Poconos retirement 2023 (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Scranton: sales, real estate market, how much)

[jtab4994]

Originally Posted by jake_bhoy

Looking to re-locate and retire - spouse and I both 62+- looking for a bit more space than the south shore of Nassau County NY where we now live and are drowning in property taxes.
The info on the forums seems a little out of date - I had been looking at Stroudsburg and saw they had high property taxes in 2017 - how do they compare to NY and does PA have anything similar to the NY STAR program which reduces seniors’ property/school taxes.
I already know PA has more favourable taxation of private pensions and IRA distributions than NY.
One thing which would be very important to us is the walkability of any town as driving and car ownership is becoming more of a chore as we get older.
Not keen on 55+ communities as the thought of being in permanent proximity to “someone who does their own research” - doesn’t matter which side - horrifies me.

Just gonna jump in on the pro-Stroudsburg side briefly. "The Poconos" covers 4 counties, officially. Actually I'll also be pro-Shawnee which is where I live. Some have complained about the winters in "The Poconos" but it's a completely different world up on the plateau compared to down here.

Not sure what "high taxes" were in 2017 for Stroudsburg or Long Island, but for my 4 BDR farmhouse on 7 acres the total this year should come in under $8k (thanks, Putin). We live on a state road so no HOA or dues (and free water from the springs).

Stroudsburg is walkable, and has a number of interesting small shops, including a bookstore. Yes, an independent bookstore in 2023! And a record store. Very diverse, too. Irish, Polish, South Asian, East Asian, and health food stores are in town, though not all are walkable from Main Street. Although Condoms Galore seems to have gone out of business after the college was closed for 2 years. Lots of festivals to bring in tourists and keep the place lively.

East Stroudsburg is more blue-collar, home to blue-collar ESU, Walmart, and Salvation Army but they hold their own in terms of diverse dining opportunities.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by jtab4994

Just gonna jump in on the pro-Stroudsburg side briefly. "The Poconos" covers 4 counties, officially. Actually I'll also be pro-Shawnee which is where I live. Some have complained about the winters in "The Poconos" but it's a completely different world up on the plateau compared to down here.

Not sure what "high taxes" were in 2017 for Stroudsburg or Long Island, but for my 4 BDR farmhouse on 7 acres the total this year should come in under $8k (thanks, Putin). We live on a state road so no HOA or dues (and free water from the springs).

Stroudsburg is walkable, and has a number of interesting small shops, including a bookstore. Yes, an independent bookstore in 2023! And a record store. Very diverse, too. Irish, Polish, South Asian, East Asian, and health food stores are in town, though not all are walkable from Main Street. Although Condoms Galore seems to have gone out of business after the college was closed for 2 years. Lots of festivals to bring in tourists and keep the place lively.

East Stroudsburg is more blue-collar, home to blue-collar ESU, Walmart, and Salvation Army but they hold their own in terms of diverse dining opportunities.

Pike, Wayne, Monroe, what's the fourth?

Both Stroudsburg and Honesdale (the Wayne County seat) have become pretty happening places IMO.

But I can't see the initials for East Stroudsburg University without thinking of the fictional "Enormous State University" in the sports comic strip "Tank McNamara."

[jtab4994]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

Pike, Wayne, Monroe, what's the fourth?

Both Stroudsburg and Honesdale (the Wayne County seat) have become pretty happening places IMO.

But I can't see the initials for East Stroudsburg University without thinking of the fictional "Enormous State University" in the sports comic strip "Tank McNamara."

Carbon County is the fourth. County seat is the picturesque borough of Jim Thorpe (formerly Mauch Chunk), another walkable town that's nice but a little too touristy for me.

[Sarge621]

Honesdale is nice but even if your in the center of town you still gotta drive to the box stores. I just can't see you living anywhere up here and not driving its pretty necessary. I did know a retired couple that hired a driver to take them out every Wednesday.

[mathjak107]

we abandoned the idea of retiring in the poconos because if i ever couldn’t drive life would be horrible .

at least here , even in the worst of weather we can jump on public transportation and get adjust about anywhere

[Sarge621]

Nice overall of West Chester here both good & bad.

Tom[/quote]

I got family in West Chester and it is a pretty seedy place. No place is perfect but West Chester like most of America has seen better days. Its also no where near the Poconos 125 miles away. Now I never took a grand tour but there was nothing I saw that made me even want to look at property values. Chester, Pa. Is ranked with Reading, Pa as the worst town in ALL of Pennsylvania. Too much going on in that area that would make retiring there sketchy. Once you retire and move you wanna settle in til you check out cause of old age. Comparing the Poconos to West Chester is like comparing water to air. Just my opinion

[jtab4994]

When my parents moved to their retirement house at the age of 68 they had two cars. Eventually got down to one, since my Mom stopped driving. Then we had to take Dad's keys away when he was 85. They lived in Manahawkin in South Jersey and their development was "walkable" but really only for walking to other houses. You had to drive to a food store or the bank out on the highway. So they were in a Pocono predicament without the snow or hills.

When my wife stops driving and I break my hip or something, in these times there's Uber, InstaCart, and DoorDash. We won't starve or be isolated. Then again, we've talked about moving out to Danville area, where there's even less stuff than in the Poconos but at least they have Geisinger and a Mennonite market that has really reasonable prices. Probably no InstaCart with the Mennonites, though.

[TLC1957]

Originally Posted by Sarge621

Nice overall of West Chester here both good & bad.

Tom

I got family in West Chester and it is a pretty seedy place. No place is perfect but West Chester like most of America has seen better days. Its also no where near the Poconos 125 miles away. Now I never took a grand tour but there was nothing I saw that made me even want to look at property values. Chester, Pa. Is ranked with Reading, Pa as the worst town in ALL of Pennsylvania. Too much going on in that area that would make retiring there sketchy. Once you retire and move you wanna settle in til you check out cause of old age. Comparing the Poconos to West Chester is like comparing water to air. Just my opinion [/quote]


You are thinking of Chester, Pa I am referencing West Chester, Pa about 18 miles from one another. Yes Chester is a very poor area.

https://maps.apple.com/?address=West...%20Chester&t=m

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by TLC1957

You are thinking of Chester, Pa I am referencing West Chester, Pa about 18 miles from one another. Yes Chester is a very poor area.

https://maps.apple.com/?address=West...%20Chester&t=m

Historical trivia:

Delaware County was split off from Chester County (one of the original three) in 1789.

Chester was the original Chester County seat; the old 1724 county courthouse in downtown Chester is the oldest government building still in use in the country.

Back then, it took farmers in the western part of the county two to three days to travel to Chester to do business. The state authorized the construction of a new, more centrally located courthouse at Turk's Head, which got renamed West Chester when the courthouse opened there in 1785.

[Sarge621]

I'm pretty certain I was in West Chester and it wasn't that nice. His daughter goes to West Chester University I gotta ask them what town they are in.