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Northampton, Mass., in the Pioneer Valley along I-91 N-S, also known as the "Five College" area or "Education Corridor." It's a bit pricey to buy in, but nowhere near as bad as LI. Two-and-a-half hours to NYC. We have so many New Yorkers who have transplanted here permanently, or summer here in the adjacent hilltowns, that is has driven up property value and cost. Great downtown, arts, etc and the new senior center is quite nice. Northampton Council on Aging & Senior Center Also reliable public transport (free five-college bus system, and city buses, and senior van transport). I'm compiling info for another poster, so if interested DM me.
That area is positively beautiful, but the winters are a lot worse than Long Island winters. How are the property taxes?
Grew up in New Hyde Park now live in Reading, PA. Take a look at Lititz, PA. Small town that is really cool and walkable. Travel would be 3 1/2 hours to LI almost all interstate with a few alternative routes if traffic is bad.
Philadelphia has local taxes to consider.
Pa probably has lower real estate and income taxes than NJ.
4 hours will get you to the Washington DC area.
Thus I would look around Phil and DC with the further South the better.
My brother-in-law moved just south of Dover, DE to be within the 4 hour drive range of mid-LI. They now admit they made a mistake due to the traffic nightmares going north. They wanted out of the winters in the Poconos, got it, but now regret the time on the road to LI. Their daughter told them that they would have been better off coming down to Charleston by me because it's a quick & relatively cheap airline ticket to NY -- go figure!
Philadelphia has local taxes to consider.
Pa probably has lower real estate and income taxes than NJ.
4 hours will get you to the Washington DC area.
Thus I would look around Phil and DC with the further South the better.
Unless things have changed the past decade or so, the local taxes in Philly were only on wages, meaning pensions, Social Security and investment income wasn't subject to local income taxes. In fact, I believe that pensions and Social Security are also exempt from Pennsylvania state income taxes too.
I think Center City could be too pricey, but if OP could find something in their range, it would be a perfect setting for OP's wishes. Amtrak to NY is a piece of cake- no need to drive and it's a very pleasant ride from 30th Street Station. It's maybe a 2 1/2 hour ride.
If south Jersey, like Collingswood, any town along the Hi-Speed Line would give access to Center City inside of 20 minutes. I think the main drawback would be the very high real estate taxes and car insurance rates in New Jersey.
If south Jersey on the Hi-Speed Line, Haddonefield would be a most beautiful place to land, and only a couple of stops further out than Collingswood. Best wishes on a move to the Delaware Valley area!
According to my research, CT only taxes whatever portion of your SS income that the IRS taxes. So for instance if you have, say, $30K in SS income but no other taxable income, CT would not tax any of your SS benefits. Let's say you have $30K in SS income but due to additional income from an IRA or pension, then $2000 of that $30K SS money is taxable by the Feds; CT will only tax you on that $2000.
I'm still in the process of researching various CT towns. I started with Hartford County and am also looking at the stats for certain towns in New Haven County, Middlesex County and New London County. Fairfield and Litchfield counties are too pricey for my budget, and Tolland and Windham counties are too wintry, LOL. In addition to a SFH my must-have list includes public water rather than a well, and proximity to a good hospital (meaning NSLIJ quality, which is tough to find anywhere outside of NY metro). I also don't want to be within 5 miles of the water or any flood-prone area which eliminates a lot of the towns directly on the CT coast/LI Sound. CT does have a nuclear power plant in Waterford which is right on the coast, btw.
Another thing I look at is environmental issues. With all of LI's development you would think we'd have a lot of superfund sites and polluters than we do; I was surprised to discover that in all of Suffolk County (about 900 sq miles) there are only 19 superfund sites. But there are towns in CT (and in many other states) in which there are a dozen or more superfund sites within anywhere from 12 to 30 square miles. So I do take that information into consideration as well. A few towns have been crossed off my list because I wasn't comfortable with the number of environmental issues within its borders.
According to my research, CT only taxes whatever portion of your SS income that the IRS taxes. So for instance if you have, say, $30K in SS income but no other taxable income, CT would not tax any of your SS benefits. Let's say you have $30K in SS income but due to additional income from an IRA or pension, then $2000 of that $30K SS money is taxable by the Feds; CT will only tax you on that $2000.
I'm still in the process of researching various CT towns. I started with Hartford County and am also looking at the stats for certain towns in New Haven County, Middlesex County and New London County. Fairfield and Litchfield counties are too pricey for my budget, and Tolland and Windham counties are too wintry, LOL. In addition to a SFH my must-have list includes public water rather than a well, and proximity to a good hospital (meaning NSLIJ quality, which is tough to find anywhere outside of NY metro). I also don't want to be within 5 miles of the water or any flood-prone area which eliminates a lot of the towns directly on the CT coast/LI Sound. CT does have a nuclear power plant in Waterford which is right on the coast, btw.
Another thing I look at is environmental issues. With all of LI's development you would think we'd have a lot of superfund sites and polluters than we do; I was surprised to discover that in all of Suffolk County (about 900 sq miles) there are only 19 superfund sites. But there are towns in CT (and in many other states) in which there are a dozen or more superfund sites within anywhere from 12 to 30 square miles. So I do take that information into consideration as well. A few towns have been crossed off my list because I wasn't comfortable with the number of environmental issues within its borders.
Her point though is Massachusetts doesnt tax SS. There are only a handful of states that do tax SS and CT is one.
As for taxes and COL you could do worse then MA. The weather is a bit tough in the winter but baring that the climate is good. Springfield area is pretty nice as long as you stay out of the bad sections. You are not far from Bradley Airport. The roads are fairly well maintained. You are close enough to get the Yankees on TV and have some company though the Red Sox bandwagon does have seats for ex-yankee fans.
Well, there are two ferries to CT from Suffolk: the Pt Jefferson/Bridgeport one and the Orient/New London one.
I've never taken the New London one but the PJ/BPort one takes about an hour to cross the Sound. Lovely relaxing ride too.
I was just thinking when I asked the question that depending on where you live on LI, one of your 4 hours might be taken up with just getting off the Island if you're thinking Delaware, for example.
Yes, I can confirm that income from pensions (private or public), social security and IRA distributions are not taxable in PA. Also, I would support the poster who said you will be hard pressed to find a home in Center City Philadelphia for $250K. Properites that require rahabl to the studs are going for more than that. I believe you could, however, find a nice studio or small one bedroom for 1700/month. I don't rent, but a search engine could give you a feel for what's available.
I second your consideration of Colingswood, NJ - it has a great Main Street. In the PA suburbs, you might take a look at in Media, PA. Finally, Newark, DE is a university town just off of 95 with a vibrant Main Street that exudes small town America. Delaware is known to be good for taxes, but I don't know how they treat pensions and other retirement sources of income.
Last edited by Pine to Vine; 04-08-2014 at 02:40 PM..
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