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I consider upstate to be north of the thruway. Me personally, I can't wait to get away from upstate winter. For the past month we have been in hibernation mode- we only leave the house for work, food, and school. And we have at least 2 more months to go before we can start to see some change.
I can't believe NH property taxes are significantly higher than ours, I'd be intereted in an apples to apples comparison.
That would be incorrect, as it is essentially the part of NY State north of the NYC metro area or the Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown area.
As another poster mentioned, the term Upstate NY varies greatly. Someone from New York City considers upstate NY to be anything North of Suffolk County! I live in Central NY. We are smack dab in the middle of the state in Syracuse. For anyone seriously considering retiring here, I would suggest that they crunch the budget numbers and plan for the usual aging issues.
1) Expect to pay someone else for snow removal. While you may be able to do it now with a shovel, plow or a snowblower, you will eventually want someone else to take care of it for you. Plan accordingly and make sure that there is enough money in the budget.
2) Purchase a home that you can age gracefully in. We have many housing styles, but are probably best known for our Victorians. While you may be able to climb stairs now, you should assume that things will become more challenging. A one story home will be far easier to deal with. Homes are quite affordable here. I purchased my first home at the age of 23, while working for below-average wages.
3) Heating can be costly in the winter, but a small house with good insulation can vastly reduce the bills. A woodstove or fireplace insert can be another great way to reduce the cost of heating. Even if you have to purchase the wood, you still come out ahead.
4) This area has really good hospitals and medical facilities. Locate yourself in an area where you will have easy access and public transportation, if needed.
5) This are has many colleges and universities. Plan to keep your mind active by taking a class, now and then. Some allow seniors to audit classes for free.
6) Syracuse does get a lot of snow, but we know how to manage it. Over the past few days, we've been laughing at the states that are forced to shut down due to a dusting of snow. We might get a foot of snow in one storm and not even bother to cancel school. Our municipalities are quite good at salting the roads prior to storms and then plowing all night long to keep the traffic flowing for the morning commute.
^This and as a Syracuse area resident, I would actually suggest the East Side of the city south of East Genesee Street due to the proximity to colleges/universities, multiple hospitals/healthcare facilities, public transportation, shopping and it is a nice area.
Another option if you want low utility rates in the area is the Solvay area, which gets its power from NYPA: New York Power Authority: About Us http://www.nypa.gov/about/images/MuniCoopMap.jpg Electric Dept | Official Village of Solvay Website A lot of people in NY State don't know this about certain communities that will have lower utility rates due to this.
If you went with Solvay, I'd look closer to West Genesee Street, where there is shopping in Fairmount/Camillus to the west and some in Westvale Plaza within the village on that street. Downtown Syracuse would be a straight shot down that street to the east. There are some apartments and rental homes, as well as some nice homes, but take a look at taxes.
Just for general information, here are some public transportation companies in Upstate NY: New York Transit Links
Out of the communities that match up, Plattsburgh, Spencerport, Churchville, Fairport, Jamestown, Endicott, Green Island, along with Solvay could work in terms of lower utilities and public transportation access. All are either suburban villages outside of bigger cities or a small city(Plattsburgh). Plattsburgh also offers ferry service across Lake Champlain into Vermont: Lake Champlain Ferries | New York & Vermont Ferry Crossings | Lake Champlain Transportation You may like some of the other communities on that map or communities not listed like Corning, Ithaca, Saratoga Springs, Glens Falls, etc that are smaller, but have things to do or going on. Cost of living will vary between these communities some, but a rule of thumb is that the further west, give or take, the more affordable.
I will reinterate, check taxes. On the other hand, there is a property tax exemption for people 65 and older, as well as Veterans, among other criteria: Property tax exemptions
Yes, homes in the $250 K range often had property taxes exceeding $7000 per year. Just for an example, here is a listing for $240 K in suburban Rochester, and it has a property tax bill of $9,378
Just picked a couple of quick listing at random, but that was pretty much in line with the property tax bills I had seen when we were considering the area.
Pittsford is the most affluent community in not just the Rochester area, but Upstate NY. So, you essentially used the most expensive community in Upstate NY.
Pittsford is the most affluent community in not just the Rochester area, but Upstate NY. So, you essentially used the most expensive community in Upstate NY.
I also forgot to mention that the taxes are posted without the exemptions, for the large part. So, whatever is posted isn't what you necessarily pay in property taxes. There's also contesting the assessment too.
Its a matter of opinion really and what you're looking for in retirement. I've lived in Upstate NY all my life, do I want to retire here - NO! The taxes and general COL are just too high to live the way I'd want on a fixed retirement income. You get so much more for your $$ in many other states
Upstate NY is a beautiful place no doubt, with some of the best fall foliage in the country. But the winters here make you pay for the other 3 seasons. This year we broke the record in this area for the coldest February.........EVER! when I'm in my 70's I don't want to deal with that. Along with shoveling snow, scraping ice, etc. But that's me
Its a matter of opinion really and what you're looking for in retirement. I've lived in Upstate NY all my life, do I want to retire here - NO! The taxes and general COL are just too high to live the way I'd want on a fixed retirement income. You get so much more for your $$ in many other states
Upstate NY is a beautiful place no doubt, with some of the best fall foliage in the country. But the winters here make you pay for the other 3 seasons. This year we broke the record in this area for the coldest February.........EVER! when I'm in my 70's I don't want to deal with that. Along with shoveling snow, scraping ice, etc. But that's me
That why if I retired in Upstate, I'd rent/go into senior apartments. Maybe I'd stay in my house, depending on how I personally feel.
Again, overall COL for much of Upstate NY is around the national average and many areas are on par with even some Southern areas. I know it may sound like a broken record from me, but it is the truth. Housing usually helps to "even things out".
In terms of median monthly housing costs with a mortgage according to another source, many Upstate areas are actually lower than many Southern areas. With that said, this same source shows that median monthly housing costs without a mortgage can be higher in many Upstate areas than many Southern areas. This website used American Fact Finder info using the 2008-2012 American Community Survey. American Fact Finder has the 2009-2013 numbers, but not in a list, like this website does.
That why if I retired in Upstate, I'd rent/go into senior apartments. Maybe I'd stay in my house, depending on how I personally feel.
Again, overall COL for much of Upstate NY is around the national average and many areas are on par with even some Southern areas. I know it may sound like a broken record from me, but it is the truth. Housing usually helps to "even things out".
In terms of median monthly housing costs with a mortgage according to another source, many Upstate areas are actually lower than many Southern areas. With that said, this same source shows that median monthly housing costs without a mortgage can be higher in many Upstate areas than many Southern areas. This website used American Fact Finder info using the 2008-2012 American Community Survey. American Fact Finder has the 2009-2013 numbers, but not in a list, like this website does.
People always assume the South is super low cost, when in many cases, it's little if any cheaper than rural places most everywhere else.
That why if I retired in Upstate, I'd rent/go into senior apartments. Maybe I'd stay in my house, depending on how I personally feel.
Again, overall COL for much of Upstate NY is around the national average and many areas are on par with even some Southern areas. I know it may sound like a broken record from me, but it is the truth. Housing usually helps to "even things out".
In terms of median monthly housing costs with a mortgage according to another source, many Upstate areas are actually lower than many Southern areas. With that said, this same source shows that median monthly housing costs without a mortgage can be higher in many Upstate areas than many Southern areas. This website used American Fact Finder info using the 2008-2012 American Community Survey. American Fact Finder has the 2009-2013 numbers, but not in a list, like this website does.
This probably because the purchase price of housing in Upstate NY is actually significantly cheaper than similar quality housing in much of the South. Generally speaking, homeowners insurance in Upstate NY tends to be cheaper than in those parts of the South that are prone to hurricanes, tornadoes, and river flooding. Many of the rivers in the South, like the Mississippi, Tennessee, and the rivers in the Carolina Low Country have really broad floodplains, so you can be a mile from the actual river and still be in a flood zone.
Some areas of Upstate have high property taxes because they support very good schools, which is good for families with children because they don't have to pay private school tuition. That's not so good for seniors, however, which the state recognizes by exempting seniors whose income is < $85k ($170k per couple) for their first $65k of house assessment. That's worth about $1200 off the school tax bill every year.
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