Moving to PA... Where would you live (rural areas only) ? (Philadelphia: rent, low crime)

[villageidiot1]

Originally Posted by Homer Bound

We, (retired H&W) 2 children 12 & 1... We love the rural areas and are mostly conservative in our views. Relocating from southern calif.. ugh... Can't wait to move! So... where would you move to if it were you? Good schools are great, but great schools that have an agenda are not good! We want our kids to learn reading, writing and arithmetic. Not how to vote in the presidential elections in the 3rd grade! Our monthly budget for housing (mortgage, utilities and insurance) would be in the area of $3000. per month give or take 500. Low crime and good air/water quality are important. We would love a bit of land (5 to 25 acres) but a charming small town property with a nice lot could change our minds. We plan to move in June 2021 and rent for the first year while we travel thru-out the state and take in all your recommendations for consideration. Furthermore, we plan to rent in and around the State Collage area as it is centrally located and has good freeway accessibility. Pros and Cons are appreciated as well as places that would be "don't ever move to..." So.... give us your humble advice. We don't care about any "why would you want to retire in PA? banter. Move to socal and you can find that out for yourselves. As we start this journey we will hopefully get the golden ticket and be forever grateful for the advice we receive here. We will also update any postings if we visit those places in our quest for the near perfect retirement home. Thanks.

Interesting that you are both retired with a one year old. I would put emphasis on education and access to healthcare, if I was in your shoes. You might want to look at Bellefonte. It is not far from State College but keeps you away from the student crowd. The school district is likely not as good as State College, but it is still large enough and will not have the declining enrollments of many western and northern PA school districts. Another town you might want to look at is Lewisburg, PA. This is a smaller college town than State College, but has a good school district, local hospital, decent economy, and close to I-80. It is slightly smaller than Bellefonte, but both have a nice small town feel.

BTW, there are few places in PA where you need a 4-wheel drive vehicle. I have lived in PA all my life and never owned one. If you're concerned about driving in snow and ice, get snow tires. If still concerned, get studs on the snow tires. Problem solved.

[Homer Bound]

Originally Posted by villageidiot1

Interesting that you are both retired with a one year old. I would put emphasis on education and access to healthcare, if I was in your shoes. You might want to look at Bellefonte. It is not far from State College but keeps you away from the student crowd. The school district is likely not as good as State College, but it is still large enough and will not have the declining enrollments of many western and northern PA school districts. Another town you might want to look at is Lewisburg, PA. This is a smaller college town than State College, but has a good school district, local hospital, decent economy, and close to I-80. It is slightly smaller than Bellefonte, but both have a nice small town feel.

BTW, there are few places in PA where you need a 4-wheel drive vehicle. I have lived in PA all my life and never owned one. If you're concerned about driving in snow and ice, get snow tires. If still concerned, get studs on the snow tires. Problem solved.

We were thinking that a 4X4 PU truck would be a bit overkill. Our first month in PA will be in Lewisburg at an AirB&B. As I grew up in the area (White Deer / Mifflinburg), I knew a bit more of this part of PA then any other. However it has been 30 + years so I'm sure that things have changed as they do all over. Never been to Bellefonte so we will check out that area for sure. As we have a month to find our rental for the first year, I welcome the advice that helps to zero in on a starting point. I am not to keen on the State Collage area per say, but it is centrally located with an abundant amount of rentals and all the stores you could need for starting over as we are selling all our furnishings and starting fresh.


Also, because we want to rent the first year and road-trip around PA to see the different areas, being centrally situated makes just about every part of the state within 2.5 to 3 hours drive away. So we could literally drop the 6th grader off at school, drive to ________, look around, have lunch and then come back to pick up the kid and get ready for supper. As we have already decided on not living in a metro area.. big cities with the big city problems wont be on our itinerary.

[PAhippo]

Originally Posted by Homer Bound

We were thinking that a 4X4 PU truck would be a bit overkill. Our first month in PA will be in Lewisburg at an AirB&B. As I grew up in the area (White Deer / Mifflinburg), I knew a bit more of this part of PA then any other. However it has been 30 + years so I'm sure that things have changed as they do all over. Never been to Bellefonte so we will check out that area for sure. As we have a month to find our rental for the first year, I welcome the advice that helps to zero in on a starting point. I am not to keen on the State Collage area per say, but it is centrally located with an abundant amount of rentals and all the stores you could need for starting over as we are selling all our furnishings and starting fresh.


Also, because we want to rent the first year and road-trip around PA to see the different areas, being centrally situated makes just about every part of the state within 2.5 to 3 hours drive away. So we could literally drop the 6th grader off at school, drive to ________, look around, have lunch and then come back to pick up the kid and get ready for supper. As we have already decided on not living in a metro area.. big cities with the big city problems wont be on our itinerary.

That actually sounds like a good plan although not sure how the 6th grader will appreciate changing schools again.


You might want to see him get involved in a couple of out-of-school activities just to help a bit with transitioning a second time.

[CARas2020]

Originally Posted by Wells5

Your rent budget will get you a nice townhouse or condominium in State College surrounded by grad students.


If you like more open and rolling country, look into northwest PA especially Crawford, Mercer and Venango Counties. Be aware that this area is in the "snow belt."


If you like a lot of hills, look at Tioga, Potter, Sullivan, Wayne and Bradford Counties in PA's northern tier.


If you would prefer a large farming area look at Fulton, Franklin, Adams and Cumberland Counties in south central PA.


You should also consider the state of New Hampshire.

Agreed NW PA is the snow belt. I grew up there. Possibly Erie County. There are quite a few small towns I would recommend Waterford. Very nice town, historical, pretty good schools but I may be biased since that's where I graduated from. Crawford county is good too but i do not know about schools but it is mostly rural.

[CARas2020]

Originally Posted by Homer Bound

jtab4994, forgive my ignorance. But what is behind the comment of :Volvo and Subaru territory. For a more pickup truck area"... We were planning to buy a new Dodge Ram 1500 4X4 once we got settled in our rental... Is that over kill or is a Subaru a better option for the rain and snow there in PA?

I know several people who own Dodge trucks and they are all extremely satisfied. If I were going to buy a truck I would probably look at Dodge first. Driving a Honda CRV now and we love it. Hubby not big on pick ups.

[CARas2020]

Originally Posted by rowhomecity

Pennsylvania does not tax retirement income. So yes it is considered to be a top 10 tax friendly state. And the most retirement friendly state in the Northeast. Property taxes in some municipalities can be a bit on the high side... but it depends where you are located.

Virginia taxes retirement income.

https://smartasset.com/retirement/retirement-taxes

Pennsylvania sales tax is also pretty decent. Pennsylvania does not tax; food, clothes and other essentials. Virginia does.

Good to know about retirement. Put it away for the future LOL. My mom retired and moved to the desert. She and her husband got tired of shoveling snow or snowblowing. They live in Vegas now and love it.

[Pahn]

If you want somewhat centrally-located, you might check out the York area. Not York itself, but the area. You've got Lancaster, Harrisburg, Gettysburg, and Baltimore all a reasonable drive away. You'd be a couple hours from Philly. Granted, access to the western portion of the state would take a bit longer, as you'd be driving up to State College to hit I-80.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by rowhomecity

Pennsylvania is a moderate state and not really deep red.

No, PA is not overall "really deep red", but our red parts of the state are "really deep red". There are still Trump signs and flags everywhere in our rural areas.

To the OP I have recently fallen in love with McKean County, PA. It is in the Northern tier of our state along the Upstate NY border and is bisected by U.S. State Route 220 and U.S. State Route 6. The small town of Kane has a few great little restaurants and shops, and there are opportunities for rural acreage just 10 minutes outside of town. McKean County is one of the reddest parts of the state politically. It is a very affordable area, and the people are friendly. On the flip-side it is also one of the coldest and snowiest counties in the state.

Another suggestion would be Wyoming County, PA. It is anchored by Tunkhannock, a small town of about 3,000 people with a Walmart, mom-and-pop hardware store, and restaurants and dollar stores. This area is also very conservative and rural, yet it is also just about a half-hour from Scranton or Wilkes-Barre if you ever get the itch to go to a more urban area for entertainment or dining or shopping.

Venango County, which has already been suggested, is another good option. There are two primary towns there---Franklin and Oil City. The entire area is conservative. Franklin has a bit of a more polished and "genteel" feel to it whereas Oil City has a more gritty, blue-collar "industrial" feel to it. The surrounding areas get rural quickly. Again, it is a cold and snowy part of the state, though.

Fulton County, in South Central PA, would be a bit warmer, and its county seat, McConnellsburg, is small but quaint and cute. Plenty of nearby rural acreage available. It might not be QUITE as cheap as the other counties since it is nearer to areas that are seeing spillover growth development from the DC and Baltimore areas.

[KoNgFooCj]

Originally Posted by rowhomecity

I would say maybe stick to Ohio or KY? Both states are far more conservative. Pennsylvania is a moderate state and not really deep red.

PA is a solid light blue state and is only getting bluer and bluer. They should def move to Ohio instead.

[rowhomecity]

Originally Posted by KoNgFooCj

PA is a solid light blue state and is only getting bluer and bluer. They should def move to Ohio instead.

I agree. Pennsylvania really is not a conservative state. I would also recommend Ohio.