Affordable and safe small town for retirement in PA (Scranton: for rent, crime)

[fisher55]

Hi,

I've read the City-Data forums over the years to get information on areas before moving. In the past, I've always researched large metropolitan areas so the data was available on existing threads. However, I have just retired and am now looking to move into a small town that is affordable and safe. I've searched through the forum so far and haven't really found exactly the info that I'm looking for so I thought I'd register and ask. I thank you in advance for any information and advice that you guys and gals can provide.

The parameters of my search are as follows:

Purpose: I'd like to retire to a small town in a region that has access to good fishing and hunting around it. Safety is a very important consideration.
Cost: I'm looking for rent that's under $1000 a month, preferably much less if that's possible. I am only interested in houses and townhouses.
Extra: I'd prefer to not live in a super snowy place as shoveling snow isn't exactly as easy for me as it used to be...

I'm currently in NYC (moved here for work) and am very open to advice and suggestions on where to move to for retirement. Pennsylvania seemed like a good choice as it is a fairly short and easy move while still having good fishing and hunting opportunities, but I would also be open to hearing about suggestions for other states to consider.

Thanks again!

[Wells5]

My suggestions would be Coudersport, Smethport, St. Marys, Brookville, DuBois, Ligonier. Corry, Muncy, Emporium, Bellefonte, Lewisburg, Honesdale and Wellsboro. Ask this in the New Hampshire and Maine forum, too.

[Evergrey]

I would suggest Port Allegany, Kane, Ridgway, Clarion, Clearfield, Somerset, Warren, Montoursville, Renovo, Lock Haven, Selinsgrove, Montrose and Galeton.

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by Wells5

My suggestions would be Coudersport, Smethport, St. Marys, Brookville, DuBois, Ligonier. Corry, Muncy, Emporium, Bellefonte, Lewisburg, Honesdale and Wellsboro. Ask this in the New Hampshire and Maine forum, too.

Originally Posted by Evergrey

I would suggest Port Allegany, Kane, Ridgway, Clarion, Clearfield, Somerset, Warren, Montoursville, Renovo, Lock Haven, Selinsgrove, Montrose and Galeton.

The OP doesn't want a whole lot of snow.

[Flamingo13]

Not sure why OP is picking PA - the entire state gets snow

[ki0eh]

I'll suggest Milton, Sunbury, Berwick, Lewistown, and Mount Union as possibilities. While all of PA can and does get snow, this east-central area is isolated a bit from the usual big snow dump makers of lake effect and coastal storms. Areas further south and east tend to have better job opportunities for higher rents. Areas further north and to some extent west have been affected by the shale gas development (higher rents again) and tend to be snowier. These 5 towns are often considered a little bit down-market compared to neighboring Lewisburg, Selinsgrove, Danville/Bloomsburg, State College, and Huntingdon that have colleges (or the Geisinger medical complex in Danville). Coming from NYC any local complaints about crime in these towns (which is pretty much from the down-market perception) would be rather laughable.

A little bit further west and south the Morrisons Cove area (Roaring Spring, Martinsburg, Williamsburg - yes I am talking PA, Blair/Bedford counties), and Everett and Bedford, could be worth looking into. These towns are out of the shale and the major snow areas as well.

[fisher55]

Thank you everyone for your suggestions so far. I will start researching the towns that have been mentioned.

The reason I am thinking of Pennsylvania is that the move from NYC is pretty short and easy, while still providing access to the outdoors and also having an abundance of small towns from what I've read so far. I hesitate to make a long distance move cross country yet as I am in a somewhat early retirement and could potentially see myself wanting to work again at some point if I find retirement to be not my cup of tea.

As for the issue of snow, that's one of the things that I had hoped would be answered by users on this forum. As many of you are probably aware, NYC snow levels are quite modest in general and I am not familiar with how much the various areas of Pennsylvania get. Considering some of the comments about how all of Pennsylvania gets a lot of snow, do you guys and gals recommend that I look into West Virginia as well?

With regards to New Hampshire and Maine, I do appreciate the suggestion of those states. I'm not really interested in moving east of NYC as I have lived in parts of New England in my younger days and seem to recall massive amounts of snow in those locales.

Thank you again and please keep the suggestions and info coming. I appreciate it!

[Evergrey]

Originally Posted by fisher55

Considering some of the comments about how all of Pennsylvania gets a lot of snow, do you guys and gals recommend that I look into West Virginia as well?

West Virginia locales often get more snow than Pennsylvania locales. If you move out here, you're gonna have to embrace the snow.

[rsrobbins]

If you want to visit NYC occasionally Susquehanna Trailways offers at least one bus trip to NYC a month. They usually give you 8 hours in the city. They pick up passengers in Renova, Williamsport, Danville, and Muncy.

In the Scranton / Wilkes-Barre area you could use Martz Trailways to make more frequent trips to NYC. In Harrisburg you could take an Amtrak train.

[toobusytoday]

Originally Posted by Evergrey

West Virginia locales often get more snow than Pennsylvania locales. If you move out here, you're gonna have to embrace the snow.

I agree. One of our moves was from upstate NY to West Virginia. The difference we found was that they didn't tend to plow the roads in WV, which made negotiating their hills much more interesting.

I've found snowfall to be pretty hit or miss, depending on where the storms are coming from. This has certainly been a snowy winter for the Lehigh Valley. What I think makes a difference is how long the winter lasts and lately it seems that winter weather can start in November and hang on through March.