Is PA a good place to retire?

[Anonymous]

Curious about people's thoughts on this list, particularly the Pennsylvania cities. I've never been to most of these towns but it's appealing that they're not that far away from DC with a lower cost of living. I'm guessing that they're pretty White though? As a POC that would be a minus.

1. Lancaster, Pennsylvania
2. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
3. Pensacola, Florida
4. Tampa, Florida
5. York, Pennsylvania
6. Naples, Florida
7. Daytona Beach, Florida
8. Ann Arbor, Michigan
9. Allentown, Pennsylvania
10. Reading, Pennsylvania

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/07/23/top-10-us-cities-for-retirees.html

Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is the No. 1 city to retire in, according to U.S. News & World Report’s recent “Best Places to Retire in the U.S.”

U.S. News & World Report evaluated the 150 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S., including Puerto Rico, using data from a variety of sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau and the Tax Foundation. The report assigns each city an overall retirement score based on six factors:

Housing affordability
Desirability
Happiness
Quality of health care
Retiree taxes
Job market
The researchers surveyed 3,100 people aged 45 and older about which of those categories would be most important to them in retirement and assigned weights to those categories accordingly.

[Anonymous]

I'm from central PA and still have a lot of family there. I would not recommend York or Lancaster to a POC. Harrisburg area could be ok depending on the neighborhood... but you probably would still be uncomfortable. The greater central PA area is white and conservative even though the central towns might lean blue in some cases. The main advantages are much cheaper housing and no state tax on retirement distributions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm from central PA and still have a lot of family there. I would not recommend York or Lancaster to a POC. Harrisburg area could be ok depending on the neighborhood... but you probably would still be uncomfortable. The greater central PA area is white and conservative even though the central towns might lean blue in some cases. The main advantages are much cheaper housing and no state tax on retirement distributions.

How about Gettysburg? That's where we are thinking.

- np

[Anonymous]

Isn’t there a state estate tax without any exceptions for lower/middle income? Check into that.

And don’t live in Lancaster as a POC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Isn’t there a state estate tax without any exceptions for lower/middle income? Check into that.

And don’t live in Lancaster as a POC.

It’s an inheritance tax, not an estate tax. It’s a sliding percentage related to the relationship of the beneficiaries to the deceased: 0% for spouses and charities, 4.5% for children, 15% for friends or more distant relatives.

It kind of works out, since PA doesn’t tax retirement income. So, you get to keep it while you’re alive, and then your heirs pay the taxes when you’re gone.

[Anonymous]

I'm Asian American, biracial family. I've visited Lancaster. It's fairly rural, IMO, and the downtown is pretty boring. That said, if you live in/near the downtown, I think you will be fine. There's also a college there that seems to have a bit of diversity. But, if you live further out, I could see how it would not be comfortable.

I thought about retiring in PA, too, and saw a similar list that had Lancaster up there, but that area is way too rural (and white) for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm from central PA and still have a lot of family there. I would not recommend York or Lancaster to a POC. Harrisburg area could be ok depending on the neighborhood... but you probably would still be uncomfortable. The greater central PA area is white and conservative even though the central towns might lean blue in some cases. The main advantages are much cheaper housing and no state tax on retirement distributions.

How about Gettysburg? That's where we are thinking.

- np

so many Trump signs. The local state sen Mastriano has a stranglehold on the area, supported the jan 6 insurrection, has cosplayed a confederate officer, and is just an awful person.

there are plenty of nice people in gettysburg as long as you are fine with ignoring or pretending to be ok with casual racism or bashing of crazy liberals etc. i moved my parents out as soon as i could.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm from central PA and still have a lot of family there. I would not recommend York or Lancaster to a POC. Harrisburg area could be ok depending on the neighborhood... but you probably would still be uncomfortable. The greater central PA area is white and conservative even though the central towns might lean blue in some cases. The main advantages are much cheaper housing and no state tax on retirement distributions.

How about Gettysburg? That's where we are thinking.

- np

so many Trump signs. The local state sen Mastriano has a stranglehold on the area, supported the jan 6 insurrection, has cosplayed a confederate officer, and is just an awful person.

there are plenty of nice people in gettysburg as long as you are fine with ignoring or pretending to be ok with casual racism or bashing of crazy liberals etc. i moved my parents out as soon as i could.

oh sh*t. thanks... gettysburg coming off the list

[Anonymous]

There is the joke about central PA being Alabama sandwiched between Philly and Pittsburgh. It's not that far off. I do have a friend who just moved back to Reading, but she is from there and has family there.

It depends what you are looking for in retirement but I would definitely spend some time in central PA before making that decision.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm from central PA and still have a lot of family there. I would not recommend York or Lancaster to a POC. Harrisburg area could be ok depending on the neighborhood... but you probably would still be uncomfortable. The greater central PA area is white and conservative even though the central towns might lean blue in some cases. The main advantages are much cheaper housing and no state tax on retirement distributions.

How about Gettysburg? That's where we are thinking.

- np

Ehhhhhh still no. It's beautiful there, but you're going to have a hard time moving there as a POC with no roots in the area. Look at the racial demographics and election results for Adams County to get a feel for what you would be dealing with. People would be nice to your face, but you're going to see a lot of Confederate flags and not know if they're for reenactment or life choices, you know?

[Anonymous]

there are plenty of nice people in gettysburg as long as you are fine with ignoring or pretending to be ok with casual racism or bashing of crazy liberals etc.

I grew up in Central PA, and I think this statement holds true beyond Gettysburg. As a whole, Central PA is very white and Trumpy, and I wouldn't want to be there as a POC.

The only redeeming factor is that the medical care for the elderly is pretty good, if you end up there anyway. Geisinger, Hershey, and other large health systems.

[Anonymous]

Lancaster is nicer than York or Harrisburg and by far has better restaurants, but it's all relative. The Lehigh Valley area (around Allentown) is worth thinking about. It is very "purple" politically. Weather is not good in any of them. I don't know Gettysburg as well.

[Anonymous]

Not the OP but I am also thinking about PA to retire because of the no tax on pensions. That's too bad about Gettysburg. I drove by recently and the downtown looked cute and I know they have new builds going up. Any other decent areas? I was thinking about Philly because of proximity to the airport and NYC or Pittsburgh area.

[Anonymous]

The answer is no unless you're close to Philly. Interior PA is not a nice place.

[Anonymous]

I would not retire to a republican state. Not as a woman, not as a jewish person, not as a PoC, not as a human. So PA and FL would be out. And I have no interest in Ann Arbor beyond a three-day weekend.