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I have not studied the area in detail, to me the climate is a non-starter, but, are NH's property taxes that much worse than NY? I have heard of NY charging roughly 1500/month on a more or less "regular" house.
My impression is that the total tax burden in NH is less than VT, and both are less than NY. Of course this depends on how one lives, if you buy an expensive home or a modest one, what kind of income you have, etc.
In much of Upstate NY, the median home prices hover between $150-$200k, with taxes running between $300-800 a month. That median price will generally get you a much bigger, nicer home than you get in many other places. Decent and livable starter homes in Upstate NY, especially away from the bigger metros, can be had for < $100,000, and frequently for even less. In cities like Buffalo, there are many homes going for < $50,000 if you're willing to be an urban pioneer.
Popular big city suburbs with newer, bigger homes and excellent schools will cost you more especially if the school district does not have much industrial or commercial property to help pay for the schools. Rural areas and small towns with fewer services generally have much lower home prices and somewhat lower school taxes. My city taxes are high because my city has a full time police force and a paid professional fire department but that beats the crap out of depending upon the sheriff's department and volunteer fire/ambulance departments in emergencies. OTOH, my school taxes will go down to 0 this year because I qualify for the enhanced STAR exemption for seniors, and my house is assessed at just under the exemption amount.
$1500 a month tax bills (ie, $18k a year) are for mansions and lake-front vacation homes for the most part in Upstate NY. Those are the kind of tax bills found in Westchester or Nassau County near NYC.
Yeah you better love snow, snow, and more snow. My folks live in the Finger Lakes and I guess are, er, "inadvertently retired" there for the nonce, and my father's about ready to start cramming the snow back down Mother Nature's neck. The other day he told me the plows are running out of places to mound the snow, and they haven't even had anything heavy in a week or so. It just keeps coming... and coming... and coming...
This is true in the western Southern Tier, too. We really haven't had all that much heavy snow except for a one foot dump in December that melted within 10 days, but it's just been snowing a few inches here and a few inches there and never melting. The end of this week and through the weekend, we'll be in the deep freeze again!
Has anyone retired to upstate NY? Why? Do you plan on staying in NYS? What area in NYS did you retire too? We live in NYS now and in a few years my husband can retire (I already did). He wants to stay in NYS, but I'm thinking of someplace warmer, although I can't tolerate the heat and humidity. Any stories out there? Thanks.
I checked your profile (hope that's o.k.), and noticed your zipcode... the last place I lived in NY wasn't far from there... and leaving was one of the stupidest things I've ever done!!
Not hardly. NY plows even its back roads. PA does not.
Actually, the Jamestown area is considerably more prosperous, socially progressive, and cultured than NW PA once you get out of commuting distance to Erie, PA or Pittsburgh. Rural/small town PA is not called "Pennsyltucky" for nothing. That so many Pennsylvanians come to NY for jobs kind of says it all about the economy there. Towns like Bradford or Kane are pretty sad, but not nearly as grim as the towns in the coal mining areas further south.
My neighbors gave up their Dunellon, FL home to retire here. They have two sons living with them full time to take care of snow/animals. But the sons are in their fifties and one is not in good health. The others say they have intentions of selling and moving up, but after ten years it hasn't happened. Chance or choice?
I checked your profile (hope that's o.k.), and noticed your zipcode... the last place I lived in NY wasn't far from there... and leaving was one of the stupidest things I've ever done!!
Can you please elaborate?
I went to grad school in Rochester. Always loved being there - it was a gorgeous town! I understand it has changed a lot. Every so often I think about the area as a retirement destination. Not necessarily Rochester proper, one of the outlying small towns.
Can you tell us some of the reasons why moving away turned out, in retrospect, to have been less favorable than staying might have been?
As you can see, I'm looking to firm up my resolve to return, lol! Thanks in advance - Jane
I was born and raised in Western NY...been away for over 30 years. The bitter cold and overcast/dreariness of winter, which is long and if you don't have close family there, it would be hard to fit in. I wouldn't do it.
I was born and raised in Western NY...been away for over 30 years. The bitter cold and overcast/dreariness of winter, which is long and if you don't have close family there, it would be hard to fit in. I wouldn't do it.
I've heard this same poppycock from numerous former WNYers who've think that because they were unhappy in WNY, that everybody else should/will be, too. The cold and cloudy spells suck but that's not the sum total of WNY's weather. Hurricanes and earthquakes and tornado sirens going off in the middle of the night also suck. Just because I'm not a fan of hot weather does not mean I'm going to warn somebody off moving to South Carolina or to Phoenix. I suggest you get over yourself. Your feelings and your likes and dislikes are not everybody's.
While I was born and raised in WNY, I've lived elsewhere, too. The only place I did not "fit in" in my travels was when I lived in Nebraska, and that was mostly because I didn't want to fit it. I was a twenty-something grad student, and the university was a temporary stopping off point.
I knew absolutely nobody when I moved to this city in WNY 16 years ago. Now, my friends are the major reason that I will retire here, and I'm not a particularly outgoing person, although I'm not afraid to say "hi" and/or be friendly to strangers to try and make new friends rather than rely on family for my social life.
wow, not necessary to get so hostile and insulting (yet another reason I don't like the area). People there can't take any criticism of the place. Sorry, but I don't see any massive groundswell of people moving there, if it's so great they would be. Even earthquakes don't keep people away from great places to live. The poster was asking for opinions on the area so I gave her mine.
Has anyone retired to upstate NY? Why? Do you plan on staying in NYS? What area in NYS did you retire too? We live in NYS now and in a few years my husband can retire (I already did). He wants to stay in NYS, but I'm thinking of someplace warmer, although I can't tolerate the heat and humidity. Any stories out there? Thanks.
Country Karen:
Check out the Binghamton, NY/Broome County area. It is as half way across the state, at the PA border in the Southern Tier of Upstate NY. NIce area.
Pros:
~ Small City: non-congested area, small city area made up of the Triple cities {Binghamton, Johnson City, Endicott} and Vestal, NY. Population about 165K for the "greater Binghamton area".
~Health care: 3 Hospitals, most specialties, if not, then Syracuse {76 miles N} or NC {3.5 hours to Manhattan} are fairly close by.
~ Senior housing: plenty of it, though you may have to get on a waiting list. Rents most often go by income levels, with a cap at about 42% for the higher incomes.
~ housing: rents fair, and buying can range from the lower end at $50-60K for 2-3 BR 800-1100 sqft. in town, to $125-15)K 3-4 BR 1200-1800 sqft in town and outer regions.
~Transportation: Triple cities/Vestal has excellent Public bus transportation...The BC Transit buses run from 5 am-9pm on most routes and shortened schedule on the weekend.
~Senior services: Sr. centers with many sr. services available including help with taxes and other amenities.
~several charitable agencies for help for those who need it
~Entertainment Culture: THe Forum-off broadway, other shows. The Arena-Hockey games, shows,concerts variety. The Anderson Center for the Performing Arts at BU-variety of concerts, music formats, etc. The Cider Mill Playhouse-plays, seasonal.
~Museums: several, including Roberson, complete with planetarium; Bundy; Historical
~Educational: BU {Binghamton University}; Suny Broome {community college}; ELmira Busines Institute; Ridley-Lowell, and BOCES; both on campus and satellites.
~Sports: Arena BSens Hockey team, BMETS baseball team and stadium, BU/Suny Broome collegiate sports.
~Surrounded by LOTS of farm land for "picturesque countryside" or to build your "dream home" on. Farmers markets throughout growing seasons.
~Travel: 3 major interstates: I81; I88 and soon to be I86 {currently Route 17, being upgraded}
~Decent weather {yes, snow} but FAIRLY safe from the "lake effect snows" {we DO get some, but NOT like Syracuse, Watertown, Buffalo, or Rochester, or FInger Lakes regions.
~Airport- BGM will get you out of here should you travel!, Nearby Syracuse if not,
~Shafer bus service offers trips to NYC for shopping and events.
~Greyhound busses as well
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I suggest you get over yourself.
