Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Pennsylvania
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
 
Old 09-16-2010, 03:02 PM
 
1 posts, read 1,464 times
Reputation: 10

Advertisements

I'm trying to move to Eastern PA next year and I would appreciate your help in finding the magic place that fits my needs.
The reason for moving is I want to be close to NYC but not in it.
I do a lot of traveling to Europe and I would like to be close to a major international airport preferably getting to it by public transportation.
I like to live in semi-rural areas that are clean friendly and safe. but I love to take day trips to big cities every once a while. I don't like too much driving especially long distances, congested highways and inside big cities. so it will be nice to be close to train stations or a well run bus system (that how I grow up in Europe).
I also love to have a good school for my kids, and a safe parks to play.
I answered the questionnaire bellow and I will answer any other questions if you have any.
Thanks in advance.


When are you moving? summer 2011
Where are you coming from? Western US
Why are you moving? need to be close to NYC
Where will you be working? From home
Have you been here yet? No

Will you buy or rent? rent first then buy
If buying, are you looking for a house or a condo? How much can you spend?Looking for a house around 200k or less
If renting, are you looking for an apartment, a townhouse or loft? How much can you spend? whatever to get by
Do you prefer hi-rise or walk up? small towns, No hi-rise

Are you married or single? Do you have children? married, 2 yrs old child and one in the way.
Do you prefer public or private schools? Public
Do you have pets? cat
Do you want or need a yard? yard is important to me, the bigger the better
Are you keeping a car? yes but don't like to drive long distances
Do you prefer bustling activity or calm and quiet? Calm and quite

What do you want to be closest to? good schools, decent shopping, organic and natural food, decent health system, safe walk-bal area and parks. and I would love to be close to a train or subway station (either in town or less than 1 hr drive)

Do you want to live with people of a similar age, race, religion or sexual preference or do you prefer a diverse neighborhood? I just need a place where people are nice and friendly.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 09-16-2010, 04:26 PM
 
4,277 posts, read 11,718,870 times
Reputation: 3931
About the only semi-rural area with good train service is Lancaster County - see Elizabethtown or Mount Joy. These towns are too far out from Phila or NYC for normal commuting but good for occasional day trips. Local Plain Sect (not just "Amish") farmers are sources for produce. Your definition of "decent shopping" might or might not jibe with what's available in Lancaster County but King of Prussia and Baltimore are again day drives away.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-14-2012, 10:18 PM
 
Location: NEW YORK
10 posts, read 28,574 times
Reputation: 11
what is the best and cheapest town to live in pa where one could commute to nyc everyday?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-14-2012, 10:52 PM
 
13,248 posts, read 33,363,767 times
Reputation: 8098
Does it have to be safe or just cheap? It would be better if you would look over the stickies at the top of this forum and start a new thread. You might want to post in the Lehigh Valley, NEPA or Philadelphia forums since those are the locations closest to New York.
__________________
Please follow THESE rules.

Any Questions on how to use this site? See this.

Realtors, See This.

Moderator - Lehigh Valley, NEPA, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Education and Colleges and Universities.

When I post in bold red, that is Moderator action and per the TOS can be discussed only via Direct Message.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-15-2012, 12:30 AM
 
14,612 posts, read 17,308,247 times
Reputation: 7781
Quote:
Originally Posted by organicowboy View Post
I'm trying to move to Eastern PA next year and I would appreciate your help in finding the magic place that fits my needs.
The reason for moving is I want to be close to NYC but not in it.
I do a lot of traveling to Europe and I would like to be close to a major international airport preferably getting to it by public transportation.
I like to live in semi-rural areas that are clean friendly and safe. but I love to take day trips to big cities every once a while. I don't like too much driving especially long distances, congested highways and inside big cities. so it will be nice to be close to train stations or a well run bus system (that how I grow up in Europe).
I also love to have a good school for my kids, and a safe parks to play.
I answered the questionnaire bellow and I will answer any other questions if you have any.
Thanks in advance.
Your desire to live near adequate commuter trains, while perfectly reasonable in Europe is nearly impossible in the USA. Regular passenger trains to NYC only go from the Philadelphia Trenton area, and given that you are looking for a house in the neighborhood of $200K, you will find it overly expensive to live in one major metro area, and commute to another.

Airports ranked by international travel in the USA; JFK is ranked #1, Newark Airport is ranked #4 and Philadelphia is ranked #11. All of them have nonstop flights to multiple destinations in Europe.

Far more people who commute to NYC go by bus then by train. From Lehigh Valley in Eastern PA it would cost you $500 a month to go for 20 round trips (2 hours each way).

It is a long distance from PA to New York. Your life won't be easy. But there are many more family homes for $200K or less than in New Jersey.

4905 Charles St Easton, PA 18045 is on sale for $220,500 but it's been on the market for 3 months so the buyer will probably accept less. I mention this home because it is a quiet suburban home that is about a 0.70 miles from the Park and Ride where you can catch the commuter bus into NYC. You have the choice of going to Port Authority or to Downtown Wall Street Area. Since it less than a mile, your wife can probably drop you off in the morning so she can use the car. If you are ambitious you could walk to the park and ride.

Homes are generally less cost per month to purchase right now then they are too rent. A 30 year note on a $200K mortgage is about $900 per month. Throw in taxes and insurance and it will probably still cost you several hundred more to rent the same property.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-15-2012, 07:07 AM
 
Location: Philly
10,220 posts, read 16,729,984 times
Reputation: 2971
the OP said working from home so everyday commuting is off the table which means Amtrak's Keystone corridor might be a good fit. in fact, lancaster city or the immediate vicinity might work. lancaster is a small city, homes are cheap, and train service pretty good...though you don't get a lot of land in the city. perhaps nearby ephrata. do you want a large sprawling lot or do you want a nice yard in a good town?
Lancaster Central Market
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-15-2012, 07:09 AM
 
13,248 posts, read 33,363,767 times
Reputation: 8098
Note that there are two different people asking about relocating. The OP posted two years ago. The new poster in post #3 asks, "what is the best and cheapest town to live in pa where one could commute to nyc everyday?"
__________________
Please follow THESE rules.

Any Questions on how to use this site? See this.

Realtors, See This.

Moderator - Lehigh Valley, NEPA, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Education and Colleges and Universities.

When I post in bold red, that is Moderator action and per the TOS can be discussed only via Direct Message.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-15-2012, 08:22 AM
 
Location: Swiftwater, PA
18,754 posts, read 17,977,261 times
Reputation: 14730
Quote:
Originally Posted by lmustbe View Post
what is the best and cheapest town to live in pa where one could commute to nyc everyday?
I personally do not think that it would be cheaper to live in PA and commute to the city. But there are many others than have commented on the commute. You might want to check out this other thread: //www.city-data.com/forum/penns...rn-pa-few.html There is also plenty of information on both the Northeast and Lehigh Valley forum.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-15-2012, 01:40 PM
 
14,612 posts, read 17,308,247 times
Reputation: 7781
Quote:
Originally Posted by fisheye View Post
I personally do not think that it would be cheaper to live in PA and commute to the city.
I tend to agree with you, but I've worked with several people who do 50-100 mile commutes and think it is worth it. With rents in Manhattan hitting record levels and vacancies few and far apart (average rent is at $3400 now). Some people think they would rather commute.

But the OP should look at rentals in Jersey City which is a short cheap train ride to Manhattan. There are shopping malls and grocery stores on the local light rail which should allow you to sell your car(s) and save more money. You can always rent a car if you are going out for a weekend trip.

===========
We had a woman post about 6 months ago that moved to the Lehigh Valley in May-2007 and spent $438K to buy a brand new colonial in Northampton County (4 bdr, 2.5 bath, 3000 sq feet, .4 acres). They sold their 50 year old smaller home in NJ for about the same price. PA real estate taxes ($7.4K) were about $5K lower per year than NJ, and the money was supposed to pay for the commuting costs.

Her husband was unable to move his business to PA like they planned. But after 5 years of her husband commuting, he is gone most of the day, and she worries about his safety. He doesn't work in Manhattan so a car is the only reasonable way to commute, and cars wear out quickly under the strain. She misses her friends and the excitement and choices in NJ. She was a lifelong resident of NJ.

The newer home came at a hidden cost, as the home depreciated $100K, whereas her old home in NJ didn't depreciate at all. Even a hypothetical move back to her old house would be difficult to impossible given the cost of buying and selling homes, and the loss of $100K in equity.
===========
It's a difficult choice, but hopefully you can reduce your commuting to three days a week, and set up a home office for the other two days. Unlike the train which usually only sells unlimited monthly passes, you can purchase bus pass at a slightly higher rate for commuting 5, 10, 15, 20 days out of 30 calendar days.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Pennsylvania
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top