Gamble Mill Tavern, Jim's Italian Cruisine, all my personal favorites). The hospital is in State College. State College also has a mall, a Target, and two Walmarts.
You also have great choices in housing in Bellefonte. You can get a beautiful renovated historical house on tree lined Linn and Curtain Streets, a nice sized house built in the '60's or '70's in Parkveiw Heights, a newly built house in Parkview Heights Estates or Springfield, a farm in one of the townships, or a house in the quite woods with 1-10 acres. The possibilites are endless. A house with a few acres should be easy to find.
You have a lot of cultural and recreational opportunities, being so close to Penn State. Yet, you are also close to great fishing and hunting. Amish Country is also in close by Penns Valley and the Walker/Marion townships, too.
Like I said, Bellefonte is very historic. Many former PA governors lived in Bellefonte. Also, President Lincoln’s great aunt by marriage – Mrs. Lucy Potter – lived in Bellefonte on N. Allegheny Street which is now the Centre County Library & Historical Museum.

To find more info. try these websites:
http://happyvalleyhomes.com/Default.aspx?tabid=1 (broken link)


http://www.relocate-america.com/states/pa/cities/bellefon.htm (broken link)
[
http://bellefonte.com/bellefontechamber/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1 (broken link)
http://www.bellefontepennsylvania.com/ (broken link)
http://bellefonte.com/index.shtml (broken link)
http://www.bellefonte.net/joomla/ (broken link)
Well, I sure hope I helped answer some of your questions, good luck to you!

[MBurg]

live in central Pa, relatives in Honesdale AND Bellefonte! these 2 towns are the most alike..there are more subdivisions in south central Pa than a person from Waymart and Honesdale would like

[carol1958]

i would like to relocate out of springville new york. The cold weather and winters here are horrible on my arthiritis and healed broken bones from over the years. we are located approx 36 miles south of buffalo in a quaint beautiful town of about 4500 pop. Unfortunatly the job market here is brutal as well as the winter weather. We get the brunt of the winter; approx 165 inches of snow a year and about 6 months of it. I would like to move south but not so south that it would be difficult to get back up here to see friends. i am thinking southern pa... i wouldnt even mind some snow and cold but not what we get. Driving around in it isn't one of my favorite things to do either, i avoid it at all cost. my kids are grown and gone, i have cats, i would needs reasonble housing and a job when i get to my destination. can anyone reccommend or mentor for me? I am able to chat on google.com at carol.gerling@gmail.com thank you

[pinetar10]

i think a great little town to check out is newburg, pa. its very rural, with lots of amish around, but its only 5 miles from shippensburg, 15 miles from chambersburg and 20 miles to carlisle.