Retiring to Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown: mortgage, environment, real estate)

[LarnedGirl]

My husband and I are thinking about retiring along the eastern border of Pennsylvania to be near our daughter who will be in the New York area for the foreseeable future. We chose Pennsylvania because it looks as though they will not tax his retirement income and the property taxes look to be lower. My husband is Italian and grew up in Brooklyn. I'm of German descent. He found a town called Roseto which is mostly Italian and German. He is hoping for a downtown area with an Italian restaurant and deli, a bookstore, coffee place and activity enough that he can enjoy walking downtown each day for some social interaction. He's looking for something similar to the neighborhood he grew up in. I grew up in a small town in Kansas and have no trouble with rural, or city, life.
We both read a great deal. He likes to play the horses. I scrapbook, do genealogy, quilt and generally occupy myself without the need for more than an occasional trip to the city for museums, strolling through neighborhoods and a show.
We are now living in Reno, NV. and the weather here is wonderful because it's dry. So, we're a bit concerned about moving back into the humid, cold winters. Is there much difference, in terms of the winters, between the northeast and the southeast of Pennsylvania? Are the summers really hot and humid? We spent several summers visiting relatives in New Jersey during August. I'm guessing that's what we will have to cope with. We were in Manhattan last December and it was miserably cold, so I know what it's like. We're just hoping for an area that has less snow than some other areas.
Bangor is a few miles from Roseto. Is that a nice place?
Thanks for any help.

[christina0001]

NE PA gets more snow than SE PA. I personally don't find it unbearably humid, but if you are from NV perhaps it may seem so to you. NJ is comparable so if you have been to NJ then you should have a general idea.
I have been to Bangor 1-2 times, it seemed like a nice, quiet little town.

[LarnedGirl]

Thanks for the info on the weather. It does look like the Canadian weather systems often dip into northern Pennsylvania.
The more we find out about the Bangor/Roseto area, the more we like it.

[bamboosmom]

But being near your daughter is the most important thing. You can always wear warm wooley clothes to stay warm or take a dip in the pool when you are hot! Family is everything and if everybody did what you are doing this country would be a much better place.
Good luck on your move and Happy Holidays.
We too are moving up to NE Pa and can't wait!!!

[peterryan]

Roseto is a small town N. of the Greater Lehigh Valley. Given your interests, you might consider looking at Bethlehem. Great opportunities to walk...bookstores, restaurants, etc,...and lots of history as well. Also, it's near the OTB, which is an important consideration. Further North, past Roseto, you'll find Pocono Downs for live racing. Keep in mind that there exists a difference in climate from the Lehigh Valley to the Poconos. There are weather sites you can visit to look at it....good luck.

[turboredcart]

You might like Allentown area. Did you know only FL has more retirees per capita then PA?

PA treats us well.
If you are low income over 65, or disabled there is a prorated RE tax rebate up to $500.


you might have to go further in to get sizable bargains in properties and such. alot of new yorkers have "rediscovered" PA.

[asegura]

wow that is exactly what Im looking for I'm Sicilian and want all of the things your husband wants. (deli's,Italian Restaurants,Trattorias, etc.) My husband is Spanish/Italian and we are coming from LA so we need to be near a large community as well what do you think of Pittsburgh? My husband likes Scranton so far and I'm just confused about all of it we are already in escrow so the clock is ticking and we need to figure out where we will settle down and raise our family .........

[ScranBarre]

Asegura, also keep in mind that Scranton vs. Pittsburgh is like comparing apples to oranges. Scranton is home to about 76,000 residents and a metro population of around 600,000 vs. Pittsburgh with a population of 316,000 and a metro population of 2.35 million. Scranton is located in the northeastern portion of the Commonwealth, approximately two hours from New York City and Philadelphia, and Pittsburg is located in the southwestern area of PA, nearer to the borders with Ohio and West Virginia, and a long haul from Philly and NYC.

Cost-of-living in both cities is quite similar, as are pay scales. However, there are admittedly more white-collar opportunities in Pittsburgh. Climate-wise, Scranton feels the effects of coastal storms, such as winter Nor'easters that can blanket the city with a foot of snow while Pittsburgh is far enough away from the Atlantic Ocean to usually emerge from Nor'easters largely unscathed---The trade-off is that some areas near Pittsburgh are more prone to lake-effect snow than Scranton is. Scranton, out of all of the medium-sized cities in PA, is probably the coldest one (perhaps tied with Erie), as well as among the cloudiest ones. As far as the scenery is concerned, both cities lie in valleys along rivers and at the base of beautiful mountains. Both cities are being threatened greatly by urban sprawl (people moving out of both cities and into the surrounding countryside to tear down trees for newer, low-density dwellings and high-density commercial areas). Both downtowns are bouncing back after a period of decline in the mid-to-late 1900s (Pittsburgh, being so large, has obviously fared a bit better than Scranton has, but Scranton has seen a tremendous amount of center city re-investment since 2000). Both cities are shedding population very quickly (the trend in Scranton should turn around after the 2010 Census as more people from New York City and New Jersey skip over the Pocono Mountains and move to Scranton in search of cheaper housing, lower crime, better schools, etc., but the trend may continue in the city of Pittsburgh for quite some time as the suburbs continue to lure people out.)

Crime-wise, per capita, Scranton is among the safest cities in the state of PA, which is a plus. Entertainment-wise, Pittsburgh obviously has Scranton beat hands down. Diversity-wise, Scranton is about 95% white, non-hispanic, and doesn't have much in the way of minority outreach programs for gays/lesbians, new immigrants, etc. whereas Pittsburgh is a wonderful melting pot of different cultures, ethnicities, and sexual orientations. As far as urban living is concerned, both cities have attractive, tree-lined urban neighborhoods, as well as slummier areas (In Scranton, "The Hill" and "Green Ridge" are among the more affluent portions of the city while much of "SouthSide" is drug-infested). School-wise, Scranton's city schools are likely going to fare better than Pittsburgh's, but suburban schools in both areas are excellent (Abington Heights in the ritzy Scranton 'burb of Clarks Summit is even ranked among the Top 100 in the nation). Tax-wise, both cities are similar; Scranton's 3.4% wage tax is a burden though.

In general, I couldn't recommend one city to you over the other until you give me some more ideas on as to what exactly you want for your family. If you want to be in a cosmopolitan, "big-city" environment, then Pittsburgh is for you; also bear in mind though that Scranton's easy two-hour drive to NYC and Philly more than makes up for its small size. If you're looking for real estate "hot-spots", I personally feel as if Scranton is about to hit a growth spurt moreso than Pittsburgh; the Pocono Mountains are filling up with NYC/NJ transplants, and the next logical place for them to move to scout out affordable real estate is Scranton (Moscow, one of Scranton's outermost suburbs, is already being inquired about). Pittsburgh, on the other hand, doesn't have the luxury of being so close to other major urban areas that it can "feed off of them", as Scranton can do (Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati, Ohio are too far from Pittsburgh to see a similar trend to what is happening between Northeastern Pennsylvnia and NYC).

Give us some more questions, concerns, preferences, etc., and help us narrow things down! I'm a bit biased towards Scranton, seeing how amazing its gone from being "dump" to "liveable" in just a few short years, but I've also been impressed by many of Pittsburgh's neighborhoods as well while visiting (and the skyline view at night from Mount Washington will take your breath away!)

[Shoegal]

Hi actually I was using asegura username on the last post I had the questions about Scranton. It looks beautiful and I think it would be great for our girls they are 12 and 7 I can only spend about 120 -140,000 on our home because I would love to be a stay at home mom. Is this reasonable or will I end up in those slums I heard of in another post. Italian Deli's and family owned restaurants, mom & pop Grocery stores are what I'm looking for I will be 2 hours from NY so we can drive out acouple of times a year for Columbus day parades and so on. I want to live in a place where you know your neighbors first and last name, and fourth of july you have a block party w/ fireworks etc. Alex (Asegura) is in IT he can do pretty much anything w/ computers and he would gladly take a pay cut to be closer to home. will he have to commute or can he get a job in down town Scranton? our Mortgage will only be about 800 a mo. so he doesnt have to make too much good benefits for the kids would take priority, well thanx in advance for all of your help with this big decision we need to make. Ciao -Amber

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by scoutsout

anyone looking for land in Northeast Pa should call 1800THELAND or visit www.1800theland.com for more info. We are the leading real estate company in NEPA for large parcels of land and offer no further subdivision. protective covenants, recent survey, clean deed, soil testing and best of all plenty of "elbow room". There is also no time frame to build and you can use your own builder. Current projects are in Lake Wallenpaupack, Dallas and one outside of Scranton in Roaring Brook Twp. These properties sell fast so don't wait to get on a mailing list or to come out and see the current project that is being sold in Dallas, PA called "Goodleigh Manor". This is one of NE PA's most upscale subdivisions and won't be around for long!

I concur. I drove past the elegant entrance to Goodleigh Manor while photographing the Demunds Road area in one of my Back Mountain photo tours, and I could tell that your company was bringing a great project to the area. While I'm not the biggest fan of picking up middle-class families from Wilkes-Barre and plopping them down in the Back Mountain at a time when our cities are trying to revitalize themselves, I still applaud Landview Properties for taking such great efforts to preserve open space in and around their neighborhoods. You also developed Laurel Brook Estates, did you not?