I Get Why Florida Is At The Top

[Razors Edge ★]

...of much of the "best places to retire" list - sun and fun and "cheap" are a great combination - but the next big hitter is ... PENNSYLVANIA!!!!  Wait, what?!?!  I have family that live or lived in several of these towns/cities, and think they are fun and cool in their own right. Philly, York, Harrisburg, Lancaster, and others are relatively inexpensive and have historical character and a bit of a renaissance of local food & culture, but darn, they still have real winters and aging infrastructure. 

1. Sarasota, FL
2. Naples, FL
3. Daytona Beach, FL
4. Melbourne, FL
5. Lancaster, PA
6. Tampa, FL
7. Fort Myers, FL
8. Port St. Lucie, FL
9. Ann Arbor, MI
10. Pensacola, FL
11. Allentown, PA
12. Lakeland, FL
13. Harrisburg, PA
14. Asheville, NC
15. Reading, PA
16. Ocala, FL
17. York, PA
18. Orlando, FL
19. Philadelphia, PA
20. Knoxville, TN
21. Scranton, PA

[Kirby]

Given my feelings about heat, I'd pick PA over FL (except that its inheritance tax is unduly harsh on single/childless people since it gives significantly better rates to lineal heirs.)

[maddmaxx ★]

Future retirement plans for Florida are sinking.

[MickinMD ★]

A lot of my childhood friends ended up buying homes in Pennsylvania and driving 90-120 minutes to work in Maryland each day because home costs are generally much lower in PA.

When my Aunt Martha died in 2004 in the suburbs of Wilkes-Barre, close to Scranton, PA, we relatives were given first choice in buying her house.  It was a huge duplex - one half divided into 2 apartments with long-term paying renters.  The other half had a huge kitchen, dining room, parlor, and bathroom on the 1st floor, three large bedrooms on the 2nd floor, a full 3rd floor attic and a full basement.  The price was $82,000.  My home in the Baltimore Suburbs, a 30' x 30' mini Cape Cod with full 2nd floor and basement, was worth over $200,000.

I was considering retirement and thought about moving into Aunt Martha's house - originally built by her father and where my mother was born.  I had lots of cousins close to my age there that spent some summers with growing up and I spent time with them each year.

But then I started thinking about all the stuff I wouldn't have:  lots of recreational facilities, lots of cultural stuff, lots of sports stuff, etc. etc.  I year later, I auditioned (Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata) and began taking piano lessons from International Virtuosa Frances Cheng-Koors, chairwoman of the Piano Dept in the Adult Program of the world-class Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins U.  There were music teachers from Upstate New York who would drive 5-6 hours to Peabody on Saturdays so their kids could get the level of music education that the Prep Program at Peabody provides.

There's nothing like that in the small, inexpensive towns.  I'm going to resume piano lessons at Peabody in the Fall or Spring Semesters or whenever I feel comfortable with COVID rates falling enough.  I'm going to take my 14 year-old nephew Adam (weed whacked my yard yesterday!) and maybe some of his friends to the Smithsonian this summer so we can see all the new stuff in the expanded Air and Space Museum, do the incredible moving/vibrating chairs Virtual Reality space stuff, do the 3D IMAX movies, etc. etc.  There are major league, AA and A baseball games.  There's the Chesapeake Bay.

No wonder it's so expensive to live in Maryland: but it also has the nation's highest avg. income and it's worth it!

[12string]

I never understood this.  When you retire, you have more time to spend with family and friends, and likely have need of that support system as you age.  So let's move thousands of miles away!!!

Nope, we'll live in this house forever, and travel to those nice vacation spots.  Except Harrisburg

[Prophet Zacharia]

3 hours ago, Razors Edge said:

...of much of the "best places to retire" list - sun and fun and "cheap" are a great combination - but the next big hitter is ... PENNSYLVANIA!!!!  Wait, what?!?!  I have family that live or lived in several of these towns/cities, and think they are fun and cool in their own right. Philly, York, Harrisburg, Lancaster, and others are relatively inexpensive and have historical character and a bit of a renaissance of local food & culture, but darn, they still have real winters and aging infrastructure. 

1. Sarasota, FL
2. Naples, FL
3. Daytona Beach, FL
4. Melbourne, FL
5. Lancaster, PA
6. Tampa, FL
7. Fort Myers, FL
8. Port St. Lucie, FL
9. Ann Arbor, MI
10. Pensacola, FL
11. Allentown, PA
12. Lakeland, FL
13. Harrisburg, PA
14. Asheville, NC
15. Reading, PA
16. Ocala, FL
17. York, PA
18. Orlando, FL
19. Philadelphia, PA
20. Knoxville, TN
21. Scranton, PA

You’d have to put a bullet in my head before I’d move to York, Harrisburg, Scranton, Allentown or Lancaster. I have no desire to live in Florida, either, but I’d move to any of the listed towns there than the PA locations.

[Razors Edge ★]

3 minutes ago, Prophet Zacharia said:

You’d have to put a bullet in my head before I’d move to York, Harrisburg, Scranton, Allentown or Lancaster. I have no desire to live in Florida, either, but I’d move to any of the listed towns there than the PA locations.

Weird, right?  Like tons of eastern PA places, and the "PA guy" wouldn't live in them. I wonder if the Florida folks are like "It's Panhandle or Bust!" too???

[Prophet Zacharia]

3 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

Weird, right?

I’m sure it’s mostly COL that has the central PA places high on the list? Certainly not the diversity of opportunities or weather.

[Razors Edge ★]

3 minutes ago, Prophet Zacharia said:

I’m sure it’s mostly COL that has the central PA places high on the list? Certainly not the diversity of opportunities or weather.

COL is low across PA (probably OH and NY and WV and similar as well?). But, man Florida and PA is 85% of that top 20!  What are we missing?

[Square Wheels]

I don't like the southeast.  I am super sensitive to mold.  I've only stayed at a few places, but they have all been musty.  I leave feeling awful.

[Scrapr ★]

whew...nothing on the West Coast...or even past the Rockie's. We are full out here

[Razors Edge ★]

4 minutes ago, Scrapr said:

whew...nothing on the West Coast...or even past the Rockie's. We are full out here

Full of something 

[Kzoo]

5 minutes ago, Square Wheels said:

I don't like the southeast.  I am super sensitive to mold.  I've only stayed at a few places, but they have all been musty.  I leave feeling awful.

And you didn't even mention the cockroaches and spiders.  Oh yeah, the alligators and cotton mouths.  And just when you think you are safe, an iguana falls out of a tree and gives you a concussion.

[Razors Edge ★]

4 minutes ago, Kzoo said:

And you didn't even mention the cockroaches and spiders.  Oh yeah, the alligators and cotton mouths.  And just when you think you are safe, an iguana falls out of a tree and gives you a concussion.

Yet no mention of the drivers.  Weird.  

[Kzoo]

1 minute ago, Razors Edge said:

Yet no mention of the drivers, irons, and putters.  Weird.  

Whatever

 

[Razors Edge ★]

1 minute ago, Kzoo said:

Whatever

Did I mention a hole-in-one?  I don't want to brag, but it is a pretty big deal. 

[Kzoo]

11 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

Did I mention a hole-in-one?  I don't want to brag, but it is a pretty big deal. 

A hole in one of your what?

[Razors Edge ★]

7 minutes ago, Kzoo said:

A hole in one of your what?

To keep is simple, I hit a 5-iron, which sailed magnificently into a rather strong wind, with approximately 5 feet of cut, whereupon it bounced twice and then went clank, into the hole. Other players noticed it before I did because their eyes are slightly better, but on that one hole only, their swings weren't. Anyway, there's a lot of chatter about it, quite exciting, and people everywhere seem to be asking for the facts. Playing with that group of wonderful, talented players was a lot of fun. The match was Ernie and me (with no strokes) against Gene, Mike, and Ken. I won't tell you who won because I am a very modest individual, and you will then say I was bragging -and I don't like people who brag!

Better?

[Dottleshead ★]

I guess the West is too expensive.

[Wilbur ★]

Nebraska is nice. 

[Dottleshead ★]

Just now, Wilbur said:

Nebraska is nice. 

Troll.

[Kzoo]

1 hour ago, Razors Edge said:

To keep is simple, I hit a 5-iron, which sailed magnificently into a rather strong wind, with approximately 5 feet of cut, whereupon it bounced twice and then went clank, into the hole. Other players noticed it before I did because their eyes are slightly better, but on that one hole only, their swings weren't. Anyway, there's a lot of chatter about it, quite exciting, and people everywhere seem to be asking for the facts. Playing with that group of wonderful, talented players was a lot of fun. The match was Ernie and me (with no strokes) against Gene, Mike, and Ken. I won't tell you who won because I am a very modest individual, and you will then say I was bragging -and I don't like people who brag!

Better?

Huh?

 

[Dottleshead ★]

This is like college football ratings.  Nothing exists outside of the east coast.  It also makes me wonder how much USN got paid by Florida.  I'm telling you all -- we need a playoff system!!

[Razors Edge ★]

2 minutes ago, Kzoo said:

Huh?

 

I'm trying not to brag! Stop asking me about my hole-in-one on that VERY difficult hole on the world's greatest golf course!  

[Dottleshead ★]

2 hours ago, Square Wheels said:

I don't like the southeast.  I am super sensitive to mold.  I've only stayed at a few places, but they have all been musty.  I leave feeling awful.

Then you definitely would not like the PNW.  I think 50% of the world's molds are found here.

[maddmaxx ★]

2 hours ago, Kzoo said:

And you didn't even mention the cockroaches and spiders.  Oh yeah, the alligators and cotton mouths.  And just when you think you are safe, an iguana falls out of a tree and gives you a concussion.

There aren't any cockroaches in FL

 

You must be thinking of the Palmetto bugs.

[ChrisL]

6 hours ago, MickinMD said:No wonder it's so expensive to live in Maryland: but it also has the nation's highest avg. income and it's worth it!

You had referenced this before and I figured NY or even CA would have higher averages based on dot.com, tech entertainment &  finance.   I get that MD has a lot of DC employees though.

This is just one google search but it supports what I thought and does have MD 4th so it is quiet high. 

 

[Prophet Zacharia]

14 minutes ago, ChrisL said:

You had referenced this before and I figured NY or even CA would have higher averages based on dot.com, tech entertainment &  finance.   I get that MD has a lot of DC employees though.

This is just one google search but it supports what I thought and does have MD 4th so it is quiet high. 

 

Can we use the mode? Probably more representative of the “average Joe”. Aka “Modal Joe”.

[Ralphie ★]

I agree with 12string. RIP is the way to go. Moving sucks for one thing!  Ahspose you could also follow your kids if you were sure they were not going to move!

[Prophet Zacharia]

1 hour ago, Philander Seabury said:

I agree with 12string. RIP is the way to go. Moving sucks for one thing!  Ahspose you could also follow your kids if you were sure they were not going to move!

That assumes your kids will tell you when and where they move, after their 20’s.

[MickinMD ★]

York, PA isn't bad if you're retired: I think half of the working people there drive over an hour to the Baltimore or Harrisburg areas to their jobs.

The Philadelphia distant suburbs, like Bristol, PA, aren't bad but I wouldn't want to live in Philadelphia itself. Once, during a softball coaching clinic in Cherry Hill, NJ, I missed an expressway turnoff to my hotel in NJ and had to take a bridge over the Delaware River and into Philly before I could turn around.  The Philly area looked so bad that I gently pushed orange road cones on the bridge aside with my bumper so I could get to the lanes going back across to NJ.  Doesn't W.C. Fields' tombstone say, "I'd rather be here than Philadelphia?"

[Razors Edge ★]

15 hours ago, ChrisL said:

You had referenced this before and I figured NY or even CA would have higher averages based on dot.com, tech entertainment &  finance.   I get that MD has a lot of DC employees though.

This is just one google search but it supports what I thought and does have MD 4th so it is quiet high. 

 

 

15 hours ago, Prophet Zacharia said:

Can we use the mode? Probably more representative of the “average Joe”. Aka “Modal Joe”.

Yeah, I think Mick is using the "Median Annual Household Income" stat, but it is one of those stats that tells a lot but also nothing.  County-wise, the DC burbs always do well in that stat, but it does become a "it's relative" sort of thing too, as zip codes might be even more extreme to use, and you might also have a huge household income but be "poor" for your area.