What's life like in Erie and surrounding suburbs? (Pittsburgh, Monaca: fit in, how much)

[txtqueen]

Originally Posted by trackstar13

The taxes in NY are very high and while PA is one of the higher tax states in the U.S., it is nowhere near the top.

Here is a good list of states by income tax rate and notice that PA does not even make the top ten: https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tool.../INF23232.html

Income Taxes (2015)

• California 13.3%
• Hawaii 11.0%
• Oregon 9.9%
• Minnesota 9.85%
• Iowa 8.98%
• New Jersey 8.97%
• Vermont 8.95%
• District of Columbia 8.95%
• New York 8.82%
• Maine 7.95%

Property and sales taxes are the only taxes for residents that are relatively high, but this depends on the region and city. The sales tax for Erie county is currently 6% and clothing/food are not taxable items. Also, property taxes are somewhat high in the city of Erie, but relatively low in almost all of the surrounding areas of Erie county. It is also relative because while my property taxes as a city of Erie resident are higher than surrounding areas, my house also cost less so my mortgage is much smaller than I would have had in a place like Millcreek. Also, while my property taxes initially went up after purchasing my house, because it had not been assessed properly in many years, my property taxes have finally plateaued and it looks like there will be no increase for me this year.

I don't think I've ever lived anywhere that food/clothes wasn't taxed.
That sounds awesome.

[bluecarebear]

Originally Posted by trackstar13

Crime was slightly higher than last year for Erie and the murder rate was the same as 2014. Here is a link to the data: https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/uc...june-2015/home

Also, Erie is much cheaper than Buffalo and the taxes are also lower in PA than they are in NY.

Not much of a difference. My relatives down south pay 1/4 the amount in property taxes compared to what I was paying on a house. Plus the other PA taxes and fees.

[trackstar13]

Originally Posted by bluecarebear

Not much of a difference. My relatives down south pay 1/4 the amount in property taxes compared to what I was paying on a house. Plus the other PA taxes and fees.

I can't tell what you are asserting by your post here. Are you claiming that Buffalo is only slightly more expensive than Erie or that the south is much cheaper or both? I can agree that some parts of the south are cheaper than Erie county in terms of property taxes, but not that Buffalo is only slightly more expensive than Erie. The taxes in Buffalo are significantly higher as well as the price of property. According to this cost of living calculator from CNN (linked below) that does not seem to factor in taxes, housing is 19% more expensive in Buffalo than Erie. I would say that 19% is more than just a little bit of a difference, especially when you factor in the significant difference in property taxes.

Source: Cost of living: How far will my salary go in another city? - CNNMoney

Here is a good article about how high the property taxes are in the Buffalo region: WNY’s property taxes highest, study confirms - City & Region - The Buffalo News

[bluecarebear]

Originally Posted by trackstar13

Are you claiming that Buffalo is only slightly more expensive than Erie or that the south is much cheaper

Yes. I am claiming both. I could save a ton moving south again. I would choose Buffalo over Erie because the lack of attributes doesn't justify living in Erie. I would pay a little more to move back to Buffalo.

[trackstar13]

Originally Posted by bluecarebear

Yes. I am claiming both. I could save a ton moving south again. I would choose Buffalo over Erie because the lack of attributes doesn't justify living in Erie. I would pay a little more to move back to Buffalo.

Okay so you admit that Buffalo is more expensive than Erie, but you are saying that you would rather live in Buffalo due to the attributes of the area. Your original statement did not mention this and you would be paying a significant amount more to live in Buffalo, not a little more. With that being said, it sounds like you want to live in a low tax area so the only area in the south that would work is Florida. Many of the southern areas are not as low tax as you think and to really get low taxes you need to either move to Florida or go to a place like Wyoming, South Dakota, or Alaska.

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by txtqueen

What's life like in the Erie/Harborcreek area?
How are the people?

Frankly, Erie can be anything you want it to be. I only learned that after I moved away. There's a lot to do, and a lot going on, but you have to look for it. You have to find your niche; it isn't going to find you. Erie has a fantastic music scene and a great local theater scene. The colleges offer an array of cultural and other opportunities.

Sure, you can go to Starbucks -- or Timmy's -- but you get good coffee, great sweets, and better conversation at the Park Dinor or Jack Frost Donuts. And you'll spend less money. You can go to major restaurant chains, but the food is better at Serafini's or Syd's or the Oakwood Cafe. You can buy jewelry at the national chain store at the mall, but you can find amazing jewelry and art at Relish or the Glass Growers Gallery.

As for Harborcreek, it's a large, semi-rural township centered around a small village that pretty much has any type of residential development you can think of, as well as a large commercial strip at its western edge, farms and vineyards, and some nice parks.

Originally Posted by jFug

-As trackstar13 said, a lot of older Erie citizens vocally express their lack of 'pride' in the city, because of our economic situation.

The fact of the matter is, Erie is going through what every other rust belt city has gone/is going through. The population is declining and several manufacturing jobs are leaving town, but this trend has happened before in other cities.

It's been happening in Erie for 40 years - it's taking longer and cutting deeper than in similar industrial cities, except for Detroit and maybe Dayton. That doesn't mean Erie can't reinvent itself, but it's taking a long time.

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

It also has two great local chocolatiers---Romolo and Pulakos.

Incorrect. It has three. You are unaware of Stefanelli's.

Originally Posted by bluecarebear

PA is not a cheap place for housing unless the property is not in good shape or in a sketchy neighborhood. The Northeast is not a cheap place to live.

Cheap is relative. Compared to other parts of Pennsylvania, Erie is an inexpensive place to live, even the expensive properties.

[trackstar13]

Ohiogirl81

Good post and I would add that Erie is also probably better off than Flint and Youngstown, even with the recent GE layoffs. I would say that South Bend has also suffered significantly in recent years, but is slightly better off than Erie because the population decline has finally stopped and South Bend is doing a great job redeveloping the city.

[bluecarebear]

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81

Cheap is relative. Compared to other parts of Pennsylvania, Erie is an inexpensive place to live, even the expensive properties.

Inexpensive IF there are lots of high paying jobs. Those are scarce. Trust me, I know plenty of people who have moved away from the city because of the lack of jobs and layoffs.

Western PA is not cheap. Not sure when you last lived here. Yes, Erie is cheaper than Philly but so is Pittsburgh.

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by trackstar13

Ohiogirl81

Good post and I would add that Erie is also probably better off than Flint and Youngstown, even with the recent GE layoffs. I would say that South Bend has also suffered significantly in recent years, but is slightly better off than Erie because the population decline has finally stopped and South Bend is doing a great job redeveloping the city.

Oh, good Lord, I forgot about Flint. Those poor people.

Originally Posted by bluecarebear

Western PA is not cheap. Not sure when you last lived here. Yes, Erie is cheaper than Philly but so is Pittsburgh.

35 years ago and I can't believe I can say that. That doesn't mean I don't know what's going on. But you're right, costs have caught up somewhat with the rest of the world in the past 20 years or so. Even still, Erie's housing costs are about half what they are in Philly. Food is lots less expensive as well.

[ghostee]

Erie and surrounding places are ok. The population decline of the last 40 years is a depressing fact to me though. Maybe it's just me, but I would love to live near a city with more people-the "major leagues"-which tend to be higher quality than the "minor leagues", are generally in top 100 markets or something.