East Coast Retirement Location That Isn't Florida

Thanks again for the interesting commentary.  I really appreciate it!

It feels like I arrived in Seattle right after the expiration date.  This place must have been amazing 20+ years ago.  Now not so much.  But it's a common thread in a lot of areas these days.  It used to be great, but now it's not.  I think there are just a lot more people now and a lot of them are jerks.  More so than ever.  There's a lot of people fleeing something and then making it the same as the place they fled from. 

My wife says we need to move to the places no one else is going to since they will be good since none of the shiny happy people are there.  It's an idea at least...

I spent some time near Philly and have little desire to return.  The food was awesome and the winters were mild compared to Pittsburgh, but that was it.  I'll have to take a look at taxes for GA and see how they compare.  Maybe take a look at living on the southern TN border right on the line if it's a big savings.  But it might not be worth it if it's not that nice.  Sounds like a road trip is in order.

We were thinking about a ~22 foot trailer with a single slide out for the trip.  Now that's a whole other topic, trying to find a good used one for a good price.  That seems to be another quagmire with how well/poorly they are built.

The historic district of St. Mary's, GA.

Close to major airport and city (JAX).  Split between Roebling Road and Daytona.  On the Intercoastal Waterway.   Florida weather.   Enough shopping and convience nearby (Kingsland, GA).

Tennessee's cities are all in a crazy housing price race, almost as bad as Atlanta.  Chattanooga is not exempt, so that will affect your prices all along the southern TN border.    As far as racetracks, they are working on a driver's version of a country club near Rockwood/Crossville ( How much money you got? )  Otherwise, East TN has dirt tracks, drag strips, and the Tail of the Dragon if you want to go check out fatal motorcycle wrecks.

To clarify, I love the countryside around here, and many of the people.  It's populous enough there's sure to be someone you can dislike...  Bristol is a fascinating little town and very worth checking out, just make sure you preview the area on a Nascar weekend as well as a quiet one to see what you might be in for.

RE: Tennessee.  A lot of my family/friends from the far southern end of West Virginia have relocated to East TN for better opportunities.  WV is an economic black hole, at least the southern half of the state.  East TN has the same "out in the country" feel but still has access to interstates, restaurants, healthcare, and those little things called jobs.  I'd take a hard look at areas east of Knoxville.  

ddavidv said:

You don't want Pennsylvania. Gun friendly, but property taxes are really high. The roads suck. Our gas tax is one of the highest in the nation. They dump salt on the roads if it even hints at snowing. We have annual car inspections and emissions requirements. The political climate is a battle between the uber-religious and the Philly liberals. And, too many people moving here from NY/NJ and bringing their attitudes with them.

Not sure where you live, but I live in the Capital, and my property taxes are cheap.  If you roll all the taxes together (property, school, local, county income) I pay about $1000/yr.  If I lived downtown or on the other side of the river, I'd be paying closer to $3500/yr.  Taxes are totally different depending on where you live.

I'm with you though on the polarized politics, but that's becoming a national crisis.  Our gas tax is the highest, I believe, but I'm constantly traveling NY, OH, MD, VA, WV, and the prices at the pump are within a few cents of each other.

I have a theory about road infrastructure.  The interstate system was created during a time when the governments (state and fed) actually had money.  It's kind of like inheriting a McLaren.  Yay, free cool car, but can you afford the the $1600 oil changes?  The $3000 tires?  We were handed a brilliant road system back when we were rich, and now we don't have the money to throw at it to maintain it.

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

Are your taxes super low because your mortgage is way less than a new fully loaded pickup truck? lol

But, looking at real estate in Harrisburg PA shows normal homes aren't cheap and property taxes are pretty high, significantly higher than national average and higher than the state average. Property taxes on my home is significantly less here than an equal priced home in Harrisburg PA. It seems like your $1000/yr in taxes is an exception and nowhere near the norm.

In reply to yupididit :

I mean, I'm an hour outside Pittsburgh with a house we paid $140k for, my taxes are only $2200/year. 

Still, Pennsylvania is a good state to be from, but a terrible state to live in. We took all the bad ideas from surrounding states, somehow made them worse, then implemented them. 

I will say, as a compliment, most of the state is fairly purple aside from Pittsburgh and Filthadelphia. But I think it's because most people are just trying to survive or leave, and can't be bothered with television Red/Blue bullE36 M3. 

In reply to RevRico :

If my house was $140k then my taxes would be under $1500 a year. I'll admit that $140k doesnt even buy you an empty lot here lol. But still, comparatively, PA property taxes are higher than avg and Harrisburg is even higher than most of PA. Getting under $1000 a year in total taxes is certainly hard to do for a PA home owner especially in the county Curtis lives in. Hence why I asked if his numbers are so low because his home price was in the 5 digits. Ddavidv wasnt wrong in stating PA taxes are high.

I live in a suburb of Pittsburgh and pay $9k/year in taxes on a house that is assessed at $234k.  So yeah.  Super cheap taxes! 

Yinz are definitely not making we want to go back to Piccsburgh, but I really miss living there.  I went back last year and it felt more like home than any place I've lived. 

The property tax situation seems to be hit or miss from what I'm seeing online.  Looking at some houses north of the city near Wexford and they are only showing taxes in the $1,000 to $1,300 range.  And that's for 300k to 500k houses. 

And comparing East TN houses to Northern GA houses it looks like TN gets you more for your dollar.  I can't wait to get away from here and go check these places out to see what fits best.  The good thing about living in Washington is that just about everywhere else is cheaper in every way possible.  That will certainly help on a fixed income.

I live in the south hills of Pittsburgh, and from what I can see, everyone wants to live here. I mean, we have lots of great food options. We are close to the Airport. We still have some space and great back roads to drive on. Pitt Race for racing and Mines & Meadows for ATVs are not that far away. You can drive to a bunch of other tracks within 3-4 hours. Central PA has a great off-road park for Jeeps and such. North Central PA is great for stargazing and snowmobiles. A concealed carry permit is $7 for 5 years and is straightforward to get, though PA is open carry as well. There are plenty of gun stores and ranges around too. You can still find affordable housing and while gas tax is high, things are close by.

There are pros and cons to any location, but Pittsburgh just feels like home. 

In reply to Groats :

I really do like the people in Pittsburgh and will say that they are some of the nicest people I've ever met - that includes people from West Virginia, Texas, and North Carolina (with natives being the least friendly).  I just loath the weather here and some other patio-related topics that RevRico and I, while differing in patio-rated politics, agree with overall.

Taxes - Zillow only shows the county tax and not the school board taxes.  The taxes on my house on Zillow say $1,000 which as you see above is a lie.  Wexford is the north hills equivalent of my south hills municipality.  I'de say their taxes are the same.  I'd expect to pay $9-12K per year on the house you mentioned above. 

If I had to retire to the east (ie not work) I'd try to find a spot bordering National Forest. The more surrounded by National Forest, the better. I want to be able to walk off my property and onto public land.

Franklin, NC looks pretty good for this. Covington, VA, Warren, PA, anywhere in Adirondacks, Bennington, VT, Conway, NH, etc. 

Don't write off parts of northern Alabama if you are looking in that area.

pheller said:

If I had to retire to the east (ie not work) I'd try to find a spot bordering National Forest. The more surrounded by National Forest, the better. I want to be able to walk off my property and onto public land.

 

Franklin, NC looks pretty good for this. Covington, VA, Warren, PA, anywhere in Adirondacks, Bennington, VT, Conway, NH, etc. 

 

 

Again... North GA. 
 

My cabin borders 80,000 acres of National Forest Land.  The Appalachian Trail starts just a few miles away.  The  road to my place is 40 miles of one of the greatest driving roads in the country.

And I'm really close to multiple race tracks.

In reply to pheller :

Covington VA, I never have the greatest experience with places west of 81 in VA. Might be a non-issue for you though. 

Wait, are you saying that there's life east of Colorado? I'll have to look into that.

Scotty Con Queso said:

I live in a suburb of Pittsburgh and pay $9k/year in taxes on a house that is assessed at $234k.  So yeah.  Super cheap taxes! 

For property tax comparison: Metro Atlanta north suburb here. Assessed in mid 200's and property tax is $3,400 county and $600 city. That includes a homestead exemption. Trending upward for sure.

This may be obvious but look at the mil rate not the Realtor summary for property taxes. 

OK, so hear me out. 

What about the northeastern tip of WV?  You have access to Summit Point for motorsports, not too bad a haul to NJMP, strikeability to DMV (DC,  MD, NoVa),  for healthcare above basic, lots of outdoor activity.  Hell, there are a ton of good wineries in the Leesburg area that my wife and I love to hit up...  

I guess you do have some bugs, but I have been few places without. 

If I didn't need to work and was looking to relocate I would be looking at rural areas in the Carolina's. Not eastern Carolina for me. The beach is great but there is a lot of shadiness from I-95 until you get close to the coast. 

I like the central areas of the state, there are a lot of spots that are safe from the sprawl of the cities but the cities are accessible for healthcare and car shopping. I lived in Chesterfield County SC and I liked it, close enough to the beach, close enough to Charlotte. Same for Anson County NC. I think there are a lot of options between Charlotte and Raleigh that are close but not too close. I am sure there is the same thing Georgia, I just don't know it as well. Virginia is tough on the east because the size of DC, property is $$$$. Western Virginia is probably better from a pricing standpoint. 

In reply to Apexcarver :

Very beautiful area, I like NW WV. My wife loves the Leesburg area but we can't afford it lol. 

Does the OP get any veterans benefits? 

In reply to NY Nick :

Can you explain what you mean by the shadiness down 95 in NC?

In reply to NY Nick :

This will be me. I will leave the Charleston area and get away from the cities. The cities have nothing I'm interested in. The first step will be building a small house on the family farm on Edisto Island. That will happen in the next few years. I'll relocate my office to that side of town when that happens to reduce the commute. Step two will be a large RV or travel trailer in the mountains to spend the summers. My siblings and I just got together and bought an old 62-acre farm on a dead-end road about 30 minutes outside of West Jefferson, NC to use as a vacation/getaway location.  At 3600' the summers are 60s to 80s instead of 80s to 100s. My retirement will be spent bouncing between those properties. It will be glorious. 

yupididit said:

In reply to NY Nick :

Can you explain what you mean by the shadiness down 95 in NC?

There is a lot of drugs, std's and poverty along the I-95 corridor in the Carolina's. There isn't a lot of manufacturing (that seems to stay mostly west of I-95) and there isn't beach money yet. 

Not meant to be a race comment at all, I aplogize and will edit if it comes off that way.