Venango? (Pittsburgh, Erie, California: how much, vacation home, buying)

[okaydorothy]

A few months ago I asked about vacation properties. I have started looking at different areas and did come across this area. Can anyone tell me about it.

It seems to be affordable for what we want ; 2-3 beds, on a river or lake and about 90mins from where we live now.

Thanks

d

[Hopes]

We have property in Venango. It's a rural areal. Safe. Our 100 acres is accessible via a 1 mile long driveway that is off of a dirt road. That tells you how isolated we are. No utilities. No phone. Cel service is a 20 minute walk. I've never felt unsafe. We usually stay on the property the entire time we are there. Sometimes we go into town for breakfast. Every few years or so we'll check out a festival in one of the nearby towns. There are some great bike trails in the area. The hunting and fishing is great. There's not really much to tell.

If you're considering a place on a lake, you must be looking into Sandy Lake area. We went to Sandy Lake once when the children were young to swim. The lake was nice, clean. I don't recall there being many people. We might have been there on a weekday. If you are considering a trailer (I remember that's what you owned previously), you might find that the type of people who own summer places in trailer parks are a lower caliber compared to the ones outside of the NYC metro. The type of people who own summer places in trailer parks are often lower class party types. Lots of drinking and wildness. This applies to most of the vacation trailer parks anywhere in western PA IMO.

If you are considering an actual house along a river up or creek there, your neighbors will be year round locals or middle class family summer homes. We have a friend who owns a small house next to a river up there. Very quiet and peaceful.

I guess I'm trying to say that you might prefer buying a summer house instead of a summer trailer.

[okaydorothy]

Not at trailer at all. Just looking for a cabin or small house. Something that we could use year round as a getaway. When the kids were small, we had a camper and then upgraded to a vacation home. its just too far now to use often so we would love something closer.
Thanks for getting back so quick. We did drive up that way last week and will go again this week .

d

[Hopes]

Must have been someone else from NYC area that had a trailer in a park in the Pocono area.

You'll like Venango. It's very peaceful and safe.

It's the perfect distance with the drive long enough to feel like you're getting away but not so long that it wears you out.

[Evergrey]

You should head up there for Applefest.

[eccotecc]

Originally Posted by Hopes

We have property in Venango. It's a rural areal. Safe. Our 100 acres is accessible via a 1 mile long driveway that is off of a dirt road. That tells you how isolated we are. No utilities. No phone. Cel service is a 20 minute walk. I've never felt unsafe. We usually stay on the property the entire time we are there. Sometimes we go into town for breakfast. Every few years or so we'll check out a festival in one of the nearby towns. There are some great bike trails in the area. The hunting and fishing is great. There's not really much to tell.

If you're considering a place on a lake, you must be looking into Sandy Lake area. We went to Sandy Lake once when the children were young to swim. The lake was nice, clean. I don't recall there being many people. We might have been there on a weekday. If you are considering a trailer (I remember that's what you owned previously), you might find that the type of people who own summer places in trailer parks are a lower caliber compared to the ones outside of the NYC metro. The type of people who own summer places in trailer parks are often lower class party types. Lots of drinking and wildness. This applies to most of the vacation trailer parks anywhere in western PA IMO.

If you are considering an actual house along a river up or creek there, your neighbors will be year round locals or middle class family summer homes. We have a friend who owns a small house next to a river up there. Very quiet and peaceful.

I guess I'm trying to say that you might prefer buying a summer house instead of a summer trailer.

Hi Hopes,

I'm currently living in a rural area in California with some land. I would like to relocate to Pa. for several personal reasons. You seem to know about rural living and I was wondering how the taxes are on 100-150 acres of land. I enjoy the outdoors and outdoor sports such as fishing and shooting. I was thinking of possibly a farm with wooded area between Pittsburgh and Erie. I know how to live off the grid and next to an electric toothbrush a chain saw is my favorite appliance. I love to burn wood.

Do you have any idea what the taxes would be on 150 acres close to great fishing. I'm referring to a clean lake, river or stream that isn't in danger of being polluted from gas drilling.

As always, your thoughts are appreciated.

[Hopes]

It's hard to say what taxes would be for 100 acres. It depends on what's on the property. Hubby says that we currently pay about $2400. It was a couple hundred higher until last year when we removed a small shed on the far end of the property. When it was just land with no buildings, we paid $500. (We have owned the property for over 30 years.) Something happened, not sure what, and the taxes went up fairly high about 10 years ago. Hubby blames it on google earth. He thinks they didn't even know we were back there until then.

Anyways, the more elaborate the buildings, the higher the taxes. That's why I can't say for sure how much taxes would be. If you build a modest cabin, taxes will be lower than if you build a full size modern house. Being off the grid helps keep taxes down. Utility services increase property assessments, which means an increase in property taxes.

Our property has a great fishing stream going through it. I'm not sure you can have any guarantees that the shale drilling won't ruin any water in western PA. You'd have to look at the drilling map and focus on regions where there isn't drilling. I believe eastern PA might not have as much drilling but I also think land is more expensive because it's starting to become suburbs for Baltimore, NYC and NJ. But I'd say Lake Erie is probably safe from contamination. If you found property within reasonable driving distance to fish there, you'd be set.

[eccotecc]

Thanks Hopes,

Actually I was thinking about areas around Pymatuming or Conneaut. Do you know anything about those areas.

As much as I'd like to live in Pittsburgh, I don't think I'd find what I'd like in the city or close proximity to it. So I think I'd prefer something similar to what I'm used to and go for a larger parcel of land and drive into the city for a few days at a time.

[HarryRSpooner]

There is also a tiny little town called Venango in Crawford County or are you referring to Venango County? The former is real small but has dirt cheap housing.

[SK360]

Our family has property and a cabin in the Clintonville/Kennerdell area, have been going there all of my life, fantastic area.