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Yesterday I got my pink slip. My job comes to an end on June 30.
My wife and I are fiftyish and relative empty-nesters. We currently live in Northern New Jersey, as we have all of our lives. We’ve often struggled with the overly high cost and excessively rapid pace of living. Though there are things about our home state that we absolutely love, my beloved and I think it’s time to consider alternatives.
So… having chosen a half-dozen states to research, we would like to spend seven to ten days in each. We’ll keep one eye on the things vacationers enjoy and the other eye looking for relocation opportunities.
One place we’d like to check out is Northwestern Pennsylvania. We’ve obtained the official travelers guide but we’d like to ask fellow city-data people for advice. (Yes, I’ve tried some searches in this forum and read the 'sticky' at the top of the topics page, and have tried to provide relevant information.) Please keep in mind that we’re watching the budget, within reason of course.
We like hiking (any) and biking (flat or moderate - rail trails).
We enjoy the arts – writing and music primarily.
We love landscape scenery.
We like being near water – lakes, bays, or oceans, it doesn’t matter.
We’re not big on winter sports.
We’re overly hospitable. (I once owned a successful bed and breakfast and would consider doing so again given the right opportunity.)
We’re college educated.
On the whole, we’re more open-minded and flexible than average.
We’re not rich. We’re not poor. We’re solidly middle class, and not retirees collecting a pension.
We are suburbanites who drive cars. Public transportation is not important to us.
We can make our own work to support ourselves so we won’t need ‘jobs.’ However, I am a NJ certified teacher (k-12) and would relocate for the right opportunity to teach at the college level. (I have taught college abroad.)
We know about Pennsylvania's personal tax structure. (A relief coming from a mega-tax state!) We know about climate and various other demographics gleaned from City-Data.
What do you think about the following:
Where in Northwestern Pennsylvania should we spend our time?
What would you recommend that we see as tourists?
What should we consider as your potential new neighbors?
Any ‘don’t miss’ spots?
Any ‘tourist traps’ to avoid?
What question did I fail to ask that you think is important?
Some of these questions are very open-ended and may seem 'rudderless.' That's because we are a bit rudderless at the moment, looking for direction. For those who choose to reply, thank you for your help.
Hiking- Allegheny National Forest
Rail/trail biking- Oil Creek State Park
Arts/writing/music- NWPA might come up a little short here. Maybe see what's going on across the state line at Chautauqua Institution. Also check out what's going on at the local colleges- Edinboro, Mercyhurst, etc.
Landscape scenery- pretty much everywhere
Water- Lake Erie, Allegheny Reservoir, across the state line Lake Chautauaqua
You have to go to Presque Isle in Erie if you're a fan of water, and I'd check out Allegheny National Forest for hiking.
One big thing you didn't ask is about weather. If you're not a fan of snow, you definitely should not move to NWPA. Getting "snowed in" is a common occurrence in the winter.
Not big on winter sports? The winters in NW PA are very long and harsh. There really are only a couple of months where you can bike. The hiking season will last longer if you don't mind rain, light snow, and freezing temps.
I would think NW PA would fit your criteria, you might want to consider the area slightly north of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh would offer the opportunity for culture/arts/festivals/fine dining and possibly the surrounding area for some college level teaching. You would be have easy access to the north to the Lake Erie/Erie section of PA, which is beautiful in the spring, summer and fall seasons. Once the snow sets in, you really have to love winters to relish the area.
Go see Presque Isle for sure. Great scenery, amazing sunsets. Also try hiking in Cook Forest National Park, it's southeast of Erie a bit, down by Brookville. It's a little over a 2 hour drive, but if you take the backroads to get there, completely worth it.
Arts/Writing/Music - Erie does have an art museum Erie Art Museum , you could check out the Erie Playhouse as well Welcome | Erie Playhouse , and the Warner Theater has some stuff: Warner Theatre Erie - Warner Theatre Tickets Available from Official-Online-Tickets.com (http://warnertheater.net/index.php - broken link)
If you're interested in wine country, just outside Erie, in Northeast you check out some of the vineyards and wine companies. A list of the wineries in the area and websites can be found here: Wine Fest - North East PA Wineries (http://www.nechamber.org/events/wine_fest/wineries.htm - broken link)
Hiking- Allegheny National Forest
Rail/trail biking- Oil Creek State Park
Arts/writing/music- NWPA might come up a little short here. Maybe see what's going on across the state line at Chautauqua Institution. Also check out what's going on at the local colleges- Edinboro, Mercyhurst, etc.
Landscape scenery- pretty much everywhere
Water- Lake Erie, Allegheny Reservoir, across the state line Lake Chautauaqua
You have to go to Presque Isle in Erie if you're a fan of water, and I'd check out Allegheny National Forest for hiking.
One big thing you didn't ask is about weather. If you're not a fan of snow, you definitely should not move to NWPA. Getting "snowed in" is a common occurrence in the winter.
You misspoke, we don't get snowed in ever, we always keep moving. We just get snow that would shut down other parts of the country, many times over during the winter
I could see NWPA being a good choice here.
Hiking- Allegheny National Forest
Rail/trail biking- Oil Creek State Park
Arts/writing/music- NWPA might come up a little short here. Maybe see what's going on across the state line at Chautauqua Institution. Also check out what's going on at the local colleges- Edinboro, Mercyhurst, etc.
Landscape scenery- pretty much everywhere
Water- Lake Erie, Allegheny Reservoir, across the state line Lake Chautauaqua
You have to go to Presque Isle in Erie if you're a fan of water, and I'd check out Allegheny National Forest for hiking.
One big thing you didn't ask is about weather. If you're not a fan of snow, you definitely should not move to NWPA. Getting "snowed in" is a common occurrence in the winter.
Fantastic feedback, pcity! Thank you.
Yes, we've noticed the proximity of Allegheny Forest and Oil Creek State Park to Oil City. One thing I failed to mention is our fascination with Victorian architecture, hence a focal point of our research has been Oil City. We're told that it has a developing arts community. A great place for starving artists?
Chautaugua Institute is very intriguing... but when we priced it out we found it may be 'too rich for our blood.' Maybe some local folk can teach us the ropes for how to enjoy it on a milder budget?
I will check out the colleges you've mentioned.
We plan to do some hiking in the forest. Based on your recommendation, we'll certainly visit Presque Isle. Thank you!
Regarding weather, we've read up on average snowfall totals via city-data and 'that other demographic site' -- (C-D is better!) We currently live in NJ's 'northwest suburbs.' Hence, we often get snow when NYC gets rain. Last winter, nearly six feet of snow dropped on us. That was more severe than normal but we handled it fine and it gave us a taste of what we can expect in NWPA. Thanks for the note of caution.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ki0eh
State College area would be great except for the "near water" criterion, there is only a tiny reservoir here and there anywhere near.
Thanks for posting, ki0eh.
Penn State would likely insist I have a doctorate to teach there. I don't have one -- almost the equivalent in other degrees, but no Ph.D. Regardless, it's a hopping place that we might enjoy.
We plan to stop at Victorian Bellefonte on our way westward. My preliminary research has us thinking farther west, but Bloomsburg, Lockhaven and Bellefonte are worth a stop.
Quote:
Originally Posted by hockyluvr
Not big on winter sports? The winters in NW PA are very long and harsh. There really are only a couple of months where you can bike. The hiking season will last longer if you don't mind rain, light snow, and freezing temps.
Thanks hockyluvr.
Wood chopping. That may become my favorite winter sport. We'll keep the home fires burning. We've also considered taking up ice skating.
Any need for snow plows? I've done my share of plowing and will gladly do more.
Quote:
Originally Posted by teachbeach
I would think NW PA would fit your criteria, you might want to consider the area slightly north of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh would offer the opportunity for culture/arts/festivals/fine dining and possibly the surrounding area for some college level teaching. You would be have easy access to the north to the Lake Erie/Erie section of PA, which is beautiful in the spring, summer and fall seasons. Once the snow sets in, you really have to love winters to relish the area.
Thanks, teachbeach!
Another reason we focused on Franklin/OC is because it's about halfway between Pittsburgh and Erie. However, we're realizing that it's not 'commutable' to either, even if only twice a week. We've been to Pittsburgh a few times, but never to Erie, so I suspect tht this year we'll focus more to the north. I'll need to search the Pittsburgh sub-forum for Victorian neighborhoods.
Yes, we like the four seasons. I like snow. I don't like 'dirty snow.' How does it look by March?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ker8
Go see Presque Isle for sure. Great scenery, amazing sunsets. Also try hiking in Cook Forest National Park, it's southeast of Erie a bit, down by Brookville. It's a little over a 2 hour drive, but if you take the backroads to get there, completely worth it.
Arts/Writing/Music - Erie does have an art museum Erie Art Museum , you could check out the Erie Playhouse as well Welcome | Erie Playhouse , and the Warner Theater has some stuff: Warner Theatre Erie - Warner Theatre Tickets Available from Official-Online-Tickets.com (http://warnertheater.net/index.php - broken link)
If you're interested in wine country, just outside Erie, in Northeast you check out some of the vineyards and wine companies. A list of the wineries in the area and websites can be found here: Wine Fest - North East PA Wineries (http://www.nechamber.org/events/wine_fest/wineries.htm - broken link)
Thank you ker8. You have really helped us out with the 'vacation' considerations for our trip. Your knowledge and links are of great value.
Cook Forest, Presque Isle, Erie, and a related wine venture are all on the agenda now. Winefest in September? We had hoped to travel earlier, but it may be worth the wait.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ker8
You misspoke, we don't get snowed in ever, we always keep moving. We just get snow that would shut down other parts of the country, many times over during the winter
Very understandable, Ker8: I have friends in Michigan's Northern Penninsula. They also enjoy all four seasons but refer to them by different names than we do. Instead of autumn, winter, spring and summer they have early winter, mid-winter, late winter and 'poor sledding'.
No problem Maverick, i hope you have some good luck in your search. I forgot to add in the previous post, Erie has free concerts every Monday during the summer, and every Thursday they close off a block downtown and have a block party. Here are a couple more links on the goings-on:
Northwest Pa ( Mercer, Crawford, Erie) are ideal biking areas and I'd extend that to cross country skiing as well. Its flat and wide open with not a lot of traffic on back roads. You'll see farms, fields, wetlands, lakes, woodlots but not big hills.
The Drake Well Museum is a must see and that whole area is very scenic. I don't think its very touristy anywhere up that way. Grove City outlets is the biggest and finest Outlet mall I've seen and thats saying something. Pymatuning lake is a great boating and fishing lake but the dam where the carp congregate is a must see.
Just south of there McConnell's Mill is very scenic. In Erie the Flagship Niagara and museum( the ship sails on tours so check ahead) is Erie's big attraction. Presque isle and boating are also fun. I've always wanted to see the Pennsylvania Lumber museum east of Warren pa, and the Kinzua railroad trestle but missed it by a year The Kinzua dam was pretty impressive.
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Thanks for sharing ~~~
Maybe some local folk can teach us the ropes for how to enjoy it on a milder budget?
even if only twice a week. We've been to Pittsburgh a few times, but never to Erie, so I suspect tht this year we'll focus more to the north. I'll need to search the Pittsburgh sub-forum for Victorian neighborhoods.
