Infor on Ashland Pa (Hazleton, Pottsville: real estate, apartments, crime)

[stingray]

Looking To move out of Ne/ philly
I am retried on disability and looking for a quite safe place in pa
To live The problem is I see a lot of new homes going up and price looks good only to find that the taxes blows it for me as I am on a fixed income I was looking at Ashland Pa
Saw on line some nice homes But don’t know anything about the taxes
Does any one know anything about Ashland

[Dawne]

Ashland is an older, coal-mining community. There are row homes and stand-alone homes. The main street is on a BIG hill and it's just a hop, skip and jump to Centralia, the town with the mine fire burning beneath it. Ashland has a coal mine tour that is quite popular with tourists.

I would imagine the houses in Ashland itself would have relatively low taxes. I can't think of any developments in the surrounding area except for New Centralia, which is located closer to Kulpmont (I think).

Keep us posted on how you make out, and good luck with your quest.

[unsure in pa]

Ashland is a fairly quiet community. The homes in Ashland are many different types, prices and taxes to us are a bit on the high side depending on where you live. If you live just outside you are going to pay in taxes. There are many new homes just outside, along with older homes. There are a few developments on the south side of Ashland, the opposite direction of Centralia.

[NWPAguy]

Fox, your post should be on the "People Search" forum. They'll be able to help you out.

As for Ashland, I had an investment house there and I worked there for a while. As towns in the Schuylkill County area go, the property taxes are quite high. (That being said, they're nothing compared to, say, New Jersey property taxes.) People around there complain about property taxes all the time. If you're looking for a good place to live where you don't have to pay a lot of property tax, there are ways to look up the towns in Schuylkill County and determine the tax rate for each. (I'm forgetting how I got this information, but I did read a list once.)

If I recall correctly, the town of Pine Grove, PA had ZERO property tax. I'd say you should check that out.

Ashland and the surrounding area is a nice place for some people... and it's really not a bad place for anyone. Crime is pleasantly low... and anything that ever happens is just like minor vandalism. I lived in Shenandoah, in a house practically on the sidewalk... kids would steal mini pumpkins from my Halloween decorations... stuff like that. It's a very old-school area. Lots of elderly people live there... but there's not a whole lot that keeps young people around. If they stay in the area, they'd sooner live somewhere like Pottsville where there are more "city-style" amenities.

[sleeplessinpa]

Look up Schuylkill County Courthouse. Under Departments look for Tax Assessment Office and you will find ALL the towns and School tax rates in mills.

Pine Grove does INDEED have Property Taxes and their milles are 12.0000 for town and 37.9000 for school. The County tax rate is 11.4200

Ashlands rates are: 19.8000 town, 33.8600 school and 11.4200 county for about 65.08 mills.

Their website does not offer you the opertunity to look up address and get an idea of taxes but if you buy a house for $100,000 and they assess you at 50% of that then your taxes are(lets say Pine Groves 61.32 mills x 50,000= $3,066 in taxes a year.

The biggest problem in the coal area is School taxes they are forever going up. There is very little industry to offset the homeowners real estate taxes.

If your looking to control costs better I would consider Sussex County Delaware . Many people are moving there because of the low Real estate Taxes. We are considering it as well because school taxes have doubled in the past 10 years here. Yes they are lower that Jersey but high for us considering income here is low to start with. It is a depressed area and yes slow paced.

P.S. I grew up in farm country Ringtown which is over the mountain from Shenadoah. Shenadoah's(a coal town) kids have always been noted to be rowdy even back in the 60's when I was a tyke.

[nurseannieb]

I live in Ashland for the last 25 years. Like any place, there are good points and bad points.
Good points- once you get out of the coal region with its piles of silt there is beautiful scenery, especially in the fall.
Small town, usually quiet. Occ burglaries otherwise not much crime. Nice Senior Citizen apartments.
Bad points- several surrounding small town are slowly deteriorating as older residents die/young people move out. Gang activity in Shenandoah and Hazleton - drug trade from Philly/ny.
Local hospital closed in April- nearest one now is 30 minutes away.
Also, you will need a car. Very limited bus service, no cabs or other forms of public transportation.

Good luck in your search.

[HappyRider]

I ride through the town often. Typical PA small town. Not sure I want to be that close to Centralia. They haven't figured out how to put out the fire you know!

[Icy Tea]

I like Ashland for a coal mining town but I wouldn't want to live there. Still there are some nice areas along Route 61 along the mountains which look pretty quiet and it might make a nice weekend retreat area. There is a big hospital/senior care center there.
Orwigsburg is a decent small town, not really coal regions but close by. Then there's Schuylkill Haven, Pottsville, St. Clair, Frackville, Ashland, Mt. Carmel and Shamokin and then Sunbury.
I think Shamokin and Sunbury have senior highrises. Nesquehoning is more on the edge of the Poconos but seemed like a nice town as did Jim Thorpe. Both very scenic. Hazleton was kind of dreary looking. Lehighton was too although the outskirts of town are pretty nice.

[HappyRider]

Shamokin looks very depressing and run down. May be it is just the part of town I ride through but I doubt it.

[MatildaLoo]

Originally Posted by Icy Tea

I like Ashland for a coal mining town but I wouldn't want to live there. Still there are some nice areas along Route 61 along the mountains which look pretty quiet and it might make a nice weekend retreat area. There is a big hospital/senior care center there.
Orwigsburg is a decent small town, not really coal regions but close by. Then there's Schuylkill Haven, Pottsville, St. Clair, Frackville, Ashland, Mt. Carmel and Shamokin and then Sunbury.
I think Shamokin and Sunbury have senior highrises. Nesquehoning is more on the edge of the Poconos but seemed like a nice town as did Jim Thorpe. Both very scenic. Hazleton was kind of dreary looking. Lehighton was too although the outskirts of town are pretty nice.

I'm assuming you only rode down 209 if that's your impression of Lehighton. Houses along 209/First Street are rundown, but the rest of the town is actually quite nice. It's actually nicer than Nesquehoning, that's for sure.