Active retirement area in Pa (Philadelphia, Lancaster: sales, 2015, homes)

[Mggs11]

Looking for more input. Probably locating to Pa.,sometime next year. Am planning on living in area close to Pocono mtns.,NYC. Delaware Water Gap. but not definite. Looking for an area where many active retirees live. Thank you.

[jtab4994]

I live in Shawnee, a stone's throw from DWG and I have to say I don't think of this as a retirement area. Most retirees avoid snow and ice. There's plenty of golf, though.

[psurangers11]

I used to live in Marshalls Creek (Specifically Country Club of the Poconos)... many years ago these private communities and Country Clubs were very attractive to potential retirees. However, not anymore... a lot of the area has become a cesspool and many of these once gated communities have become the home to lots of trouble. I have never seen an area littered with more state troopers in my life.

If you want to be somewhere closer to these areas consider the Lehigh Valley.

[kyle19125]

I would recommend looking at the town of Easton which has several active-adult communities.

[Icy Tea]

Lancaster area is very big on active retirees and that whole area.. Berks, Lancaster, Lebanon, Chester, Montgomery, Lehigh, is very well suited to senior living.

[Wells5]

Suggest Hemlock Farms, a private community in Lords Valley Pike County. It has many amenities and is not too far away from the greater New York City area.

[TLC1957]

You did not indicate your budget or why you picked the Pocono but as others have said check out Chester County a suburb of Philadelphia specifically West Chester. We Lived in rural NJ, 30 mins from the Pocono’s with few restaurants and entertainment and retired in 2015 and moved to West Chester Borough, we love it. People are very friendly, the town has a community spirit, downtown is alive with always something going on, tons of places to explore, live theater, 75 plus restaurants and many shops. The Halloween and Christmas parades are amazing and not to be missed. It seems they always have something going on downtown where they shut down the streets and have a great time. Here is the Borough Parks and Recreational web site to give you and idea of the things happening.

https://west-chester.com/139/Parks-Recreation


If you love gardens Longwood Gardens is 20 min drive, amazing place a must see. We are members and visit many times during the year. https://longwoodgardens.org
Just a short drive away are more gardens are in Delaware

https://www.visitwilmingtonde.com/th...tions/gardens/

With a tradition of horticulture going back 300 years, Philadelphia is America’s Garden Capital.
Visit more than 30 public gardens, arboreta, and historic landscapes, all located within 30 miles of our landmark city.

http://americasgardencapital.org/?fb...wTHsIAEGJ_jMo-

If you like mansions more in Delaware with many DuPont family homes and other attractions.

https://www.visitwilmingtonde.com/th...o/attractions/

The area around West Chester has many walking and bicycle trails.

https://www.chescoplanning.org/resou...circuittrails/

Delaware the place with no sales taxes(think liquor, stoves, tv, washer/dryer, etc.) is 20 mins away. Train service to Philly is 15mins away in Exton, local train you are in center city in 55 minutes . You can be in the country in 10 mins. Schools are rated very high. Tons of shopping nearby, King of Prussia mall is 20 mins away, largest mall in the east. Many others malls in the area. The Philadelphia Airport is 40 minutes away.

West Chester is a university town, West Chester University with about 13K students on and off campus, if that bothers you may not like it. You have to be careful not to live near student housing, this website from the borough lists all student housing
http://www.west-chester.com/DocumentCenter/View/34
With that said we have had no problems living near the university. We take advantage of the many free concerts, lectures, etc the university has to offer. The University has a large music program with many talented students. We attend quality concerts 2-3 nights a week, all for free.

https://www.wcupa.edu/music/eventsCalendar.aspx#/?i=1

The local police and campus security keep close tabs on the students and pretty much do not put up with a lot of stuff. Our encounter with students have been great, we were moving in a couch and struggling when all of the sudden it got lighter, a few big guys saw us and stopped and helped and would not take anything for their time.

Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center http://uptownwestchester.org provides live theater, and concerts.

Also the University has live theater, concerts and lectures for a fee. https://www.wcupa.edu/oca/wcuLive/

Some streets parking can be a problem so look for homes with off street parking or where parking is not restricted. They love to give out $25 parking tickets! Here is a map http://www.west-chester.com/DocumentCenter/View/764 of where parking is controlled.

Homes can come on the market and be gone in a few hours or a day or so.

When we were looking to move out of NJ,we looked at Media, Chestnut Hill, Phoenixville, Doyestown and several places in Delaware including Hockessin, Newark near the University and Dover and settled on West Chester a decision we do not regret at all.

More info here
http://www.visitphilly.com/towns/west-chester/

Great blog on West Chester

https://hellowestchesterpa.com

Overview of West Chester

https://savingplaces.org/stories/how...n#.YmztLBopChA

Chester County Parks and Playgrounds

https://westchesterpa.macaronikid.co...and-recreation

Video of good & bad of West Chester
https://youtu.be/Lfip35t-XgM

Good luck in your search.

Tom