Retired vet looking at Erie mostly cuz it’s cheap to live. Thoughts? (Lancaster: crimes, college)

[folkguitarist555]

Originally Posted by bridge12

Yeah, right downtown can sometimes get noisy because people like to show off cars. That being said, once you are a few streets off the "main drag" so to speak, it's much quieter. And I'd live just west of downtown, closer to the lake the better, rather than the east side (which is genuinely more run down, though there are a few nice pockets). I'm surprised your friend said they didn't get much snow! To be fair, as I said, there is a HUGE difference in snow between the city and suburbs. The city is right on the lake so it tends to be warmer in November through January until the lake freezes over, so oftentimes the lake effect snow is actually rain along the lake shore. Specifically, if I were you, I'd target the area west of state street and north of 10th street to look at. It's the nicest part of the city, a mix of apartments and single family homes (some are multiunit), pretty walkable/busable to downtown. The area around Erie cemetery isn't bad either and pretty close to the VA clinic (but maybe not as walkable).

She also said it was extremely standoffish and very unwelcoming. That concerns me. Because Pittsburgh was exactly that way. I’ll still keep looking at Erie though. For sure.

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by folkguitarist555

I got zero knowledge of oil city. What’s it like? Your right. Medusa price if a house is $50k. Wow. Unheard of. Is it a run down ghetto or something?

https://www.oilcity.org/

https://www.visitpa.com/region/penns...egion/oil-city

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_City,_Pennsylvania

https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/pa...%201%20in%2070.

Run down or ghetto? No, not really. My neighbors in Maryland would consider it a ghetto because they are special kinds of people who are very important but Oil City is much like much of that area of PA. The recessions of the late 1970's/early 1980's ripped gaping wounds in the entire area which haven't completely healed yet.

Would I have a problem living there, or anywhere in the area for retirement? No, with a caveat. The caveat is that I had my fill of winter weather when I lived up there and 40 years in the much milder climate of Southern Maryland has spoiled me.

$50,000-$75,000 for a house is not unusual in that quadrant of PA.

[Pahn]

Originally Posted by folkguitarist555

I got zero knowledge of oil city. What’s it like? Your right. Medusa price if a house is $50k. Wow. Unheard of. Is it a run down ghetto or something?

Oil City is a rural, working-class town. You won’t have big-city amenities. Still, while there are better and worse parts of town, you likely wouldn’t feel unsafe anywhere.

Hard to beat the price, but you’ll probably need a car to get around.

[RetireinPA]

I saw the word johnstown in there- having once lived there with family that still does - avoid. the only fix for j-town is paving it over with concrete.



Now as for erie, sadly, it has become one of the drug capitols of PA - you can subscribe to the times online and research. while its drug violence-murder is lower than say pitt, its drug crime such as theft is much higher and its od incidents are about on par. climb up on the 'cap' south of erie, south of I90 and it improves infinitely.



But it is going to have a polar vortex wind blowing every day from nov1-april-15, and even when it is nice out, its still not nice out on the lake if you leave the presque isle bay - you need 30ft+ and your commercial license as small craft warnings are up about 300 days of the year.


I have been to both cities often and the only similarities are they are near water. Seattle has markedly small variation in climate, especially compared to erie. And you cannot get coffee in erie - we tried. When the best coffee bing bangs between sheetz and wegmans...well you get the point.


Lewis vet? lil bro was there, 2nd Bn 75th

[bridge12]

Originally Posted by RetireinPA

I saw the word johnstown in there- having once lived there with family that still does - avoid. the only fix for j-town is paving it over with concrete.



Now as for erie, sadly, it has become one of the drug capitols of PA - you can subscribe to the times online and research. while its drug violence-murder is lower than say pitt, its drug crime such as theft is much higher and its od incidents are about on par. climb up on the 'cap' south of erie, south of I90 and it improves infinitely.



But it is going to have a polar vortex wind blowing every day from nov1-april-15, and even when it is nice out, its still not nice out on the lake if you leave the presque isle bay - you need 30ft+ and your commercial license as small craft warnings are up about 300 days of the year.


I have been to both cities often and the only similarities are they are near water. Seattle has markedly small variation in climate, especially compared to erie. And you cannot get coffee in erie - we tried. When the best coffee bing bangs between sheetz and wegmans...well you get the point.


Lewis vet? lil bro was there, 2nd Bn 75th

Huh? I had great coffee at Ember + Forge in downtown Erie last summer. It's still open. Cool little spot.

Pressed Books and Coffee is another great spot on the west side.

I don't know about the drug issue, it's pretty bad all over the rust belt right now. IDK that Erie is any worse than other cities. But I had to jump in and disagree about coffee!

[pcity]

Originally Posted by bridge12

But I had to jump in and disagree about coffee!

Me too. I liked Tipsy Bean on Peach St. the last time I was in Erie.

I'm sure Erie has its negatives but lack of coffee isn't one of them.

[pcity]

Originally Posted by folkguitarist555

I got zero knowledge of oil city. What’s it like? Your right. Medusa price if a house is $50k. Wow. Unheard of. Is it a run down ghetto or something?

This isn't uncommon in rural PA towns. Demand is low because there are few jobs, few amenities, and harsh winters. A lot of people who would move there already have family ties to the area. Also, the people who do want to move to rural PA are often looking for acreage, and aren't looking to be in town, which lessens demand even more.

Crime usually isn't bad in these towns. The biggest crime issue is usually opiate-related- burglaries being done by drug users to try and fund their habit.

[folkguitarist555]

That’s one thing about Seattle. And the PNW In general, it is basically a pretty somewhat middle class environment the entire Northwest. Granted in recent years Tacoma has been kind of sorta rough. But that’s pretty much it, there’s a couple spots south of downtown Seattle that are a little rough but all in all there ain’t nothing like Cleveland or Buffalo or Detroit anywhere to be found anywhere in the PNW. I mean if Missoula Montana was affordable or even if Seattle is affordable I would’ve stayed. For being from the nor Easter originally, I decided to get close to home in my lottery years. But it was a hard decision. So one of my concerns with Pennsylvania for instance, is the crime and the inner-city ghetto areas. Why do I say this? Because in the Pacific Northwest your eyes don’t see this kind of thing. From my research in regard to Pennsylvania from Philly, Pittsburgh and etc. Scranton, it seems to me that just about every city in PA is pretty ghetto, from what I’ve read. Granted the primary attraction is cheap housing. I’m just being honest. Erie sounds like a decent place why? Because it is dirt cheap and takes me a little closer to the north east where I’m from. Plus I believe Erie has a VA Medical Center in town? A full-service Medical Center not a clinic. And from what I understand they got a nice little bus system. So it’s still on my list but I am a little nervous about it. And if I wanted to duplicate the northwest my first choice would be either Vermont New Hampshire or Maine. But sadly, those states are extremely expensive and getting worse by the week. Even though there are no jobs in those three states. I have to make a decision within the next four weeks. So I’m still gonna continue to take a good look at Erie, but I am concerned about the intercity ghetto hard-core crimaries

[Pahn]

Check out all the cities in PA with VA hospitals. There's one near Lancaster, which is apparently an in-demand place for some reason. Butler has one too, and having lived in Butler, I can say it's a nice place. I don't think there's much in the way of transit, though.

[folkguitarist555]

Originally Posted by Pahn

Check out all the cities in PA with VA hospitals. There's one near Lancaster, which is apparently an in-demand place for some reason. Butler has one too, and having lived in Butler, I can say it's a nice place. I don't think there's much in the way of transit, though.

Butler is suburb of Pittsburg. And Lancaster is a sanctuary city. I’ll pass. But thanks. I think Erie still is the only spot in PA.